Calvin "Megatron" Johnson set the single-season receiving yards record of 1,964 yards in 2012.
No one really came close to touching that mark until 2021, when Cooper Kupp finished the season 18 yards shy. Last season, Justin Jefferson became only the sixth player with more than 1,800 yards in a season.
With so many big-play pass-catchers currently in the NFL, it feels as if this could be the season we see the record broken. Who could break it? ESPN Analytics took to the data to narrow it down.
The Field of 96
Three pass-catchers on each of the 32 NFL depth charts are eligible. The player list and all data used to make cuts are as of Aug. 15.
Davante Adams
Brandon Aiyuk
Keenan Allen
Mark Andrews
Rashod Bateman
Odell Beckham Jr.
Tyler Boyd
A.J. Brown
Marquise Brown
Treylon Burks
Parris Campbell
DJ Chark Jr.
Ja'Marr Chase
Chase Claypool
Nico Collins
Brandin Cooks
Amari Cooper
Corey Davis
Gabe Davis
Stefon Diggs
Greg Dortch
Jahan Dotson
Romeo Doubs
Greg Dulcich
Austin Ekeler
Mike Evans
Noah Fant
Russell Gage
Michael Gallup
Chris Godwin
Dallas Goedert
Hunter Henry
Tyler Higbee
Tee Higgins
Tyreek Hill
T.J. Hockenson
Mack Hollins
DeAndre Hopkins
Justin Jefferson
Jerry Jeudy
Diontae Johnson
Juwan Johnson
Aaron Jones
Marvin Jones Jr.
Zay Jones
Travis Kelce
Christian Kirk
George Kittle
Dawson Knox
Cooper Kupp
CeeDee Lamb
Allen Lazard
Tyler Lockett
Drake London
Terrace Marshall Jr.
Terry McLaurin
DK Metcalf
Jakobi Meyers
Darnell Mooney
DJ Moore
Rondale Moore
David Njoku
Chigoziem Okonkwo
Chris Olave
K.J. Osborn
DeVante Parker
Donovan Peoples-Jones
George Pickens
Alec Pierce
Michael Pittman Jr.
Kyle Pitts
Hunter Renfrow
Josh Reynolds
Calvin Ridley
Allen Robinson II
Curtis Samuel
Deebo Samuel
Dalton Schultz
Ben Skowronek
Darius Slayton
DeVonta Smith
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Courtland Sutton
Adam Thielen
Michael Thomas
Kadarius Toney
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Jaylen Waddle
Darren Waller
Christian Watson
Mike Williams
Cedrick Wilson Jr.
Garrett Wilson
Jelani Woods
Robert Woods
Cut 1: Extended playing time
Contenders must have at least one 15-game season in the past three years.
79 remaining
Davante Adams
Brandon Aiyuk
Keenan Allen
Mark Andrews
Tyler Boyd
A.J. Brown
Marquise Brown
Parris Campbell
Ja'Marr Chase
Chase Claypool
Brandin Cooks
Amari Cooper
Gabe Davis
Stefon Diggs
Austin Ekeler
Mike Evans
Noah Fant
Russell Gage
Michael Gallup
Chris Godwin
Dallas Goedert
Hunter Henry
Tyler Higbee
Tee Higgins
Tyreek Hill
T.J. Hockenson
Mack Hollins
DeAndre Hopkins
Justin Jefferson
Jerry Jeudy
Diontae Johnson
Juwan Johnson
Aaron Jones
Marvin Jones Jr.
Zay Jones
Travis Kelce
Christian Kirk
George Kittle
Dawson Knox
Cooper Kupp
CeeDee Lamb
Allen Lazard
Tyler Lockett
Drake London
Terry McLaurin
DK Metcalf
Jakobi Meyers
Darnell Mooney
DJ Moore
David Njoku
Chigoziem Okonkwo
Chris Olave
KJ Osborn
Donovan Peoples-Jones
George Pickens
Alec Pierce
Michael Pittman
Kyle Pitts
Hunter Renfrow
Josh Reynolds
Calvin Ridley
Allen Robinson
Curtis Samuel
Deebo Samuel
Dalton Schultz
Darius Slayton
DeVonta Smith
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Courtland Sutton
Adam Thielen
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Jaylen Waddle
Darren Waller
Mike Williams
Cedrick Wilson
Garrett Wilson
Jelani Woods
Robert Woods
Cut 2: 1,000-yard season
If a receiver hasn't reached 1,000 since 2020, it's unlikely he gets there this season.
39 remaining
Davante Adams
Brandon Aiyuk
Keenan Allen
Mark Andrews
A.J. Brown
Marquise Brown
Ja'Marr Chase
Brandin Cooks
Amari Cooper
Stefon Diggs
Mike Evans
Chris Godwin
Tee Higgins
Tyreek Hill
DeAndre Hopkins
Justin Jefferson
Diontae Johnson
Travis Kelce
Christian Kirk
Cooper Kupp
CeeDee Lamb
Tyler Lockett
Terry McLaurin
DK Metcalf
Darnell Mooney
DJ Moore
Chris Olave
Michael Pittman Jr.
Kyle Pitts
Hunter Renfrow
Calvin Ridley
Allen Robinson II
Deebo Samuel
DeVonta Smith
Amon-Ra St. Brown
Jaylen Waddle
Darren Waller
Mike Williams
Garrett Wilson
Cut 3: Yards vs. man defense
Those who averaged 2.5 yards or more per route against man coverage once since 2020 move on.
19 remaining
Davante Adams
Brandon Aiyuk
A.J. Brown
Ja'Marr Chase
Amari Cooper
Stefon Diggs
Tyreek Hill
DeAndre Hopkins
Justin Jefferson
Cooper Kupp
CeeDee Lamb
DK Metcalf
Chris Olave
Kyle Pitts
Calvin Ridley
Allen Robinson II
Deebo Samuel
Darren Waller
Mike Williams
Cut 4: Quarterback connection
Only receivers whose QBs Mike Clay projects to throw for more than 3,500 yards continue.
14 remaining
Davante Adams
A.J. Brown
Ja'Marr Chase
Amari Cooper
Stefon Diggs
Tyreek Hill
Justin Jefferson
Cooper Kupp
CeeDee Lamb
DK Metcalf
Chris Olave
Calvin Ridley
Deebo Samuel
Mike Williams
Cut 5:Top trackers
WRs with a 70 or better RTM overall score since 2020 cleared the final hurdle.
9 remaining
Davante Adams
A.J. Brown
Ja'Marr Chase
Stefon Diggs
Tyreek Hill
Justin Jefferson
Cooper Kupp
Chris Olave
Calvin Ridley
