The guy is amazing. He runs outstanding routes, has no fear going over the middle, has hands of glue...it's no wonder he thrives with a QB like Brady.
That being said, there are other receivers that either thrive elsewhere or would also be amazing with Brady throwing to them:
The guy who jumps out at me is Fitz. The guy is a big version of Welker, with no fear of going over the middle, great route running and amazing hands...probably the best hands in the game. His stats have taken a nosedive recently as the QBs throwing to him have been horrible (think Welker in Miami), but that doesn't change the fact the guy has incredible skills. If any of the top WRs need a change of scenery, it's him.
Megatron is probably the next closest thing to Randy Moss...a freak of nature that can beat even double-teams mostly due to his size. While not possessing the raw speed of Moss, he's still plenty fast and he goes across the middle more than Moss did, although not as much as Welker or Fitz. Then again, he's not asked to as much since he can do enough damage on the outside.
When healthy, Andre Johnson is another athletic beast that still thrives despite double-coverage. He's so huge and strong that he's probably the most difficult WR to take down in open space (unless it's the Texans turf doing the taking down...just ask Welker).
I'd put these three guys above Welker without hesitation and that's not a knock on Wes. He's amazing, but so are they.
Guys I'd put Wes over: Steve Smith, Dwayne Bowe, Roddy White, Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson, Hakeem Nicks, DJax, Greg Jennings, Marques Colston and any of the other names that get thrown in the top-10 (or even top-5) WR discussion. Some of them are amazing talents and may be better at stretching the D than Welker, but they come up short in other areas where Wes excels.
Regards,
Chris
