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NFL Power Rankings: 30 Best Wide Receivers of All-Time

By Daniel

Aug 2, 2013; Canton, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings former wide receiver Cris Carter poses with his bust during the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 2, 2013; Canton, OH, USA; Minnesota Vikings former wide receiver Cris Carter poses with his bust during the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; General view of the Don Hutson Center before the game against the Oakland Raiders and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 22, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; General view of the Don Hutson Center before the game against the Oakland Raiders and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Don Hutson, Green Bay Packers: 344 Points

The greatest wide receiver of all-time is Don Hutson. How did Hutson beat out Jerry Rice for the number one spot? He simply dominated the league at the wide receiver position at a higher level throughout his career than Rice did. An amazing nine times in his 11 year career Hutson led the league in receiving touchdowns, seven times he led the NFL in receiving yards and eight times he led the NFL in receptions. Reread that last sentence and fully comprehend how dominant he was. All three of those are NFL records, obviously. Hutson was also named First Team All-Pro eight times (in 11 seasons), the second most all-time. He held the record for most career touchdown receptions (99) for 44 years. Even though Rice has all of the career records, Hutson was atop the league at a much higher rate.

Not only did Hutson dominate the wide receiver position, he undoubtedly helped evolve the position into what it is today — that is his true legacy. The NFL was still mostly a running game when he came to Green Bay in 1935, but he showed the entire league that stretching the field with the deep pass was a viable offensive strategy. He led the Packers to three World Championships and is undoubtedly one of the game’s all-time great players. Hutson changed the game of football and he changed the NFL for the better. Although Jerry Rice was absolutely dominant, he didn’t do enough to dethrone the true king of the wide receiver position.

Didn’t See A Player That You Thought You Would!?

Are you wondering where some of the big name NFL wide receivers are? Maybe they weren’t as dominant as you thought they were. Perception is indeed not reality when it comes to NFL history. The numbers do not lie and some NFL receivers that have gained a lot of attention over the years were perhaps given a little too much. I say this because the 30 players listed here dominated their position and their eras better than anyone.

The next slide features the top wide receivers in NFL history ranked 50-31. You can check out these wide receivers’ point totals for yourself! It serves as an in-depth ‘honorable mention‘ list. There you will find some big-name players that didn’t dominate their era as amazingly as many people like to believe.

Next: Top WRs Ranked 50-31 That Just Missed The Cut

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