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Star wide receivers come in many shapes and sizes – some are big and powerful, others are small but speedy, and yet others are a hybrid of those attributes. Two of the toughest pass-catchers to come around in recent history are Anquan Boldin and Hines Ward – near carbon copies in terms of their build and playing style, each player was not only a sure-handed receiver willing to go over the middle and make the tough catches, but was also among the best blocking wideouts in the league. With their comparable elite pass-catching production and unmatched physicality, it is only natural to compare these two unique wide receivers and ask the question:
Who was better – Anquan Boldin or Hines Ward?
The Beginning
Interestingly, both Boldin and Ward were originally star quarterback recruits coming out of high school before switching to wide receiver; despite stellar college production, both fell in the NFL Draft due to perceived issues/shortcomings.
A Florida native, Boldin excelled in football, basketball, and track and field in high school; specifically on the gridiron, he was a star quarterback and was named Florida Mr. Football as a senior, as well as Florida Player of the Year and a USA Today All-American, in addition to later being included as part of the Florida High School Association All-Century Team. Like many Sunshine State football stars, Boldin stayed local at Florida State, where he converted to wide receiver and was part of the 1999 BCS National Championship team. Though he went over 1,000 receiving yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a senior for the Seminoles, a slow 40-yard-dash time (4.70 seconds) caused Boldin to fall to the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft, where he was chosen 54th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Nevertheless, Boldin set a rookie record with 217 receiving yards in his rookie debut and went on to have one of the best rookie receiving seasons ever with a rookie-record 101 receptions for 1,377 yards and 8 touchdowns; as a result, he was not only named Offensive Rookie of the Year, but also earned his first Pro Bowl selection.
Ward meanwhile was both in South Korea to an African-American military father and a Korean mother, though moved back to the United States as a young child and was raised in Georgia. Similar to Boldin, he was a multi-sport star in high school – not only did Ward excel as a star quarterback, but also played baseball and was selected in the 73rd round of the 1994 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins. Instead, he opted to attend in-state University of Georgia, where he also switched primarily to wide receiver (though played some quarterback and running back) and earned All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors in both his junior (Second Team) and senior years (First Team). Despite finishing his Bulldogs career near the top of the school’s record books for receiving, medical tests during the draft process showed that Ward was missing an ACL in one leg, thus causing him to drop to the 92nd overall pick in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. On a veteran Steelers team, Ward had a quiet rookie year with 15 catches for 246 yards and no touchdowns.
Career Comparison
Throughout the 2000s, Boldin and Ward were among the most productive (and certainly most physical) wide receivers in the NFL; while the former honed his craft with a number of teams, the latter spent his entire career with the Steelers and established himself as an all-time franchise great.
Playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback in Kurt Warner and opposite one of the greatest wide receivers ever in Larry Fitzgerald, Boldin experienced a bit of a sophomore slump (fewer than 700 receiving yards in 10 games played), but quickly rebounded with a career-best 102 receptions and 1,402 receiving yards with 7 touchdowns in 2005, though he did not make the Pro Bowl. The next year, however, he did earn a second Pro Bowl nod with 83 catches for 1,203 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2006; after dipping below 1,000 yards in 2007, Boldin earned his third and final Pro Bowl selection in 2008 on the strength of 89 receptions for 1,038 receiving yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns (the only time in his career with double-digit scores). Following another 1,000-yard season in 2009 (84 receptions for 1,024 yards and 4 touchdowns), he was traded to the Baltimore Ravens along with a fifth-round draft pick for third and fourth-round draft picks.
As a member of the Ravens, Boldin posted 64 catches for 837 yards and 7 touchdowns in his first year with the team. In the team’s more run-oriented offense, he never reached the 1,000-yard mark in three years with Baltimore, but was still highly consistent with 55-65 receptions and 800-950 yards each year, with his best season coming in 2012: 65 receptions for 921 yards and 4 touchdowns. Nevertheless, after the 2013 season, he was on the move once again, traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick. Back in the NFC West, Boldin likewise spent three seasons with the 49ers and posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2013 (85 receptions for 1,179 yards and 7 touchdowns) and 2014 (83 catches for 1,062 yards and 5 touchdowns). Despite dropping to 69 catches for 789 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2015, Boldin became just the 13th player in NFL history to reach 1,000 career receptions and also won the prestigious Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Following one average season with the Detroit Lions in 2016, Boldin signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills, but never suited up and instead retired at age 36 – at the time of his retirement, he was the fastest player to reach 300, 400, 500, and 600 career receptions.
In contrast, Ward showed gradual improvement and was solid, but unspectacular for his first few years in Pittsburgh, posting a pair of 600-700 yard receiving seasons in 1999 and 2000. Then, he broke out in 2001 with 94 receptions for 1,003 yards and 4 touchdowns, his first 1,000-yard season and the first of four straight Pro Bowl selections:
- 2002: career-highs of 112 receptions for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns; Ward set single-season reception and receiving touchdown records that have since been surpassed by Antonio Brown, and also earned the first of three straight Second Team All-Pro selections
- 2003: 95 receptions for 1,163 yards and 10 touchdowns
- 2004: 80 receptions for 1,004 yards and 4 touchdowns
Though his production slipped to 69 catches and 975 yards in 2005, Ward again scored double-digit touchdowns (11) and surpassed John Stallworth to become Pittsburgh’s all-time leading receiver with his 538th career reception. After a second straight year with exactly 975 receiving yards in 2006, he dipped to only 71 catches and 732 yards in 2007, but quickly rebounded with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in 2008 (81 catches for 1,043 yards and 7 touchdowns) and 2009 (95 catches for 1,167 yards and 6 touchdowns). However, with the emergence of young receivers like the aforementioned Brown, Mike Wallace, and Emmanuel Sanders, Ward took on more of a leadership role with fewer targets, dipping to 755 yards; in his final NFL season in 2011, he had the worst receiving line since his rookie year (63 catches for 381 yards and 2 touchdowns); retiring at age 35, Ward is the franchise leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
Across 14 NFL seasons apiece, Boldin and Ward are separated by roughly a season’s worth of games (15 additional games played for Ward); on one hand, Boldin has more receptions and receiving yards, while on the other hand, Ward scored more touchdowns. In terms of this same dichotomy, Boldin racked up more 1,000-yard seasons (7x vs. 6x) and was Offensive Rookie of the Year, but Ward scored double-digit touchdowns on more occasions (3 to 1) and earned more Pro Bowl selections (4 to 3); neither player was ever a First Team All-Pro (there were always better receivers like Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Fitzgerald, etc.), though Ward was a 3x Second Team All-Pro. On a per-game basis, Boldin clearly comes out ahead with better numbers in fewer games played: 5.33 receptions for 68.21 yards and 0.41 touchdowns per game over 202 regular season games vs 4.61 receptions for 55.68 yards and 0.39 touchdowns per game across 217 regular season games for Ward. Currently, neither player is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and given the long backlog of wide receiver nominees (Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, Steve Smith, Andre Johnson, etc.), it may be a long uphill battle for both Boldin and Ward.
Regular Season Statistics
| Anquan Boldin | Player | Hines Ward |
| 14 (2003-2016) | Seasons | 14 (1998-2011) |
| 202 | Games Played | 217 |
| 1,076 | Receptions | 1,000 |
| 13,779 | Receiving Yards | 12,083 |
| 82 | Receiving Touchdowns | 85 |
| 3x | Pro Bowls | 4x |
| – | All-Pro | – |
| 1x | Super Bowls | 2x |
| Offensive ROY, 1x Walter Payton | Other Awards | – |
| – | Hall of Fame Induction | – |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
In addition to their strong individual production, Boldin and Ward both contributed significantly to Super Bowl championship teams, saving some of their best playoff performances for the biggest stage.
Across six playoff appearances, including at least one with each team he played for, Boldin appeared in two Super Bowls and won one. As a member of the Cardinals, he helped lead the team to Super Bowl XLIII vs. Ward’s Steelers, but Arizona lost 27-23 despite Boldin’s 8 catches for 84 yards. A few years later, he was part of the Ravens’ 34-31 Super Bowl XLVII victory over Patrick Willis and the 49ers (ironically Boldin’s next team), putting up a stellar line of 6 catches for 104 yards and the game’s first touchdown; overall, it was also his best postseason with 22 receptions for 380 yards and 4 touchdowns.
As for Ward, though he was quiet in the Steelers’ Super Bowl victory vs. the Cardinals (just 2 catches for 43 yards), he was named MVP of Super Bowl XL a few years prior; in a 21-10 victory vs. the Seattle Seahawks, he had 5 catches for 123 receiving yards plus 18 rushing yards, and scored a game-clinching 43-yard touchdown on an end-around trick play pass from receiver Antwaan Randle El (also a former quarterback). Finally, in Super Bowl XLV, Pittsburgh would fall to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers 31-25, but Ward had another strong game with 7 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Playoff Statistics
| Anquan Boldin | Player | Hines Ward |
| 15 | Games Played | 18 |
| 70 | Receptions | 88 |
| 1,057 | Receiving Yards | 1,181 |
| 8 | Receiving Touchdowns | 10 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; after a string of 1,000-yard and near 1,000-yard seasons in their primes, Boldin and Ward both saw their production dip in their 30s, though each nevertheless remained a valuable contributor. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams, though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Anquan Boldin | Player | Hines Ward |
| 2003, 2005-2010, 2012-2014 | Decade of Dominance | 2001-2010 |
| 148 | Games Played | 154 |
| 827 | Receptions | 830 |
| 10,896 | Receiving Yards | 10,146 |
| 66 | Receiving Touchdowns | 72 |
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
As expected, the numbers of Boldin and Ward remain extremely comparable across their respective decades of dominance – slightly more receptions and touchdowns for Ward, slightly more yards for Boldin.
My Thoughts
There have not been many wide receivers like Anquan Boldin and Hines Ward in NFL history, i.e a unique combination of physicality and toughness and willing to block along with great hands and the ability to be a team’s #1 pass-catcher. Given how similar their playing styles and career numbers and achievements are, differentiating between the two is a bit like splitting hairs; however, I give the slight edge to Boldin – though clearly no knock on Ward, Boldin has slightly better overall numbers in fewer games played and was able to replicate success across a number of different teams with diverse offenses. In terms of whether or not either Boldin and/or Ward are deserving of the Hall of Fame, ultimately I would have to say no to both – while each wideout was very good for a very long time and is an all-time great for their respective teams (Cardinals for Boldin, Steelers for Ward), as mentioned, there are a slew of receivers with comparable career numbers and neither player was ever considered truly dominant at the position.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Anquan Boldin
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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