Alabama wide receivers pose with the wide receiver coach JaMarcus Shephard after beating Tennessee on Oct. 18, 2025.
CW / Riley Reiske
Alabama wide receivers pose with the wide receiver coach JaMarcus Shephard after beating Tennessee on Oct. 18, 2025.
Throughout the histories of the two programs, Alabama and LSU have produced numerous NFL wide receivers.
In 2023, ESPN named the two in itsWide Receiver U rankings, which factor in the number of receivers drafted and their production, with LSU placed No. 3 and Alabama No. 4. Both have strong cases for the title.
Alabama
Under head coach Nick Saban, Alabama’s wide receiver corps produced several NFL stars. Seven former Crimson Tide receivers are on NFL rosters in 2025, and 12 have been drafted since 2007.
One of Saban’s first high-profile recruits at Alabama, Julio Jones, was selected fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2011. During his career, he was considered among the best receivers in the NFL.
“There was nobody we had that was a better leader, or did more to enhance the culture of toughness and effort than Julio Jones did,” Sabansaid in 2021. “He used to run down on kickoff and would not come off the kickoff team during the game. There were a lot of guys that made an impact in the early years, but Julio was the guy who led the way.”
He totaled 13,703 receiving yards and 66 touchdowns across 13 seasons, and he earned seven Pro Bowl selections. He has a strong case for a future induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.
The Crimson Tide’s all-time leading receiver and one ofSaban’s favorite players from his tenure, DeVonta Smith, has provenpre-NFL Draft doubters wrong, winning a Super Bowl and recording multiple 1,000+ yard seasons as a formidable No. 2 receiving target for the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Smitty can’t do wrong in Saban’s eyes,” former Alabama defensive back Patrick Surtainsaid of Smith.
Amari Cooper, once the Crimson Tide’s all-time receiving leader before the emergence of Smith, recently retired from the NFL after a decorated 10 seasons. He earned a Pro Bowl selection five times and eclipsed 1,000 yards seven times.
In addition to breaking the all-time receiving record in his time at Alabama, Cooper won a national championship in 2012 and the Fred Biletnikoff Award in 2014.
Other notable Crimson Tide receivers currently playing in the NFL include Jaylen Waddle, Calvin Ridley, Jameson Williams and Jerry Jeudy.
LSU
LSU has produced some of the best wide receivers in the NFL, particularly since the turn of the millennium. It has seen 41 of its pass catchers drafted into the NFL, with 22 drafted since 2005.
“LSU always has skill guys,” Sabansaid on College Gameday in 2024. “They’re talking about all the receivers they lost. You could shake a tree in Louisiana and them guys would fall out.”
Two of the current highest-paid receivers in the league — Ja’Marr Chase of the Bengals and Justin Jefferson of the Vikings — donned the purple and gold in college. Both were members of the Tigers’ 2019 national title-winning squad and have pestered defenses since they entered the league.
Last season, Chase led the NFL in multiple categories and earned the receiving Triple Crown, with the most targets, receptions, yards, touchdowns and receiving yards per game.
Two Tigers pass catchers, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr., were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Nabers, LSU’s all-time receiving yard leader, was picked sixth overall by the New York Giants. He quickly cemented himself as among the best in the NFL, earning a Pro Bowl selection.
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Thomas with the 23rd overall pick, and like his former teammate Nabers, Thomas tore up NFL defenses in his rookie season. He caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, but has struggled in 2025, only hauling in 30 of his 60 targeted passes for 420 yards and a touchdown.
Former Tiger Odell Beckham Jr. at one time was considered the best in the NFL. He played 12 seasons, earning three Pro Bowl selections and winning a Super Bowl in 2021 with the Rams.
Beckham began his career with three straight receiving seasons of over 1,300 yards. He also made one of the most impressive catches in NFL history, a one-handed grab against the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, earning him an appearance on the cover of EA Sports’ Madden NFL 16.
Beckham’s teammate at LSU, Jarvis Landry, was also no slouch in his NFL career. He earned five Pro Bowl selections and tallied over 1,000 receiving yards three times.