DeSean Jackson; Elite?

Similar to one of my previous blogs about Lions DE Cliff Avril, I will again be discussing the franchise tag. This time it deals with Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson as he was awarded the team's franchise tag on Thursday. Just to recap if a team is unable to sign a player to a long term contract when they become a free agent they are allowed to use the franchise tag on them. This gives power to the team, however it significantly compensates the player as they are awarded a 1 year contract worth the average salary of the top 5 players at their position. Therefore the Eagles have decided to keep Jackson around for at least 1 more season, however they will be forced to pay him quite a high salary. The Eagles will owe Jackson somewhere in the $10 million range for the 2012 season.

Again this raises the question; Is DeSean Jackson an elite WR and does he deserve a salary among the top 5 in the league?

My answer is simply NO! In 2011 Jackson had 58 receptions, for 961 yards and 4 Touchdowns. (NFL.com) He also missed 1 game due to a violation of team rules. With those numbers Jackson failed to rank in the top 10 in the league in any of the major statistical categories for wide receivers. His team, The Eagles, the so called dream team at the beginning of the season, also failed to make the playoffs. Jackson had a much better 2010 season, however he still failed to rank in the top 10 in any of these major categories. Therefore how can the Eagles justify paying Jackson a top 5 salary? ... They Can't!

The only thing Jackson is elite at is returning punts. Teams fear Jackson's speed as he is one of the few players in the league who can return a kick for a TD at any point in the game. In 2010 the Giants found this to be very costly.

So if Jackson's not a top 5 Receiver than who is?
Here's a quick list: based on stats, talent, potential and their contribution to their teams success
1) Calvin Johnson
2) Larry Fitzgerald
3) Wes Welker
4) Greg Jennings
5) Roddy White