Julian Edelman Reveals NFL’s Best WR Without Hesitation

Former New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman ranked Ja’Marr Chase as the NFL’s top wide receiver and slotted Super Bowl champion Jaxon Smith-Njigba fifth during an appearance on the St. Brown Podcast, a clip that drew fresh attention Tuesday when aggregator Dov Kleiman shared it.

Kleiman posted the list with three dizzy-face emojis: Chase first, Justin Jefferson second, Amon-Ra St. Brown third, Puka Nacua fourth and Smith-Njigba fifth.

Hosts Amon-Ra St. Brown and Equanimeous St. Brown asked Edelman to name his top five wideouts and specifically told him not to leave Amon-Ra off the list.

“You don’t have to put me up. If you don’t think I’m top five, like exclude me, dog. I promise,” Amon-Ra St. Brown said.

Edelman answered immediately.

“One, Ja’Marr. Two, Justin. Three, you,” he said.

He praised St. Brown’s versatility and blocking.

“A lot of your value not only comes in your ability to be in a lot of different spots on the field, but it comes in the run game. That’s one of the things that I love about you. You dig your head in that force. You go get that safety. You make kicking blocks,” Edelman said.

“When you have receivers that block, that’s where you get 68-yard touchdowns.”

Edelman then named Nacua fourth. After a pause on the fifth spot, he settled on Smith-Njigba.

“JSN has had a nutty year,” he said.

He added that the order was fluid.

“I think that those are the five. I mean, you can interchange it and it all depends on a lot of things depend on game plans, how the team’s playing,” Edelman said. He also noted that some receivers pad statistics in garbage time after teams fall behind.

The list stood out because of 2025 production. Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards on 119 catches and 10 touchdowns, won Offensive Player of the Year and helped Seattle win the Super Bowl.

Nacua finished second with 1,715 yards on a league-high 129 receptions and 10 scores. Chase posted 125 catches for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns despite quarterback instability in Cincinnati. St. Brown recorded 117 receptions, 1,401 yards and a team-high 11 touchdowns. Jefferson, coming off a down year by his standards, had 84 catches for 1,048 yards and two touchdowns while working with multiple quarterbacks.

An ESPN poll of coaches, executives and scouts released later in the offseason ranked Chase first, Jefferson second, Smith-Njigba third, Nacua fourth and St. Brown fifth. Other outlets split the top spots among Chase, Nacua and Smith-Njigba.

Edelman, the Super Bowl LIII MVP, built his reputation as a slot technician and blocker who delivered in the biggest games. He finished his career with three Super Bowl titles and ranks among the NFL’s all-time postseason receiving leaders.

St. Brown has been one of the league’s most consistent producers since 2022, stacking high-volume seasons out of the slot and on the perimeter. Chase and Jefferson entered the league together from LSU and have set the standard for young receivers. Nacua and Smith-Njigba represent the next wave of high-volume, yards-after-catch threats.

Kleiman’s post, which included the podcast video, circulated as teams prepared for Week 1 of the 2026 season. Rankings like Edelman’s rarely settle arguments. They usually start new ones, especially when last year’s yardage leader sits fifth.