Who Is The Fastest Wide Receiver In The Nfl 2021?
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The answer to this question may surprise you – it isn’t necessarily the player who can run the fastest 40-yard dash. Instead, it is often the player who has the best combination of speed, quickness, and route-running ability.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL and see who has the edge in this important aspect of the game.
DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith is an American football wide receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He played college football at Alabama, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, won the Heisman Trophy, and was the recipient of the 2020 Biletnikoff Award. Smith was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the eleventh overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
college career
DeVonta Smith began his collegiate career at the University of Alabama in 2017. He redshirted his first year on campus, but came out the next season and immediately made an impact. In his freshman year, he played in all 15 games and caught 58 passes for 924 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named a Freshman All-American and was a key contributor to the Crimson Tide’s national championship team that year.
Smith continued to put up big numbers in his sophomore and junior seasons, catching 65 passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2018 and 70 passes for 1,320 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2019. He was once again named a First-Team All-American in 2019 and won the Heisman Trophy, becoming just the second wide receiver ever to do so.
Entering his senior season, Smith was widely considered to be one of the best wide receivers in the country. He did not disappoint, catching 117 passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns. He capped off his illustrious career by being named a unanimous First-Team All-American and winning the 2020 Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver.
professional career
DeVonta Smith was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 10th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama, where he was a two-time consensus All-American and won the Heisman Trophy in 2020.
Tyreek Hill
college career
Tyreek Hill attended Garden City Community College, where he played football and ran track. As a freshman in 2011, he had 1,154 all-purpose yards with nine touchdowns on offense and two interceptions and a fumble recovery on defense. In 2012, his sophomore year, he had 1,811 all-purpose yards with 11 touchdowns on offense and two interceptions on defense. He was named an NJCAA Second Team All-American as an all-purpose player.
Hill also ran track at Garden City Community College. He was a member of the school’s 4 × 100 m relay team that finished second at the 2012 NJCAA Championships with a time of 40.19 seconds. He was also a member of the school’s 4 × 200 m relay team that finished first at the 2012 NJCAA Championships with a time of 1:23.40 seconds.
professional career
Hill was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He made his professional debut in the Chiefs’ season-opening game against the San Diego Chargers. In his rookie season, he totaled 61 catches for 593 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2017, Hill emerged as one of the league’s top receiving threats. He finished the season with 75 catches for 1,183 yards and seven touchdowns while also rushing for 267 yards and three touchdowns. His performance helped him earn a spot on the NFL All-Rookie Team.
Hill continued his strong play in 2018, catching 87 passes for 1,479 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named to his first Pro Bowl and was selected as a first-team All-Pro.
Hill had another productive season in 2019, catching 58 passes for 860 yards and seven touchdowns. He was once again named to the Pro Bowl and was selected as a first-team All-Pro.
2020 saw Hill miss several games due to injury, but he still managed to catch 44 passes for 743 yards and six touchdowns in eight games. He was once again named to the Pro Bowl.
Julio Jones
Julio Jones is a wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Alabama, and was drafted by the Falcons sixth overall in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Julio Jones has had an impressive career so far.
college career
Julio Jones attended Foley High School in Foley, Alabama, where he played wide receiver, quarterback, and running back for the Lions football team. As a junior in 2006, he helped lead his team to the class 5A state championship game. In 2007, as a senior, he caught 45 passes for 730 yards and nine touchdowns on offense and had three interceptions and returned two punts for touchdowns on defense. He was named a first-team all-state wide receiver by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.[1][2] He was also named to the Birmingham News Super Southern 100 team.[3]
Jones accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Alabama, where he played for coach Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2008 to 2010. As a freshman in 2008, he started 12 of 13 games and became only the second true freshman wide receiver to start for Saban at Alabama.[4][5] He finished second on the team with 58 receptions for 924 yards (15.9 yd avg) and four touchdowns.[6] Jones earned Freshman All-SEC honors,[7][8] was named to the Sporting News Freshman All-America Team,[9] and was also honored as an SEC All-Freshman player by the league’s coaches.[10]
As a sophomore in 2009, Jones started all 14 games and caught 78 passes for 1,133 yards (14.5 yd avg) and seven touchdowns.[11][12] He led the nation with 19 receptions of 20 or more yards,[13][14] including eight receptions of 30 or more yards and four receptions of 40 or more yards.[12][15] After the 2009 season, he was named a first-team All-SEC selection by both the Associated Press (AP) and SEC coaches,[16][17][18] was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award,[19][20] and was named an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated.[21]”
professional career
Julio Jones was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama, and was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 2009 BCS National Championship team. He has been selected for six Pro Bowls, and was named an All-Pro in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019. In 2015, he set an NFL record for the most receiving yards in a season with 1,871 yards.
Calvin Ridley
The NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver is Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons. He is scheduled to make $20 million in 2021. That is an average of $16.67 million per year.
college career
Ridley played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
As a freshman in 2015, Ridley had 89 receptions for 1,045 yards and 7 touchdowns. He was a Second-team Freshman All-American and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. As a sophomore in 2016, he had 72 receptions for 769 yards and 7 touchdowns. In 2017, as a junior, he had 63 receptions for 967 yards with 5 touchdowns. He was a Second-team All-SEC selection. He decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.
professional career
Ridley was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round with the 26th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
On May 10, 2018, the Atlanta Falcons officially signed Ridley to a four-year, $10.94 million contract that included a $5.76 million signing bonus and a fifth-year option for the 2022 season.
Ridley made his professional regular season debut in the Atlanta Falcons’ season-opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and recorded five receptions for 69 receiving yards in their 18–12 victory. The following week, he had three receptions for 64 receiving yards and caught his first career touchdown reception on a five-yard pass from Matt Ryan during a 31–24 win against the Carolina Panthers. In Week 3, Ridley caught seven passes for 146 receiving yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints 43–37 in overtime. On October 7, 2018, Ridley caught seven passes for 121 receiving yards during a 34–29 loss at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The following week, he had four receptions for 54 receiving yards before exiting their 23–20 road victory against division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers with an ankle injury that sidelined him for two games (Weeks 7–8). He returned in Week 9 and recorded two receptions for 19 receiving yards before exiting their 38–14 victory against division rival Washington Redskins with an abdominal injury that sidelined him for two games (Weeks 10–11). He returned from injury in Week 12 to catch four passes for 45 receiving yards during what ended up being a 34–20 road loss to division rivals New Orleans Saints. He finished his rookie season with 64 receptions for 821 receiving yards and 10 touchdown receptions in 16 games and 15 starts. Ridley was selected to participate in the 2019 Pro Bowl as an alternate replacing Mike Evans who was preparing to play in Super Bowl LIII along with teammate Julio Jones who was preparing to play as well but withdrew due tobeing on injured reserve with a foot injury at that time.
Keenan Allen
Keenan Allen is the wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers. He was drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He is known for his quickness and route running ability.
college career
Keenan Allen attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for the California Golden Bears football team from 2010 to 2012. He was considered one of the top wide receiver prospects for the 2013 NFL Draft. Allen was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft and has been selected to three Pro Bowls.
professional career
Allen was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.
As a rookie in 2013, Allen started in all 16 games, recording 71 receptions for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and was selected as a second-team member of the AP NFL All-Pro Team. His 1,046 receiving yards broke LaDainian Tomlinson’s single-season Chargers record for most receiving yards by a rookie .
In 2014, Allen played in only eight games due to injury but still recorded 783 receiving yards and four touchdowns. In 2015, he missed two games due to injury but still led the NFL in receptions with 67.
In 2016, Allen missed the final nine games of the season due to a torn ACL but still finished with 63 receptions for 728 yards and four touchdowns. In 2017, he started all 16 games for the first time since his rookie year and had 102 receptions for 1,393 yards and six touchdowns, earning second-team All-Pro honors. He was also selected to his first Pro Bowl.
In 2018, Allen started all 16 games for the second consecutive year and had 97 receptions for 1,196 yards and six touchdowns. In 2019, he started all 16 games for the third consecutive year and had 104 receptions for 1,199 yards and six touchdowns.
In 2020, Allen started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive year and had 120 receptions for 1,393 yards and six touchdowns; he led the league in catches and finished second in receiving yardage
