This all started with Pete Prisco's Top 100. Ranking the best players across positions is a nearly impossible task and it's sure to lead to friendly discussions among rational observers. Which brings us to "Would You Rather," where we take a closer look at whether one player really is better than another. Previously, Ryan Wilson pitted Odell Beckham Jr. against Antonio Brown, and Jared Dubin broke down Richard Sherman vs. Darrelle Revis. Now, let's compare two of the best young wide receivers in the NFL: the Chicago Bears' Alshon Jeffery and Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In so many ways, being asked to compare Alshon Jeffery and Mike Evans is like being asked to compare the same player to himself. Both receivers are the embodiment of a physical playmaker. Both consistently go up and snag passes that should be beyond their reach. Both were successful even with a quarterback named Josh McCown throwing them passes.

Jeffery, selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, will enter his first season as the No. 1 target for quarterback Jay Cutler. With Brandon Marshall now in New York playing for the Jets, 2015 will be Jeffery's first chance to be the lead receiver.

Evans, who was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, is entering a season where he's expected to produce immediately in September. With No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston starting at quarterback, Evans should pick up where he left off last season.

Prisco's Take: Jeffery just barely landed on Prisco's Top 100, checking in at the No. 99 spot on the list. Evans, meanwhile, was positioned ahead of Jeffery at No. 93.

Prisco seemed concerned with the dip in Jeffery's numbers from 2013 to 2014. Here's his take on Jeffery:

"His numbers were down some from 2013, but he still caught 85 passes for 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns. His average per catch was down from 16.0 to 13.3, which is concerning."

Regarding Evans, Prisco wrote about Evans' value potentially increasing with the arrival of Winston. Here's what Prisco had to say in full:

"He averaged 15.5 per catch as a rookie with 12 touchdown catches. Now that he has Jameis Winston, look for those numbers to go up."

The Measurables: Let's start with Jeffery. Though Jeffery's first NFL season came back in 2012, he didn't truly arrive until partway through the 2013 regular season. And once the beast inside Jeffery was released, the entire league noticed.

In 2013, Jeffery caught 89 passes for 1,421 yards and seven touchdowns. Those stats are, of course, impressive, but perhaps more impressive was the manner in which he put up that statline.

On December 1 of that year, Jeffery set a franchise record with 249 receiving yards. He also did this:

Eight days later, the Bears hosted the Cowboys. Right before the end of the first half, Jeffery did something just as spectacular as his catch from the week prior:

There are plenty of more examples of Jeffery's ability to go up and get the football and, in the process, take the ball away from would-be interceptors, but those two highlights alone demonstrate his tremendous ball skills. Jeffery is 6-foot-3 and by no means does that make him small, but I would argue Jeffery plays bigger than his actual height.

Throughout his three-year career, Jeffery has mainly caught passes from Cutler and, for a brief stretch, McCown. Neither quarterback is known for his accuracy, which makes Jeffery the perfect receiver for them. Check out this collage of Jeffery's catch radius, via Football Outsiders:

According to Football Outsiders, Jeffery compiled a 14.6 percent catch rate on passes thrown above his head in 2013.

But as Prisco mentioned, Jeffery's numbers dipped last season. Here's his statline from 2014:

  • 85 receptions (four fewer than his 2013 total)
  • 1,133 yards (288 fewer than his 2013 total)
  • 13.3 average yards per catch (2.7 fewer than his 2013 total)
  • 10 touchdowns (3 more than his 2013 total)

While Prisco is correct -- the dip in his numbers is a concern, especially his average yards per catch -- it's important to note that the stats above aren't bad. Here's how Jeffery's numbers stacked up against all other pass catchers last season:

  • Receptions: No. 13 (tied with three other players)
  • Yards: No. 14
  • Average yards per catch: No. 40
  • Touchdowns: No. 12 (tied with three other players)

That's all I've got for Jeffery's receiving numbers, and for most receivers, that would be the end of the discussion. That's not the case with Jeffery though, as it's necessary to also talk about his run blocking ability. According to Pro Football Focus, Jeffery ranked in the top-5 among all receivers for his blocking in 2014.

Even if Jeffery wasn't committed to run blocking, he'd still be a top player in the league. But he is, so let's just call it a bonus.

Mike Evans' body of work is smaller than Jeffery's, but it's equally as impressive. Here's his statline from his lone season in the league (NFL rankings are in parentheses).

  • 68 receptions (tied-No. 36)
  • 1,051 yards (No. 19)
  • 15.5 yards per catch (No. 13)
  • 12 touchdowns (tied-No. 4)

The most impressive aspect has to be that Evans did all of that in his rookie season and with subpar quarterback play. Like Jeffery, Evans knows what it's like to catch passes from McCown. Also like Jeffery, Evans does an excellent job catching passes away from his body.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Though Evans started off slow -- through his first six games, he failed to catch more than five passes in a single game -- he hit his stride after the halfway mark of the season. During a three-game stretch in November, Evans caught 21 passes for 458 yards and five touchdowns.

Evans demonstrated his ability to take over a game when went for over 200 yards against Washington. The game tape is impressive, to say the least.

Evans also excels in the red zone, which isn't surprising given his 6-foot-5 frame. Six of Evans' 12 touchdowns came inside the 20 yard line.

For the season, Pro Football Focus graded Evans as their No. 13 wide receiver. Jeffery didn't make the top 25.

But, while Evans made waves with his monstrous block on Terence Newman (video is below), he only graded out as Pro Football Focus' No. 31 blocking wide receiver in the league.

Unfortunately, because Evans has only played in 15 games in his career, there's less to say about him than there is to say about Jeffery, which ultimately plays a role in the final debate.

The Decision: Like all of these "Would You Rather" hypotheticals, it's difficult to choose which playmaker I'd rather have. Not only are they similar in how they attack opposing defenses, but they're both excellent at what they do. Evans and Jeffery both scored the same number of red zone touchdowns last year. They both scored at least 10 touchdowns in total, and they both eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark.

But when ultimately picking a side in this debate, I'm siding with Jeffery.

Prisco is right. Jeffery's decline in 2014 is a concern. However, I think what last year gave us was a look at what Jeffery is at his worst. Like previously mentioned, his worst isn't all too bad.

Furthermore, I think Jeffery's dip can be attributed to the demise of the Bears' offense as a whole last season. After surprising the NFL in 2013 with the fifth-ranked passing offense, the Bears took a gigantic step backwards in 2014, when their passing offense ranked No. 15. The Bears' offensive line failed to provide adequate protection for Cutler, and, as a result, Marc Trestman turned to the screen game. Instead of watching Jeffery go up and make spectacular grabs over defenders, Bears fans were forced to watch Jeffery catch screen pass after screen pass. Jeffery also dealt with a hamstring issue throughout the season.

And when Jeffery gave us a glimpse of his peak in the past -- he was Pro Football Focus' No. 9 receiver in 2013 -- it was a sight to behold.

Really, the only knock on Evans is that I haven't seen him play for more than one season. I've seen Jeffery perform at a high level for two seasons. I also believe Jeffery's run blocking is an important factor in this debate. Evans gave us a highlight reel play when he blocked Newman into oblivion, but Jeffery is the more consistent downfield blocker.

You can't go wrong with either player, but Jeffery has done it for a year longer than Evans, he's the better blocker, and, while he had a bit of a down-year in 2014, he's shown us how unstoppable he is at his peak -- that's why I'm taking Jeffery.

Jeffery and Evans both excel in the red zone. (USATSI)