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It's been a good half-decade for wide receiver play in the NFC South, with both the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers racking up Pro Bowls and All-Pro recognition over the years. Many of the division's best wideouts have gone on to sign lucrative contract extensions, too, reflecting their importance to their teams and the rising expectations put in front of them (as was the case for Drake London and the Atlanta Falcons). While the Carolina Panthers were left on the outside looking in, here are our picks for the All-NFC South Team of the 2020s (so far) at wide receiver.
One key stat we're relying on is Approximate Value from Pro Football Reference, which PFR defines as "an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year." In practice, that means giving higher numbers to player who start more games, play more snaps, and do more to help their team win by racking up yards, scoring touchdowns, creating turnovers and sacking quarterbacks, and so on. We're also assigning point values to being named a first-team All-Pro (ten points), second-team All-Pro (five points), and Pro Bowler (three points). And then we're adding those numbers together. Remember, these are all-decade teams for the NFC South, which didn't exist until 2002, and only contributions on the four teams in the division factor into our formula. So Drew Brees earning a Pro Bowl nod with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 doesn't help him, for example.
Evans set the standard for every other receiver in the division by posting 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2014 to 2024. He proved to be a tough out in the end zone, too, scoring eight or more touchdowns in every year but 2015, 2017, and 2022, which is why he earned a spot on both our All-NFC South Teams of the 2020s and the 2010s. Within the scope of this project, he still averaged more than four catches and 60 yards per game every year from 2020 to 2024, only falling off once an injury limited him to eight appearance in 2025. Now the Buccaneers must navigate life without him.
Godwin has lost some momentum after being limited to just 16 games over the last two seasons, but we've seen him at his best with three 1,000-yard seasons back to back to back from 2021 to 2023. If he can stay healthy, Godwin can fit right in with Emeka Egbuka replacing Evans as Tampa Bay's WR1. He's a great route runner who can challenge any team's CB1, so the opportunity to work against lesser opponents creates mismatches he's used to exploiting.
London caught some heat for struggling to find the end zone -- Taysom Hill outscored him in each of his first two years in the NFL -- but he turned it on in 2024 with a 100-catch, 1,271-yard, and 9-touchdown effort. He missed five games last year and still averaged a career-high 76.6 yards per game, scoring seven times. While he hasn't been recognized at a Pro Bowl or on an All-Pro team just yet, London does appear to be an ascending talent in the NFC South.
Olave put up 1,000 or more yards in three of his first four years, peaking with a career season in 2025 that included nine touchdowns, 100 receptions, and his first appearance on the All-Pro team. He bounced back really well after a series of concussions derailed his 2024 campaign, and now he's set up for success with Tyler Shough returning at quarterback; if you extrapolate Olave's numbers from the games Shough started at QB over 17 games, he would be on pace for 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: All-NFC South Team of the 2020s: Buccaneers' duo sweeps wide receivers
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Methodology
One key stat we're relying on is Approximate Value from Pro Football Reference, which PFR defines as "an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year." In practice, that means giving higher numbers to player who start more games, play more snaps, and do more to help their team win by racking up yards, scoring touchdowns, creating turnovers and sacking quarterbacks, and so on. We're also assigning point values to being named a first-team All-Pro (ten points), second-team All-Pro (five points), and Pro Bowler (three points). And then we're adding those numbers together. Remember, these are all-decade teams for the NFC South, which didn't exist until 2002, and only contributions on the four teams in the division factor into our formula. So Drew Brees earning a Pro Bowl nod with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 doesn't help him, for example.
First team: Mike Evans
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- Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020 to 2025)
- AV: 49
- Awards: All-Pro second team (1), Pro Bowler (3)
- Score: 63
Evans set the standard for every other receiver in the division by posting 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2014 to 2024. He proved to be a tough out in the end zone, too, scoring eight or more touchdowns in every year but 2015, 2017, and 2022, which is why he earned a spot on both our All-NFC South Teams of the 2020s and the 2010s. Within the scope of this project, he still averaged more than four catches and 60 yards per game every year from 2020 to 2024, only falling off once an injury limited him to eight appearance in 2025. Now the Buccaneers must navigate life without him.
First team: Chris Godwin
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- Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020 to present)
- AV: 43
- Awards: N/A
- Score: 43
Godwin has lost some momentum after being limited to just 16 games over the last two seasons, but we've seen him at his best with three 1,000-yard seasons back to back to back from 2021 to 2023. If he can stay healthy, Godwin can fit right in with Emeka Egbuka replacing Evans as Tampa Bay's WR1. He's a great route runner who can challenge any team's CB1, so the opportunity to work against lesser opponents creates mismatches he's used to exploiting.
Second team: Drake London
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- Team: Atlanta Falcons (2022 to present)
- AV: 34
- Awards: N/A
- Score: 34
London caught some heat for struggling to find the end zone -- Taysom Hill outscored him in each of his first two years in the NFL -- but he turned it on in 2024 with a 100-catch, 1,271-yard, and 9-touchdown effort. He missed five games last year and still averaged a career-high 76.6 yards per game, scoring seven times. While he hasn't been recognized at a Pro Bowl or on an All-Pro team just yet, London does appear to be an ascending talent in the NFC South.
Second team: Chris Olave
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- Team: New Orleans Saints (2022 to present)
- AV: 29
- Awards: All-Pro second team (1)
- Score: 34
Olave put up 1,000 or more yards in three of his first four years, peaking with a career season in 2025 that included nine touchdowns, 100 receptions, and his first appearance on the All-Pro team. He bounced back really well after a series of concussions derailed his 2024 campaign, and now he's set up for success with Tyler Shough returning at quarterback; if you extrapolate Olave's numbers from the games Shough started at QB over 17 games, he would be on pace for 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns.
More All-NFC South Team of the 2020s
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: All-NFC South Team of the 2020s: Buccaneers' duo sweeps wide receivers
Continue reading...
