NFC North wide receiver power rankings: Detroit Lions top the division

The Detroit Lions Wide Receivers

The Detroit Lions have the best talent and depth combination in the NFC North at the wide receiver position. They get the top spot in the division.

Marvin Jones came to Detroit for the opportunity to step out of A.J. Green‘s shadow. He has definitely done that. Jones had more yards and more receiving touchdowns than Cincinnati’s superstar receiver in 2017. His 6 catches, 1101 yards and nine touchdowns held only one career high (yardage) but it was his most complete season as a wide receiver.

Golden Tate is the yards after catch king of the NFL. There is no more dangerous player in the league on short routes. He led the league in forced missed tackles among wide receivers in 2018, and led the league in the same stat over the two previous seasons combined. he is capable of much more than just gadget screen plays, but that is where he makes his dent in the league. Tate has topped 90 receptions for four straight seasons and averaged 1056 yards per season in his four years with the Lions.

While I consider the ranking of the top two receivers in each line up a toss up between the Lions and Vikings, the Lions depth wins out. Far from a draft bust, Kenny Golladay was fifth among all rookie wideouts in receiving yardage for the 2017 season. That was despite missing five games with a leg injury. Golladay made the transition from Northern Illinois to the NFL immediately. His career began with a four catch, 69 yards, and two touchdown performance against the Arizona Cardinals in week one. He missed six weeks with his injury including the team’s bye week. He was clearly not 100% for several more. For those who struggle with math, Golladay had two more touchdowns in his first game than Treadwell has in two seasons.

A surprising addition to the Lions group in 2017 was T.J. Jones. During Golladay’s five missed games, Jones filled in admirably. He performed at a 45 catch 732-yard pace during his weeks as the team’s number three wide receiver.

The Lions have better depth than the rest of the division in addition to a top-tier pair of marquee receivers. For those reasons, they have the number one wide receiver group in the division.

Next: NFC North running back power rankings

Packers, then Bears, then Vikings, then Lions in ascending order. The NFC North has two good groups and two not so good groups. There you have my opinion on how the wide receiver groups of the NFC North rank.