Top 5 WRs: No. 2 - A.J. Green

In case you hadn't realized it, A.J. Green is the future.

Even in this 24-hour “we want more” era, east coast bias is still huffin’ and puffin’. If Bengals receiver A.J. Green played in one of those real deal Atlantic Ocean-bordering metropolises, he’d be a household name. He’d be selling e-readers and smartphones on commercials and getting retweeted by Roland Martin. Why you ask? Because Adriel Jeremiah is a prodigy.

He followed up his impressive 2012 rookie campaign (65 receptions, 1057 yards and seven TDs) with an expletive-inducing 2012 season, during which he caught 97 balls for 1350 yards and 13 TDs. Playing for Cincinnati puts him at a competitive disadvantage in regards to his “brand,” but football fans are well aware of his exploits. After a balling out at the University of Georgia, he came out of the 2011 draft as the fourth pick and immediately put to bed any considerations of bust or a rookie learning curve.

There are few players in the game with his combination of breakaway speed, glue-like hands, defensive interpretation and big-game awareness. But what really makes him special is the way he takes all those aforementioned skills and melds them together. He has what we like to call a wide-catch radius. Underthrown balls are not a problem. Overthrown balls aren't much of a big deal, either. Back of the shoulder catches, sluggos (slant and go), fades, and end-zone jump balls are all within his ability.

He’s been one of the main reasons that the Bengals have made the playoffs for the last two seasons running ­­­­(no small feat for one of the worst franchises in American sports.) He and QB Andy Dalton have already developed a strong chemistry and with a burgeoning defense, are on the cusp of starting something real in Cincy. If that happens – “that” being making consistent and extended playoff runs ­– then Green will get the big-game recognition that currently eludes him. Consider yourself looped in.