There is a lot of smack talk going on in the world of social media over the AFC North wide receivers. Who is the best, who has the best, yadayadayada. Since the internet needs more opinions I decided to add mine to the mix and keep the debate going. I looked at 2019 statistics, anomalies from that year due to injuries and overall contributions to their offense. Here is what I got:
- Odell Beckham Jr. (Browns)
- AJ Green (Bengals)
- Jarvis Landry (Browns)
- Tyler Boyd (Bengals)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers)
- Marquise Brown (Ravens)
- James Washington (Steelers)
- Tee Higgins (Bengals)
- Chase Claypool (Steelers)
- Willie Snead IV (Ravens)
- Rashard Higgins (Browns)
- Miles Boykin (Ravens)
Yes OBJ came out on top. When this guy is healthy and has a competent QB he is deadly. He is younger than AJ Green which is why I had to put him on top of his game. He plays with fire and is a bit of a head case but his hands and body positioning are incredible. Technically Jarvis Landry had a bigger year than him last year but you have to look at the overall player.
Another surprise may have been JuJu being below Tyler Boyd. I am not forgetting what JuJu did in 2018 (1,426 yards for 7 TDs) but his 2019 season without Ben was terrible. Fans are not sold on this guy and neither am I. I think this is a big reason that they took Claypool with their first pick in the draft. Boyd is one, if not the, top slot receiver in the NFL. He played boundary last year with Green out and what the teams best wide receiver. Getting him back into the slot in 2020 is going to be lit.
Ravens fans are already mad bro. Hollywood is low on my list and a lot of it has to do with the Ravens offense. Jackson is getting better in the passing game so I expect Brown to have a better 2020 but his stats just don’t do it for me yet and he is a young guy. Overall the Ravens receiving corp is pathetic which is probably why they took Dobbins….they don’t plan on passing that much again.
Since Tee Higgins and Chase Claypool are rookies it is hard to judge what they will bring. Both will be third on the WR depth charts to start the season but I assume that Higgins will play the #2 position as will Claypool if James Washington doesn’t win the spot in camp. I think Higgins has the higher upside and we will know by his second year if he is ready to take over for AJ Green.
The top 5 order was difficult because the AFC North has some great receivers. What do you think?