A good quarterback can make or break an NFL team, but in many instances, a good wide receiver can make or break a quarterback.

Ranking the NFL's best slot receivers Published: Jun 21, 2013 at 06:10 AM. Gregg Rosenthal. Cruz helped auger in the era of the slot receiver as a big-time vertical threat. The greatest receiver in Packers history, Don Hutson was the first great receiver in NFL history. During his ten year career, Hutson led the NFL in touchdowns receptions nine times, receptions.

The prototypical wide receiver is tall enough that a 5’10” or 5’11” cornerback can’t cover him, he’s fast enough to get open, even in double coverage, and he needs sure hands to be able to secure a catch in traffic. The ability to block isn’t always a requirement, but it’s a bonus that can prolong the career of an otherwise mediocre talent.

What I Looked At to Compile My Rankings:

Wide receivers are primarily judged by the main receiving statistics – catches, yards, yards per catch, and touchdowns. What a wide receiver can do when he’s not paired up with an elite quarterback is sometimes the ultimate test; nearly any wide receiver can look good with Peyton Manning throwing to him, but what if his quarterback is an average talent? Can that receiver still get open and still make plays?

Individual accolades like Pro Bowl selections and First-Team All-Pro honors go a long way, as do AP Offensive Player of the Year awards (no wide receiver in the modern era has won league MVP). I also focused on what a receiver did in the postseason, when up against the stiffest competition. Did he disappear or did he make the best catches when the stage was the biggest?

Statistics don’t tell the whole story; I want to know what receivers would help a new team – with a completely random quarterback, in a new offense, and in a new system. Is the receiver physically powerful enough to make plays, or did he succeed largely because of his quarterback/head coach?

I ranked 100 receivers on this list, so I broke the article into three parts for easier reading. This part will focus on the receivers ranked 20 through 1; Part II included wide receivers 50 through 21; and Part I was wide receivers ranked 100 through 51.

Click here to read Part I (#100-51).

Click here to read Part II (#50-21).

20. Pete Pihos (1947-1955)

At a time when passing still reigned secondary to a running game, Pete Pihos was a special player, and he seemed to get better as time went on. Pihos led the NFL in receptions each of his final three seasons, abruptly retiring after he posted a 62/864/7 receiving line and earned an All-Pro selection. Pihos played both ways, serving as a defensive end on the other side of the ball, and finishing with six Pro Bowls and five AP All-Pro selections. He also played a key role for the Philadelphia Eagles teams that repeated as champions from 1948 to 1949

19. Isaac Bruce (1994-2009)

Isaac Bruce put up extraordinary numbers during his playing career, finishing with the fourth-most receiving yards at his position (15,208) in NFL history. Bruce topped 1,000 eight times, putting up a ridiculous 1,781 in his second season, a total that would have set a league record had it not occurred the same season that Jerry Rice totaled 1,848. Bruce was never a First-Team All-Pro and made ‘just’ four Pro Bowls, which may be why he isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet, but he will get in sooner than later. Bruce is one of just three receivers with 1,000 catches and 15,000 receiving yards, and he caught a 73-yard touchdown reception from Kurt Warner in the 1999 Super Bowl (which remarkably, wasn’t even his longest touchdown catch that postseason).

18. Tommy McDonald (1957-1968)

It’s a wonder that Tommy McDonald was able to have an NFL career at just 5’9”, 178 pounds, let alone be one of the greatest wide receivers the league has ever seen. McDonald – who was the last non-special teams player to play without a facemask – missed just three games in his first 11 seasons.

He made six Pro Bowls in his career, topping 1,000 yards three times and leading the NFL in touchdown catches twice. McDonald retired sixth all-time in receptions, fourth in receiving yards, and second to just Don Hutson in touchdown catches. McDonald played a big role for the Philadelphia Eagles in their 1960 championship title, securing the game’s first touchdown on a 35-yard grab from Norm Van Brocklin.

17. Calvin Johnson (2007-2015)

In terms of positional dominance, Calvin Johnson should be ranked higher than 18^th on an all-time greatest wide receivers list. He’s a physical freak like the NFL may never see again; he’s 6’5”, 239 pounds, and can run a 4.35 40-yard dash. It’s no wonder he can do this to opposing defensive backs. Johnson’s career 86.07 receiving yards-per-game average is the highest ever by a retired wide receiver. Johnson’s accolades are overwhelming – he made six Pro Bowls and three First-Team All-Pro selections in nine seasons. He was the fastest player to top 10,000 receiving yards. He broke Jerry Rice’s single-season record for receiving yards (1,964) and averaged 1,467 over a five-year span. And in the playoffs, no one could stop Johnson – in two postseason contests, he’s averaged a 8.5/148/1 statline.

Sure, Johnson benefited from a pass-happy offense in which quarterback Matthew Stafford has been allowed to throw the ball over 40 times per game regularly. But that’s not what keeps him from ranking higher. Simply put, what keeps him from ranking in the top 10 or 15 – or even five, which may have been the case if he had kept playing – is his shortened career. Johnson is 36^th at his position in receptions, 26^th in yards, and 20^th in touchdown catches. If he had kept playing, he would shoot up those all-time lists, but as of now, his career – especially in the pass-inflated era – doesn’t quite hold up to others who were nearly as good and played substantially longer.

16. Sterling Sharpe (1988-1994)

If he hadn’t gotten injured and been forced to retire prematurely, Sterling Sharpe would assuredly be in the top 10 at his position. As it stands, he should still be in the Hall of Fame, even though he played just seven seasons.

Sharpe was listed at 5’11”, 207 pounds, but played as if he was the biggest man on the field. In his autobiography (Reggie White in the Trenches), Reggie White talked about how Sharpe used to practice with every positional group on the field, and how Sharpe probably could have been a star at all of them.

It’s ironic that a neck injury forced Sharpe to retire after just seven seasons because he never missed a game during his playing days. Sharpe soaked up targets as Brett Favre’s primary receiver in Green Bay, leading the NFL in receptions three times and twice setting the single-season mark for catches (he broke his own record the second year). There are two receivers since the NFL-AFL merger to lead the league in catches at least three times; Sharpe is the only one who wasn’t a slot receiver (Wes Welker did it).

Sharpe’s retirement came after an 18-touchdown season in which he made his fifth Pro Bowl, and right before a string of three consecutive MVP awards by Brett Favre; imagine what Sharpe would have done in that offense. Sharpe caught 13 touchdowns in his final six NFL games. His career postseason numbers are insane – two games, 11 catches, 229 yards, and a ridiculous four touchdown grabs. Sharpe should be an easy Hall of Famer, even in his abbreviated career.

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15. Osiris casino bonus code. Marvin Harrison (1996-2008)

It’s amazing that Marvin Harrison was able to carve out a career as one of the most productive statistical wide receivers in NFL history, considering he was barely six feet tall and just 175 pounds. Harrison had the benefit of playing with Peyton Manning, but he was also a highly-talented wid

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