ESPN Ranks Three LSU Legends Among College Football's Best Receivers Of Last 50 Years

ESPN recently released its rankings of the top 60 college football wide receivers of the last 50 years, and three former LSU stars made the list.

Ja'Marr Chase led the way for the Tigers at No. 15, followed by Josh Reed at No. 18 and Wendell Davis at No. 21.

ESPN noted that the rankings were based on a combination of elite talent and production during each player's college career, making it difficult for several big names to crack the list.

Here's where the three former LSU standouts ranked and what ESPN had to say about each player:

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15. Ja'Marr Chase, LSU
Years: 2018-19
Career stats: 107 catches, 2,093 yards, 23 TDs

It's OK to be a one-year wonder if your one year is like Chase's 2019. After catching just 23 balls in 2018, he, like the rest of the LSU offense, exploded: 84 catches, 1,780 yards (221 in the national title game) and an SEC-record 20 TDs. He won the Biletnikoff, LSU won the national title, and that was it for his supernova career.

18. Josh Reed, LSU
Years: 1999-2001
Career stats: 167 catches, 3,001 yards, 17 TDs (also: 63 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD)

Ousted LSU coach Gerry DiNardo left his successor, a guy named Nick Saban, the ultimate gift in Reed, who switched from RB to WR as a sophomore and, in just his second year in the position, gained 293 yards against Alabama on his way to a 94-catch, 1,740-yard breakout as a junior. Just imagine what he might have done with more experience at the position!

21. Wendell Davis, LSU
Years: 1985-87
Career stats: 183 catches, 2,708 yards, 19 TDs

The mid-1980s were not the most prolific years for college football receivers -- in 1986, for example, only five players recorded over 1,000 receiving yards. But Davis caught 152 passes for 2,237 yards in 1986-87, the equivalent of about 240 catches for 3,350 yards today.

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Top 10:
1. Randy Moss, Marshall
2. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
3. Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh
4. DeVonta Smith, Alabama
5. Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State
6. Desmond Howard, Michigan
7. Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
8. Tim Brown, Notre Dame
9. Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech
10. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State