PFF Ranks Golladay Best WR in NFC North; Five Scouts Respond

Who’s the best receiver in the NFC North? PFF has its ideas. Five NFL scouts had their own, unanimous opinion.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Jun 30, 2020 8:51 AM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Pro Football Focus churned out a hot take on its social media page on Monday.

Who’s the best receiver in the NFC North? One of its analysts said Detroit’s Kenny Golladay. Another raved about Golladay’s sidekick, Marvin Jones, before settling on Minnesota’s Adam Thielen as the best in the NFC North.

That’s three receivers and nary a mention of Green Bay Packers star Davante Adams.

Passed along those rankings, a pro scout for a team with no ties to the Packers responded with a simple “LOL.” Passed along those rankings and what the first scout said, a second scout with no ties to the Packers responded the same way: with a “LOL.” A third scout also chose Adams because he can “take over” a game. A fourth picked Adams, as well, though he didn’t believe PFF’s take was “crazy.” A fifth also picked Adams.

Looking at the division games, Adams outperformed his NFC North counterparts last season.

Thielen caught 5-of-8 passes for 75 yards in the first game at Lambeau Field and 0-of-4 targets in the second game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Golladay also faced the Packers twice and turned in a pair of strong performances. In Week 5 at Lambeau Field, he caught 5-of-9 passes for 121 yards. In Week 17 at Ford Field, he caught 3-of-4 passes for 72 yards.

Adams dominated his NFC North foes. After missing Round 1 against Detroit due to turf toe, Adams caught seven passes for 93 yards and one touchdown in Week 17, keying a Packers comeback that clinched a first-round bye. He devastated the Vikings in both games. In Week 2 at Lambeau, he caught 7-of-9 passes for 106 yards. When Adams made a huge third-down catch late in the game, cornerback Xavier Rhodes slammed his fist into the turf in frustration. In Week 16, Adams caught 13-of-16 passes for 116 yards. In a combined 20 games against the Vikings and Lions, Adams has 11 touchdowns.

Over the past three seasons, Adams has 268 receptions for 3,268 yards and 28 touchdowns. Over that same span, Thielen has 234 receptions for 3,067 yards and 19 touchdowns. In three career seasons, Golladay has 163 receptions for 2,730 yards and 19 touchdowns.