The 2010s were one of the most legendary eras for the NFL in its entirety, filled with incredible games, offenses, and of course, receivers. There were many great wide receivers in the 2010s, but five specifically stand out to me. By the end of this article, we will have broken down who the best of the five was. 

   Starting with a receiver who had more tackles than drops, Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was drafted in 2004 by the Arizona Cardinals. He was already 27 in 2010, which is when he was entering his prime. Fitzgerald ranks third in yards in the 2010s, with over 10,000 yards. Fitzgerald is also known as one of the most consistent and reliable receivers ever. He never dropped passes, had an incredible football IQ, and was just an all-around amazing receiver. In the 2010s, Fitzgerald made seven Pro Bowls, a first-team All-Pro, and was placed on the 2010 all-decade team. Fitzgerald was a great receiver; however, compared to other players on this list, his prime wasn’t as dominant as others. He was reliable, but never a record breaking player. . 

   Fitzgerald was the definition of consistency, but what if we were to look at his opposite? A receiver who barely played for five years, but was so dominant that he deserves a spot on this list. Calvin “Megatron” Johnson was drafted in 2007 by the Detroit Lions and hit his prime in 2010. Megatron was the exact opposite of Larry Fitzgerald; he had the best receiver prime of all time, but injuries and a horrible team held him back. This ended up leading to his early retirement in 2016. Now you may be asking, “How can a receiver who barely played five seasons in the 2010s be the best?” Because Megatron was unstoppable in his time, standing at 6’6 and 240 pounds of pure muscle. Teams would try to double-cover or even triple-cover him, and yet he would still find the ball. Megatron also had possibly the greatest single season for a receiver ever, having 1964 receiving yards, which stands today as the most yards by a receiver in one year, and over 200 receptions. The season prior, he had 1600 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. He was also a Pro Bowler every year until he retired in the 2010s and was a three-time team All-Pro, led the league in receiving yards twice, led the league in receptions once, and was placed on the 2010 all-decade team. These stats and awards speak for themselves; however, since Megatron was only in the league for six years, he doesn’t have the same consistency and numbers that some of the other receivers on this list.  

   Now, for my favorite receiver of the five, Quintorris “Julio” Jones. Julio was drafted in 2011 by the Atlanta Falcons. Hitting his prime in 2014. Julio was Megatron and Larry Fitzgerald combined; he had an incredibly big frame, but also had amazing hands, route running, sideline awareness, and speed. He led all receivers in receiving yards in the 2010s with 12,000. Julio was both incredible after the catch and an amazing deep ball receiver; he was a Swiss Army knife. Julio was a seven-time Pro Bowler, a two-time first-team All-Pro, led the league in receiving yards twice, led the league in receptions once, and was named to the 2010 all-decade team. He had it all: a great combination of accolades and consistency, a dominant prime, and led everyone in receiving yards for the 2010s. At the same time, Julio was never efficient in scoring touchdowns, having only double-digit touchdowns once in his career. 

   Julio was known as a humble and respectful receiver who let his play do the talking, very similar to Antonio “AB” Brown until the end of his career. AB was drafted in 2010 by the Pittsburgh Steelers and hit his prime in 2011. It took me a while to pinpoint what made AB a great receiver, but in reality, he was so well-rounded that there wasn’t one skill of his that was better than another. He was an elite route runner, had great hands, size, and speed. AB also had the most accolades on this list; he was a seven-time Pro-Bowler, a four-time first-team All-Pro, led the league in receptions twice, led the league in yards twice, led the league in touchdowns once, and is also second in receiving yards and first in touchdowns for receivers in the 2010s. AB was also extremely consistent in all of his stats. However, AB’s prime wasn’t as legendary as people like Megatron; he also dealt with some injuries in his time, which kept him away from the field, leading to inconsistencies in his game. 

   There is only one receiver on this list who is still currently playing to this day, that being  DeAndre “D-Hop” Hopkins. Hopkins was drafted in 2012 by the Houston Texans and reached his prime in 2015. Hopkins had an incredible combination of smooth route running and an unbelievable catching ability. He was also great after the catch and could effortlessly make plays to gain extra yards. Combined with an incredible prime, he also had a ton of accolades. Hopkins was a three-time team All-Pro, five-time Pro-Bowler, and led the NFL in touchdowns once. Hopkins doesn’t have many flaws in his game; however, even though his production was good, there are still people with better stats and more awards. It also hurts Hopkins that he was drafted in 2012, meaning he didn’t have the full 10 years like other receivers in the five. 

   After researching stats, looking at highlights, and having my own experience with these players, in my opinion, the most dominant receiver of the 2010s is Antonio Brown. All of these receivers have great arguments to be the best, mainly Megatron and Julio. Megatron had the greatest prime of all time, but since he had no longevity, I couldn’t place him at the top. Julio was very similar to AB, but AB had more stats to support him, and when the two played, AB was mainly considered better than Julio. Overall, AB had the best combination of accolades, stats, and skill. He didn’t have a single flaw in his game, and he used all of his skill to his advantage. AB also wasn’t the biggest receiver, yet he was still leading every single receiver, fueled by pure passion. Antonio Brown was the best receiver in the 2010s and may go down as one of the greatest receivers to ever touch the football field.