DraftZoo College Football Players of the Decade: Wide Receivers

The decade is over. Has been since January 1st if you’re not a big calendar guy. So it’s time to take a look back at the aughts, or double-Os, or 2000s, or whatever.

For the next two weeks, we’ll be glancing out of our college football car windows at the ‘objects closer than they appear’ and giving you a rundown of the top ten players at every position over the last ten years. Of course, this next part is very, very important to remember.

This has NOTHING to do with the NFL. It’s not about how well they’ve performed in their pro careers thus far or how they projected as prospects for the next level. This is purely about College Football. Nothing else. And oh yeah, guys that played only one season in this decade don’t count (Sorry Ladainian). Basically, anyone from the 2002 NFL Draft on is eligible.

So, without further ado, here are the ten best college wide receivers of the aughts (yeah, I’m going with aughts). Enjoy, discuss, and please, for the love of all sanity, tell me why I’m wrong by visiting our CONTACT page.

10.) Josh Reed, LSU
2867 yards, 17 TDs, 18.03 ypc
This seems like a nice spot to remind everyone that this list is not about stats. Not solely anyway. But if you got to watch Josh Reed play, you saw one of the most consistent receivers this decade. He had an uncanny knack for settling into the open spots in the zone, and his 18.03 ypc average speaks volumes about his open-field running ability (he was a running back coming into LSU, and it showed). Reed set the SEC record for receiving yards in a game with 293, and in a season with 1740. And he rounded it out with a Biletnikoff Award despite only playing the position for two seasons.

09.) Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina
2840 yards, 21 TDs, 15.69 ypc
Again, if you’re looking at pure production, Nicks might not make the list. But I’ll readily admit I was influenced by his Meineke Bowl performance. That was impressive. No one’s going to forget that one handed, around the back, under the legs, somersault catch. And that’s part of why Nicks made the list — he had incredible hand-eye coordination. His time at UNC saw him break 14 school receiving records and earn first-team All-ACC honors in his final season. And the real kicker that makes all of this even more impressive: TJ Yates was his QB. Yeah, TJ Yates. Imagine what he could have done with competence at the point.

08.) Dwayne Jarrett, USC
3138 yards, 41 TDs, 17.74 ypc
Maybe Jarrett deserves a loftier ranking, but as productive as he was, somehow his career is forgettable. Maybe it’s the plethora of talented USC wideouts this decade, or maybe it was the insane skill around him, but he’s a solid fit here. Only one guy on the list caught more TDs, and he managed to keep his deep threat status alive, racking up the second best ypc. A two-time All-American, Jarrett holds USC’s career receptions record and the Pac 10′s career receiving TDs record. He was ineligible for a little while because he somehow messed up by living with Matt Leinart, but when he was on the field, he was absolutely integral to USC’s dominance.

07.) Roy Williams, Texas
3866 yards, 36 TDs, 16.04 ypc
Williams started 40 games for the Longhorns and owns school records for receiving yards, receiving TDs, and just plain receptions. He’s one of only two Texas-Exes with two 1000 yard receiving seasons, and physically he was one of the best of the last ten years, no doubt. His performance in a Cotton Bowl win over LSU was one of the most insane I’ve ever seen from a receiver (I was at the game). In Dallas that day, Williams recorded his fifth consecutive 100-yard game with 142 yards, 1 TD, and a 39-yard reverse for a score. He pretty much single-handedly brought the Longhorns back from a serious first-half deficit. But one of the most impressive Roy feats was his amazing start. He was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and led all true freshman wideouts with 73.5 yards per game.

06.) Rashaun Woods, Oklahoma State
4414 yards, 42 TDs, 15.16 ypc
If this list was all about stats… Woods was the first Big 12 receiver to shed light on the fact that this had become a passing league. His yardage and TD totals are tops on this list, yet he seems to have been forgotten in Dez Bryant’s wake. He owns Big 12 records for receptions, yards, and TDs. He was a two-time All-American, only the eighth player to record three 1000+ yard season, and only four guys have ever caught more scores. Of course, he wasn’t done. He also set the NCAA record for most TD receptions in a single game with seven (yeah, seven) against Southern Methodist in 2003. His legacy allowed for two younger brothers to follow him at OSU, and he always showed up against big brother OU, catching a game winner one year, followed by a three TD performance the next.

05.) Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State
2425 yards, 29 TDs, 16.5 ypc
Yeah, I’m doing it too. Nodding Dez over Rashaun. And while Rashaun definitely owns the advantage in career statistics, Bryant wins the talent battle. As physically gifted as any wideout to play the game over the last decade, Bryant could’ve challenged for the top spot had it not been for that whole suspension fiasco this year. Still, in fewer than three seasons of action, he made some waves. He set an OSU freshman record with 155 yards in one game, won the coveted “Wide Receiver Trophy” as a sophomore, and was a first-team member of six prestigious All-America teams in 2008. It’s difficult to project what he could’ve done with a full junior year, but even in his short time on the field last season, he managed to earn National Punt Returner of the Week. Strong hands, great leaping ability, and one of the best red zone threats to play the game.

04.) Percy Harvin, Florida
1929 yards, 13 TDs, 14.5 ypc
From a pure “line up wide and be traditional” standpoint, Harvin doesn’t cut it. But you want Harvin on your team. Badly. He was a blur to defenses, lining up all over the field and flat-out dominating linebackers and defensive backs. His speed was elite, his vision was elite, and his toughness was unquestioned. At less than 100%, he almost single-handedly crippled the OU defense in the 2009 BCS Title win. For his career, he earned 1852 rushing yards for 19 TDs on an unbelievable 9.55 yards per carry. He added another 1929 yard through the air, for 13 additional scores, and basically gave the Gators a weapon that no one could defend. If there’s any doubt about his impact on an offense, just check out UF’s numbers from his final season compared to what they did without him.

03.) Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
2927 yards, 28 TDs, 16.44 ypc
Freak. Just a damn freak. No other receiver carried 230+ pounds 40 yards in only 4.35 seconds. I don’t think any receiver will again. Toss in the fact that he’s 6-05, and you have the perfect prototype for a devastating pass-catcher. Like Nicks, his numbers were hindered by inconsistent QB play, but his talent was so great that he often overcame it. His stop-on-a-dime, leaning away from the ball snag has become a YouTube legend, and he routinely made impossible catches seem pedestrian. He holds school records for receiving yards, TDs, and 100+ yard games (13), and was a first-team All-ACC member in 2004, 2005, and 2006. As a freshman, he earned the conference’s Rookie of the Year Award, and topped that with an ACC Player of the Year Award in 2006. He even managed to finish 10th for the Heisman from a position that has become a pre-req for not winning it. As far as pure talent is concerned, there might never be another like him.

02.) Larry Fitzgerlad, Pittsburgh
2677 yards, 34 TDs, 16.63 ypc
What’s there to say about Fitz? His illustrious NFL career has almost hidden his record-breaking time in college, but he did so much from the receiver position that it’s impossible to ignore his impact on the game. He only played in 26 games, but managed to average over 100 yards per contest for his career, setting Pitt records with 34 TDs, back-to-back 1000+ yard seasons, and 14 100+ yard games. In 2003, he was a unanimous first-team All-American, and actually finished second to Jason White in Heisman balloting… as a receiver for a decent team. That’s an amazing accomplishment in itself, but the most impressive career mark Fitzgerald holds is his NCAA record of 18 straight games with at least one TD catch. That one won’t be broken anytime soon.

01.) Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
3127 yards, 41 TDs, 13.54 ypc
Don’t let the ypc fool you. In case you missed the greatest college WR of all-time (maybe) play his ball down in Lubbock, he averaged a little less because of a funky offense and the fact that he caught two or three passes on every play, seemingly. Crabtree was a receiver like none we’d ever seen. Excellent body control, innate high-pointing ability, a knack for finding holes in the defense, extremely strong and soft hands, and a commanding presence not usually seen from the position. He was an offense all by himself at one of the most difficult positions for consistent production. His herculean catch and score to knock off #1 Texas is one of, if not the, most determined and spectacular plays you’ll ever see. He intended to get in that damn end zone.

For a guy who moved to WR from QB as he entered college, he made the switch look frighteningly easy. He was a two-time unanimous All-America selection, two-time Paul Warfield Award winner, and a two-time Biletnikoff Award winner. And he only played two seasons. Pretty sweet way to bat 1.000. And if that weren’t enough on it’s own, he caught 134 balls in his redshirt freshman season, setting the NCAA record for a rookie by 36 receptions, and his 22 receiving TDs from that year are the most ever by a Big 12 player. Simply put, there are too many records and too many All-America selections to list. And in case you didn’t catch it earlier, he did it all in only two seasons. He wins.

Honorable Mention: Braylon Edwards (Michigan) — Braylon probably deserves to be top 10, but he just missed, Jeremy Maclin (Missouri), Charles Rogers (Michigan State), Lee Evans (Wisconsin), Michael Clayton (LSU), Reggie Williams (Washington), Golden Tate (Notre Dame), Terrence Edwards (Georgia)