by Jonathan Schwab

Created on: March 10, 2007   Last Updated: May 10, 2007

The wide receiver position in the NFL is a very important position. Some teams are fortunate enough to have more than one good one. Few receivers are great and are even able to be discussed in a topic such as this one. To be considered one of the best, you have to be able to good at all phases of the game. My choice for the best reciever in the NFL is Hines Ward over Marvin Harrison because Ward is more of a complete receiver.

Let's face it when you a NFL caliber receiver you should be able to catch the ball so that is going to be bypassed in this discussion. To make it completely fair, you have to take the receiver off of his team and out of his offense because statistical comparison can be unfair from player to player. For example, Marvin Harrison routinely catches more balls and has more yards and touchdowns than Ward, but he is on a team that leads the league in offense each year. Ward is on a team that puts more of an emphasis on running the ball so his stats won't compare with those of Harrison.

Comparing Harrison and Ward head to head is a little bit easier. Harrison is a better down the field receiver because he has better speed. They both are excellent route runners and can make the big catch to extend a possession. The reason that Ward gets my vote is because he is a much better blocker and is better after he catches the ball. Ward is more of a physical presence than Harrison so he has a little more of an advantage, but just because you are bigger doesn't necessarily mean that you can block. It takes an unselfish attitude to block and block well as a receiver and Ward does it better than anyone else in the league. After Harrison catches the ball, he tends to go out of bounds or hit the ground soon afterwards. This is great for self preservation, but he gives up way too many potential yards after the catch. Ward rarely, if ever, runs out of bounds after he catches a ball which helps his team shorten the field.

Both players are great receivers and I would take both players on my team without any hesitation, but Ward gets the nod from me because he excells at all parts of the game. He can go down the field as well as be the possession receiver. He can block and will get as much yardage as he can after the catch. The combination of all of these things make him the best receiver in the NFL.

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