The Best Player at Each Position in NFL History

History is a better judge of merit than the present.

In some cases the glow of recent achievement masks a lesser player. In others, perceived stagnation drags their perception down.

My NFL indoctrination began and ended with Dan Marino. Watching him throw rockets infused me with a love of the game. 

It also imbued me with a sense that he was, and would always, be the greatest quarterback of all time. There is certainly a great case for him, but is he really at the top of the heap?

That got me thinking: What will history say about the greatest player at each position?

Unless otherwise noted, all statistical and career achievements have been culled from Pro Football Reference.

Quarterback

Tom Brady

New England Patriots

Achievements: 2007 and '10 NFL MVP; 2002 and '04 Super Bowl MVP; 2009 Comeback Player of the Year; Seven Pro Bowl Appearances; Two First Team All-Pro Selections

When history takes a look back on him, Brady will have benefited from the passage of time.

There are great cases to be made here for guys like Marino, Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas and John Elway, but there can only be one. However, this is a three-horse race the way I see it, between Brady, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning.

In one corner stands Manning, statistical juggernaut who could still threaten Brett Favre's all-time records. In the other is Montana—no statistical slouch, mind you—winner of four Super Bowls and widely considered as the best quarterback in history to this point.

Brady may be reeling from two straight Super Bowl losses in New England's past two appearances, but in the end his body of work will be second to none. He has taken his team to the pinnacle of sports five times and won thrice. Along with Manning, Brady ushered in a new passing era in the NFL. 

For the sake of argument, let us conservatively assume three more healthy seasons for Brady averaging 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns—conservative considering he told his wife he would like to play through 2016. He is already set to pass Montana in career yardage—Brady has just 572 yards to go to catch him—putting him about 12,000 yards and 125 touchdowns ahead.

The New England icon holds the record for most postseason victories in a row (10), career Super Bowl completions (127) and single-season touchdowns (50). He even threw the most completions in a row without an interception to start his career (162) and all-time (358).

While he will wind up obliterating Montana statistically, Manning is too far out ahead to catch—especially if he plays well for a few more years himself. 

Manning's case may have taken a hit with his neck injury, but he is Brady's other big competition because he has widely been seen as a better quarterback. His lone Super Bowl victory may not be enough to overcome Brady's three, but if Manning captures some of John Elway's late-career mojo in Denver and gets one or two more, we will have to revisit this battle.

Brady may not threaten Favre or catch Manning in regular season victories by a quarterback, but his .780 winning percentage obliterates the competition, with Dallas legend Roger Staubach being his closest competitor at .739. It is hard to imagine Brady's winning percentage taking a significant dive over the next few years.

He will also pass Unitas and Dan Fouts, and if his career plays out anything like I just hypothesized, he will wind up fifth all-time in career yardage and touchdowns when he retires, assuming the younger Drew Brees continues his excellent play for the same amount of time.

Super Bowl victories only tell part of the story. Numbers tell another. When you put it all together, it spells Brady as the best ever to play the game.

Running Back

Barry Sanders

Detroit Lions

Achievements: 1989 Rookie of the Year; 1991 and '97 Offensive Player of the Year; 1997 NFL MVP; 10 Pro Bowl Appearances; Five First Team All-Pro Selections

If you never had the pleasure of watching Barry Sanders juke and jive his way through NFL defenses, do yourself a favor and find some of his highlights.

Sanders landed on a perennially woeful Detroit Lions team that made made the playoffs just seven times in their 59-year history to that point—three times after the NFL merger—and was the most significant factor in getting them to the playoffs five times in his 10-year career.

The über-talented running back out of Oklahoma State led the league in rushing four times, never landing outside the top five rushers in any given season during his career. He owns the third and eighth best season totals of all-time.

He did in 10 seasons what many running backs could not dream of approaching in much longer careers. He is third all-time with 15,269 rushing yards, eighth with 18,190 all-purpose yards and ninth with 99 touchdowns.

Sanders may not have finished his career resume, but he was the best running back the game ever saw when he was on the field.

Fullback

Jim Brown

Cleveland Browns

Achievements: 1957, '58, '63 and '65 NFL MVP; Nine Pro Bowl Appearances; Eight First Team All-Pro Selections,

This may be cheating a bit, but Brown is listed as a fullback in the Hall of Fame and by Pro Football Reference, and I had to find a way to get him in alongside Sanders. Apologies to Bronko Nagurski, arguably the best pure fullback/linebacker/offensive tackle in NFL history, but Brown takes the cake here.

Perhaps serving as an example to Sanders, Brown too retired young after just nine seasons in the NFL. Maybe leading the league in touches for seven of those seasons had something to do with it.

Brown won the rushing title in all but one of his years pounding the rock for Cleveland, finishing fourth the one season he did not win it. He also led the league in all-purpose yards in five of his nine seasons.

He was simply a man among boys in the '50s and '60s.

About the only knock on Brown was that his team only made the playoffs four times during his career after having been a perennial playoff team since their inception—would you believe the Browns won the NFL championship in 1950, their first year of existence?

Brown did help Cleveland throttle the Baltimore Colts 27-0 in the 1964 championship game, however. 

Wide Receiver

Jerry Rice

San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks

Achievements: 1987 NFL MVP; 1988 Offensive Player of the Year; 1989 Super Bowl MVP; 13 Pro Bowl Appearances; 10 First Team All-Pro Selections

This was, by far, the easiest call to make. Rice was transcendent at wide receiver.

Not only was Rice the best receiver to play the game, he lapped the field in his "old age." He had 7,762 yards receiving from the age of 34 until he retired. That is almost 3,000 yards more than the next-best receiver that age or older, Charlie Joiner.

Rice caught for 869 receiving yards at the age of 41 in 2003 from the uninspiring platoon of aging Rich Gannon, Rick Mirer and Marques Tuiasosopo who threw for just nine touchdowns combined. 

We are getting ahead of ourselves here, though—Rice was pretty good before he turned 34, too.

The best receiver in the league can be defined by the simple fact that he is the only one to win a modern-day NFL MVP award at his position. His 1,549 receptions, 22,895 receiving yards and 208 touchdowns obliterate the competition and are among the most untouchable records in sports.

Rice helped Montana win two of his Super Bowls and Steve Young win one himself. There is simply nobody that can come close to Jerry Rice's achievements, and it is highly unlikely any receiver ever will.

Tight End

Tony Gonzalez

Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons

Achievements: 12 Pro Bowl Appearances; Five First Team All-Pro Selections

Trivia question: Who has the second-most receptions of all-time, behind Jerry Rice? The answer, of course, is Tony Gonzalez with 1,139 and counting.

When you can claim second place to Rice in a significant statistical category as a tight end, it distinguishes you as the best.

Gonzalez is about to break the 100-touchdown barrier, a first at tight end and easily the best at his position, though Antonio Gates has a chance to catch him if he can regain his health and play into his mid-30s.

The former basketball player is more than just a statistical juggernaut, though. Gonzalez revolutionized the position, paving the way for guys like Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham. Tight end is a different breed than it was 20 years ago thanks to Gonzalez.

Offensive Tackle

Anthony Munoz

Cincinnati Bengals

Achievements: 11 Pro Bowl Appearances; Nine First Team All-Pro Selections

How good is Munoz? Without him the Bengals may not have made the playoffs four times during his 13-year career.

Munoz was an excellent pass protector, but he was a tractor trailer in the running game. Before he was drafted by the Bengals, Cincinnati had just one 1,000-yard rusher to its name. It happened six times under his watch.

The Ickey Shuffle may have been more of a crawl were it not for Munoz bulldozing a path for him.

Offensive Guard

Randall McDaniel

Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Achievements: 12 Pro Bowl Appearances; Six First Team All-Pro Selections

It is difficult to pin down the best interior linemen in history, but McDaniel makes a strong case.

Here is what Sports Illustrated had to say in their series "Best of the Firsts":

"

McDaniel helped pave the way for others to succeed. Six different 1,000-yard rushers and five 3,000-yard passers set up shop behind McDaniel, and he was a linchpin on the 1998 Vikings team that put up 556 points (third-most in NFL history).

Minnesota advanced to the NFC title game that year, the closest McDaniel ever got to the Super Bowl.

Ex-Vikings QB Brad Johnson called McDaniel “the best to ever play” the guard position, while Mike Tice, briefly a player for Minnesota during McDaniel’s career and later a coach, said in 2006 that McDaniel was the franchise’s “first Randy Moss … The only difference between McDaniel then and Moss now is that Randall plays an unglorified position.”

"

That is a lot of high praise for an interior lineman.

Unfortunately, McDaniel never got to taste a Super Bowl berth.

Center

Mike Webster

Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs

Achievements: Nine Pro Bowl Appearances; Five First Team All-Pro Selections

A stalwart in the middle of the offensive line during the Steel Curtain years, Webster is entrenched as the best center of all time.

Webster started every single game he played for the Steelers after taking over as the starter in 1976. He was a team captain for nine of those seasons.

Franco Harris credits Webster as one of the main cogs in the four Super Bowls the Steelers won with Webster.

Defensive Tackle

John Randle

Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks

Achievements: Seven Pro Bowl Appearances; Six First Team All-Pro Selections

Randle is one of the game's greatest undrafted free agents, signing with the Vikings in 1990.

The big man in the middle for Vikings tallied 137.5 sacks for his career, good for seventh all-time. As a defensive tackle.

To put that into perspective, Warren Sapp, another one of the NFL's greatest defensive tackles who provided a good pass rush, had 96.5 career sacks. He led the NFC with 13.5 sacks in 1995 and the NFL with 15.5 in 1997.

As a defensive tackle.

Defensive End

Reggie White

Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers

Achievements: 1987 and '98 Defensive Player of the Year; 13 Pro Bowl Appearances; Eight First Team All-Pro Selections

Drew Bledsoe still wakes up in cold sweats thinking about Super Bowl XXXI and Reggie White abusing Max Lane. 

Without White it is possible Brett Favre would have gone the way of Dan Marino—magnificent statistics without a ring. He was even better before he joined the Packers.

The fierce defensive end amassed 70 sacks in his first four seasons, including 21 in 1987, good for third-most in a single season.

It was a strike-shortened season.

Reverend White may not hold the all-time sack record, but he was the leader until Bruce Smith beat him by two after playing three more years than White. Had he not spent his first two years with the USFL or played longer, he might have had an untouchable record.

Middle Linebacker

Ray Lewis

Baltimore Ravens

Achievements: 2000 and '03 Defensive Player of the Year; 2000 Super Bowl MVP; 13 Pro Bowl Appearances; Seven First Team All-Pro Selections

As the face of a franchise for 16 years and counting, Lewis will leave a legacy like no other. He has terrorized offenses since he jumped to the pros from Miami, and he is still doing it at the ripe old age of 36.

It is difficult to tell where Lewis ranks all-time in terms of tackles because the NFL did not keep an official statistic on them until 2001, but according to playerfilter.com, Lewis has made over 2,000 tackles since he has entered the league, easily the best in the past 20 years.

Statistics aside, Lewis has anchored a perennially great Baltimore Ravens defense since he burst on the scene as a rookie. He won his first defensive player of the year (DPOY) award in 2000 when the Lewis-led defense broke the record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game season.

That defense was almost good enough to win the Super Bowl on its own.

Lewis is as inspirational as they come, and that is what ultimately sets him apart as the best middle linebacker of all time.

Outside Linebacker

Lawrence Taylor

New York Giants

Achievements: 1981 Defensive Rookie of the Year; 1981, '82 and '86 Defensive Player of the Year; 1986 NFL MVP; 10 Pro Bowl Selections; Seven First Team All-Pro Selections

Speaking of inspirational, Taylor makes Lewis seem like a kitten.

The original LT revolutionized the linebacker position, paving the way for the likes of Derrick Thomas, Kevin Greene, DeMarcus Ware and Cameron Wake.

Taylor had a magnificent career, helping propel the Giants to seven playoff berths and two Super Bowl victories during his 13-year career.

Unfortunately for him, the NFL did not start keeping sacks as an official statistic until 1982. His unofficial total for his rookie season in 1981 was 9.5 sacks. That would give him 142 for his career, putting him fifth all-time, just ahead of fellow Giant Michael Strahan.

If ever any player had a non-stop motor, it was Taylor. The man oozed ferocity, imbuing his teammates with his intensity as a leader on that Giants defense. It is a big part of the reason he is the only linebacker and second defensive player to ever win an NFL MVP award.

Cornerback

Dick "Night Train" Lane

Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals, Detroit Lions

Achievements: Seven Pro Bowl Appearances; Three First Team All-Pro Selections

How many cornerbacks throughout history have been known as fearsome tacklers? Lane was so ferocious that the NFL banned clothesline tackles because of him. 

James Harrison has nothing on Lane, and he plays linebacker.

Lane is perhaps the greatest undrafted free agent at any position. He walked on to the Los Angeles Rams, so to speak, when the dissatisfaction of his factory employment became too much. The rest is history.

As a rookie, Night Train intercepted 14 passes—a rookie record that still stands today—and he did it in 12 games. He wound up fourth all-time with 68 career interceptions during an era where he played far less regular season games than today's cornerbacks.

Though his nickname stems from an R&B song from 1952 with the same name, Lane was more of a freight train on the field.

Free Safety

Ed Reed

Baltimore Ravens

Achievements: 2004 Defensive Player of the Year; Eight Pro Bowl Appearances; Four First Team All-Pro Selections; One NFL MVP Award

How fortunate have the Ravens been over the past decade to have two all-world players anchor their defense?

Reed epitomizes the term ball hawk. He sits at 57 interceptions through 10 seasons in the NFL, good for 11th on the all-time list, and he should catch guys like Ronnie Lott, Darren Sharper, Night Train Lane and perhaps even Rod Woodson over the next couple of seasons.

He is not only a ball hawk, but he knows what to do with it when he snatches an interception—Reed has the two longest interception returns in NFL history.

That he won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004 is astounding considering the company he had on his own team in Ray Lewis, who had just won the award in 2003. Just five safeties have won that award, though three of them have come in the past decade (Reed, Bob Sanders and Troy Polamalu).

Though the Ravens have not been able to replicate the magic from their 2000 Super Bowl run with Reed on board, they have stayed competitive in large part to Reed and Lewis on that defense.

Strong Safety

Ronnie Lott

San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets

Achievements: 10 Pro Bowl Appearances; Six First Team All-Pro Selections

The California Bay Area legend actually started his career at cornerback and played both safety positions, excelling wherever he was asked to play. Though he spent more time at free safety, I had to get him in here alongside Reed. 

It would be hard to argue with a defensive backfield featuring those two in their primes, at any rate.

Lott was an integral part of a 49ers defense that helped them win four Super Bowls with Joe Montana. The hard-hitting safety is sixth all-time with 63 interceptions.

Before Reed came along, Lott was widely considered the best safety of all time. That may be a close call until Reed calls it a career, but Lott would be a great choice nonetheless.

Punter

Shane Lechler

Oakland Raiders

Achievements: Seven Pro Bowl Appearances; Six All-Pro Selections

Imagine my surprise when I researched this position and found that quarterback Sammy Baugh was also one of the league's best punters of all time.

The modern day Lechler has a more distinguished career at the position, however, and he still has plenty of leg left in his career. 

Simply put, Lechler is a perennial All-Pro, and his career average of 47.6 yards per punt is the best by over a yard. 

Kicker

Adam Vinatieri

New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts

Achievements: Two Pro Bowls; Two First Team All-Pro Selections

Without Vinatieri the legend of Tom Brady might not be what it is today.

The clutch kicker has posted respectable career numbers. He is currently eighth all-time with 387 made field goals and 13th all-time with a 82.9 percent field goal percentage.

Numbers do not make Vinatieri the greatest, however.

Remember the Tuck Rule game against Oakland? Controversy aside, it was Vinatieri's game-tying and winning kicks that ultimately propelled the Patriots to Super Bowl XXXVI.

He followed that up by making a walk-off field goal in that Super Bowl to beat the St. Louis Rams 20-17, the first time any Super Bowl had been decided on the game's final play.

Vinatieri would kick the game-winning field goal in Super Bowl XXXVIII two years later, though there were four seconds left on the clock that time around.

Though he does not have the gaudy statistics that some other kickers have, Vinatieri's solid career is made special by his clutch postseason performances.