- The NFC West stars dueled all season: Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba jockeyed for the top PFF receiving grade throughout the regular season and into the playoffs, with the Rams pass catcher coming out on top.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ja'Marr Chase crossed the 90.0 threshold: They joined Nacua and Smith-Njigba in the “elite” club despite missing out on postseason action.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
With the 2025 NFL season wrapped up, we're breaking down the top receivers by PFF receiving grade one final time. Including the postseason, these were the league's best.
1. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams (96.1)
Nacua embodied “offensive weapon” in 2025, leading all receivers in several PFF categories. He caught 153 passes for 2,047 yards — the second-most receiving yards in a season (including playoffs) in the PFF era. He led all receivers in yards per route run (3.57), first downs (97) and catches of 20-plus yards (32).
Defenses had no answer for the PFF Offensive Player of the Year. Nacua ranked first in PFF receiving grade at every level of the field, including perfect marks at the intermediate and deep levels (99.9). He also placed first in slot PFF receiving grade (96.7), screen PFF receiving grade (96.6) and play-action PFF receiving grade (94.1).
Nacua also ranked in the top two in PFF receiving grade against both primary coverage schemes, with a 91.9 figure against man and a 95.6 figure against zone.
Since entering the league in 2023, Nacua owns a league-best 95.5 PFF receiving grade.
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks (93.2)
The Super Bowl 60 champion was not far behind Puka Nacua, as the two fought for the top spot in these rankings all season. Smith-Njigba, who transitioned to more outside alignments in 2025 (735 snaps), set multiple Seahawks records this season, including receptions (119), receiving yards (1,992) and 100-yard games (10). He was also the third player in NFL history to record 1,700 yards receiving at 23 years old or younger.
Smith-Njigba tied with Nacua in touchdown catches (12) and ranked second in first downs (90), 15-plus-yard gains (48), 20-plus-yard gains (28) and yards per route run (3.42). He also ranked fourth in missed tackles forced (20).
No receiver was more dangerous downfield than Smith-Njigba, who caught 66 passes from 10-plus yards out for 1,442 yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned a near-perfect 99.0 PFF receiving grade on those plays.
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions (90.6)
St. Brown was the fourth-most-targeted receiver in 2025 (162) and ranked in the top five in receptions (117), receiving yards (1,401) and touchdowns (11). He was also one of the most efficient receivers, producing 2.48 yards per route run (third best).
He placed in the top five in yards after the catch (591), missed tackles forced (16) and explosive gains (36) as a post-catch threat. He consistently burned defenders in single coverage (90.3 PFF receiving grade, fifth) to the tune of 35 catches for 402 yards and 26 first downs — all top-five marks.
St. Brown was also the most-targeted receiver between the numbers (100), where he led the league with 73 receptions en route to a 90.9 PFF receiving grade (second best). The 26-year-old recorded 920 yards, six touchdowns, 43 first downs, 14 forced missed tackles and 25 catches of 15-plus yards from that area of the field.
4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (90.1)
The Bengals finished with a disappointing 6-11 record, but Chase continued to shine. He ranked in the top four in catches (125) and receiving yards (1,412) and was the second-most-targeted receiver this season (182). He also finished in the top 10 in first downs (73) and explosive gains (32).
At 6 feet and 201 pounds, Chase is one of the hardest receivers to take down. He averaged 5.2 yards after the catch per reception (tied for fifth), gained 316 yards after contact (third) and forced 23 missed tackles (second).
Most of his damage came within 19 yards of the line of scrimmage, where he ranked in the top 10 in PFF receiving grades at the short (95.6) and intermediate levels of the field (98.8). Within nine yards of the line of scrimmage, Chase brought in 61 catches for 559 yards and 31 first downs and forced 14 missed tackles (all top-four marks).
5. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons (89.9)
London missed five games this season with a knee injury (Week 8 and Weeks 12-15), but he still finished with 68 catches for 919 yards.
The 6-foot-4 receiver excels in the slot, where he earned a second-ranked 91.7 PFF receiving grade. He gained 23 first downs (sixth) on 28 catches and accounted for five touchdowns (tied for second) and nine contested catches (second).
London is one of the best contested-catch receivers in the league. He earned a 92.4 PFF receiving grade (fourth) across 13 such grabs. He also earned the fourth-best PFF receiving grade against zone coverage (90.9), with 51 catches for 687 yards and 34 first downs (10th).
6. George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys (87.2)
Pickens broke out in his first season in Dallas with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns — all top-10 marks in the NFL. He also finished in the top 10 in yards after the catch (478), yards after contact (325) and missed tackles forced (21).
Pickens is one of the most dangerous vertical threats in the league. He caught 34 passes targeted 10-plus yards for 766 yards (11th), with 22 catches of 20-plus yards (fourth). He notched a 92.2 PFF receiving grade from targets 10-plus yards downfield this season.
Pickens also proved that he was more than just a deep threat. He earned the second-best PFF receiving grade on passes within nine yards of the line of scrimmage (96.5) and ranked second in yards (657) and first downs (38) on those plays. He also forced 15 missed tackles at that depth.
7. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders (87.0)
Injuries plagued the Commanders all season, and McLaurin was one of their biggest casualties. The 30-year-old was limited to 10 games in 2025 due to a quad injury, his fewest appearances in a season in his seven-year career.
Still, McLaurin remains one of the best playmakers in the league. He caught 38 passes for 582 yards with three touchdowns. He moved the chains on all but five of his receptions (33) and recorded seven catches of 20-plus yards.
McLaurin is another player on this list who is dangerous downfield. He caught 19 passes at the intermediate level for 299 yards (96.6 PFF receiving grade). He also excelled against zone coverage, racking up 24 catches for 374 yards and 23 first downs. His 2.69 yards per route run average against zone ranked eighth among all receivers this season.
8. Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars (85.6)
The 23-year-old former sixth-round pick broke out in 2025 with 65 catches for 954 yards. He earned a 94.2 PFF receiving grade from within nine yards of the line of scrimmage while ranking 11th in PFF receiving grade from 10-plus yards out (93.4).
Washington earned the ninth-best PFF receiving grade against man coverage (89.7), averaging 2.64 yards per route run (13th) and gaining 15 first downs across 17 catches. He also earned an 81.7 PFF receiving grade against zone.
Washington was one of the best slot receivers in the league (90.9 PFF slot receiving grade, fourth best), catching 33 passes for 458 yards (ninth) and 18 first downs.
He established himself as a reliable contested-catch receiver at 5-foot-10, bringing down 19 of 29 targets for 261 yards (ninth), 13 first downs and eight explosive gains.
9. Nico Collins, Houston Texans (85.5)
Collins missed the Texans' divisional-round loss to the Patriots after suffering a concussion in the wild-card round against the Steelers. He finished his season with 74 catches for 1,138 yards and six touchdowns.
Collins was unguardable on intermediate throws (10-19 yards), where his perfect 99.9 PFF receiving grade tied for first with Puka Nacua. He ranked in the top six in targets (49), touchdowns (four) and receiving yards (527) at that depth.
The 6-foot-4 receiver used his size to his advantage in contested situations, placing in the top 10 in targets (34), receiving yards (295) and catches of 15-plus yards (seven). Collins logged 11 first downs and two scores on 19 contested catches, earning a 90.5 PFF receiving grade on those plays (12th).
Finally, he also placed in the top 10 in receiving yards (351) and yards per route (2.97) against single coverage.
10. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins (85.1)
Waddle is set to take over as Miami’s true No. 1 receiver in the wake of Tyreek Hill’s release. It was a role he fulfilled after the star receiver went down early in the season with a knee injury.
Waddle caught 64 passes in 2025 for 910 yards and six touchdowns. He tied for 13th in catches of 15-plus yards (27) while averaging 2.19 yards per route run.
The former sixth overall pick (2021) was at his best against zone coverage, bringing in 49 passes and ranking in the top 10 in receiving yards (754), touchdowns (four), first downs (37) and yards per route run (2.65). He graded out as the seventh-best receiver against zone in 2025 (88.1 PFF receiving grade).
Waddle also caught 36 passes between the numbers for 524 yards and four touchdowns, ranking sixth in PFF receiving grade (89.7).
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