You can be a possession receiver and win jump balls deep. That's what 6'5" guys like Mike Evans do. Explosive receivers take the top off defenses even when the ball isn't thrown to them opening up other players on the short to intermediate routes. That's why NFL teams are obsessed with speed. Because even when the ball isn't throw to him, a guy like Tyreek Hill is making a difference because teams have to account for him beating them over the top.
Larry Fitzgerald just isn't fast enough to be in the conversation with Randy, T.O., and Calvin. Those guys scared defenses based solely on their presence. Even when they weren't making plays. Remember how teams used to defend Calvin Johnson in red zone? They would double him at the line of scrimmage. Absolutely insane. While Randy and T.O. petrified defenses. Larry Fitzgerald despite the numbers never inspired that sort of fear from defenses because he lacked their game breaking speed.