Last week I ranked the top five quarterbacks in Oregon State history, settling on Terry Baker as No. 1. While there have been some great OSU signal callers, there have arguably been even better wide receivers.

This is a list of the top five wide receivers in Oregon State history with professional careers taken into account. I’m basing these rankings on longevity, star power and impact at both the collegiate and professional level.

Honorable mention: Robb Thomas

Thomas is often forgotten because he played in the late 1980s, a period when the Beavers weren’t exactly at the top of their game. Despite OSU’s struggle to get in the win column, when Thomas was in school, the 5-foot-11 Portland native made his mark, amassing over 2,000 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in an era where Oregon State ran the ball more than throwing it.

In addition, Thomas went on to have a relatively successful NFL career after being selected in the sixth round. In 136 career games he totaled 2,229 yards and 11 touchdowns. Thomas played 10 seasons in all, making an impact for the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Thomas could have cracked the top five but his win loss record at Oregon State — the Beavers went 12-31-1 in Thomas’ four years — hurts him.

Other runner-ups: Sammie Stroughter, James Newson

5. Mike Hass

Hass is without a doubt the best receiver Oregon State has ever seen across a four-year career. The local standout is OSU’s all-time leader in almost every receiving category and won the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best receiver in 2005.

He makes the list because of everything he did for the Beavers, but sits only at five because he never quite made it at the NFL level. Hass played on the practice squad of both the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks, but never made a regular season roster.

Teams and scouts attributed below-average speed to the reason Hass never got a chance, but those that saw him play at Oregon State would claim that shouldn’t have mattered. Hass was as reliable as a receiver as college football has ever seen, and he had a knack for making the spectacular grab.

4. Markus Wheaton

If there’s a player on this list that I might be giving a little bit too much of the benefit of the doubt to, it’s Wheaton. While he had an outstanding career at Oregon State and managed to get himself drafted in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, he had a rough first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers battling various injuries, and it’s still unclear what type of an NFL career he’ll have.

General consensus around the league is that Wheaton will get his chance this season with the departure of Emanuel Sanders, so we’ll see if he can make his mark. He has all the tangible qualities you look for in a receiver — speed, route running, sure hands and great work ethic — but it’s still unclear if his skills can translate to the next level.

This could be a make or break year for Wheaton, as he could either move up or down this list based on his next couple years in the NFL.

3. Brandin Cooks

Cooks has yet to play a down of regular season football in the NFL, but considering he was a first round draft choice of the New Orleans Saints and he’s been the talk of training camp thus far, it seems safe to say he’s going to make an immediate impact this season.

Cooks turned in the best season Oregon State has ever seen from a wide receiver last year and would have easily topped Hass’ marks had he returned for his senior season. While Sean Mannion and the Beavers will undoubtedly miss Cooks in orange and black this season, they can take solace in knowing he’ll probably have an outstanding career at the next level.

Although Cooks is the smallest of any of the wide receivers on this list, he was also the fastest and arguably the hardest worker. He runs terrific routes, makes difficult catches in traffic and has insane run after the catch ability.

He deservedly beat out other great wide receivers for the Biletnikoff Award last season, joining Hass as the only two Beavers to do so, and set Pac-12 records in the process. I suspect Cooks will be No. 2 or No. 1 on this list by the time his career is over.

2. T.J. Houshmandzadeh

Houshmandzadeh only played two seasons at Oregon State and has one of the longer names in OSU history, but his impact on the field for the Beavers was undeniable. He, along with Chad Johnson, provided fire power for the Oregon State team that won the Fiesta Bowl in 2001.

While Houshmandzadeh played just two seasons at OSU, he ranks second on this list because of the NFL career he was able to amass. In 11 NFL seasons Houshmandzadeh compiled 627 receptions, 7,237 yards and 44 touchdowns, most of which were with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Though he played second fiddle to the No. 1 person on this list for most of his career at both Oregon State and in the pros, Houshmandzadeh proved he was one of the best possession receivers in the game.

He always played with passion and energy and made OSU proud with his play.

1. Chad Johnson

I may be a little biased because Johnson is my favorite player ever to don the orange and black, but Chad Johnson ranks No. 1 mainly because of the incredible career he mustered in the NFL.

While Johnson was flashy and often came off as selfish and a distraction to his team with the Bengals, he was also one of the best receivers in the entire world for the better half of a decade.

He only played one season at Oregon State, the year they won the Fiesta Bowl, but he helped put the Beavers on the college football map and is the Bengals’ all-time leading receiver in almost every category.

In 11 NFL seasons, Johnson finished with 766 receptions, 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns. He arguably could have played another three or four seasons in the NFL but was deemed too much of a distraction after his stint with the New England Patriots and found himself out of a job.

He’ll probably always be remembered for his touchdown celebrations and various antics on the field, but it doesn’t change the fact that he had undeniable talent and has a legitimate shot at making the Hall of Fame one day.

Andrew Kilstrom, sports editor

On Twitter @AndrewKilstrom

sports@dailybarometer.com