The New Breed of WRs

The NFL is an organic creature, always changing, always progressing. Every year, players drop out of the spotlight and are replaced with the new breed of up-and-comers. Players like Willie Parker are forgotten, and the Rashard Mendenhall's of the league become everyday names.

It seems that this happens at running back more than anywhere else, as the average star RB’s career is just 5-6 seasons. But every once in a while we see a blip on the radar, and a position is given a full renaissance. This is the year that the Wide Receiver position has been re-discovered and taken over by this next generation of player.

As expected, there is not a full turn around at the position. Actually, much of the Top 10 is full of established talent. These are the Randy Moss's of the world. The Andre Johnson's of the world. And for argument's sake, here would be my Top 10:

1. R. Moss - He will go down in history as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. Rice, Largent, Moss.

2. R. Wayne - When you have one of the best quarterbacks of all time throwing to you, it sure doesn't hurt!

3. A. Johnson - An uncanny combination of size, athleticism, and speed. He is very reminiscent of T.O. in his prime.

4. W. Welker - Best slot man/possession receiver in all of football. Somehow he is always open enough to catch a dart from Mr. Brady.

5. L. Fitzgerald - The league has not seen a leaper like Fitz since the days of Herman Moore.

6. R. White - Up-and-comer in the category. Has a high ceiling if he can continue to progress like he has the last two seasons.

7. A. Boldin - The NFL's answer to a power forward. You do not want to be a cornerback in the open field and see Boldin coming your way.

8. B. Marshall - Marshall shows game in and game out that size and speed kill. Now if he could only get his head on straight 365 days a year…

9. M. Colston - The best WR on the best passing offense in the league. How can you not like him?!

10. V. Jackson - Has really come into his own this season, and it never hurts being the #1 WR for one of the best chuckers in the league.

You can argue the positioning of players on that list, but it’s hard to argue that these 10 players aren’t ahead of the rest of the league. Other than V-Jax and White, it’s a pretty established group of players, averaging 6.3 years in the league.

I have a few other 'groupings' of wide receivers before we get to the up and comers.

First group is the impact players that are reaching the end of their once valuable careers. All of the players in this group can still be the best in the league any given week, but they cannot and do not do it consistently:

H. Ward - There is no better blocking WR in the league. You have to love seeing his toothy grin as he smacks down Ed Reed for the umpteenth time in his career.

D. Driver - One of the most underrated wide receivers of the last decade. He can still sneak behind coverage, and go for that 60 yard bomb.

T. Owens - What can you say? He still has the moves, still has the size, and still has the mouth. Even at the end of his career as a mediocre player, he likes to smack talk!

D. Mason - He's already retired once, and was talked out of it for one more kick at the can! He owns Flacco's eye, and gets the targets to prove it.

The next group is what I call my 'Lost' group. I just have no idea where to fit them in. They aren't good enough to be in my top 10, and they aren't old enough to be considered an 'old dog'. Some have shown flashes of brilliance in the past, but you just KNOW they are not going to be that guy you can count on week in and week out for big production. Heck, some of them have all the talent to succeed, they just don't have enough around them to get them the ball (read: their quarterback sucks!):

Chad Johnson (Really, do I have to call him Eight-Five?) - I just don't know where to place him. It seems like he will take two seasons off, and then perform for one season, just in time to take two more seasons off.

G. Jennings - He was all set for a breakout year, and has fallen flat on his face. The Green Bay WR core has turned into the ultimate 50-50 split.

N. Burleson - A great possession WR for the Seahawks, but he just doesn't get into the end zone enough to be considered top notch.

D. Bowe - Young and talented, but the team around him is terrible. He could be a top flight WR, although I can't see it happening. Call this placement a 'hunch'.

J. Cotchery - All the talent in the world, but may get lost in the shuffle with Braylon Edwards in town. If Edwards leaves via free-agency, the Cotch Rocket could have a quietly good year next season.

S. Smith (Car) - I argue that he is on the downside of his career. Others argue that he is lacking the accuracy at QB to make him a threat. Could he potentially put a nice season together next year with a new QB?

T. Houshmandzedah - Ugh! So much hype, so much potential, and more crying than anything this season!

B. Edwards - It's starting to look like 2007 was the anomaly on his resume! Edwards catches the ball like it is an angry wasp's hive!

And lastly is the group of receivers that I wanted to talk about when I got into this article. It’s the up and coming WRs that are going to be pushing to be in the top 10 in the next few years. Hell, 2 or 3 of them could arguably be IN the top 10 already, but were quite honestly listed here so I could talk about them more, and make an article out of it.

I will hold no punches with it that either of the Jackson's could very easily replace Marques Colston in the Top 10. Oh well, it makes for better conversation this way!

Next Generation:

1. C. Johnson - Megatron has the potential to become one of the greats. He just needs a few things around him to get him to that next level. The first is a winning season to get his head completely back into the game. The second is an O-Line to protect his QB, and finally a winning season ! After an injury-riddled 2009 season where it seems a little like he has lost his love for the game, Calvin just needs to be jumpstarted into stardom.

2. D. Jackson - The new D-Jax could also be considered in the top 10, and has put up some pretty gaudy numbers in 2009, but he’s a one dimensional player who seems to rotate between 200 yard-2TD games one week, to having just one catch for 15 yards the next. He needs to add an element to his game where he can be that every down WR to be considered top 10 talents.

3. S. Rice - One of the very nice surprises of the season. It doesn't hurt that he has one of the best QBs of all time throwing bombs to him week in and week out. I am curious to see if Sidney can play like that other Rice when it’s Tavaris Jackson throwing him the ball. Is Favre going to come back next year to take another shot at an NFC Championship (yes, I am predicting they lose in the NFC Championship game!)?

4. S. Holmes - It seems like our boy Santonio is always on the verge of a breakout. He started the season the same way he ended last year: on a roll. He had become the envy of every GM in the league. Since those first couple of games, he just cannot put it together and has been outshone by one of those old dogs, Hines Ward. Holmes, Like Calvin, has all the tools to become a superstar; he just needs to put it together for a full season, rather than just spurts!

5. M. Austin - Austin came out of the blue (just a combined 39 yards in the 3 weeks leading up to his 250 yard performance in week 5) to become a major thread in the league. He has a head on his shoulders, which Dallas fans are just not used to seeing out of a superstar WR. It's nice to see a player making less than $500K a year out perform another prima-donna (Roy Williams) making nearly $12M this season. I can only wonder what will happen to Miles Austin (Austin Miles?) when the fame goes to his head.

6 and 7. M. Manningham and S. Smith (NYG) - We were all looking for a young WR to step up in New York once Plaxico Burress was sent to the clink for putting a cap in his own leg. Eli found his men in the form of the NEW Steve Smith and Mario Manningham. Smith has become the slot man - lots of targets, fewer yards, and despite being one of the stupidest men in America, Manningham has become the deep threat. Together, it’s a pretty prominent duo for the Giants in the near future.

8. P. Harvin - Anyone that listens to my podcast (Ultimate Football Talk on iTunes) knows that I had it out for William Percival Harvin III all pre-season, but I will eat crow and admit he has been much better than I expected. I knew he had the 'slash' ability, I just didn’t see him having it in the passing game. Then again, he has the same knock against him that S. Rice has: let me see him do it without Favre next year!

9. M. Sims-Walker - Call it a hunch, but MSW is a STUD in the making. After spending his college days alongside Brandon Marshall, he was hurt for his first two years in the league, and is just making a splash in his 3rd year. He has the size to bash around some bodies, the speed to break away and the elusiveness to rack up some major YAC! Shh, don't tell my league mates, but he might be my early sleeper for 2010.

10. K. Britt - The Rutgers grad seems to be the first legitimate receiving thread on the Titans since Derrick Mason jetted for the Ravens. The young receiver not only has the size to be great, but he also the eye and attention of QB Vince Young. I look for big things in his 2nd season as a pro.