Is Garrett Wilson a Top 10 receiver in the NFL?

Fresh off his third consecutive season of more than 1,000 receiving yards, and with a historic new contract in hand, Garrett Wilson finally made his debut on ESPN’s annual Top 10 position rankings, landing right at No. 10 after finishing as an Honorable Mention last year. New York Jets fans will of course agree with this whole-heartedly or even say he should have been higher, but there are apparently some people around the NFL who think Wilson should not have been included at all.

To compile their ranking, ESPN polled anonymous NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, and the comments on Wilson are more polarizing than most. One AFC executive called him ‘one of the best separators in the league’ while another called him a ‘freelancer’ when it comes to his route running. An AFC scout concurred with the latter remark, saying, “All over the map, does his own thing on the field. Vast potential, [but he’s] not close to what he could be.”

These negative comments are harsh but not unfair. Inefficient route running was a critique of Wilson’s game even before he was drafted, with some calling him a ‘boom-or-bust’ prospect. To be clear, he has definitely ‘boomed’ at this point in his career, but it feels like he still has an absurd amount of untapped upside. He could even challenge Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase for No. 1 in the league.

In Wilson’s defense, however, he hasn’t had anywhere near the optimal situation that Jefferson and Chase have enjoyed. Jefferson has been receiving passes from Kirk Cousins and the resurrected Sam Darnold while Chase gets to play with his college teammate, who is arguably the second best quarterback on the planet.

Things figure to finally be different for Wilson in 2025. He has an intriguing offensive coordinator in Tanner Engstrand, who worked with offensive mastermind Ben Johnson for the last three years, and is reunited with his own college teammate, Justin Fields. If there was ever a year for Wilson to have a true breakout season and vault his way to the top of NFL receiver rankings, this is it.