Art Monk and the 8 Best Receivers in Washington Redskins History

Trying to round up eight of the best receivers in Washington Redskins history is somewhat like trying to round up eight of the best girls named Bill in Girl Scouts history.

The point is they are few and far in between, but the great ones they had are far to good to pass up on.

The Washington Redskins are no doubt one of the NFL’s most historic teams, and they have their fair share of winning teams and players, but if we are going to be honest Washington has churned out more great running backs, defensive players and quarterbacks than receivers.

There have been some great ones, but not many of them.

I guess that’s what makes these ones so great though.

I rounded up who I considered to be the best receivers in ‘Skins history and only found seven that seemed worthy, so this list will consist of seven great receivers and one great pass catching tight end.

Fair enough?

Without further ado I give you the 8 best receivers in Redskins History:

Here's the lone tight end in our group, and by golly does he fit perfectly with the receiving greats.

Jerry Smith was praised as one of the best pass catching tight ends in the game of football.

From 1965-1977 Smith caught 421 passes for 5,496 yards and 60 touchdowns. He also made the pro bowl twice and is part of the Washington Redskins Ring of Fame.

Moss is the only recent and current player on this list, and given the bad luck the Redskins have had in the past decade I would say that it is pretty impressive that he made the list.

Since joining the 'Skins in 2005 Moss has racked up 442 receptions, 6,142 yards and 33 touchdowns.

When you consider half of the quarterbacks that he had throwing to him it makes those numbers far more impressive than they already are.

No, this is not the Charlie Brown that you are thinking of.

That guy couldn't even kick a football. This guy was a receiving machine.

In Browns' three years with the Redskins he compiled 2,115 yards and 19 touchdowns on just 128 catches.

The numbers might not seem fantastic, but believe me he was pretty darn good.

By all accounts if you ask what 'Skins fans feel about Ricky Sanders most will come up with a word closely associated to legend. If not the word itself.

It's the truth though, Ricky Sanders is a receiving legend for Washington.

Sanders has 481 catches, 6,453 yards and 37 touchdowns to his name.

Add in two Super Bowl wins and now maybe you can see why people are so high on this guy.

Some people would consider Gary Clark to be one of the toughest players in Redskin history, which is really saying a lot, and at the very least he deserves a spot on this list.

Clark has two Super Bowl rings on his fingers won as a member of the Redskins and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

Clark has 549 receptions, 8,742 yards and 58 touchdowns attributed to him during his time with Washington.

When Mitchell was traded to Washington by the Cleveland Browns he became the first African-American player to sign and star for the Redskins organization.

He deserves to be on this list for that alone, but the fact remains that he was a great receiver for Washington.

Mitchell retired with a total of 7,954 yards and 65 touchdown receptions.

He never caught fewer that 58 passes in a season as a Redskin, and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.

Charley Taylor is potentially the best athlete on this list, and he is easily among the elite wide receivers known to NFL history.

In 13 seasons with the 'Skins Taylor grabbed 649 receptions, 9,110 yards and 79 touchdown catches.

He was actually drafted as a No. 1 pick out of Arizona State to be a running back, and he won the 1964 Rookie of the Year award as a running back.

In 1966 he switched to the split end position seven games into the season, and still became the NFL receiving champion with 72 catches.

His stats at receiver combined with his time in the backfield and a few kick returns Taylor earned 10,803 combined yards and 540 points in his career.

As if his time as a receiver wasn't impressive enough...

It is very hard to argue that Art Monk should not be ranked the best receiver in Redskins history.

Check out this guys rap sheet.

He was the 'Skins top pick in the 1980 draft and immediately paid off by being named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. He also has a few Pro Bowls under his belt.

Even with all the accomplishments and awards it is Monks stats that really stand out.

From 1980 to 1993 he racked up 888 receptions, 12,026 yards and 65 touchdowns.

Like I said, it's very hard to argue that he's not the best.

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