Wide receivers are as important as ever in today’s NFL, and the players recognized as much in an anonymous poll published by Mike Jones and The Athletic NFL staff Wednesday.

Players were asked to name the top “building block” in the league, and Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill received the most votes with 15. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson came in second with 13.5 votes.

“Got to take the highest-paid non-quarterback, and that’s Justin Jefferson,” one player said.

It wasn’t just receivers who were recognized, as pass-rushers also received plenty of votes.

Cleveland Browns star and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett finished in third place with 11.5 votes, while the versatile Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys tallied the fourth-most votes with 11.

“That’s a great question. … I think Micah Parsons is a solid choice,” one player said. “I think that as a defensive lineman, he’s very versatile. You put him inside, outside, he can cover guys. So, kind of got a bit of a Swiss Army knife on defense.”

But none of them received as many votes as Hill, who led the league in both receiving yards (1,799) and touchdown catches (13) last season. It was his second straight year with more than 1,700 receiving yards for the Dolphins, as he added to a resume that also includes a Super Bowl title, eight Pro Bowl selections and five First-Team All-Pro nods.

Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the presence of Hill alone hasn’t helped them get off to an ideal start in 2024.

They are just 1-3 overall and struggling on offense with Tua Tagovailoa sidelined with a concussion. They managed three points in a Week 3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and 12 points in a Week 4 loss to the Tennessee Titans without their starting quarterback.

Jefferson’s Vikings, by comparison, are off to a 4-0 start and sit atop the NFC North.

The 2022 Offensive Player of the Year already has 20 catches for 358 yards and a league-best four touchdowns through four games and is already living up to the four-year, $140 million contract extension he signed this offseason that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Minnesota chose to make him the team’s biggest building block, and it is paying off in the early going this season.