NFL Rookies With the Most Receptions in a Season

Jaylen Waddle proved what he could do as a top target in the NFL by catching a then-rookie record 104 passes in 2021. The Miami Dolphins star then saw his mark broken two years later.

Los Angeles Rams sensation Puka Nacua burst onto the scene as a fifth-round draft pick in 2023 and wowed the NFL world. The BYU product finished his 2023 rookie campaign with 105 catches, dropping Waddle into the No. 2 slot.

Here’s a look at the players who’ve recorded the most receptions as a rookie in an NFL season.

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1 Puka Nacua (105)

Puka Nacua proved to be the biggest steal in the 2023 NFL Draft after catching 105 passes as a rookie with the LA Rams

Puka Nacua came out of nowhere to steal the wide receiver show in 2023.

A fifth-round pick by the Los Angeles Rams, Nacua more than filled in nicely during the early absence of star wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

In his NFL debut against the Seattle Seahawks, he caught 10 passes for 119 yards. The following week, he broke the NFL rookie mark for catches in a game with 15 against the San Francisco 49ers. He finished with 147 receiving yards in a loss.

By Week 13, Nacua had already surpassed the 1,000-yard mark. He finished the season with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards, breaking Jaylen Waddle’s mark of 104 receptions in a season by a rookie, set two years earlier.

Nacua made the Pro Bowl and was also named a Second-Team All-Pro.

2 Jaylen Waddle (104)

Jaylen Waddle collected 104 catches as a rookie with the Miami Dolphins in 2021

As a rookie in 2021, Jaylen Waddle showed what he could do as a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL. He’s done pretty well as a No. 2 guy as well.

In his first NFL season, Waddle caught 104 passes for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins. The rookie from Alabama started 16 games and averaged 9.8 yards per catch. The following season, the Dolphins traded for speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who became the team’s go-to receiver.

Despite Hill’s 119 catches in 2022, Waddle still managed to haul in 75 catches for a career-high 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns and led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception. In 2023, Waddle finished with 72 catches for 1,014 yards.

3 Anquan Boldin (101)

Anquan Boldin wasted no time making a name for himself in the NFL as a rookie in 2003

After watching five wide receivers get called before him in the 2003 NFL Draft, Anquan Boldin made a point when he stepped onto the field. The second-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals finished his rookie season with 101 catches, blowing away the first-year receiver field and winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Boldin finished the year with 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns and earned the first of his three Pro Bowl selections.

Boldin started his NFL career with a bang, setting a record for the most receiving yards by a rookie in his first game with 217 on 10 catches. He was the only rookie selected to the Pro Bowl that season.

4 Michael Thomas (92)

Michael Thomas was a pass-catching machine during his first four years in the NFL

A second-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2016 NFL Draft, Michael Thomas proved his rookie season was no fluke. The Ohio State wide receiver looked comfortable from the get-go, catching 92 passes from Drew Brees.

Thomas started 12 games as a rookie and racked up 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns. For the next three seasons, he only got better.

Thomas had 104 receptions in 2017 and then led the league in that department the next two seasons. In 2018, he finished with 125 catches and set a new NFL record for the most receptions in a season with 149 in 2019.

Injuries derailed Thomas’ progress over the next four seasons. He missed the entire 2021 season with an ankle injury and hasn’t had more than 40 catches in a season since 2020.

5 Eddie Royal (91)

Eddie Royal had the best season of his nine-year career as a rookie with the Denver Broncos in 2008

Eddie Royal certainly isn’t the biggest name on this list, but he did have a significant impact with the Denver Broncos as a rookie wide receiver in 2008. Selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Virginia Tech product caught 91 passes for 980 yards and five touchdowns in his first professional season.

Royal was much more than just a wide receiver, as he was also a significant contributor on special teams. In 2009, he became the first Broncos player to return a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in the same game. His reception total, however, dipped to 37 in his second season.

Royal spent nine seasons in the NFL but never had a more productive season than his rookie year.

6 Odell Beckham Jr. (91)

Odell Beckham Jr.’s catch against the Cowboys was outstanding, but he also finished with 91 receptions as a rookie

Odell Beckham Jr. made what many say was the greatest catch ever made during his rookie season. That one-handed grab against the Dallas Cowboys during a Sunday Night Football game overshadowed the overall impact OBJ had in his first NFL season.

While Beckham’s catch was the headliner, the New York Giants rookie finished the season with 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 108.8 yards-per-game average led the NFL, helping him win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Beckham had 1,000-yard seasons in his first three years and five of his first six seasons in the NFL.

7 Saquon Barkley (91)

Saquon Barkley was certainly far more than just a productive runner for the New York Giants

The first of two running backs on this list, Saquon Barkley clearly showed he was more than just a top-notch runner in the league. Selected by the New York Giants with the second overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Barkley rushed for 1,307 yards and added 11 touchdown runs.

Barkley showed his versatility by catching 91 passes out of the backfield for 721 yards. He had four TD receptions on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned the first of his two Pro Bowl selections.

Barkley bounced back from a devastating knee injury that limited him to two games during the 2020 season. In 2022, he made his second Pro Bowl after rushing for a career-high 1,312 yards and hauling in 57 more passes.

8 Terry Glenn (90)

The speedy Terry Glenn had a career-high 90 catches in his first NFL season with the New England Patriots

Terry Glenn played the first six years of his NFL career with the New England Patriots and arguably had his best season as a rookie.

The wide receiver out of Ohio State started 15 games and had a career-best 90 receptions and added 1,132 yards and six touchdown catches. He made one Pro Bowl during his career in 1999 after he finished with 69 catches for 1,147 yards and four touchdowns.

The speedy wideout left the Patriots after the 2001 season and played one year with the Green Bay Packers before finishing his career by playing five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

9 Amon-Ra St. Brown (90)

Amon-Ra St. Brown proved he has much more value than a fourth-round pick

Amon-Ra St. Brown’s rookie season was a sign of things to come. The first-year wide receiver out of USC was taken in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions and proved to be quite the steal.

Even though he started just nine games as a rookie, St. Brown caught 90 passes for 912 yards and five touchdowns and has only improved since. St. Brown started 16 games over the next two seasons and has shown he’s one of the best receivers in the game.

In 2022, St. Brown broke the 1,000-yard receiving mark after catching 106 passes for 1,161 yards and making the first of his two Pro Bowls. In 2023, he had a career year with 119 catches, 1,515 receiving yards, and 10 touchdown receptions, earning First-Team All-Pro honors.

10 Reggie Bush (88)

Reggie Bush showed he was a dual threat out of the backfield with 88 catches as a rookie

Reggie Bush is the second of two running backs to make his way on this list. A hyped-up rookie out of USC, Bush was a Heisman Trophy winner and the second overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, selected by the Saints.

Although Bush’s rookie rushing numbers were modest (155 carries, 565 yards, 4 touchdowns), he proved he was a versatile back, catching 88 passes for 742 yards out of the backfield and adding two receiving TDs.

Bush proved to be a solid dual threat out of the backfield during his career. He ran for 1,000 yards in two seasons and had four years of 50 or more catches.

11 Justin Jefferson (88)

Justin Jefferson had 88 catches as a rookie, giving a glimpse of what was to come from the Minnesota Vikings star

Justin Jefferson came to the Minnesota Vikings as advertised in 2020 after a stellar career at LSU. The No. 21 overall pick in the 2020 draft made an instant impact with 88 catches for 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns, finishing second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Jefferson earned the first of his three Pro Bowl honors as a rookie and then went out and racked up 1,616 yards in 2021 and a league-best 1,809 in 2022. Jefferson was named a First-Team All-Pro in his third season.

In four NFL seasons, Jefferson has 5,899 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

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