PFF ranks every team's receivers.
The NFL's top teams have several passing-game options, and they’re able to keep defenses off balance with a variety of different playmakers. Here are the best pass-catching units in the NFL heading into 2021, headlined by the Buccaneers at No. 1.
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Patriots wide receivers and tight ends have the third-worst receiving grade over the last two years, hence their aggressive moves to rectify that this offseason. They add
Nelson Agholor who is coming off a strong 2020 season with 896 yards and 18.7 yards per reception. Agholor has graded above 70.0 just twice in his six-year career, so there is some risk with his signing given a history of drops and inconsistency.
Kendrick Bourne is a solid possession option who has graded at 70.0-plus as a receiver in each of the last two years.
Jakobi Meyers has been fantastic when given an opportunity in his two years, and he graded at 78.6 last year while leading the Patriots with 37 first downs. He’s an excellent route runner who works best as a No. 2 or No. 3 option.
N’Keal Harry has struggled in his two seasons with route running being a big issue. Harry has been open on just 25.5% of his targets against single coverage, 99th out of 100 qualifiers.
Gunner Olszewski adds depth.
Patriots tight ends had a league-low 18 catches last season, but that will certainly change after they signed both
Hunter Henry and
Jonnu Smith in free agency. Henry once looked like the next great young tight end, but he’s settled in as a solid option with a 72.5 overall grade since 2018, 20th-best in the league. Smith has the No. 17 receiving grade during that time, and he’s averaged an impressive 6.7 yards after the catch per reception in his four-year career. New England now has the pieces to add the tight ends back into their passing attack. Henry and Smith push a pair of 2020 third-rounders,
Devin Asiasi and
Dalton Keene, down the depth chart.
The Patriots have had one of the slowest and most ineffective groups of pass-catchers in the league over the last few years, and they’ve taken great strides to rectify that this offseason.
The Bucs showed the value of offensive-weapon depth and how putting multiple effective playmakers on the field puts defenses in a bind.
It starts with a wide receiver room that features
Mike Evans,
Chris Godwin and
Antonio Brown, the best trio in the league. Evans has graded at 80.0-plus in all but two years of his career, and he finished with over 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns (including the playoffs) despite battling injuries throughout the season. He could be even more dangerous with a healthy 2021.
Godwin returns on the franchise tag after grading at 75.0 or better in his four years. He’s been one of the most sure-handed receivers in the league since 2017, though he went through a difficult stretch in the playoffs, with seven of his 13 career drops all occurring during the Bucs' 2020 playoff push. Like Evans, Godwin battled injuries and may be even better this season.
Brown was the highest-graded receiver on the team last year despite not seeing action until Week 9. He has been one of the best receivers in the league throughout his career, and he was a key target down the stretch as he got more acclimated to the offense.
Beyond the top three,
Scotty Miller is one of the league’s fastest receivers — he picked up 312 of his 581 yards on passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield. Fifth-rounder
Tyler Johnson also made a few key plays, and 2021 fourth-rounder
Jaelon Darden adds speed and quickness to the slot.
The tight end room is just as deep, with
Rob Gronkowski,
Cameron Brate and the returning
O.J. Howard. Gronkowski is no longer the best tight end in the league, but he can turn it on in spurts. He finished with 53 catches for 733 yards (13.8 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns last season. Brate recorded 42 receptions and 457 yards of his own, while Howard earned an 85.3 receiving grade prior to his season-ending injury. This trio is as good as it gets in the NFL.
The Bucs are loaded up and down the roster, but their group of playmakers not only has the potential to dominate but has the depth to handle injuries just as it did in 2020.
No more talk about Brady's lack of weapons.
Chiefs come in 3rd.