Win, I think TO was a very good receiver, and he put up HOF numbers (though I don't know if he'll make it in because of all the other stuff; he certainly won't get in on the first ballot), but if I were starting a team, I am not sure he would make my top 5 receivers, and that's not because of his head-casedness. It's the drops. For instance, I would trust Michael Irvin more than TO. Certainly Cris Carter. But I think if I had to choose one player to put opposite JR it would be Larry Fitzgerald. Talk about the total package. Hands, competitive fire, good speed, clutch play. And I don't know if I can say that TO carried a quarterback. JG and McNabb and Romo all were guys who played at a Pro Bowl level or above during their careers. But recall how Arizona beat us year before last with John Skelton at QB. LF had 149 yards against one of the best defenses in the league. And for the year as a whole he had 1,400 yards. The only comparable situation for TO would be in Buffalo with Ryan Fitzpatrick, and TO had just over 800 yards that year. And, though this was not part of the criteria for TO, Fitzgerald is an amazing teammate.

But in general, here are the guys I would probably put ahead of TO (in no particular order):
Larry Fitzgerald
Michael Irvin
Cris Carter
Lance Allworth (he played in fewer games, but his TD:games ratio--85:136--is not too far off TO's 153:219)
Sterling Sharpe (people forget how dominant he was before his injury)
Steve Largent
Calvin Johnson (he has more size/speed than TO did and a lot better hands)

The thing with these guys is they all have very good hands, and in general their speed is good to great. They aren't all as fast as TO (Johnson is faster--about a 4.35), but in general these guys didn't get caught from behind.