Kenny Golladay's Place among NFL's Best Receivers

Our Vito Chirco takes a look at where Kenny Golladay ranks among the game's best receivers today

The Lions' 2019 season was one that was devoid of many bright spots.

Subsequently, you'd be hard-pressed to find something more positive that happened for the Lions this past season than the Pro Bowl campaign put together by third-year wideout Kenny Golladay.  

Golladay, a product of Northern Illinois, has been a stud in the making for a while, and he finally put it all together in 2019.

He played his first full NFL season, and proceeded to record his first campaign of 10-plus touchdowns -- an NFL-high 11 -- to go along with a career-best 1,190 reception yards.

It was his second consecutive 1,000-yard season -- he produced 1,063 in 15 games in 2018 -- and it helped him earn a trip to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

The 26-year-old made the most of his time at the NFL's annual all-star game, too.

He finished with a game-high 109 receiving yards on just three catches.

Kenny making plays at the Pro Bowl!@kgxix 𝘅 #ProBowl pic.twitter.com/StVt62RAyk

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 28, 2020

Not bad for a guy that was originally a third alternate for the game and only got the call up to the roster because of Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin being unable to play due to injury.  

Golladay, referred to as "Babytron" by some Detroit fans, made the most of his opportunity, and showcased why he's easily one of the best receivers in today's game.

But where does he rank among the NFL's elite wideouts? Let's take a closer look.

To start off, it can easily be said that Saints wideout Michael Thomas is the best receiver in the game today.

He led all pass catchers in 2019 in receptions (149), reception yards (1,725) and reception yards per game (107.8).

After Thomas, it can be argued that Falcons receiver Julio Jones and Godwin are the next two best receivers.

Jones finished with 1,394 receiving yards -- second-best in the NFL -- and 92.9 receiving yards per game -- third-best in the league -- in 15 games this season. 

The veteran Atlanta wideout also managed to record a league-best 13.8 yards per touch.

Then, there's Godwin, who produced 1,333 receiving yards -- third-best in the game -- 95.2 receiving yards per game -- second-best in the game -- and nine receiving touchdowns -- tied for fourth-best in the league.  

And he accomplished all of it while playing in just 14 games. 

Thomas, Jones and Godwin make up my top tier of receivers.

After the three of them, a serious argument can be made for Golladay being the NFL's best wideout.

Biggest reason why: He's in the prime of his career.

And he has more experience on his side than Titans pass catcher A.J. Brown -- a first-year pro in '19 -- who I also considered for the spot.

Brown finished with eight TD catches and 20.2 yards per reception -- second-best in the league -- in '19.  

Meanwhile, Golladay accumulated 18.3 yards per catch -- third-highest mark in the league -- and posted an NFL-high 17 receptions of 25-plus yards this past season.

And with potentially a healthy Matthew Stafford under center for the entirety of 2020 -- or dare I say, a healthy Tua Tagovailoa -- Golladay could be in store for even bigger numbers a season from now.

All the reason for me to believe that he will be the "leader" of the second-tier of NFL receivers in his fourth year as a pro.   

Now, it's time for you guys to voice your opinion on where Golladay ranks among the game's best receivers today. 

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Related 

Should Lions Bring Back QB Jeff Driskel?

Utah's Bradlee Anae Is a Great Fit for Lions