Selecting a wide receiver has been a hit or miss in the first round of the NFL Draft, as teams have debated whether they have received a good return of investment for a player taken on the first night. For every Justin Jefferson there is a Jalen Reagor, making the draft pick even harder to project how the player will turn out.
The wide receiver projection is certainly a wild card, as 94 players have been taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2000. Of those 94 players, 33 have been taken in the top 10 and 12 have been selected in the top five. No receiver has been taken No. 1 overall since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996, but the players taken in the top five have been a massive hit or a huge swing and a miss.
Who have been the best wide receivers taken in the first round of the draft since 2000? There are plenty of impressive resumes to choose from.
- Draft selection: No. 3 overall, 2004 (Arizona Cardinals)
- Arizona Cardinals (2004-2020)
Fitzgerald is awaiting his ticket to Canton as the Cardinals legend should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer with his impressive resume. He caught 1,432 passes for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns in his career, all with the Cardinals. Fitzgerald is second only to Jerry Rice in receptions and receiving yards and sixth all time in receiving touchdowns. He holds 24 NFL records and 40 franchise records, etching himself as one of the greatest players in NFL history.
Fitzgerald spent 17 seasons with the Cardinals, posting nine 1,000-yard seasons and five 100-catch seasons — and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns and receptions twice. Fitzgerald made 11 Pro Bowl teams, was an All-Pro in 2008 and earned the 2016 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Home run pick by the Cardinals.
- Draft selection: No. 2 overall, 2007 (Detroit Lions)
- Detroit Lions (2007-2015)
Already in the Hall of Fame, Johnson was arguably the greatest receiver through the duration of his nine seasons in the league. No player had more receiving yards (11,619), receiving touchdowns (83), and 100-yard games (46) than Johnson from 2007 through 2015.
Johnson holds nine NFL records, including having the most receiving yards in a season with 1,964 in 2012. He has three All-Pro selections, six Pro Bowl selections, and was a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team (and he retired in 2015). Johnson also is tied for the most 1,600-yard seasons in NFL history with four other players.
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