Part of the reason Rison moved around so much is that he was viewed as a bit of a headcase. Can a guy be a Hall of Famer even if he was never the best at his own position? He's 5th all-time in receptions and 6th in receiving TDs. Various/Getty Images. But those are glimpses of greatness. His Hall of Fame candidacy came up just as the committee was flailing to clear an embarrassing Art Monk-Andre Reed-Tim Brown logjam. HOF Qualifications: EXCELLENT. But for a few seasons, Morgan was one of the most dynamic players in the NFL. Here's my list of 25, ranked by the number of times they were among the top 10 in their league in receiving yards: Seven: Powell for NFL news and in-depth analysis concerning the 2021 season and beyond. Morgan was one of the greatest deep threats in NFL history. Rison, in his third-best season, was 2nd in the NFL in both receptions and receiving TDs. Looking at each player's best seasons, though, it's not apparent to me that Moore stands out from the best of his contemporaries. 1971-84, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson), Cliff Branch Hall of Fame Case: Point #1- Dominance While he only played for seven seasons, Sterling Sharpe was, undoubtedly, one of the best (if not THE best) wide receiver in the game during his career. By 1996, Smith earned a starting role (alongside ex-Browns WR Keenan McCardell) and exploded on the scene with 1,244 yards, as the Jags stunned the NFL with a trip to the AFC Championship Game. In the '90s, who besides Jerry Rice did what Brown and Carter did? The players listed below are the top 250 HOFm-rated players who played WR starting in 1955 or later for at least 50 career games. Tony Boselli, one of the best left tackles of a generation full of great ones, has been a finalist for five years. Jimmy Smith was drafted in 1992. These NFL wide receivers do not count toward our list of 10 worthy Hall of Famers. He didn't live up to his contract in Cleveland, he got a bad reputation, Left Eye burned his house down, and he played for seven teams, eight if you count the Argos. 2. Although Rice played in only five seasons during the decade of the 1980s, he was regarded by many to be on the path to be called the greatest receiver of all-time. Stallworth: 537 rec, 8,723 yds, 63 TD Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson) Cliff Branch 1972-85, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders 501 receptions, 8,685 yards, 67 TD. Whom you ask why stats or ok not great nothing like carters or Tim brown who enter the league same year and was so far ahead and higher in stats and records even with horrible qbs and team. There is one clear answer when it comes to who is the greatest receiver in 'Skins history: Art Monk. 29, 2020, Carter was more productive in the 1980s, and Irvin didn't even play in the 2000s, so if Carter was even close in the '90s, it stands to reason he's ahead for their careers. He had three tremendous seasons, yes, but so did all the others, and they were effective players for much longer. Los Angeles Rams Torry Holt, wide receiver But he was a heck of a player. During that period, he ranked second (behind Marvin Harrison) in total catches, first in receiving yards and seventh in touchdown receptions. His receiving TDs ranked 4th, 4th, 11th, 11th, and about 40th (actually a bazillion-way tie for 37th). Moore had three seasons of 100 receptions, trailing only Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, and Wes Welker (4 each). In 1968, the Eagles finished 14th in the 16-team NFL in passing yardage, and 15th in scoring, with just 14.4 points per game. So its telling that Smith never finished behind McCardell in TRY (whether total or per game) during any of their six seasons together. More, Subscribe to the Sports Central Feed Follow Sports Central on Twitter, "There is a reason he is a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP, because he pushes us over the top in moments like this. He was a team leader on a three-time Super Bowl champion. Stats again: The interesting thing about this list is that many of these players need to be evaluated with serious consideration of their postseason accomplishments. Vincent Frank. Carter, in his third-best season, led the NFL in receiving touchdowns. Thats also a big reason why Smith finished fourth among players who started their careers in 1950 or later behind only Rice, Harrison and Owens based on their head-to-head TRY against teammates over their careers (after adjusting for aging effects). He has a well-deserved tough-guy personality, a high television profile (all voters try to tune that sort of thing out, and a few succeed), and several signature plays, including the broken-arm catch and some unforgettable playoff performances. His achievement is still an unbroken record, thanks to his productivity and longevity during 20 NFL seasons. How does a guy who didn't stand out in his own era deserve Hall of Fame recognition? But the expansion Jaguars offered Smiths career a path forward. 1955-64: Raymond Berry, Tommy McDonald, Bobby Mitchell Brown also holds the rookie record for all-purpose yards (2,317), a record he took from Gale Sayers and has now owned for more than two decades. HOF Qualifications: POOR. Think again. Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, and Carter are the only players in history with five straight years of double-digit receiving touchdowns. 743 receptions, 10,205 yards, 84 TD. If you're here for another era, check out our previous articles in this series: Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1990s (Brown, Carter, Fryar, Moore, Rison, Smith) As Pro-Football-References Doug Drinen once astutely noted, football receivers are teammates but they are also competitors, vying for the quarterbacks attention in addition to fighting off defenders. The bar for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is incredibly high, and even a player of Johnsons caliber can end up in a bin with four or five other guys a few seasons after his retirement. NFL News and Rumors: Dalvin Cook to Dolphins, C.J. Jones is also one of just 20 wide receivers with seven Pro Bowl selections and 11 wideouts with two First-Team All-Pro selections. Larry Fitzgerald: Also a lock when he retires in the year 2269. He has several advantages over Johnson, however. You can easily look at player like Art Monk or the 2 pass on this year TIm Brown and Chris Carter whom at a time or 1 and 2 on record books or right behind Jerry Rice. . Between playing in one of the NFLs smallest markets during his career and fighting a tough battle with addiction afterwards both of which likely prevented him from the kind of second act in broadcasting enjoyed by many of his receiving contemporaries most fans dont remember just how great Smith was in his prime. The committees of the late 1980s and 1990s got a little carried away with making sure every Lombardi Packer and Steel Curtain Steeler who ever buckled a chinstrap got enshrined. Dont scoff because it is so early in his career. They play in high-efficiency pass-oriented offenses, as opposed to the exciting but reckless bomb-it-down-the-field passing games of the past, when running was a way of life and throwing a sneaky change of pace or a mark of desperation. He probably doesn't need to be in. . Jackson's record wasn't tied until Tim Brown in 2003, and finally broken by Terrell Owens and Tony Gonzalez almost 30 years later. To keep the statistics from skewing, I used top-five rankings (instead of top-10) for seasons before 1970, when the leagues were 8-16 teams rather than 26-32. Clutch. He's ahead in every major category, way ahead in touchdowns. Harold Carmichael finished his career with 590 receptions and 79 touchdowns. That's when Steve Largent and James Lofton and the Air Coryell teams in San Diego were shattering receiving records. In fact, McCardell could make his own HoPDGP case. His career yards-per-reception rate of 19.2 ranks 10th in history and is the highest of any player whose career began after the AFL-NFL merger. Nuk will also get some juice for having signature seasons while catching passes from Brian Hoyer, Ryan Mallett, and Tom Savage, and having perhaps the best hands of his generation. Jun. Harrison is one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, currently ranked fourth all-time in career receptions and fifth all-time in receiving yards. He has a Super Bowl ring, played in a second Super Bowl, has already caught 61 postseason passes, and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame all-2010s team. Below, I've organized HOF receivers by the decade in which they most established their greatness. Rice, for instance, was the premier receiver of the 1990s, and could easily fit into that block instead. Edelman, the MVP of Super Bowl LIII and Tom Bradys favorite target for many seasons, deserves a place in the Patriots Ring of Honor (which is gonna get really crowded) and a cherished place in our hearts. Who is the best wide receiver eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but not yet enshrined? They were both great players, but Ellard was more exceptional. I view Fryar much the same way I viewed Rafael Palmeiro (before the positive test for PEDs). Congratulations on your retirement, Julian Edelman. If I look down the line at some of the best wide receivers to play in Green Bay, guys like . HOF Qualifications: EXCELLENT. Visit Canton Logo. And that line is inevitably blurry. The Jacksonville Jaguars of the 1990s cannot catch a break. He played seven games and never caught a pass. That's a much different rsum, particularly on the touchdowns. Steve Smith - legendary wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers hops on the podcast with Takeo and Steve's former Panther teammate Tutan to talk about Steve's career in the game, where his drive comes from and how his next chapter as an analyst has allowed him to see the game in a whole new light. Projecting his '82 season to 16 games, Carmichael reaches 618 catches, 9,405 yards, and 81 TDs. Look at the man's career stats. For what it's worth, neither has ever reached the Finalist stage of voting. Folks appear to have forgotten just how great and groundbreaking those early Jaguars teams were. It was a pleasure to watch and cover you for many years! Go back and look at the tape, % of run/pass ratio for the era, and the fact he was on bad teams until Dick Vermiel took over in Philly. Harold Jackson Five-time Pro Bowler, first player to amass 10,000 receiving yards in the NFL. But let's review each player's rsum, in alphabetical order. Here's someone who would fit there perfectly. If that whole period had fallen into a single decade, how differently might he be viewed? How does Moore get that high in a statistical analysis? Just play along. During the 1970s, Jackson led all players in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving TDs. Their quarterbacks are protected in ways Y.A. NFL Trade Rumors: Could Dalvin Cook, Austin Ekeler, or DeAndre Hopkins Get Moved This Week? 489 receptions, 7,822 yards, 48 TD. Andre Rison's average 5th, 9th, and 3rd. HOF Qualifications: FAIR. Rather than three years finishing second and one tied for first, he's got two seasons alone at the top and another tied for the lead. Sports Central is the longest-running independent sports fan publication online, established in 1998 and featured by the BBC, NY Times, Chicago Tribune, and more. To me, those are the Hall of Famers, and Smith is just barely that next group down. So now that I have my benchmark down, here are the wide receivers that I think only need a couple more seasons to potentially be considered for the HOF. Harrison is in the Hall of Fame, along with a number of Smiths other receiving peers: Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Tim Brown, Cris Carter and, of course, Jerry Rice. I have a strange theory: the 1982 strike kept Carmichael out of Canton. His Hall of Fame case is profiled in depth in Best Wide Receivers Not in the HOF: 1980s, which is linked above and in my name on this comment. Statistically, hes far behind his contemporaries, and thats probably why hes never been taken seriously as a Hall of Fame candidate. Carter was a standout. Finally, the Seniors Committee and the Centennial Committee appear determined to enshrine just about every 1970s receiver, ) to stay in the loop on all things around the NFL. The Pro Football Hall of Fame voters are the same people who select All-Decade Teams. But we can certainly compare these players to their peers. Brian Branch, S, Alabama. 1975-84: Charlie Joiner, Steve Largent, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann Drew Pearson (part of the 2021 class) was a great player, and I grew up worshipping Harold Carmichael (2020 Centennial class), but Branch is more qualified than either of them. 2023 ABC News Internet Ventures. He is one of only five receivers with nine or more 1,000-yard seasons (Tim Brown, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Rice), and one of five with six straight 1,100-yard seasons (Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, Moss, Rice). Branch emerged from Fred Biletnikoff's shadow and starred in two Super Bowl wins, while the Cowboys' dynasty began to decline and Pearson was surpassed by Cowboy teammate Tony Hill. 1987-2002, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins 2023 Hall of Fame Game; Class of 2023 Enshrinement; Concert for Legends feat. He had nine consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons and ranks 4th all-time in receiving yards. Three: Chandler, Hill, Morgan, Reed, Rison, Hugh Taylor Branch and Sharpe belong in the Hall of Fame by any standard. In his prime, Smith was a receiving machine, easily the most important part of a Jaguars team that won the NFLs seventh-most games from 1996 through Smiths retirement after the 2005 season. That set off a stretch of peak seasons for Smith that few other wideouts can top. Tittle and Roger Staubach never dreamed of. But thats a topic for another column. To me, they're both great players, but probably not Hall of Famers. He was reliable more than explosive, and he was tough like Monk, not graceful like Lance Alworth or Lynn Swann. Charley Taylor. Lets start by running through five obvious cases of overly-qualified receivers who have not yet been enshrined. But let's review each player's rsum, beginning this week with receivers of the 1990s. He literally changed the game as the first of the series of liberalized passing rules which the 1970s would see was called the Isaac Curtis rule. 5. The positions importance and its statistical benchmarks have evolved significantly over time, particularly as the passing game grew to take over the modern sport since the 1990s, but the Halls selection committee has struggled to apply an evolving standard to candidates resumes. The Hall of Fame argument in Rison's favor is that he has good career stats for his era, and he was a remarkable player in his prime, with five 1,000-yard seasons and four years of double-digit TDs. Jackson's accomplishments he retired with the most receptions and receiving yards of anyone who played his whole career in the NFL were quickly overshadowed by Steve Largent, James Lofton, and Air Coryell. Drew Pearson 600-700 receptions At least 5 Pro Bowls At least 2 all pros Or 1 all pro and a Superbowl MVP All this just to be considered. One is that his production was largely limited to seven seasons. The 10 Best Wide Receivers Not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Dean Hybl June 21, 2009 Best of the Rest 1 of 11 10. Pearson: 489 rec, 7,822 yds, 48 TD Smith had more receptions and yards than anyone but Marvin Harrison, with the 4th-most receiving TDs (Harrison, Owens, Moss). Were Branch and Carmichael and Pearson really more outstanding than Henry Ellard and Andre Reed and Sterling Sharpe? When he's in the zone like that, you try to just get him in his spots, get him the ball and get out of the way. Is it stats some times wonder maybe but not really. The wide receiver won three Super Bowls and was selected to five Pro Bowls. He gained 1,300 yards in a season four times, scored 100 touchdowns, caught 80 passes in a season 10 times. Andre Rison But the truth, I think, is that he falls a bit short, maybe as much by bad luck as anything. 5. The Cowboys now have 20 Hall of Fame members, thanks to three more additions last weekend. He may be over-qualified, but Sharpe is not the most overqualified receiver on our list. We'll expand on this next week, but how would Rison's career look different without Rice in the landscape? He played his entire career for the. Didnt make it trouble past comes up yet cant use that no rings yes probably. Visual Edge IT Logo. The premier deep threat and speed burner in the league in his prime. Rison signed a big free agent contract with the Browns, then publicly cursed at the Cleveland fans. Four: Branch, Ellard, Fryar, Hennigan, Howton, Moore, Sharpe, Otis Taylor Of his 750 career regular season catches, 95 went for 20-29 yards, 38 for 30-39, 18 for 40-49, 10 for 50-59 and nine for 60 yards-or-more . No, it was Carter." The Hall of Fame also generally wasnt kind to receivers who played during the transition to the 16-game season era, unless they played for the Steelers. He has also been shunted behind Holt and Wayne in the wide receiver queue and Alan Faneca in the ex-Steelers queue. These NFL wide receivers do not count toward our list of 10 worthy Hall of Famers. Andre Rison Touchdown machine in the early '90s who revived his career with a 54-yard TD in the Super Bowl and a Pro Bowl with the Chiefs. @Neil_Paine, NFL (976 posts) The counter-argument is that Rison only had six or seven seasons in which he provided real value for his team. 1991-2002, Detroit Lions, New York Giants Harold Jackson Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s 30, 2023, 5:11 p.m. Kansas State wide receiver Kade Warner (85) carries the ball as Alabama . Ron Wolf, the GM for the Packers in the '90s, told Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman, "When [the Vikings] got in close, it was Carter you had to worry about. He might have been first-team All-Pro in 1992, and likely in '93. His career stats are good, especially the TDs, but they aren't impressive when compared to contemporaries with longer careers, like Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Henry Ellard, Irving Fryar, and Andre Reed. Harold Carmichael Four-time Pro Bowler whose size made him a unique threat to defenses. Maybe it's a by-product of Irvin's fame and flamboyance, but Carter isn't exactly low-profile, either. Carmichael was one of the best wide receivers of his era. Let's use 1994-98. What To Do About A Problem Like Dianne Feinstein? Carter averaged just 12.6 yards per reception, one of the lowest marks in history for an elite wide receiver. *JAWS is an average of a players career and seven-year peak Approximate Value. But Smith's. From 1990-94, Rison was a truly great player. Looking at the 1990s as a whole, Moore had more receptions than Andre Reed, more yardage than Henry Ellard, and more touchdowns than Michael Irvin. Sterling Sharpe's five best seasons (1989-90, 92-94) average 4th, 5th, and 5th. Great receivers of the mid-late '70s, played on terrific teams, had a few brilliant seasons but didn't keep it up, mentioned often as Hall of Fame snubs but never enshrined. Here's how I rank the best non-HOF receivers of the '70s: 1. Between 1988-94, you've got Andre Rison ('89) Herman Moore ('91), Keenan McCardell ('91), and Smith. See? 1970-79: n/a The Hall of Fame wideout finished his career as the NFL's all-time leading receiver and was a staple of the Redskins offense for 14 years. You know what, let's just do a chart. Holt still has better numbers, but he played on a wild offense. 1989-2000, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders Going by career numbers, Branch has a far stronger case: 501 receptions, 8,685 yards, 67 TD. 1950-59: n/a He probably shouldn't be in. Copyright 2019-2023. Irving Fryar and Rison did a lot of the same things as Andre Reed, but the constant team-switching makes it hard, psychologically, to view them that way. Sharpe was better than any of them, but the others had long careers and lots of postseason glory. 1985-94: Jerry Rice Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@PFN365) to stay in the loop on all things around the NFL. Today's wide receivers play 16-game schedules. Branch actually led the Raiders in receiving only three times in his final nine seasons. But you can't really compare Jimmy Smith to Rison, because Rison was basically finished by the time Smith became a starter. Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin 1972-85, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders Well popularity rings and of course the team. Brown made nine Pro Bowls and was a second-team selection to the 1990s NFL All-Decade team. Below is a positional ranking of the best remaining undrafted prospects . I guess you could argue that Bruce spent a lot of time as the number two guy behind Holt. 8/16/2011. Reaching those round numbers makes his stats look a lot different. Average rank in five best seasons: This is a quick-and-dirty rating method, underemphasizing the most important stat (yards) and unduly skewed by a couple of bad TD years, so I wouldn't want to draw any specific conclusions from it. 1990-99: Michael Irvin. Moore's relatively short prime overlaps precisely with an unprecedented statistical boom for receivers, further exaggerating his already impressive accomplishments. Here are the 25 best undrafted free agents (UDFAs) in NFL history. The most by any current Hall of Fame receiver is five (Tommy McDonald). Sharpe simply got lost in the shuffle. I got struggles. Smith made the most of the years he did play, with nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons and five Pro Bowl appearances. Im human. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1990s Theres no reason to belabor the arguments for them. Pro Football Hall of Fame Top 20 - Leading Lifetime Receivers. He was also one of the best punt returners of his generation, and still holds the rookie record for all-purpose yards. Smith in 2004 gained the third-most receiving yards ever by a 35-year-old (1,172), and he and Rice are the only players ever to gain over 1,000 yards in a full season after turning 36. Here are ten worthy wide receivers who are about to become Hall of Fame nominees, were snubbed or lost in the shuffle in the past, or (in our first two cases) wont be eligible for at least a decade. The late '80s and early '90s, meanwhile, have no one but Jerry Rice in the Hall of Fame. Also, continue to visit. When he's in the zone like that, you try to just get him in his spots, get him the ball and get out of the way. 862 receptions, 12,287 yards, 67 TD. That shifted with the end of the decade. The top 18 players in all-time sacks are either in the Hall of Fame or will be soon except for O'Neal, who ranks No. In 1979, Carmichael broke the NFL record for consecutive games with a reception, eventually stretching the mark to 127 before it was broken by Steve Largent in 1986. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s (Chandler, Clark, Ellard, Morgan, Reed, Sharpe) We all believe that Calvin Johnson is one of the greatest of all time. 13. Live From New York: Will AI Replace This Podcast. That hurts Brown, who was a dazzling punt returner (3,320 yds, 10.2 avg, 3 TDs). The Hall of Fame voters, in recent years, have almost entirely ignored special teams contributions. 1980-89: James Lofton, Art Monk Thereafter, he was out-gained every year by either Jake Reed or Moss. His 1995 season ranks among the most impressive statistical seasons of all time: 123 rec, 1686 yds, 14 TD. To keep the statistics from skewing, I used top-five rankings (instead of top-10) for seasons before 1970, when the leagues were 8-16 teams rather than 26-32. But Branch was only an exceptional player for those three seasons. 590 receptions, 8,985 yards, 79 TD. 1980-89: James Lofton, Art Monk But do all 15 of these receivers belong in the Hall of Fame, plus Edelman and your personal favorite whom I might have omitted? But debates that take place the moment a good-not-great player retires are not really healthy. Smith was one of the most dangerous NFL wide receivers of his era, and he made his mark in the playoffs with 7 postseason touchdowns (Edelman has 5). Raider fans want Branch and Ken Stabler and Ray Guy and maybe a couple others in, as well. Branch is not a member of any NFL All-Decade team, receiving only one vote for the All-70s Team. New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman announced his retirement from the, Lets start by running through five obvious cases of overly-qualified receivers who have not yet been enshrined. But since he caught only 11 passes as a rookie in 1974 and was a non-factor in Super Bowl IX, he fits better in the 1975-84 group. He led the league in receptions once, never in yards or TDs. Both the Eagles and Rams improved dramatically when they acquired Jackson. Late in his career, he was suspended under the NFLs substance-abuse policy; after retiring, he went through even more cycles of rehab, sobriety and relapse, even serving prison time in 2013. He signed for 1995 and spent the season working his way up the new teams depth chart. Irving Fryar Five-time Pro Bowler and standout punt returner who played 17 seasons and scored 88 total TDs. Known for his durability, Carter played full 16-game seasons in 13 of his 16 years in the NFL. The line has to be drawn somewhere. With that being said, here's my list for the top ten wide receivers in Redskins history. Duper played from 1982 to 1992. 501 receptions, 8,685 yards, 67 TD. Several years ago, Chase Stuart introduced a stat-based system that ranked Moore as the 23rd-most valuable wide receiver in history, ahead of players like Ellard (26), Reed (35), Art Monk (36), Gary Clark (46), Sterling Sharpe (48), Rison (72), and Fryar (unrated). Hopkins, like Edelman, made a little news on Monday when the folks at the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference named Hopkins acquisition by the Arizona Cardinals as the Best Sports Transaction of the Year. Those same seasons, he placed 23rd, 1st, 2nd, tied for 1st, and 8th in receptions an average of 7th. He made five Pro Bowls (one as a returner) and was second-team All-Pro twice (once as a returner). Chronologically, there's really no one to compare him to. However, no player may have a more unique path to enshrinement than former Chiefs returner and wide receiver Dante Hall. Smith led the NFL in receptions in 1999 (116), then the highest total in history outside the whacked '94-'95 seasons. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and made three All-Pro teams as a starter (more than Cris Carter and Tim Brown combined). [Being sober] is not a victory because its a lifelong battle, Smith told Frenette. When you're trying to stand out from contemporaries like Brown and Carter, who played forever, that's a real problem. Seventh, 9th, and 14th. In 2007, though, they elected Irvin to Canton, and in each of the next five seasons, they've passed on Carter. July 16, 2020 8:00 am ET. R.Smith: 849 rec, 11,389 yds, 68 TD But Fryar was effective for so much longer, I think he did more to help his teams. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s Oh, you thought this was some Patriots Hater troll piece? This affected Hennigan, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, and Wilson, once each. 1970-79: n/a Both years, he caught just two TDs. 6. Carter last led the Vikings in receiving yards in 1995. He helped redefine both offensive expectations and the wide receiver position during that span.