DK Metcalf ranks Julio Jones ahead of Cooper Kupp in his Top 5 NFL WRs right now
DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks is a rising wide receiver in the league himself, but he has some bold takes on who he thinks are the top-five receivers in the NFL today, which places Cooper Kupp at the wrong end of the rankings.
During an interview with Bleacher Report, Metcalf gave his viewpoint on who he sees as the top five receivers in the league at the moment. But you knew his list was going to be controversial from the start, as he placed his long-time favorite Julio Jones at No. 1.
"Julio [Jones] was someone I watched growing up, and I'm a big fan of him. So he always gonna be No. 1," Metcalf said.
The biggest slap in the face from Metcalf was the ranking of Cooper Kupp at No. 5. Ahead of the Offensive Player of the Year were Julio Jones, Davante Adams, AJ Brown and Justin Jefferson. Brown has not done enough to be in anyone's top-five at the moment and Jefferson is on the verge, but not better than the Rams wide receiver. Just take a look at Kupp's 2021 resume that ended with him getting an MVP vote:
Cooper Kupp has surpassed the likes of Julio Jones in the NFL
Julio Jones has suffered a series of injuries that have allowed him to play just 19 games in the last two seasons. 2019 was his last 1,000-yard season and Jones isn't even the best receiver on his own team.
AJ Brown, who Metcalf placed at No. 3, is younger and much more dynamic. In the past while in his prime, Julio Jones was one of the best receivers, but those days are now behind him. Even at his best, Jones was never a triple crown receiver, Offensive Player of the Year, or received a vote for NFL MVP.
The only real competition to Kupp on DK's list is Davante Adams, who could arguably be ranked No. 1 ahead of the Rams superstar. Adams has had over 1,300 yards in three of his last four seasons and led the league with 18 touchdowns in 2020. Something that could put Adams behind the Rams wide receiver is that he's had the privilege of playing with an MVP, as opposed to Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford, respectively.
A realistic list would include Cooper Kupp, Adams, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson in some sort of order. Metcalf could have even put himself on the list over AJ Brown.