Picking my top nine wide receivers of all time was a struggle. These are my picks, and there are some surprises. The Playmaker, Michael Irvin, is not in my top nine. Playmaker, you know I love you, but you didn’t make the cut this time.

Is he probably on your list? Yeah. But this is my list, so let’s get into it. 

>>READ: Mornhinweg’s Top 10 QBs of All Time

Top 9 NFL Receivers of All Time

9. Sterling Sharpe

I cannot overlook how special this man was. He played seven short years, but he had a big impact on the Green Bay Packers. You talk about a potential rival to Jerry Rice. I won’t say had Sterling Sharpe continued to play or he would’ve matched Rice. I’m not going to go there. But he was a bona fide problem for opponents.

He had more than 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns in the final season of his career, which ended prematurely because of a neck injury. He was a three-time first-team All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowler. The numbers he amassed in seven years — 595 receptions, 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns in just 112 games — would be a great career for most.

Sharpe was the best over-the-shoulder hands catcher I’ve ever seen. That includes Larry Fitzgerald and Rice. If the ball was in the air, and we’re talking about stacking a defender, and you’re the only one to make a play, no one was better than Sterling was. He had physicality like A.J. Brown does and a mixture of abilities like Terrell Owens. Sharpe had great speed, and I wish I could put him higher, but that would cause even more havoc and uproar. 

8. Julio Jones

This is a guy who changed so much. When we look at the NFL receiver position, he changed things with his size, his Olympic-type speed, with the ability to sink his hips and get in and out of breaks and catch the ball deep.

If there is one knock on Jones, it’s he didn’t have enough touchdowns (63 in 155 games). Well, I don’t care about touchdowns. What he did was get his team in a position to score and make plays. An argument could be made that nobody was better at this. He was that much of a game-changer and problem for defenses in his prime until he started to battle injuries.

7. Cris Carter

Mr. Toe Tap, Mr. One-Hand Sideline, Cris Carter could be higher on this list. He was someone I watched and admired greatly because he not only had his struggles, but once he found that line, he was the best for a while. Twice, Carter made 122 catches in a season on his way to 1,101 in his career and was an eight-time Pro Bowl pick. 

Carter could make any catch. He would get open and create any amount of separation needed. But he didn’t even need separation, he was going to make the catch anyway. If his hands touched the ball, it was a catch. It didn’t matter if it was on the sideline, on the ground, one-handed.

It didn’t matter where the ball was in his vicinity, or if defenders were draped over him, he was going to catch it if he got his hands on it.   

6. Marvin Harrison

This is one of my favorite receivers of all time because of his size, speed and ability to do it his way. Marvin Harrison probably could have had a ton more yards, but he chose not to because he caught the ball and got down, or he ran out of bounds. There was no one better at getting over the top and catching over the shoulder.

The one knock on Harrison, if there is a knock, is the postseason. Where were you, Marvin? He was smaller (6-foot, 185 pounds) and he struggled to get off jams. The New England Patriots like to get their hands on receivers, and so the rules started to change. Harrison was phenomenal. His numbers (1,102 receptions, 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns) speak for themselves and are why he’s in the Hall of Fame.

>>READ: Jennings’ Top 9 Receivers Entering 2023

5. Larry Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald started wreaking havoc on the NFL from Day 1 of his rookie season. He could make any catch. Fitzgerald was a lot like his mentor growing up Carter – he caught anything and everything thrown in his direction. When he had the opportunity to play in the postseason, he was one of the best to do it in the playoffs. He had 942 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns in only nine playoff games. 

He was a guy who could high-point a ball and make a contested catch better than anyone. Fitzgerald could find a way to get a burst when no one knew he had speed. In Super Bowl XLIII, the Cardinals needed a play, he was matched up against Ike Taylor, a speedy corner, and caught a slant and took it to the house.

Fitzgerald had a special, unique skill set. He wasn’t the most athletic guy, but he found a way to maximize every bit of his 6-foot-3, 218-pound physique. Fitzgerald used his hands better than anyone I’ve ever seen in the business, and they helped him grab 1,432 receptions. 

4. Calvin Johnson

This is the point where ranking receivers gets really interesting. This one is hard for me because I’m biased. I want to put Megatron at No. 1 because he did things we’ve never seen. He forced defenses to utilize coverages we had never seen. We’ve never seen gunner-type punt coverages on receivers in a game. Not during special-teams play but during an actual offensive play. Two guys would bump him. Who makes that happen? Megatron was that special. 

Megatron was so good that QB Matthew Stafford might identify him late and just throw the ball up and let him go get it. He did it again and again for the Detroit Lions, and then after nine seasons he said, “I’m done.” Johnson had so much left, but that was it. He still put up 731 catches, 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns in 135 games.

3. Terrell Owens

Terrell Owens, the Brahma Bull, is the guy who paved the way for Megatron and Jones. Some say drops hurt Owens, but his ability to make plays almost makes you forget those. He was part of iconic plays, beating the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs in 1998. He went through the middle, was sandwiched and came up with the ball. Owens did that his entire career. He made big play after big play, which is why he finished with 156 touchdowns.

You can call him selfish, you can call him whatever you want, but he was one of the best ever to do it. He was a Hall of Famer and should have made it on the first ballot that he was eligible. Set your emotions aside, he was one of the best receivers ever to play.

2. Randy Moss

Randy Moss isn’t No. 1 for me because he didn’t do it all. He didn’t want to go across the middle. He didn’t play in the slot. I don’t believe he was limited; he put a limit on his game; he put restrictions on his game. Could he have done those things? Absolutely. He just didn’t want to.

The fact he produced the numbers that he did (15,292 yards and 157 touchdowns) while saying, “Nah, I’m not going to do that. I’m just going to stay out here, run my routes from the outside, get over the top of guys, catch any and everything you throw. They can’t jump with me.” You need guys like this. 

When I was a younger receiver coming up, I admired Moss. We all did. We wanted to be Randy Moss. To this day we still talk about receivers getting “Mossed”. When you leave that type of imprint because of your ability to go up and get the ball over any defender, you’ve got to be up there with the top receivers of all time. 

Moss’ speed was second to none for someone 6-foot-4. It was unfair. He was a cheat code for what he chose to do. If he had done more, there is no question he’d be No. 1 on this list. 

>> READ: How the Vikings Drafted Moss

1. Jerry Rice

There is one guy who did it all, and if you open a record book you’ll see his name all over – Jerry Rice. You can’t overlook that. I’m not big at looking at stats and saying this is what sells it, this is what validates it or this confirms it. However, when you look at Rice, not only was he a phenomenal player, he reminds me of Fitzgerald.

He wasn’t the most athletic receiver. He wasn’t the fastest. Rice had decent size (6-2, 200 pounds), and he had game speed where he could separate and be a home-run hitter. He wasn’t a big-time hands catcher, but he caught everything. 

Rice was a craftsman. He understood his ability and he, probably more than anyone on this list, maximized that ability. He played with Hall of Fame quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young. If we’re going to say he’s No. 1, he made them a lot better, and they made him a lot better. 

His work ethic set him apart. He ran precise routes, he had the ability to create separation at a time when the NFL was starting to become more of a passing league. Everyone knew Rice was going to get the ball and no one could stop him.

Everyone knew Rice was going to run a slant and they can’t let him get inside, but no one was able to stop him. He made 1,549 receptions for 22,895 yards and he had 206 total touchdowns – all are NFL records. 

Rice is the best. He’s the GOAT. His name comes up more than anyone’s when you talk about the all-time great receivers. You can’t have a top-three without mentioning him. Not only is he the best receiver of all time, but he’s also arguably the greatest football player of all time. 

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Greg Jennings is a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Packers, Vikings and Dolphins. A two-time Pro Bowl player, Jennings was a member of the Packers’ Super Bowl XLV championship team and is inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. Follow him on Twitter @GregJennings.