No longer included among the elite.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler revealed his annual top-10 wide receiver rankings based on a panel of coaches, scouts, and league execs on Wednesday, July 15. Talented New York Jets pass catcher Garrett Wilson didn’t make the cut this year.
He wasn’t included among the top-10, nor was he named as an honorable mention. Instead, Wilson was thrown into a cluster of receivers that also received votes.
A Fall From Grace
In these same rankings last year, Wilson was named the 10th-best receiver in the NFL.
Some members of that panel had him ranked as high as the 6th-best receiver in football, while others had him completely unranked in 2025.
“On talent, he’s unquestionably a top-10 player. The way he slithers in and out of routes with elite flexibility is Justin Jefferson lite,” ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler wrote last year.
“He’s one of the best separators in the league,” an anonymous AFC executive told Fowler in 2025.
This year, if you added up all of the players that were mentioned on the list: the top 10, the six honorable mentions, and the 10 in the “also receiving votes” category — Wilson was among the top 26 wide receivers.
Quite a fall from grace.
It’s an understandable result considering what transpired last season. Wilson missed the first 10 games of his NFL career due to a variety of ailments. Naturally, he delivered the worst season of his career with 36 receptions for 395 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
A Chance to Prove the Doubters Wrong
Even when Wilson cracked the top-10 last year, there were still some NFL people who looked at him sideways.
“As one anonymous AFC executive [told Fowler], Wilson is a bit of a ‘freelancer’ as a route runner … An NFL receivers coach called it something different: Lack of detail in his routes.”
“All over the map — does his own thing on the field,” an anonymous AFC scout told Fowler about Wilson. “Vast potential, [but he’s] not close to what he could be.”
One of the reasons Wilson doesn’t consistently get mentioned among the elite wide receivers is the lack of video game production. He has never had 1,200+ receiving yards in a season, nor has he had a double-digit touchdown campaign.
Most of the top receivers have accomplished one, if not both of those feats. What’s the reason Wilson hasn’t reached that level? Bad quarterback play? Or Wilson isn’t as good as we think he is?
“He has produced in suboptimal circumstances,” an anonymous NFL general manager told Fowler. “He would only grow in stature in another system more friendly to his skill set.”
Geno Smith won’t ever be mistaken for one of the top quarterbacks in football, but he raises the floor for the Jets at QB. Now that his legal troubles are firmly behind him, he should be all set to be the starting quarterback for the Jets in 2026.
This should provide plenty of opportunity for Wilson to deliver consistent production. If he’s able to seize the moment, there is no doubt that the former Ohio State product will be making his triumphant return to Fowler’s elite WR rankings in 2027.
Jets WR Garrett Wilson Thrown out of Elite Rankings List