The 10 NFL Rookies With the Most Receiving Touchdowns in a Season

Minnesota Vikings rookie Randy Moss set the standard for first-year wide receivers back in 1998. The second wide receiver selected in the draft (behind Kevin Dyson), Moss was the No. 21 overall pick but quickly pained the teams that passed on him. He went on to record 17 touchdown catches, the most ever by a rookie by a wide margin, as no other player has more than 13.

Moss headlines a list of the top 10 rookie receivers with the most touchdown receptions in a season. The list is an impressive one, featuring big names and one named Jefferson, but it’s probably not the one you’re thinking about. All but one of these receivers also had 1,000 receiving yards during their respective rookie campaigns.

Without further ado, here’s a look at the 10 NFL rookies with the most receiving touchdowns in a season.

1 Randy Moss (17), 1998

Randy Moss proved his 17 touchdown catches as a rookie in 1998 were no fluke

Although he was taken with the 21st selection in the 1998 NFL Draft, Randy Moss easily beat out No. 1 overall pick Peyton Manning for Offensive Rookie of the Year, taking 93.6% of the vote, and also finished tied for third in the NFL MVP race.

The 6-foot-4 wide receiver out of Marshall proved he was worth the wait for the Minnesota Vikings after catching 69 passes for 1,313 yards and a league-high 17 touchdown receptions in his first NFL season.

Moss ultimately led the NFL in TD receptions in a season six times. He also finished his career with 10 seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, a four-time First-Team All-Pro selection, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

2 Billy Howton (13), 1952

Billy Howton caught 13 touchdown passes in 12 games as a rookie with the Green Bay Packers in 1952

The Green Bay Packers selected Billy Howton in the second round of the 1952 NFL Draft. The wide receiver from Rice played 12 years in the league but had his best statistical season as a rookie.

Howton led the league with a career-high 1,231 receiving yards in his first pro season and also hauled in a career-best 13 touchdown passes. What makes these numbers all the more impressive is that he did all the damage while playing a 12-game season. He earned the first of his four Pro Bowl selections that year and was named a Second-Team All-Pro.

Howton only had one other 1,000-yard season during his career, that coming in 1956, when he led the league with 1,188 receiving yards. He also had a league-high 12 touchdown receptions and earned First-Team All-Pro honors.

Howton played seven years with the Packers before playing one season with the Cleveland Browns and four with the Dallas Cowboys.

3 John Jefferson (13), 1978

John Jefferson proved to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers in the late 1970s

This might not be the Jefferson most were expecting.

John Jefferson was a first-round pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1978 NFL Draft and eventually became part of a three-headed receiving monster that hauled in passes from Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, joining Charlie Joiner and Kellen Winslow to help form an explosive, pass-happy offense.

A 6-foot-1, 198-pound wide receiver from Arizona State, Jefferson jumped right into action with the Chargers, collecting 1,001 receiving yards and a league-high 13 touchdown receptions as a rookie. He finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and made the first of three straight Pro Bowls.

Jefferson had three straight 1,000-yard seasons to open his career and led the NFL with 13 more TD catches in 1980. After three seasons with the Chargers, Jefferson was traded to the Green Bay Packers, with whom he played four years and never had a 1,000-yard season.

For those wondering, Justin Jefferson, the name most may have been expecting on this list, had seven touchdown receptions as a rookie with the Vikings in 2020.

4 Ja’Marr Chase (13), 2021

Ja’Marr Chase earned Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Super Bowl berth in 2021

The Cincinnati Bengals used the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase, pairing him with his former college teammate, quarterback Joe Burrow.

The two made plenty of noise in 2021, as Chase was on the receiving end of 13 touchdown passes and racked up 1,455 receiving yards on the way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

In each of his three NFL seasons, Chase has made the Pro Bowl. In 2022, he missed five games but still managed to collect 1,046 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. In 2023, he had a career-best 100 catches and finished with 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns.

Chase was named a Second-Team All-Pro as a rookie and helped guide his team to an appearance in Super Bowl 56.

5 Harlon Hill (12), 1954

The Chicago Bears found a diamond in the rough with Harlon Hill in the 15th round of the 1954 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears found a gem late in the 1954 NFL Draft when they selected North Alabama wide receiver Harlon Hill in the 15th round. And he proved to be quite the steal, winning UPI Rookie of the Year.

In his first season with the Bears, Hill led the league with 12 touchdown catches and racked up 1,124 receiving yards, making the first of three straight Pro Bowls and earning Second-Team All-Pro honors.

Hill had a career-high 1,128 receiving yards in 1956 and added 11 more TD catches, earning First-Team All-Pro honors. He played five more seasons with the Bears but never flirted with the 1,000-yard mark again. He ended his career with short stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Detroit Lions.

6 Bill Groman (12), 1960

Bill Groman recorded 12 touchdowns for the Houston Oilers in their inaugural season in 1960

Bill Groman started the first game ever for the Houston Oilers in 1960 and made quite an impression, catching six passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in a 37-22 victory over the Oakland Raiders. That was just a sign of things to come.

Groman started 13 games for the Oilers and led the AFL (yes, those records count as NFL records) in receiving with 1,473 yards, a rookie record. His record lasted more than six decades until Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua broke it in the 2023 season. Groman also finished with 12 touchdown receptions.

The following season, Groman outdid himself by leading the league with 17 touchdown receptions to go along with his 1,175 receiving yards. His 29 touchdown catches in his first two seasons are the most ever by any receiver.

Groman played just six seasons of professional football and never had more than 437 receiving yards in his final four years.

7 Bob Hayes (12), 1965

The speedy Bob Hayes won a gold medal in 1964 and then caught 12 touchdown passes as a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys in 1965

A year after winning a pair of gold medals for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as a sprinter, Bob Hayes began his pro football career with the Dallas Cowboys. The speedy wideout had 46 catches for 1,003 yards and an NFL-best 12 touchdowns as a rookie and averaged 21.8 yards per catch.

Known as “Bullet Bob,” Hayes showed his rookie season was no fluke, as he led the league in TD receptions for the second straight year in 1966, hauling in 13 touchdown passes. He also collected a career-best 1,232 receiving yards.

Hayes spent 11 seasons in the NFL, the first 10 with the Cowboys. He capped his career by playing one season with the San Francisco 49ers in 1975 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

8 Odell Beckham Jr. (12), 2014

Odell Beckham has 12 touchdown receptions and one heck of a one-handed catch as a rookie in 2014

Odell Beckham Jr. was the 12th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and the third wide receiver selected, taken after Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans, and he proved to be one of the league’s best at his position early in his career.

As a rookie with the New York Giants, Beckham missed the first four games of the season because of a hamstring injury. Despite starting just 11 games, he was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after catching 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns.

His rookie season was highlighted by a spectacular one-handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football that can easily be considered one of the greatest catches of all time.

Beckham had 35 touchdown catches in his first three seasons but never reached double-digits in any of his eight other seasons. He earned his three Pro Bowl selections in his first three seasons.

9 Mike Evans (12), 2014

Mike Evans has always had at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his 10 NFL seasons

Mike Evans came into the NFL the same season as Beckham, taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the seventh overall pick. Evans started 15 games for the Bucs and caught 68 passes for 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Evans and Beckham highlighted a strong rookie receiving corps that also included Davante Adams, Brandin Cooks, Allen Robinson, and the aforementioned Sammy Watkins.

In his 10 seasons with the Bucs, Evans has never not reached the 1,000-yard mark. He’s also a five-time Pro Bowler and has 94 receiving touchdowns. His best statistical season came in 2018, when he collected a career-best 1,524 receiving yards and added eight touchdown receptions.

10 Mike Williams (11), 2010

Mike Williams played just five years in the NFL, but he caught 11 touchdowns as a rookie in 2010

Mike Williams was a fourth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2010 NFL Draft after playing collegiately at Syracuse.

He came out of the gate quickly, setting a new team record for touchdown receptions in a season with 11, a mark since bested by Evans five times. Williams finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting after catching 65 passes for 964 yards.

He ultimately spent just five years in the NFL, four with the Bucs, and never had a 1,000-yard season, although he notched 996 in 2012.

After his four years in Tampa, he played one season with the Buffalo Bills in 2014, catching eight passes in nine games.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.

Related

Most Rushing Touchdowns by a Rookie in an NFL Season

Eric Dickerson has held the NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a rookie for more than 40 years.