Top Five Wide Receivers in the NFL

Since I always seem to get an incredible amount of feedback (although not always positive) on these "greatest of all-time" and "top five" or "top ten" articles, I have decided to once again reach for the brass ring.
Having said that, here is my list of the top five wide receivers in the NFL.

Torry Holt
I don't care what anyone says; I think Holt is the best wide receiver in the NFL. He may not be the flashiest or the most publicized, but he is the best. Holt is the first wideout in the history of the game to have over 1,300 yards receiving in each of his first six seasons - and could one day (gasp) surpass many of the legendary Jerry Rice's receiving records.

Steve Smith
I absolutely love the diminutive Smith who is the most explosive game-breaker in all off football at the moment. When they, whoever "they" are, say, "speed kills" they were probably talking about Smith. Simply put, there is no bigger "little man" in the game today. If Smith stays healthy, expect his to put up some serious numbers throughout his career.

Reggie Wayne
It has been fun watching Wayne evolve into one of the best receivers in the game - and surpassing his teammate, as Peyton Manning's deep threat receiver. If Wayne continues on the pace he's going, he will also go down as one of the best ever - at least statistically speaking.

Marvin Harrison
Harrison is actually my favorite wide receiver in the game and one of my favorite athletes in any sport. Speaking of records, Harrison could also surpass many of Rice's current records - especially with Peyton Manning as his quarterback. Like Holt and Wayne, Harrison is a humble guy who is not overly flashy but just continues to make great catches.

Javon Walker
Walker has really stepped up into the upper echelon of wide receivers this season and has emphatically put his sometimes-turbulent past in Green Bay squarely behind him. Showing blazing speed and sure hands, I think Walker is undoubtedly one of the league's top five wide receivers.

Here are the NFL's receiving leaders through week nine.

Rank Player Team Rec Yds Avg TDs Long
1 Andre Johnson HOU 65 752 11.6 4 53
2 Reggie Wayne IND 44 732 16.6 5 51
3 Roy Williams DET Ide 719 16.3 4 60
4 Marques Colston NO 44 700 15.9 7 86
5 Marvin Harrison IND 52 698 13.4 5 44
6 Javon Walker DEN 39 669 17.2 5 83
7 Steve Smith CAR 45 631 14.0 2 72
8 Torry Holt STL 45 624 13.9 7 67
9 Anquan Boldin ARI 48 608 12.7 3 49
10 Laveranues Coles NYJ 46 606 13.2 3 58
11 Darrell Jackson SEA 36 587 16.3 6 72
12 Hines Ward PIT 41 586 14.3 5 70
13 Donald Driver GB 50 580 11.6 3 48
14 Terrell Owens DAL 44 558 12.7 6 46
15 Isaac Bruce STL 35 554 15.8 1 45
16 Plaxico Burress NYG 31 510 16.5 5 50
17 Joe Horn NO 30 507 16.9 3 57
18 Tony Gonzalez KC 38 504 13.3 3 57
19 Mike Furrey DET 41 503 12.3 3 26
20 Reggie Brown PHI 26 502 19.3 5 60
21 Bernard Berrian CHI 27 495 18.3 4 62
22 T.J. Houshmandzadeh CIN 39 488 12.5 5 33
23 Lee Evans BUF 39 487 12.5 2 43
24 Chad Johnson CIN 40 483 12.1 2 51
25 Antonio Bryant SF 27 483 17.9 2 72
26 Keyshawn Johnson CAR 37 479 12.9 2 40
27 Joey Galloway TB 29 475 16.4 4 55
28 Kellen Winslow CLE 51 471 9.2 3 30
29 Jerricho Cotchery NYJ 35 461 13.2 3 71
30 Terry Glenn DAL 36 456 12.7 4 51