We all love a good sports list, and Davante Adams recently provided one when the Las Vegas Raiders wideout ranked his top five current NFL receivers.
Not surprisingly, Adams gave the top spot on the list to himself. Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson took runner-up, with Miami Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill taking home the bronze. Rounding out Adams’ list was Cowboys pass-catcher CeeDee Lamb and Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase, with Eagles wideout A.J. Brown getting an honorable mention.
“A.J., he’s another one that’s really consistent and can ball on you in so many different ways,” Adams recently said on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast.
Adams revealed the specific criteria he uses when ranking receivers.
“It’s third-and-8, and it’s man-to-man coverage in the boundary,” Adams said. “That’s what I’m choosing it off of. I’m not just choosing it off of just production. I’m choosing it off of who is going to get open when I need them to get open.”
Consistency was also something Adams alluded to when it came to including himself on the list. While his numbers somewhat fell off last year, Adams’ overall body of work since 2017 has been impressive.
Over that span, Adams has been named to six Pro Bowls with three All-Pro nods. His 709 receptions over that span is 26 more than the next-closest receiver, Bears wideout Keenan Allen. Adams’ 79 touchdowns since 2017 are nine more than Hill, who is the only receiver over that span with more receiving yards than Adams.
“I feel like (Hill), he kind of changed this,” Adams said, “but over the last six years, it’s only been one person that you can’t take out of the top three, that’s me.”
It’s hard to argue with Adams’ list. Hill has tallied over 3,500 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns over the last two years. Jefferson collected more receiving yards during his first four seasons than any wideout in league history. Lamb recently broke Michael Irvin’s Cowboys franchise single-season records for receptions and receiving yards. In 2021, Chase recorded the most receiving yards by a rookie since 1960 while helping lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
Adams’ list is solid, but there are a few notable names who didn’t make the cut. Allen, Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans, Texans receiver Stefon Diggs and Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown were among the league’s other top players who didn’t make Adams’ list. Evans might be the biggest snub. Not only did he lead the NFL in touchdown catches a year ago, Evans also became the first wideout in NFL history to go over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 10 seasons.
Evans may not have made Adams’ list, but he received one more vote than Adams from several CBS Sports NFL writers who voted on the Hall of Fame candidacy of 12 current players.