ESPN’s committee of executives, scouts, players, and coaches released their top-10 wide receiver choices.
And Cleveland Browns fans are none-too-happy with it.
Amari Cooper, fresh off a career-high nine touchdowns and an all-time best 14.9 yards per touch missed the cut.
With the wealth of talented young receivers added to the mix, there were certainly a lot of good players left out.
1. Justin Jefferson
2. Davante Adams
3. Ja'Marr ChaseThe game's top wide receivers as ranked by execs, coaches, scouts and players around the NFL via @JFowlerESPN ➡️ https://t.co/2aBZmLGOWv pic.twitter.com/ad2CM2DPbr
— ESPN (@espn) July 18, 2023
But the dissing of Cooper extended beyond the top 10.
He didn’t even get enough votes to warrant one of the six honorable mentions doled out by ESPN.
Cooper racked up the 11th-best yardage total (1,160) among wideouts with Jacoby Brissett and a rusty Deshaun Watson.
But neither an improved quarterback nor a better supporting position group pushed Cooper to the top 10 for 2023.
Cooper Is Pretty Good, But…
During the offseason, every pundit and analyst seems to contribute their top-10 lists.
And the consensus on Cooper seems to put him just outside the top 20.
Pro Football Focus called him an excellent piece and said he “makes every offense better.”
But they slotted him at only No. 22 among his peers.
Amari Cooper put up over 1,100 yards and 9 TDs for the Browns last season.
What’s your prediction for his stat line in 2023 👀 pic.twitter.com/U0uWvfYMEx
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 9, 2023
Similarly, Pro Football Network called him a “route-running savant” who earned their No. 23 spot.
CBS, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report, and others excluded Cooper from their top-10 lists.
Most analysts agree Cleveland’s top receiver has skills and can break a game open any week.
But it is the weeks in between that cost him a top spot, with many calling him too inconsistent.
Madden Believes In Amari
One popular ranking system gave Cooper his due heading into the new season.
How much Watson’s expected bounce-back or Cleveland’s deeper wide receiver room factored in, we don’t know.
But Madden NFL 24 chimed in Monday with their wide receiver rankings.
And Cooper came in with a 91 rating, tied for ninth-best in the popular game.
Top 10 WRs in Madden NFL 24:
Justin Jefferson: 99
Tyreek Hill: 98
Davante Adams: 97
Stefon Diggs: 96
Cooper Kupp: 96
Ja'Marr Chase: 94
DeAndre Hopkins: 93
Terry McLaurin: 92
AJ Brown: 91
Amari Cooper: 91Thoughts?
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 17, 2023
Someone else who believes in Cooper is Andrew Berry.
Berry passed on signing DeAndre Hopkins, who had his best years catching passes from Watson.
With speedsters like Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin drawing attention away, Berry saw no need for Hopkins.
And he’s not the only Browns fan expecting to see Cooper’s best NFL season ever in 2023.
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