Media by Associated Press – Las Vegas Raiders’ Davante Adams practices during NFL football training camp, Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, in Henderson, Nev. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Being a top wide receiver in the NFL has become what a feature used to be. With the league emphasizing prominent passing games more than ever before, what wide receivers pile up the yardage and touchdowns has become on a level of running backs who used to pile up 1,000-yard seasons.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five wide receivers who will have interesting career paths this season.
5. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders lured Davante Adams out west before the season started and are inheriting a receiver coming off the best two seasons of his career.
Adams leaving Green Bay was a bit of a surprise as quarterback Aaron Rodgers ended up coming back after flirting with leaving. With Rodgers winging him the ball last season, Adams caught 123 passes for 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns.
That performance was on the back of a 2020 season where he caught 115 passes for 1,374 yards and a league-high 18 touchdowns.
However, while leaving Rodgers may be a head-scratching decision, Adams will still have a strong quarterback in Las Vegas in Derek Carr. Carr passed for over 4,000 yards last season as Las Vegas returned to the playoffs.
4. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
The Julio Jones-Matt Ryan era is slowly fading into the backdrop for the fans of the Atlanta Falcons. What the championship-starved franchise needs is some fresh blood.
London, a 6-foot-4 rookie wide receiver out of USC, is expected to help fill the void. As a junior with the Trojans, London caught 88 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns.
London’s production in eight games last season was nearly double what he had done in his previous two seasons. One thing that will be interesting for London is how the ball gets to him.
Marcus Mariota has a first-round pedigree but has largely been a disappointment at quarterback during his career. Fellow rookie Desmond Ridder may be throwing him passes by the end of the season.
3. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
Brown, who spent his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, will be trying to help Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts have a successful season.
Brown has two 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. Last season, Brown saw his numbers slump a bit as he caught 63 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
2. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Hill leaving the Kansas City Chiefs after six seasons and becoming a Super Bowl champion was surprising.
Hill, who has four 1,000-yard seasons in the past five years, was once again more than on the same page with Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Last season, Hill caught 111 passes for 1,239 yards and nine touchdowns.
Hill is hoping to become a player that helps take the pressure off Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Miami’s rushing offense was ground to halt last season because of their passing game struggles. With Hill stretching the defense, teams will have to be more honest when defending him.
1. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel caused waves in the offseason by requesting a trade when contract negotiations soured. The 49ers said no, then paid the dynamic wide receiver.
For the first time in his career last season, Samuel finished with over 1,000 receiving yards, hauling in 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns.
But Samuel’s contributions expanded well beyond the passing game. He also averaged 11.4 yards per carry out of the backfield on 14 carries and scored three touchdowns.
In a pinch, Samuel also threw a 24-yard touchdown pass when called upon. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan is a creative play caller and should find more creative ways to get the ball in Samuel’s hands this season.
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