What do A.J. Green, Desean Jackson, Garrett Wilson, Julio Jones and Percy Harvin have in common? They are among an impressive list of the MaxPreps Top 20 wide receivers over the last 20 years.
Over the next few months, MaxPreps will dive position-by-position at the best players to perform under the Friday Night Lights. We've already tackled the quarterback and running back position.
The 20 wide receivers on our list have combined for 26 Pro Bowl selections, three BCS national championships and one Super Bowl.
Our criteria focuses towards on-field accomplishments, 247Sports composite ranking, awards, level of competition, All-State selections and the impact the players made toward their team's success.
One school, Serra (Gardena, Calif.), has two players on the list as teammates Robert Woods and George Farmer are two of the five California wideouts chosen.
Texas has the second most with four selections, led by the Dallas Cowboys all-time leader in career receiving touchdowns, Dez Bryant. In total, 12 different states are represented.
MaxPreps 20 for 20: Wide Receivers
The top-rated player in the Class of 2012 on 247Sports composite rankings finished with 300 receptions for 6,356 yards and 75 touchdowns. He ranks second all-time in career receiving yards and 19th in receptions. He hauled in 119 receptions for 2,233 yards and 24 scores as a senior.
Played for legendary head coach John McKissick, who owns the all-time record with 621 career wins. Green was the seventh-rated player overall in the Class of 2008 and second-rated wide receiver on 247Sports composite rankings. Finished with a state-best 5,365 receiving yards, which ranks 12th all-time.
The only wide receiver rated ahead of Green was Jones, who checked in as the third-rated player overall. He helped turn the football program around and led the Lions to a 30-5 record during his final three years after the school's first winless season in 2004. The former five-star standout hauled in 194 career receptions for 3,287 yards and 39 touchdowns and led the Lions to the 6A state quarterfinals in 2007. He was the Alabama Gatorade Football Player of the Year.
Was the third-rated prospect overall in the Class of 2010 and a big-time playmaker on both sides of the ball. He finished his high school career with 192 receptions for 3,310 yards and 41 touchdowns while racking up 274 tackles on defense to go with 25 interceptions. During his senior season, he led the Cavaliers to a 15-0 record and CIF Division III state championship.
Named the California Player of the Year by CalHiSports.com in 2004 after leading the SoCal power to a 13-1 record and CIF Southern Section Division I championship. The Jackrabbits finished ranked No. 10 in the country that year, according to USA Today. The former five-star recruit was one of the most explosive high school wide receivers and a standout player on defense and special teams.
The Baltimore Ravens' Andre Smith was the only player rated ahead of Harvin in the Class of 2006 on 247Sports composite rankings. During his final two seasons he led the Eagles to a 27-1 record and accounted for over 3,500 total yards and 54 touchdowns.
His
highlight tape is one of the best of all-time. He was a matchup nightmare every Friday night and a Top 50 recruit overall in the Class of 2007. He was the seventh-rated wide receiver, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Over his final two years, he had 101 receptions for 2,232 yards and 37 touchdowns while leading the Panthers to a 25-2 record.
The top-rated wide receiver from the Class of 2020 had one of the best high school careers of all-time. Fleming led the Tigers to a 63-1 record and won his final 48 games and three consecutive 2A state titles. He's Pennsylvania's all-time leader in career receiving yards (5,481) and receiving touchdowns (78) while his 256 career receptions are second-most.
Finished his high school career as the state's second-leading receiver of all-time with 5,403 yards. During his senior year he led the Yellowjackets to their first state semifinal appearance since 1987 and hauled in 109 receptions for 2,132 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2019. His biggest game came against Texas power Allen in the second round of the 6A Division 1 playoffs when he had 15 receptions for 258 yards and accounted for six total touchdowns in a
wild 60-59 win.
As good as any player to ever come from the Austin power and that includes names like Baker Mayfield, Garrett Gilbert and Charlie Brewer. The former five-star recruit was the second-rated wide receiver in the Class of 2019 and a Top 20 player overall, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Wilson helped the Cavaliers to a 6A Division 1 state title during his sophomore season, a runner-up finish in 2017, and semifinal appearance during his senior year. He finished his high school career with 204 receptions for 3,359 yards and 55 touchdowns.
High school football's all-time leader in career receiving yards (6,566) also ranks sixth all-time with 357 career receptions. The former Little League World Series star was a Top 100 player overall in the Class of 2014 and No. 11 wide receiver, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
A two-way standout just like teammate Woods. During his final three years he accounted for over 3,100 total yards and 44 touchdowns to go with 72 tackles and three interceptions on defense. Farmer was the top-rated wide receiver and No. 1 player in California from the Class of 2011, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
The all-time leader in Texas high school football history with 5,485 career receiving yards. During his senior year he broke the single-season national record with 2,626 receiving yards and added 117 receptions and 32 touchdowns while leading the Rangers to the 5A Division 1 semifinals. Mims led Oklahoma in receiving yards during his freshman season and was the 29th-rated wide receiver in the Class of 2020, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
The five-time Pro Bowl selection finished his high school career with 241 receptions for 3,902 yards and 50 touchdowns. He added 875 yards on the ground and 14 more scores. Landry was a five-star recruit coming out of the Class of 2011 and was the second-rated wide receiver.
One of the most productive players impacted the game on all three phases. During his senior season he had 61 receptions for 1,187 yards and 17 touchdowns to go with 1,692 yards on the ground and 25 more scores. He added four interceptions and two return touchdowns. Helped the Sabercats to three state championships and finished his career with 203 receptions for 3,943 yards and 52 touchdowns to go with 2,698 rushing yards and 42 scores. The former five-star recruit added 127 tackles and 11 interceptions on defense.
The top-rated wide receiver from the Class of 2013 on 247Sports composite rankings finished his career with 3,563 receiving yards. Treadwell was named the Chicago Tribune Player of the Year after leading the Warriors to a 14-0 record and 6A state championship during his senior year. He accounted for nearly 1,700 total yards, 23 touchdowns, 56 tackles and six interceptions in 2012.
Played a major role during his senior year as the Monarchs went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country. That 2017 Mater Dei squad checked in at No. 3 for the
greatest high school football teams of all-time. St. Brown hauled in 72 receptions for 1,320 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding two punt return scores. During his junior season he had 60 receptions for 1,229 yards and 21 touchdowns while leading the Monarchs to a Top 10 finish in the national rankings. The former five-star recruit was the top-rated player in California and No. 2 wide receiver in the Class of 2018.
One of Utah's best, he finished his career as the state's all-time leader in receiving yards (5,226) and receiving touchdowns (58). His 260 career receptions are the second-most in state history. During his senior year he had 103 receptions and set the single-season state record with 2,336 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns. The recent BYU transfer led Orem to back-to-back 4A state championships in 2017 and 2018.
Ranks fourth all-time with 366 career receptions and 5,926 career receiving yards. His 80 career receiving touchdowns are the third-most nationally. Surratt was also a standout basketball player and scored 2,951 career points, which is the second-most in state history. He was a three-star recruit and 164th-rated wide receiver in the Class of 2017, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
Led the Huskies to back-to-back Pac-5 Division championships and two consecutive Top 25 finishes in 2014 and 2015. McKinley finished his high school career with 180 receptions for 3,752 yards and had 49 total touchdowns. His best season came during his junior year when he hauled in 97 receptions for 2,062 yards and 25 touchdowns. The former four-star recruit was the No. 18 wide receiver in the Class of 2016, according to 247Sports composite rankings.
