As it stands for the moment, the NFL is playing its season in full come September. As the season approaches, I’m going to be taking a look at the landscape of the NFL, position by position, over the course of the next several weeks. We’ll be talking about the who’s who of the NFL in our own little version of the NFL Network’s “Top 100 Players” bit they do every year. Up first, we’re talking about the top 10 NFL defensive coordinators for 2020!
Top 10 NFL Wide Receivers For 2020
10. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans – Brown plays receiver like a seasoned vet – using his hands to jam press coverage and gain a step on defensive backs to get open instead of just outright running by them. His 20.2 yards per catch average was second only to Mike Williams a season ago, so he has that big play potential, too. His 1,051 yards should’ve been good enough for ‘Rookie of the Year,’ but instead Kyler Murray came home with the hardware for some reason. With a full season playing with Ryan Tannehill, expect Brown to keep rising among NFL receivers.
9. Odell Beckham, Jr., Cleveland Browns – We might’ve lost sight of just how talented Beckham is as a receiver because of how inept Freddie Kitchens was calling the Browns offense a season ago. All that considered, he still accumulated 1,035 receiving yards in 2019. I expect a bounce back season for Beckham in 2020.
8. Terry McLaurin, Washington R-Words – If you don’t have a football crush on Terry McLaurin, you need to actually watch some Terry McLaurin. He averaged 15.8 yards per catch during his rookie season and hauled in seven touchdowns on 919 yards in 14 games. He does so many things well that he could easily develop into one of the most complete receivers in the NFL with a little more stability and progress out of the quarterback position.
7. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers – Man, the Packers are really hitching their wagon to Adams after not drafting a single receiver back in April. But, despite playing in just 12 games, Adams still posted 997 receiving yards in 2019. He was well on his way to becoming one of the best in the league before missing that time last season – expect him to pick back up on that trajectory in 2020.
6. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Godwin emerged as one of the best big-play receivers in the NFL in 2019. But, you have to think of the opportunity he had – Jameis Winston was slinging that ball all over the place. The Bucs were often throwing because they were behind and playing catch-up. I just wouldn’t be surprised to see his numbers decline a bit in 2020 with Tom Brady at the helm.
5. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys – Some new weapons in the Cowboys offense, and the stability of Dak Prescott and that offensive line, should make for another explosive year for Cooper in the Cowboys offense. I expect him to improve upon that 1,189 receiving yard mark from a year ago.
4. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints – No one can deny what a machine Michael Thomas is. He’s the reigning NFL receiving leader with 1,725 yards on a staggering 149 receptions. But, what’s keeping Thomas out of the top three in my book is his lack of explosive play-making ability. His style is more ‘death by a million paper cuts.’ His 11.6 yards per catch average was 76th in the NFL.
3. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – You’re splitting hairs when you’re talking about the two stud Bucs receivers. But, I’m ultimately going with Evans for his style and consistency. The dude has never had less than 1,001 receiving yards in a season in his entire career – six consecutive thousand-yard seasons. But, it’s the way he plays the game that makes him so special – the dude is a physical specimen that no cornerback stands a chance with. If Evans tops 1,000 yards in 2020, he’ll have done something no other receiver has done before in achieving seven straight thousand-yard seasons.
2. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals – I’m still a big D-Hop guy, despite his production dipping big time from 2018 to 2019. He finished last season with 1,165 yards and seven touchdowns, and only Thomas and Jones caught more first downs in 2019 than Hopkins did. He catches anything that comes near him and has that rare ability to come down with the ball no matter who’s on him. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays in Arizona with Kyler Murray quarterbacking.
1. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons – At this point in his career, we need to start talking about Jones as the all-timer that he really is. He already has two NFL receiving titles to his name, and given the nature of that Falcons offense, the weaponry around him, and Matt Ryan chuckin’ the ball to him, I don’t think there’s any reason to think he’s going to slow down. Jones is the most complete receiver in the game – good speed, hands, separation ability, and he’s got the championship attitude to go with it.
He was 2nd in receiving yards and in first down catches in 2019 with 1,394 and 77 respectively. He was 2nd only to Godwin in PFF’s receiver grades. The dude’s been the total package since entering the league in 2011 – he has six straight 1,000+-yard seasons, and you might not realize it, but he’s already amassed 12,125 career receiving yards. Like I said, dude’s an all-timer. Roll Tide.
OTHER 2020 NFL TOP 10S
Defensive Coordinators
Head Coaches
Offensive Coordinators
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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