The wide receiver position is as deep and as talented as it's been in quite some time. Several wideouts can be considered true No. 1s scattered throughout the league, including in Minnesota, which is home to Justin Jefferson. The fourth-year pro is arguably the top receiver in the NFL, especially after an Offensive Player of the Year award-winning campaign in 2022 where he led the league in receptions and receiving yards. With that in mind, Jefferson is just about as good of a source as anyone when trying to stack all of these talented receivers against one another.
The 24-year-old spoke to Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports and was asked to give his top five route runners that the NFL has to offer today. Naturally, Jefferson put himself at the No. 1 spot but did give Raiders star pass catcher Davante Adams the "1B" ranking right beside himself.
Jefferson then put Chargers wideout Keenan Allen at No. 3 and noted that he also has one of the best releases in the league. He wrapped up his top five with Stefon Diggs at No. 4 and his fellow LSU Tiger turned Bengal Ja'Marr Chase at No. 5.
Jefferson certainly has a strong case to put himself atop the list of route runners. Upon entering the league he's made a habit of making defensive backs look lost in the secondary. That includes former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, who he shook loose back in Week 15 during Minnesota's epic comeback against Indianapolis. In that record-setting come-from-behind win, Jefferson caught 12 of his 16 targets for 123 yards and this touchdown where he torched Gilmore.
INSANE route from Justin Jefferson 😲
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 17, 2022
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That tactician-like approach to his route-running is one of the major reasons why Jefferson is atop his list and likely a lot of others as well.
