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Buccaneers NFC South position rankings: Wide receivers

By Michael Horan

ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 26: Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes a catch in front of Robert Alford #23 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 26: Mike Evans #13 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes a catch in front of Robert Alford #23 of the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 24: Chris Godwin #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball against the Carolina Panthers in the second quarter during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC – DECEMBER 24: Chris Godwin #12 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball against the Carolina Panthers in the second quarter during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

The Verdict

For the second straight week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come out on top in a landslide victory. The NFC South has some elite receivers, including a future Hall of Famer, but none of them can compare to what the Buccaneers bring to the table. They have two established superstars in Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, and have a burgeoning star in Chris Godwin. For good measure, Adam Humphries would get playing time on almost every single team in the league.

The Atlanta Falcons come in at second, carried largely by that Hall of Famer I mentioned a minute ago. Julio Jones is the best receiver in the division and one of the three best in all of football, and if he had a more established player opposite of him then this group could have surpassed the Buccaneers. The Falcons are hoping that Calvin Ridley can be that guy. Mohamad Sanu can make plays when called upon, and should do well as a third option this year.

Mike Thomas and the New Orleans Saints finish third. Thomas has put up almost incomprehensible numbers through two seasons and will do more of the same with Drew Brees back for another season. Their addition of Cameron Meredith was tremendously forward-thinking and if his knee is healed up correctly the Saints will have a very legitimate second passing option behind Thomas. Tedd Ginn is who he is, and if you forget to leave a safety deep he’ll burn you. I could see this group surpassing the Falcons receiving group with Meredith in tow, but for now they’re my clear-cut third group.

Lastly we have the lowly Carolina Panthers, who have struggled at receiver ever since they foolishly moved on from Steve Smith. Devin Funchess seems to be on the way up and D.J. Moore is an exciting prospect, but when you measure them against their NFC South rivals it’s hard to get particularly excited. This is generally how the Panthers want to operate, but it would be nice to see Cam Newton get a bonafide star receiver.

Next: What's next for the Buccaneers in 2018?

That’s it for our wide receiver rankings. I’m sure I won’t get many qualms about putting the Buccaneers at the top, but what about the rest? Would you rank New Orleans’ group ahead of Atlanta’s? And what do you think the Bucs should do about their Chris Godwin/DeSean Jackson depth chart logjam? Sound off in the comments, and check back next week for our look at the offensive lines of the NFC South.

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