This offseason I am taking a position-by-position look at the best NFL draft values of the millennium: In short, which teams received the most bang for their draft-pick buck?
Higher draft picks were not dismissed for this exercise, but I tended to side with the highest-achieving lower selections. Extra weight was also given to longevity and the value those players provided for the teams that drafted them.
Wide receiver proved to be one of the tougher positions to evaluate given the breadth of talent and production at this spot. In close comparisons, I leaned toward lower picks who vastly outplayed their draft status but who also stacked up favorably against their elite contemporaries.
Drafted: Round 1 (No. 22 overall), 2020.
Yes, he was a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, but Jefferson was the fifth receiver taken -- and he’s arguably the best wideout in the game today. That class was loaded at the position (CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., Brandon Aiyuk, Jerry Jeudy and others), but Jefferson stands alone. Can you imagine if the Eagles had taken Jefferson instead of Jalen Reagor?
Jefferson’s total body of work doesn’t quite stack up, as several other receivers in this era have more catches and yards, but Jefferson is on a historic pace to start his career -- in spite of some up-and-down QB play in Minnesota. Through 77 games, Jefferson is the NFL’s current all-time leader in receiving yards per game at a stunning 96.5, which is nine yards better than No. 2 (Ja’Marr Chase) and he’s well ahead of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s production his first five NFL seasons.
Drafted: Round 3 (No. 74 overall), 2001.
The 2001 draft class has three Hall of Famers already, and more are likely coming. Smith, the 11th receiver taken that year, deserves strong consideration and was one of 15 finalists this year for Canton. His receiving production puts him in the discussion, as Smith put up similar career numbers to 2001 first-rounder Reggie Wayne and outpaced every other receiver in that class when it comes to receiving yards. The only wideout drafted after 2000 with more career receiving yards is Larry Fitzgerald, the third overall pick in 2004.
Smith’s toughness and longevity were major hallmarks, as he bounced back with terrific seasons following a broken leg in 2004 and a major Achilles injury in 2015. He was a postseason demon, with 1,001 receiving yards and 11 total TDs in 11 playoff games. And Smith was a major threat as a runner and returner, earning All-Pro status as a rookie on special teams and racking up six return touchdowns in his first three seasons.
Smith makes the cut over Cooper Kupp and other receivers drafted in a similar range over the past 25 years, doing more for the team that drafted him. He’s probably the best value pick in Panthers history.
Drafted: Round 5 (No. 165 overall), 2016.
Hill was dismissed from Oklahoma State in 2014 following his arrest on domestic violence charges and entered the draft in 2016 after a year at West Alabama. The Chiefs took a chance on Hill, and he rewarded them with stunning production as a receiver, returner and runner. He was a major factor in the Chiefs winning their first Super Bowl in 50 years at the end of the 2019 season.
After six mostly brilliant seasons, the Chiefs dealt Hill to Miami, where he put up back-to-back 1,700-yard seasons. While his time in Kansas City was also marked by off-field issues, the trade contributed to the Chiefs landing Trent McDuffie, one of the best corners in the NFL, and helped position them to draft Rashee Rice and others, keeping the franchise close to the top of the league’s food chain since the deal went down.
Drafted: Round 2 (No. 53 overall), 2014.
It took Adams a few years to achieve stardom, but he earned Pro Bowl nods in each of his final five seasons in Green Bay and was a first-team All-Pro selection in each of the final two. His 103 career TD receptions place Adams 10th all-time in the NFL, with the chance to do more damage in Los Angeles with the Rams.
The Packers traded Adams close to his peak, and he turned in one of his finest seasons with the Raiders in 2022. Green Bay might not have received commensurate value in return when you look back at the picks (Quay Walker and a selection that helped them get Christian Watson), but Adams’ overall body of work is pretty unimpeachable -- especially as a mid-second-rounder. His numbers stack up quite favorably with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft, Mike Evans.
Drafted: Round 7 (No. 252 overall), 2006.
There was a strong case to be made for Julian Edelman and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, two seventh-rounders who had excellent careers. But even with Edelman’s return prowess and postseason heroics (including Super Bowl LIII MVP honors), the nod goes to Colston.
Incredibly, he was never named to a Pro Bowl, but the ultra-consistent Colston racked up six 1,000-yard seasons in his first seven years in New Orleans and was a major factor in the Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV victory. He ranks 39th all-time in receiving yards per game (66.8), well ahead of some Hall of Fame receivers.
Colston might not be remembered quite as well as some other wideouts from his era, but he was the Saints’ leading receiver in five different seasons and was a staple of Sean Payton’s high-flying offenses during a decade-long career spent entirely in New Orleans.