Stat of the Jay: Could the 2021 WR Class, Led by the Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase, Go Down As the Best of All Time?

CINCINNATI – The 1983 quarterback draft class is regarded as the best of all time, primarily due to four players.

John Elway was the No. 1 overall pick, Jim Kelly went 14th (seven picks after Todd Blackledge), Ken O’Brien was 24th and Dan Marino was 27th.

Kelly, Marino and Elway are all in the Hall of Fame, but Elway is the only one to win a Super Bowl, going 2-3 in the big game with both titles coming in his final two seasons.

Marino and Elway each won an MVP.

While impressive, it’s odd that no quarterback class in the last 40 years has come to challenging that 1983 group as the best ever.

The 2004 class featuring Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Matt Schaub is about as close as it gets.

But what about draft classes at other positions?

What’s the best wide receiver class in NFL history?

Jerry Rice instantly puts the 1985 class into the conversation, as Rice – who went 16th overall – was the third receiver drafted that year behind Al Toon (10th) and Cincinnati’s Eddie Brown (13th).

The group also includes Hall of Famer Andre Reed, a fourth-rounder who was No. 86 overall.

But if we add up receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, the 1996 class cements itself as the best of all time.

The 1996 draft also marks the last time a wide receiver was the No. 1 overall pick, with Keyshawn Johnson going to the Jets.

Eleven different receivers from the 1996 class combined to record 45 1,000-yard seasons during their careers.

Hall of Famers Terrell Owens (nine) and Marvin Harrison (eight) lead the way, followed by Amani Toomer (five), Eric Moulds (four), Joe Horn (four), Johnson (four), Terry Glenn (four), Mushin Muhammad (three), Eddie Kennison (two), Bobby Engram (one) and Patrick Jeffers (one).

There were 33 receivers drafted in 1996.

That group combined to record 8,496 catches over the course of their careers.

The next closest draft class was 2014 – led by Mike Evans, Davante Adams, Odell Beckham Jr., Brandin Cooks and Jarvis Landry – with 6,724.

The 1996 class registered 116,927 receiving yards, which leads the 1988 class (Tim Brown, Michael Irvin, Sterling Sharpe, Flipper Anderson) by nearly 24,000 yards.

And when it comes to touchdowns, 1996 has 762 for another huge lead. The 2014 class is second with 604.

Could the 2021 class with the Bengals' Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, Devonta Smith, Nico Collins, Amon-Ra St. Brown and more catch the 1996 class?

Let’s look at what the 1996 group did in its first four seasons compared with what the 2021 class done, understanding of course it’s a different game than it was three decades ago.

1999 Class, First Four Years

2,729 receptions

36,683 yards

258 touchdowns

2021 Class, First Four Years

2,855 receptions

35,661 yards

203 touchdowns

It’s certainly close. If the upper-echelon players in the 2021 group can play at least 10 seasons, that group will have a chance to stake claim to the greatest draft class of wide receivers of all time.