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[OC] 2017 Record Watch- Part III: Receptions

As we’re doing every Monday and Wednesday of the offseason, it’s time for another Record Watch, where we take a look at the records that could be broken in the 2017 season, both in terms of the league leaderboards and the team leaderboards. On Tuesdays, we’re focusing on an offensive statistic, while on Thursdays, we’re focusing on a defensive statistic. All of the posts from both Record Watch and the other offseason series I’m doing (Lost Leagues, One Hit Wonders, Weird Stat Threads) are in the table at the bottom of each post. So, with that being said, let’s take a look at the statistic for today, which is receptions.

Part I: NFL Records

  • Jason Witten is currently 7th on the all-time receptions list (1,089). He needs 5 receptions to tie Tim Brown (1,094) for 6th place, and 11 receptions to become just the sixth receiver in NFL history with 1,100 receptions. Additionally, he needs 12 receptions to tie Cris Carter (1,101) for 5th place, and 13 receptions to tie Marvin Harrison (1,102) for 4th place. If he finds a way to finish the season with 36 more receptions than Larry Fitzgerald, then he will be tied for 3rd place on the all-time receptions list. While that is unlikely, he’s almost a lock to get into the top 4 this year

  • Anquan Boldin is currently 9th on the all-time receptions list (1,076). He currently does not have a team; however, should he find a team, he only needs 2 receptions to tie Terrell Owens (1,078) for 8th place. Assuming Jason Witten takes 4th place (he only needs 13 receptions to do so, and he had 69 receptions last year), he will need 18 receptions to tie Tim Brown (1,094) for 7th place, 24 receptions to reach the 1,100 milestone, 25 receptions to tie Cris Carter (1,101) for 6th place, and 26 receptions to tie Marvin Harrison (1,102) for 5th place. Again, this is assuming Witten surpasses Harrison, which he is pretty much guaranteed to do barring injury

  • Brandon Marshall is currently 18th on the all-time receptions list (941). Since 2007, he’s had at least 80 receptions in all but 2 seasons; last year, he had 59. Here’s everyone he can possibly surpass this year:

PlaceReceptions Needed to TieTying
17th2Derrick Mason (943)
16th10Andre Reed (951)
15th41Randy Moss (982)
14th59Hines Ward (1,000)
13th83Isaac Bruce (1,024)
12th90Steve Smith (1,031)

With a great season, he will be over the 1,000 mark, and will significantly increase his chances at making the Hall of Fame. He should be able to surpass Reed this season, and depending on how the Giants use him, should be able to surpass Moss

  • Antonio Gates is currently 22nd on the all-time receptions list (897). With 3 receptions, he can be come just the 22nd player in NFL history, and just the third tight end in NFL history, to reach 900 career receptions, alongside Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. Additionally, he needs 6 receptions to tie Wes Welker (903) for 21st place, 23 receptions to tie Torry Holt (920) for 20th place, 43 receptions to tie Art Monk (940) for 19th place, 46 receptions to tie Derrick Mason (943) for 18th place, and 54 receptions to tie Andre Reed (951) for 17th place. This is assuming Brandon Marshall breaks those marks this year, which he only needs 10 receptions to do.

  • Antonio Brown is currently 57th on the all-time receptions list (632). He needs 37 receptions to enter the top 50 all-time in NFL history, which would put him at 669 and tie him with Ricky Proehl on the list. He needs 68 receptions to become one of just 46 players in NFL history to reach the 700-reception milestone. If he gets 111 receptions this year, he will tie Andre Rison and Donald Driver (743) for 40th place, and enter the top 40 in NFL history. Keep in mind that Brown has recorded at least 100 receptions in each of the past 4 seasons.

  • Greg Olsen is currently 63rd on the all-time receptions list (622). Assuming Antonio Brown enters the top 50 this year (and there’s no reason, barring injury, why he wouldn’t), Olsen needs 48 receptions to enter the top 50 all-time in NFL history, which would put him at 670 and tie him with Herman Moore on the list. Additionally, he needs 78 receptions to become one of just 47 players (assuming Brown does it) to reach the 700-reception milestone.

  • Pierre Garcon is currently 88th on the all-time receptions list (564). He needs 22 receptions to tie Tiki Barber (586) and enter the top 75 in NFL history. Additionally, if he gets 36 receptions this year, then he will become one of 66 players in NFL history to reach 600 career receptions. Greg Olsen will enter the top 60 all-time this year with 5 receptions (and he’ll get a lot more than that this year); for Garcon to reach the top 60, he will need 64 receptions, which would tie Rob Moore for a spot in the top 60

  • Demaryius Thomas is currently tied for 98th on the all-time receptions list (546), alongside John Williams and Ike Hilliard. He needs 13 receptions to tie Roy Green and Wes Chandler (559) and enter the top 90 in NFL history. To enter the top 80, assuming Pierre Garcon gets more than 16 receptions this year, Thomas needs 34 receptions, which would put him at 581 and tie Brian Blades for 80th. To enter the top 75, assuming Garcon gets at least 22 receptions, Thomas needs 41 receptions, which would tie Marcus Allen (587) for 75th place. To enter the top 70, assuming Garcon gets at least 29 receptions, Thomas needs 47 receptions, which would tie Tony Martin and Terry Glenn (593) for 70th place. Additionally, Thomas needs 54 receptions to become one of 66 (or 67, depending on what Garcon does) to reach 600 career receptions.

  • The race to get into the top 100 is going to be very interesting. If Demaryius Thomas gets 1 reception, then there will be a 2-way tie for 99th between John Williams and Ike Hilliard at 546 receptions. Here’s all the receivers that can get into the top 100 and tie that 546-reception mark, and how they can do it.

ReceiverCurrent Number of ReceptionsNumber of Receptions Needed
Vincent Jackson*5406
Dwayne Bowe*5379
Darren Sproles52521
Michael Crabtree52125
Matt Forte51729
Vernon Davis50541
Jimmy Graham49947
DeSean Jackson49848
Jordy Nelson49749
Julio Jones49749
Mike Wallace48662
AJ Green48167
Jeremy Maclin47474
Dez Bryant46286
Golden Tate445101

*- currently a free agent

  • And finally, there are 133 receivers in NFL history with at least 500 career receptions. Here’s all the receivers that are currently employed within 100 receptions of that mark
ReceiverCurrent Number of ReceptionsNumber of Receptions Needed
Jimmy Graham4991
DeSean Jackson4982
Jordy Nelson4973
Julio Jones4973
Mike Wallace48614
AJ Green48119
Jeremy Maclin47426
Dez Bryant46238
Golden Tate44555
Ben Watson43466
Julian Edelman42575
Emmanuel Sanders41783
Frank Gore41486
Rob Gronkowski40595
Delanie Walker40595
Martellus Bennett40397

In terms of who will likely do it this year, everyone above Tate should be locks to do it, while Edelman and Sanders are the most likely outside of them. Edelman should do it this year, and Sanders, at the very least, should get close.

Part II: Team-Specific Records (AFC)

  • Jarvis Landry is currently 9th in Dolphins history in receptions (288); however, that could dramatically change in 2017. He needs 10 receptions to tie Brian Hartline (298) for 8th place, and needs 33 receptions to tie Davone Bess (321) for 7th place. That should be easy. But he could move up even more; 95 receptions will tie Tony Nathan (383) for 6th place, and 117 receptions will tie Chris Chambers (405) for 5th place. If he gets 112 receptions this year (career-high is 110), then he will be one of just 6 players in Dolphins history with 400 receptions

  • Julian Edelman is currently 6th in Patriots history in receptions (425). He needs 6 to tie Kevin Faulk (431) and for 5th place, 65 to tie Ben Coates (490) in 4th place, and 109 to tie Stanley Morgan (534) for 3rd place. If he gets 75 receptions this year, then he will be one of just 4 players in Pats history to reach 500 career receptions

  • Rob Gronkowski is currently 7th in Patriots history in receptions (405). He needs 26 to tie Kevin Faulk (431), and needs 85 to tie Ben Coates (490). In all likelihood, he will finish the season with less receptions than Edelman, so take the Edelman numbers for where he would rank in franchise history and shift them down one (so 5th place would become 6th place if Gronkowski doesn’t get 20 or more receptions than Edelman in 2017)

  • DeAndre Hopkins is currently 4th in Texans history in receptions (317), and by the end of the season, will likely be 2nd. He needs just 9 receptions to tie Kevin Walter (326) for 3rd place, and needs 68 receptions to tie Owen Daniels (385) for 2nd place. Either way, barring injury, he will have the second most receptions by any wide receiver in franchise history by the time 2017 is done (Daniels was a tight end).

  • Ryan Griffin is currently 13th in Texans history in receptions (99). One more reception would make him just the 13th player in franchise history to reach 100 career receptions. To enter the top 10, he needs 9 receptions to tie Billy Miller (108) in 10th place, 28 receptions to tie Jacoby Jones (127) in 9th place, 31 receptions to tie Corey Bradford (130) in 8th place, and 55 receptions to tie Domanick Williams (154) in 7th place.

  • Staying with the Texans, CJ Fiedorowicz is currently 16th in Texans history in receptions (75). He needs 25 receptions to become the 14th player in franchise history to reach that mark. Where he would place is unknown because Ryan Griffin is still active and is ahead of him, but he would need 33 receptions to tie Billy Miller (108), 52 receptions to tie Jacoby Jones (127), and 55 receptions to tie Corey Bradford (130).

  • TY Hilton is currently 6th in Colts history in receptions (374). He needs 37 receptions to tie Bill Brooks (411) for 5th place in franchise history, and needs 53 receptions to tie Dallas Clark (427) for 4th place. By tying Brooks, Hilton would be the third best wide receiver in Colts history since the merger in this stat, only behind Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.

  • Allen Robinson is currently 7th in Jaguars history in receptions (201). He needs 40 receptions to tie Kyle Brady (241) for 6th place, and 85 receptions to tie Fred Taylor (286) for 5th place in franchise history

  • Allen Hurns is currently 14th in Jaguars history in receptions (150). To enter the top 10, he needs 26 receptions, which would tie Cecil Shorts (176) for 10th place. Hurns needs 39 receptions to tie Reggie Williams (189) for 9th place, 41 receptions to tie Pete Mitchell (191) for 8th place, and 50 receptions to become the 8th player in franchise history to reach 200 career receptions

  • Delanie Walker is currently 10th in Titans history in receptions (282). He needs 25 receptions to tie Nate Washington (307) for 9th place, and needs 40 receptions to tie Curtis Duncan (322) for 8th place. With 18 catches, Walker becomes the 10th player in franchise history to reach the 300-reception mark, and just the second tight end to do so, alongside Frank Wycheck

  • Le’Veon Bell is currently 15th in Steelers history in receptions (227). To enter the top 10, he needs 20 receptions, which would tie Charles Johnson (247) for 10th. He needs 37 receptions to tie Plaxico Burress (264) for 9th place, and needs 79 receptions to tie Franco Harris (306) for 8th place. With 73 receptions, Bell would become just the 9th player in franchise history to reach the 300-reception mark.

  • For those wondering, Antonio Brown can’t move anywhere this year. He’s already in second place with 632 receptions, and he’s got a long way to go before catching Hines Ward, who has 1,000. Still, it’s possible that he does this in 3-4 seasons

  • Dennis Pitta is currently 5th in Ravens history in receptions (224). He needs 10 to tie Mark Clayton (234) for 4th place, and needs 76 to become just the fourth player in franchise history to reach the 300-reception mark, alongside Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, and Ray Rice

  • Kamar Aiken is currently 15th in Ravens history in receptions (128). It’s unlikely, but to enter the top 10, he needs 58 receptions to tie Anquan Boldin for 10th place (186), 63 receptions to tie Qadry Ismail (191) for 9th place, 67 receptions to tie Steve Smith (195) for 8th place, and 74 receptions to tie Travis Taylor (204) for 7th place. He had 75 receptions in 2015, so I guess it’s possible.

  • AJ Green is currently 4th in Bengals history in receptions (481). He needs just 19 receptions to become the fourth player in franchise history to reach 500 career receptions. From there, Green needs 26 receptions to tie TJ Houshmandzadeh (507) for 3rd place, and 49 receptions to tie Carl Pickens (530) for 2nd place. The leader is Chad Johnson with 751, but Green should be in second place by the time the season is done

  • Emmanuel Sanders is currently 13th in Broncos history in receptions (256). With 44 receptions, he would become just the 11th player in franchise history to reach 300 career receptions. Sanders needs 46 receptions to tie Haven Moses (302) for 10th place and enter the top 10, 71 receptions to tie Brandon Marshall (327) for 9th place, and 97 receptions to tie Steve Watson (353) for 8th place.

  • Keenan Allen (221) needs 79 receptions to become the 11th player in Chargers history to reach 300 career receptions. He currently sits in 16th place, but is unlikely to enter the top 10 this year, as he’ll need 100 catches to do so. As for Antonio Gates, he’s already #1 in franchise history with 897 receptions, and nobody’s catching that record for a long time.

  • Travis Kelce is currently 13th in Chiefs history in receptions (224). He needs 64 receptions to enter the top 10 and tie Ed Podolak (288) for 10th place. With 76 receptions, Kelce would become just the ninth player in franchise history to reach the 300-reception mark. If he should somehow find a way to get 97 receptions, then he would tie Eddie Kennison (321) for 9th place in franchise history

  • Here’s spots 7-10 in the Raiders leaderboard, and what Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree need to do in terms of their place in Raiders history:

PlaceReceiverReceptionsCrabtree Needs to TieCooper Needs to Tie
10thJerry Rice2436988
9thArt Powell2548099
8thDave Casper25581100
7thJames Jett25682101

Michael Crabtree currently sits in 21st place with 174 receptions. Amari Cooper currently sits in 26th place with 155 receptions. It’s entirely possible that Crabtree passes Jett this year and Cooper finds a way to be near the top 10 as well this season.

Part III: Team-Specific Records (NFC)

  • Dez Bryant is currently 6th in Cowboys history in receptions (462). He needs 17 receptions to tie Tony Hill (479) for 5th place, 24 receptions to tie Emmitt Smith (486) for 4th place, 27 receptions to tie Drew Pearson (489) for 3rd place, and needs 38 receptions to become just the third player in franchise history with 500 career receptions, alongside Jason Witten and Michael Irvin

  • Jordan Reed is currently 12th in Washington history in receptions (248). To enter the top 10, he needs 29 receptions, which would tie Michael Westbrook (277) for 10th place. If he gets 52 receptions, then he would become one of just 10 players in team history to reach the 300-reception mark

  • Brent Celek is currently 4th in Philadelphia history in receptions (385). He needs 15 to become just the 4th player in Philadelphia history to reach 400 career receptions, and needs 41 receptions to tie Brian Westbrook (426) for 3rd place in team history

  • Zach Ertz is currently 20th in Philadelphia history in receptions (247). To enter the top 10, he needs 64 receptions, which would tie Bobby Walston (311) for 10th place. Jordan Matthews can also do this; he’s currently 25th in team history (225), and needs 86 receptions to tie Walston’s mark

  • While unlikely, Ertz could also climb to 9th place this year. Ertz currently has 247 receptions, and needs 96 receptions to tie Jeremy Maclin (343) for 9th place in team history. It’s unlikely, as his career high in catches is 78, but seeing as he has improved every year in terms of receptions, it’s certainly possible with a good and healthy season

  • Odell Beckham Jr. has had at least 91 receptions in every season with the Giants since he was drafted in 2014. Because of this and where he sits on the leaderboard right now (12th place with 288), here’s the table of all the men he could pass this year:

PlaceReceiverReceptionsBeckham Jr. Needed to Tie
10thVictor Cruz30315
9thHakeem Nicks31830
8thBob Tucker32739
7thChris Calloway33446
6thFrank Gifford36779
5thIke Hilliard36880
4thJeremy Shockey37183
3rdJoe Morrison395107

With 12 receptions, he will become just the 12th player in franchise history to reach the 300-reception mark. If he finds a way to get a career-best 112 receptions, then he will be one of just three players in franchise history, alongside Amani Toomer and Tiki Barber, to reach the 400-reception mark

  • Julio Jones is currently 3rd in Falcons history in receptions (497). With 3 receptions, he will become just the third player in franchise history to reach the 500-reception mark, alongside Roddy White and Terance Mathis. Additionally, if Julio gets 76 receptions, then he will tie Terance Mathis (573) for 2nd place in team history, and will only trail Roddy White (808) at that point

  • Jonathan Stewart is currently 8th in Panthers history in receptions (154). With 13 receptions, he will tie Brandon LaFell (167) for 7th place; with 22 receptions, he will tie Mark Carrier (176) for 6th place, and with 24 receptions, he will tie DeAngelo Williams (178) for 5th place, and will have the most receptions by any halfback in team history

  • Kelvin Benjamin is currently 11th in Panthers history in receptions (136). With 9 receptions, he will tie Brad Hoover (145) and enter the top 10, and with 15 receptions, he will tie Kris Magnum (151) for 9th place. Benjamin needs 33 receptions to tie LaFell’s mark (167), 42 receptions to tie Carrier’s mark (176), and 44 receptions to tie Williams’ mark (178). However, we don’t know where that would place, as Jonathan Stewart, who is active, is ahead of Benjamin right now. Benjamin would pass Stewart if he finishes with 19 more receptions than Stewart in 2017, which is extremely likely.

  • Mike Evans is currently 12th in Bucs history in receptions (238), and he had 96 receptions last year. If he has a similar season this year, he’ll pass a lot of people on the leaderboard, and could wind up in second place, only behind James Wilder (430). Here’s the leaderboard from 10th place and on that Evans can reach:

PlaceReceiverReceptionsEvans Needed to Tie
10thJoey Galloway24810
9thVincent Jackson26830
8thJimmie Giles27941
7thMichael Pittman28446
6thKevin House28648
5thKeyshawn Johnson29860
4thMike Alstott30567
3rdWarrick Dunn30668
2ndMark Carrier32183

With 83 receptions, Evans will have the second most receptions in team history in just his fourth year. Also worth mentioning- James Wilder played halfback, so this means that if Evans gets 83 receptions, he will have the most receptions by any wide receiver in team history. Both impressive and sad at the same time.

  • Golden Tate is currently 11th in Detroit history in receptions (280). To enter the top 10, he needs just 5 receptions, which would tie James Jones (285) for 10th place. With 7 receptions, Tate would tie Jim Gibbons (287) for 9th place. He needs 21 receptions to tie Brandon Pettigrew (301) for 8th place, 45 receptions to tie Gail Cogdill (325) for 7th place, 56 receptions to tie Charlie Sanders (336) for 6th place, and 72 receptions to tie Barry Sanders (352) for 5th place. With 20 receptions, Tate would become just the ninth player in team history to reach the 300-reception mark

  • Jordy Nelson is currently 4th in Green Bay history in receptions (497). With 3, he would become just the fourth player in Packers history to reach 500 career receptions. Nelson needs 33 receptions to tie James Lofton (530) for 3rd place, and needs 98 receptions to tie Sterling Sharpe (595) for 2nd place. The leader is Donald Driver, who has 743 receptions, but Nelson is slowly creeping up to the top of the leaderboard

  • Randall Cobb is currently 9th in Green Bay history in receptions (366). He needs 34 to become just the ninth player in Packers history to reach 400 career receptions. As for who he could pass on the leaderboard, he needs 59 receptions to tie Greg Jennings (425) for 8th place, 65 receptions to tie Antonio Freeman (431) for 7th place, and 82 receptions to tie Boyd Dowler (448) for 6th place

  • Kyle Rudolph is currently 13th in Vikings history in receptions (265). To enter the top 10, he needs 27 receptions, which would tie Rickey Young (292) for 10th place. With 35 receptions, Rudolph would become just the third player in franchise history, and the second tight end in franchise history (alongside Steve Jordan) to reach 300 receptions. Rudolph needs 71 receptions to tie Chuck Foreman (336) for 9th place, and 74 receptions to tie Ted Brown (339) for 8th place. He had 83 receptions last year, so this is attainable

  • There’s not a whole lot of room for leaderboard moves in the NFC West, as the only team that has a chance to do something is Seattle. Doug Baldwin is currently 6th in Seahawks history in receptions (368). He needs 31 receptions to tie Bobby Engram (399) for 5th place, and needs 32 receptions to become just the fifth player in franchise history to reach the 400-reception milestone. Baldwin needs 73 receptions to tie Darrell Jackson (441) for 4th place, and 103 receptions to tie John Williams (471) for 3rd place.

  • And finally, Jermaine Kearse is currently 24th in Seahawks history in receptions (153), but with a solid season, could jump into the top 10. He needs 65 receptions to tie Mack Strong (218) for 10th place in franchise history.

Lost Leagues (Sundays)Record Watch- Offense (Mondays)Draft Scratchers (Tuesdays)Record Watch- Defense (Wednesdays)One Hit Wonders (Thursdays)Weird Stat Threads (Fridays)
Part I: United Football LeaguePart I: Passing YardsPart I: Roger Vick (NY Jets, 1987)Part II: SacksPart I: Derek Loville (San Francisco, 1995)Part I: NFL vs. Eurovision
Part II: Spring Football LeaguePart III: ReceptionsPart II: Tyson Alualu
Part III: Fall Experimental Football League

Posted May 15, 2017, 1:28 PM UTC · edited

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