2023 NFL WR Rankings: Where Does Eagles' A.J. Brown Land?

Where does A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles rank among the best wide receivers in the NFL?
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Since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected receiver Mike Evans out of Texas A&M in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, he's had at least 1,000 receiving yards in every season of his career. Still only 29, Evans has racked up 683 receptions for 10,425 yards and 81 touchdowns, putting him very much on a Hall of Fame track.

So it should give you an idea of how deep the wide receiver position currently is that Evans might not even crack the top 10 right now for some positional rankings, including ours.

Ahead of the 2023 NFL season, here's our rankings of the top wide receivers in the NFL right now, including A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles.

10. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins

Waddle may be the second-best receiver on his own team, but make no mistake, he's a legitimate No. 1. Since being taken with the sixth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Waddle has caught 179 passes for 2,371 yards and 14 touchdowns.

9. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

Samuel was limited to 13 games last year, but is two years removed from racking up 1,405 receiving yards and another eight rushing touchdowns. It's unclear how sustainable his style is, but it was impossible to leave him off this list.

8. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

Lamb exploded in his third NFL season, catching 107 passes for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns. He should benefit from Brandin Cooks' addition and the potential re-emergence of Michael Gallup, as the Cowboys were probably too reliant on him in 2022.

7. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

In his first season with the Eagles, Brown put together his best NFL campaign yet, catching 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping Jalen Hurts in a breakout season. In a Super Bowl LVII loss, Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.

6. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Kupp was probably never going to top his 2021 season, where he led the NFL in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and touchdown catches (16) before winning Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP. But he was having another tremendous campaign before an ankle injury limited him to just nine games in 2022. If he and quarterback Matthew Stafford both stay healthy in 2023, Kupp could very well be an All-Pro once again. 

5. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

Diggs has three monster seasons to show for his time in Buffalo thus far, including catching 108 passes for 1,429 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022. If first-round pick Dalton Kincaid emerges as a legitimate pass-catching weapon in his rookie season, that could alleviate some of the pressure on Diggs to be perfect every game.

4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

If Chase's rookie season was any indication, he'll be the most explosive offensive weapon in the league if he stays healthy for a full season. In just 12 games last year, Chase caught 87 passes for 1,046 yards and nine touchdowns. In terms of guys who can turn five-yard catches into 50-yard touchdowns, Chase is at the top of the list.

3. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

The Kansas City Chiefs may have won a Super Bowl title without him, but Hill hardly fell off without Patrick Mahomes. Even with Tua Tagovailoa in and out of the lineup, Hill still caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards in his first season with the Dolphins, both career highs. He's another elite year or two away from cementing his Hall of Fame status.

2. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

Like Hill, Adams left one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and still had a monster season in 2022. Even though his reunion with college teammate Derek Carr didn't work out how he had hoped, Adams still caught 100 passes for 1,516 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns. Have there been five better route runners in NFL history than Adams?

1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

Jefferson is the most prolific receiver in the NFL right now, and already forcing himself into the all-time discussion. In three seasons with the Vikings, Jefferson has caught 324 passes for 4,825 yards and 25 touchdowns. We're witnessing an all-time great in Jefferson.

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Tim Kelly
TIM KELLY

Tim Kelly is a contributor to SI's NFL team sites. Additionally, Kelly covers the Philadelphia Phillies as the Editorial Director for PhilliesNation.com. Previously, Kelly has been a producer at SportsRadio 94 WIP and a content producer for Audacy Sports, with written content syndicated to WIP, WFAN, WEEI and some of the biggest sports radio stations in the country. Kelly also has contributed to Bleacher Report, Just Baseball, Sports Talk Philly and Section 215, FanSided's Philadelphia affiliate. Kelly is a 2018 graduate of Bloomsburg University, with a major in Mass Communications and a minor in political science.