Best Receivers in NU History

Also, it doesn't look like the OP list is ranked in any particular order. (chron order maybe?) But by the end of his career I'll bet Kenny Bell is towards the top. Maybe even at the top.

 
NUance said:
Also, it doesn't look like the OP list is ranked in any particular order. (chron order maybe?) But by the end of his career I'll bet Kenny Bell is towards the top. Maybe even at the top.
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You are correct - the original list wasn't in a specific order - tried to be close to date range. My top pics are towards the bottom of the original post. I do think Bell will be up there wt JR, Fryar and Swift when he is done.

 
Irving Fryar- end of debate! Caught everything! Too bad he wasn't able to play for today's New England patriots! Might rewrite the record books.

Ps- now that I think of it, I think he retired as NEs all time receiver. Not sure but pretty sure! Make sense?

Honorable mention- Abdul Muhammad

If he played on a team that threw more than 15-20(qb comp% in the 50s mind you) times a game, he may have been all American. I think he chose NU over every Florida school. Rewatch the UM-NU natty game! Some of those catches were bananas at huge times of the game.

 
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I'm gonna say Peterson had some of the surest hands around here. As far as purely size and ability and just plain talent at the position I think Mo Purify was one of the best we've ever had. Right now if I had to say the best "ALL AROUND" reciever, both hands, speed, and pure talent, I would say Kenny Bell is at the top of my list. This is not based on numbers, stats, whatever, just plain based on how I scout a player. I might be slighting some older players a bit, but really I just haven't seen nearly as much of their stuff as I have these guys.

(Enunwa deserves recognition too, for his route running, blocking, willingness to go across the middle, good hands, and just plain being a badass)

 
jmfb said:
flatwaterfan said:
Johnny Rodgers,

Irving Fryar

Todd Brown

Abdhul Muhammed

Nate turner

Curtis Craig

Richard Bell

Dana Brinson

Tyrone Hughes

Purify

I think your thinking of Nunn not Franz Hardy.

Mitch Krenk

Slick Steels

Chuck Malito

Ricky Simmons

Bostick

Swanson

Monte Englebritson

Some of these you can weed out but some need to be in there somewhere. These are in no order.
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THIS is a much better list

Some left off:

Guy Ingles

Jerry List

Frosty Anderson
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Jerry List! That name was on the tip of my tongue and I just couldn't recall it. Guy Ingles is a really good one that I forgot about. Frosty was the player as a kid that I would 'be' in the back yard. He was always catching those bombs! I thought he was in the first list so didn't mention him. Millikan is a good mention by smartguy. We have had lot's of good TE's IMO.

 
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Irving Fryar played 17 years in the NFL. He had 12,785 receiving yards and 84 touch downs. If you are trying to determine who the best receiver was, that has to count for something.

 
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Goal-line said:
Irving Fryer played 17 years in the NFL. He had 12,785 receiving yards and 84 touch downs. If you are trying to determine who the best receiver was, that has to count for something.
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Yet it doesn't count enough for you to spell his name right. Juss' Sayin'.

 
Purify and Fryar are head and shoulders above every other husker wide receiver (not sure whether to classify Johnny Rodgers as a WR or a back). Fryar has been our only #1 nfl draft pick, so that speaks for itself. Purify has probably been our closest to an elite pass-catcher we've had in quite some time. Dude was an athletic freak. The touchdown against Missouri at home in 2006 was ungodly. He just elevated what seemed like twice the cornerback's height. Has an argument to be ranked among the top 3-5 skill players to have played in the 2000's at NU

 
jmfb said:
Purify was slow
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Yes, he was a textbook possession receiver. There's generally two molds of receivers, "speed" receivers who tend to get catches by burning their opposing DB, or "possession" receivers, who are bigger bodies who generally have any combination of great verticals, long arms, and/or great hands. Receivers who could be classified as both are few and far between. Calvin Johnson is the only one off the top of my head who is basically both.

So yes, Purify was slower than most receivers but he made up for it with his huge basketball frame to box smaller corners out, he almost always won the jump ball and bullied corners in general with his size. We don't get elite possession receivers around here very often.

 
Also Ross Pilkington could get honorable mention. He would sneak behind corners and safeties from time to time in 2002-2003 to get huge gains for Jammal Lord. I understand that it was a product of the option offense where we could catch the D napping on a play action, but I always got the impression that corners and safeties didn't respect his athletic ability, most likely a result of them stereotyping him because he was white (not saying that for sure, just a conjecture of mine).

 
Sir Alexander Henery said:
Purify and Fryar are head and shoulders above every other husker wide receiver (not sure whether to classify Johnny Rodgers as a WR or a back). Fryar has been our only #1 nfl draft pick, so that speaks for itself. Purify has probably been our closest to an elite pass-catcher we've had in quite some time. Dude was an athletic freak. The touchdown against Missouri at home in 2006 was ungodly. He just elevated what seemed like twice the cornerback's height. Has an argument to be ranked among the top 3-5 skill players to have played in the 2000's at NU
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Wow! Are you Mo?
 
I've always been pretty high on Nate Swift. The definition of dependable and was sneakily athletic as well.

Todd Peterson and Niles Paul - GTFO. Todd Peterson could not catch the ball. Niles barely could, and when he did, he was fumbling it away. It's nice to see him having a good NFL career, but as far as Nebraska all-time receivers, nah, he shouldn't be up there.

 
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