Video: Julio Jones high school highlights
See the Atlanta Falcons star before he played on Sundays.
For four years around the turn of the century, the two greatest high school wide receivers could be found lining up at either end of the line of scrimmage for the Minnesota Vikings.
According to MaxPreps' rankings of the Top 25 Wide Receivers of All-Time, Randy Moss is the No. 1 prep pass catcher of all-time while Cris Carter comes in at No. 2. The duo were part of an explosive Vikings offense from 1998 to 2001.
Moss and Carter top a list that strives to name the greatest receivers in high school history. That means high school performance is weighed heavily in deciding the rankings, but college and professional play is used to give context and show sustained excellence.
Only players who played wide receiver in high school as a senior were considered, thus high school All-Americans who went on to outstanding pro careers as a receiver, like Cris Collinsworth, Anquan Boldin and Lance Alworth, are not included. Additionally, receivers needed to receiver All-American or all-state honors to be considered, thus all-time NFL greats like Jerry Rice, who was only named all-conference in high school, are not included.
Top 25 high school wide receivers of all-time
1. Randy Moss, DuPont (W.Va.), 1994
High School: A two-time state player of the year and a Parade All-American, Moss caught 39 passes for 808 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior at DuPont.
College: After originally committing to Notre Dame and then spending a redshirt year at Florida State, Moss finally reached the field at Marshall, where he played two seasons and set eight NCAA record while catching 54 career touchdown passes.
Professional: Finished his Hall of Fame career with 982 receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 touchdowns.
2. Cris Carter, Middletown (Ohio), 1983
High School: A star basketball and football player, Carter was first team All-Ohio and a second team All-USA Today selection.
College: Carter became the first Ohio State receiver to ever earn All-American honors.
Professional: A Hall of Fame selection and an eight-time Pro Bowl pick, Carter caught 1,101 passes for 13,889 yards and 130 touchdowns in his career.
3. Julio Jones, Foley (Ala.), 2007
High School: Regarded as the No. 1 receiver in the nation — ahead of A.J. Green — Jones was a MaxPreps All-American and finished his career with 194 catches, 43 touchdowns and 3,287 yards.
College: A two-time All-SEC receiver while at Alabama.
Professional: Jones has made the Pro Bowl six times in his career and has 721 career receptions for 11,048 yards and 55 touchdowns in just eight seasons in the NFL.
4. AJ Green, Summerville (S.C.), 2007
High School: A USA Today All-American as a junior, Green is among the all-time national leaders in receiving yardage, with 5,373 yards, and receptions, with 279.
College: In three seasons at Georgia, Green was a two-time first team All-American.
Professional: Green made the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven years in the league. He has 602 career receptions with 8,907 yards and 63 touchdowns.
5. Don Hutson, Pine Bluff (Ark.), 1930
High School: Playing for one of the top high school football programs in the nation, Hutson earned all-state honors while catching 14 touchdown passes as a senior.
College: A consensus All-American as a senior at Alabama.
Professional: Set multiple NFL records in a Hall of Fame career, including 488 receptions for 7,991 yards and 99 touchdowns.
6. Michael Irvin, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 1983
High School: A member of the Class 3A all-state team, Irvin caught 43 passes for 647 yards and eight touchdowns.
College: At Miami, Irvin set multiple school records and was a first team All-American.
Professional: A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Irvin caught 750 passes for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns.
7. Andre Johnson, Miami, 1998
High School: A Parade All-American and rated as the top receiver in that nation, Johnson caught 32 passes for 931 yards as a senior.
College: At Miami, Johnson helped win a national championship and caught 92 passes for 1,831 yards in his career.
Professional: A seven-time Pro Bowl pick, Johnson caught 1,062 passes for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns.
8. Calvin Johnson, Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.), 2003
High School: Considered one of the top receivers in the country, Johnson was an all-state player by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
College: He was a two-time All-American while at Georgia Tech.
Professional: In a nine-year career, Johnson made the Pro Bowl six times. He caught 731 passes for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns.
9. Anthony Carter, Suncoast (Riviera Beach, Fla.), 1978
High School: A Parade All-American, Carter set state records with 161 catches for 3,641 yards and 36 touchdowns.
College: Coincidentally, Carter also had 161 catches in college for 3,076 yards and 37 touchdowns while earning All-American honors three years in a row at Michigan.
Professional: Played three seasons in the USFL and 11 in the NFL to finish 486 catches for 7,733 yards and 55 touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl three times.
10. Andre Rison, Northwestern (Flint, Mich.), 1984
High School: Rison earned All-American honors as a defensive back, however, he was also one of the top wide receivers in Michigan as a senior.
College: Played four seasons at Michigan State and caught 146 passes for 2,992 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Professional: Made five Pro Bowls in a 12-year NFL career, catching 743 passes for 10,205 yards and 84 touchdowns.
11. John Jefferson, Roosevelt (Dallas), 1972
High School: Jefferson earned Class AAAA all-state honors by catching 59 passes for 1,331 yards. Considered one of the greatest players in Dallas-area history.
College: A consensus All-American while at Arizona State.
Professional: Played eight seasons and made four Pro Bowls with 351 catches for 5,714 yards and 47 touchdowns.
12. Dorial Green-Beckham, Hillcrest (Springfield, Mo.), 2011
High School: The only wide receiver to win the Ken Hall Trophy, given to the nation's top high school football player, Green-Beckham finished his high school career with the national record for receiving yardage (since broken) with 6,356 yards.
College: Green-Beckham played two seasons at Missouri and was second team All-SEC, but he was removed from the team due to legal problems.
Professional: Green-Beckham played only two seasons in the NFL, catching 68 passes for 941 career yards.
13. Desean Jackson, Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 2004
High School: The Los Angeles Times Player of the Year caught 58 passes for 1,075 yards and 15 touchdowns while earning All-American honors.
College: Jackson was twice named All-American in his three seasons at Cal-Berkeley.
Professional: A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Jackson has caught 597 passes for 10,415 yards and 55 touchdowns.
14. Dez Bryant, Lufkin (Texas), 2006
High School: Named a Parade All-American after catching 48 passes for 1,025 yards and 16 touchdowns.
College: Had a huge sophomore season at Oklahoma State, catching 84 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns while earning All-American honors.
Professional: A three-time Pro Bowl player, Bryant caught 531 passes for 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns.
15. Carl Pickens, Murphy (N.C.), 1987
High School: A Parade All-American at a small school in North Carolina, Pickens caught 146 passes in his career for 3,066 yards and 54 touchdowns.
College: An All-American as a junior while at Tennessee.
Professional: Made the Pro Bowl twice during a nine-year career in which he caught 540 passes for 7,129 yards and 63 touchdowns.
16. DeAndre Hopkins, Daniel (Central, S.C.), 2009
High School: An all-state defensive back and a finalist for Mr. Football in South Carolina, Hopkins was also a standout receiver and kick returner.
College: Had 3,020 yards receiving and earned All-ACC honors while at Clemson.
Professional: A three-time Pro Bowl player, Hopkins has caught 559 passes for 7,784 yards and 49 touchdowns in just six seasons.
17. Percy Harvin, Landstown (Virginia Beach, Va.), 2005
High School: A Parade All-American, Harvin was ranked as the No. 1 high school receiver in the nation by Rivals. He had 173 catches for 2,935 yards and 42 touchdowns in his career.
College: Harvin suffered through injuries while at Florida, but he was a member of two BCS championship teams with the Gators.
Professional: In eight seasons with four teams, Harvin had 4,026 receiving yards with 22 touchdowns and was named All-Pro once.
18. Dave Logan, Wheat Ridge (Colo.), 1971
High School: A Parade All-American, Logan was a three-sport star for Wheat Ridge.
College: At Colorado, Logan was an All-American by the Sporting News.
Professional: Logan played nine seasons in the NFL, catching 263 passes for 4,250 yards and 24 touchdowns.
19. Andre Hastings, Morrow (Ga.), 1989
High School: The USA Today Player of the Year, Hastings caught 59 passes for 1,039 yards and 15 touchdowns.
College: He played three seasons at Georgia, catching 124 passes for 1,876 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Professional: Played eight seasons in the NFL with 266 catches for 3,307 yards and 18 touchdowns.
20. Trey Quinn, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 2013
High School: Broke Dorial Green-Beckham's national career yardage record, finishing his All-American career with 6,566 yards.
College: Played at LSU, but finished at Southern Methodist where he caught 114 passes for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior.
Professional: In his second season with the Washington Redskins.
21. Stan Rome, Valdosta (Ga.), 1971
High School: A three-time all-state pick, Rome set the national record with 4,473 career receiving yards (since broken) while earning Parade All-American honors.
College: Rome only played one season of college football at Clemson, but he was a member of the basketball team for four years.
Professional: In four NFL seasons, he caught 28 passes for 286 yards.
22. Hart Lee Dykes, Bay City (Texas), 1984
High School: The USA Today Player of the Year, Dykes caught 42 passes for 1,200 yards as a senior.
College: Part of a recruiting scandal at Oklahoma State, Dykes caught 211 passes for 3,275 yards and 30 touchdowns with the Cowboys.
Professional: Dykes played only two seasons in the NFL after an eye injury limited his career. He caught 83 passes for 1,344 yards and seven touchdowns.
23. JK McKay, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.), 1970
High School: McKay set national records for receptions, yardage and touchdowns during a prolific career as Pat Haden's favorite target. He had 207 catches in his career for 3,389 yards and 48 touchdowns.
College: The Rose Bowl MVP in 1975, McKay played on two national championship teams at USC.
Professional: McKay played only three seasons in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before embarking on a career as an attorney.
24. Darrell Jackson, Tampa Catholic (Tampa, Fla.), 1996
High School: Jackson set the national receiving yardage record and earned All-American honors during his time at Tampa Catholic, finishing his career with 4,594 yards on 191 catches.
College: Earned third team All-American as a junior with 67 catches for 1,156 yards at Florida.
Professional: Played nine seasons in the NFL and caught 499 passes for 7,132 yards and 51 touchdowns.
25. Robert Woods, Serra (Gardena, Calif.), 2009
High School: A USA Today All-American on an undefeated team, Woods caught 66 passes for 1,112 yards on a team that featured three other receivers who reached the NFL.
College: A consensus All-American at Southern Cal.
Professional: In six seasons in the NFL, Woods has caught 371 passes for 4,758 yards and 23 touchdowns.
