Dishing out your top-five rankings on literally anything is bound to generate an extra bit of buzz for your social media platform. Rendering and then subsequently debating these imaginary rankings of ours has become a tried and true tradition in the world of public discourse and sports media, for better or worse.
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Inherently inflammatory due to its exclusive nature, top-x lists are bound to provoke at least a few reactions. Such was the case when the pair of NFL legends, Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, caught wind of Ja’Marr Chase’s personal ‘Mount Rushmore of Receivers.’
During the most recent episode of their Nightcap podcast, the pair of former pass catchers made sure to clarify that these kinds of discussions often come down to preference more so than anything else. Nonetheless, after hearing the Bengals’ star had Antonio Brown, Cooper Kupp, Calvin Johnson, and Jerry Rice listed as his personal top four wideouts of all time, Ocho felt the need to reiterate his point.
“When you say certain names, you can’t go wrong. It just comes down to the preference on the type of player you like and what they did when they played.”
Otherwise, Sharpe couldn’t help but feel remiss when thinking about the career of Antonio Brown. Given the unfortunate and often ridiculous incidents that routinely plagued Brown’s career following a career-changing hit from Vontaze Burfict, the former Denver Bronco simply stated that “I wish AB could’ve kept it together for a couple more years.”
Assessing Ja’Marr Chase’s ‘Mount Rushmore of Receivers’
The two most notable aspects of Chase’s list are the exclusion of Randy Moss and the inclusion of Cooper Kupp, however, that’s with good reason, according to the league’s premier receiver.
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While Kupp may appear to be the odd one out of the group, his career certainly holds up to any form of scrutiny. Having collected a Pro Bowl nomination, an All-Pro honor, a Super Bowl ring, and a Super Bowl MVP trophy, the hardware in his trophy case alone should be enough to warrant an all-time discussion.
Throw in the fact that he was able to secure the triple crown receiving title at the age of 28, while also being the first player at the time to do so since 2005, and Kupp’s career certainly has all the trimmings of a Hall of Famer. The triple crown might be enough for Chase to recognize his fellow title winner, but it likely won’t be enough to persuade the public.
The disparities in receiving totals between the former Los Angeles Rams and the likes of Moss and Larry Fitzgerald are simply too much to ignore for most fans. Then again, that is the beauty of such rankings.
