Getty Las Vegas Raiders Davante Adams.
Who the best wide receiver is in the NFL is a yearly debate and there are usually new names that take the thrown each year. That doesn’t appear to be the case with Davante Adams. The Las Vegas Raiders star was considered the best wide receiver in the NFL heading into last season and he is once again this season.
Adams’ biggest competition are some very young players. Third-year Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson recently admitted that Adams is still No. 1 but that he would take the spot after the season. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is only in his second year but he believes that he’s already surpassed Jefferson, who he played with at LSU.
“I’m better than Justin,” Chase told Peter King of NBC Sports.
However, even Chase couldn’t deny that Adams is still king.
“I don’t know if I’m better … but I watch his film all the time,” Chase responded when asked if he was better than Adams. “He told me he watches my film. That’s definitely something to keep me working.”
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Is Adams Still the Best WR?
While Adams is a generational talent, there are many great wide receivers in the NFL. DeAndre Hopkins was widely considered the best wide receiver in the league for a while but he missed much of last season with an injury and is suspended to start the 2022 season. Cooper Kupp could have a claim to the top spot after an amazing 2021 but he can’t do as much all over the field that Adams can.
Chase and Jefferson could be considered the two best wide receivers in the NFL in a few years but they’re both too young. Tyreek Hill might be the best weapon in the league but he just left Patrick Mahomes. It remains to be seen if he’ll continue his success. As of right now, it’s difficult to argue against the notion that Adams is still the best.
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Adams Carving up Raiders Training Camp
The only reason to be concerned about Adams’ production going down is that he left Aaron Rodgers, who is the back-to-back MVP. However, it’s not the same as Hill leaving Mahomes for Tua Tagovailoa. Adams played with Derek Carr in college and they formed a prolific duo. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Adams and Carr are looking dynamic in training camp.
“He looks like, well, Davante Adams,” Breer wrote. “And it was apparent at the practice I attended, with Carr going his way consistently in two-minute work, and Adams notching a highlight-reel catch down the sideline over a helpless corner in the middle of the session. It looks to me like the two college teammates are gonna have a pretty big first year back together.”
Carr has been desperate for a true No. 1 wide receiver for years and now he has the best in the NFL. It should be a prolific year for both of the former Fresno State Bulldogs.
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