Former NFL WR Bafflingly Leaves Justin Jefferson Out of His Top 5 Receivers

Keyshawn Johnson doesn't think Jefferson is a top-five receiver in the league, apparently.

Heading into the 2023 season, Justin Jefferson seems to be the consensus No. 1 wide receiver in football. And why wouldn't he be? The Vikings superstar has improved his production each year during the best three-season start to a WR's career in NFL history. He's coming off just the sixth 1,800-yard season the league has ever seen, one in which he won Offensive Player of the Year and was an MVP finalist.

If someone wants to buck the numbers and argue that Tyreek Hill or Davante Adams is above Jefferson, that certainly wouldn't be ridiculous. But everyone at least agrees that Jefferson is in the top three, right? Or at the very, very least, in the top five?

Not Keyshawn Johnson, apparently. The former 11-year NFL receiver gave out his top five receivers in a recent episode of ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill, and Max, and Jefferson was nowhere to be found. Huh?

Johnson's list includes Hill, Adams, Ja'Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs, and A.J. Brown. Five elite receivers, to be sure. But to leave Jefferson off the list is utterly ridiculous.

Here's how those six receivers stack up over the two seasons since Chase came into the league, via Stathead:

Jefferson leads the group in both receptions and receiving yards, with a 356-yard lead in the latter category. He has two All-Pro nods and is the only one on the list with an OPOY. This doesn't even include advanced metrics like yards per route run or PFF grade, which both have Adams and Jefferson at the top.

Legendary Vikings receiver Cris Carter wasn't happy.

#CmonMan a top five wide receivers list in the @NFL and Justin Jefferson does not make the list @KeyJayandMax time to turn the channel .

— Cris Carter (@criscarter80) June 26, 2023

Later on Monday, Johnson and Kellerman discussed Carter's reaction and defended the list.

"You can't have everybody on the list," Johnson said. "If I would've pushed it to six, then Jefferson's on the list. But for my liking, I like these guys. Doesn't mean that Justin Jefferson isn't fire. It just means when I'm building a team and I'm looking at this, it's what I'm looking for. That's all."

Johnson cited Super Bowl appearances and playoff success as reasons why players like Brown, Hill, and Chase made his list, which is quite something. He also implied that the players on his list are more athletic and well-rounded than Jefferson.

But wait. The most ridiculous thing said on the episode wasn't even said by Johnson.

"I actually agree," Kellerman said. "Your top four all have to be on that list. And then the fifth spot could be A.J. Brown, could be Justin Jefferson. I'd say it comes down to those two for me. You could take your pick."

I'm sorry, what? Kellerman — whose argument was about which players' skills are more transferrable to different offenses — doesn't even consider Jefferson as a possible candidate for his top four?

That's just bizarre. 

Cris Carter's right: Time to change the channel.

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