In a series leading up to the 2015 , NFL Media historian Elliot Harrison will rank the five best rookie seasons from the era at each major position group. Today, he reminisces about the first-year phenoms at wide receiver. TOUGHEST OMISSION: Cris Collinsworth, , 1981 (67 catches, 1,009 yards, 8 touchdowns) 5) John Jefferson, San Diego Chargers, 1978 Regular-season stats: 56 catches, 1,001 yards, 13 touchdowns, 14 games played (14 starts). In 1978, the Competition Committee made rule changes that opened up the pa sing game. Blockers were suddenly allowed to extend their arms, while defensive players could only contact receivers within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. Thus, wideouts could run downfield unimpeded, allowing Don Coryell to really open up his playbook -- and the ' first-year head coach took full advantage of a talented first-year pro at wideout. The athletic Jefferson was like a 1970s version of Jr., high-pointing the ball, making circus catches and, most of all, producing at a spectacular rate. The first-round pick scored eight touchdowns in the final six games of the season, with "Air Coryell" beginning to take off in SoCal. 4) Terry Glenn, New England Patriots, 1996 Regular-season stats: 90 catches, 1,132 yards, 6 touchdowns, 15 games played (15 starts). Seems like a lot of people have forgotten about Glenn as the years have gone by, but oh, what a rookie season he had in '96. Despite the presence of tight end Ben Josh Harrison Jersey Coates, who was an All-Pro in 1994 and '95, Glenn immediately became the primary target in New England's pa sing attack. Head coach Bill Parcells when he mi sed time in training camp due to injury -- and the rookie wideout responded to his bo s' mind games, helping the get to the by catching more pa ses than any rookie in NFL history. That is, until our No. 3 wide receiver came along and caught 11 more ... 3) Anquan Boldin, Arizona Cardinals, 2003 Regular-season stats: 101 catches, 1,377 yards, 8 touchdowns, 16 games played (16 starts). It's impre sive enough to be an NFL starter at receiver from Day 1, but Boldin took Day 1 distinction at the position to a whole other level on Sept. 7, 2003. In arguably the greatest rookie debut by any player in NFL history, the big receiver out of Florida State caught 10 pa ses for 217 yards and two touchdowns. The simply couldn't stop him. Unfortunately, the couldn't stop anyone . Arizona lost that game, 42-24, and dropped 11 more contests that season, thanks to . Boldin, though, remains one of four players in NFL history with 1,300-plus receiving yards in Year 1. 2) Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants, 2014 Regular-season stats: 91 catches, 1,305 yards, 12 touchdowns, 12 games played (11 starts). Unle s you spent the last year living in a hut in the Ozark Mountains, only driving into town for the occasional Jamba Juice, then you're probably aware that Mr. Beckham just enjoyed a pretty good rookie campaign. You've seen . And you fantasy fiends who drafted him late were rewarded beyond your wildest dreams, especially toward the end of the season. By December, the had the toughest wideout to defend in football. Beckham's 108.8 yards per contest -- he only played 12 games -- is the best rookie average in NFL history. And over the last six weeks of the season, he averaged 10 catches for 140 yards and scored nine touchdowns. 1) Randy Mo s, Minnesota Vikings, 1998 Regular-season stats: 69 catches, 1,313 yards, 17 touchdowns, 16 games played (11 starts). When you consider his absurd production (touchdowns in 11 games, including four multi-score contests), the team's succe s (Minnesota went 15-1) and the fact that Mo s put the fear of God into opposing defensive backs and defensive coordinators alike, this guy is very deserving of the top spot. Some other rookies -- like Beckham -- have posted slightly better per-game numbers, but Mo s contributed the entire season. That's important, as the '98 owned the best mark in the NFL and also set a scoring record (which has since been surpa sed). Oh, and Mo s added touchdown receptions in each of Minnesota's two playoff games, as well. Perhaps most importantly, Mo s commanded double-teams despite the presence of r Cris Carter on the other side. And if you're looking for complete mastery of the vertical game, then Exhibit A exists in at , Nov. 26, 1998. The speedster out of Marshall caught all of three balls that day ... for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Drop the mic. Pre-Super Bowl era: Campaigns for the ages Billy Howton put up incredible numbers for the in 1952, catching 53 balls for an eye-popping 1,231 yards and 13 touchdowns. All that production ... in 12 games! Not only that, but the rules governing what defenders could do to receivers were, shall we say, lax in the '50s and '60s. Bill Groman had the same kind of season for the 1960 Houston Oilers, posting 1,473 yards in 14 games, averaging an astounding 20.5 yards per catch. Groman's dynamic campaign helped the Oilers win the AFL's inaugural title. Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter . Larry Bowa Jersey