Years active: 1989-1998 Position: RB Teams: Detroit Lion
Barry Sanders is always in the discussion for the greatest running back of all time and, like Jim Brown, shocked the sports world by retiring in his prime.
Years active: 1998-2015 Position: QB Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Denver Bronco
He has approach of 5,000 yards and 55 touchdowns.
Years active: 1955-1973 Position: QB Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts, San Diego Charger
His NFL record of 47 straight games with a touchdown pass went unbroken until 2012, not by Brady or Manning, but by Drew Brees.
Years active: 1985-2000 Position: DE Teams: Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers
Reggie White (RIP, Minister of Defense) is the greatest edge rusher of all time.
Years active: 1975-1987 Position: RB Teams: Chicago Bear
The late Walter Payton, rest his soul, has a legitimate argument to be placed multiple spots higher on this list.
Years active: 1979-1994 Position: QB Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs
Synonymous with the peak of the San Francisco 49ers, Montana was the undisputed GOAT quarterback before a certain Patriot/Buccaneer leveled up in the 2010s.
Years active: 1957-1965 Position: RB Teams: Cleveland Brown
Brown that as the greatest to ever play arguably the second-most important role on an NFL team, he ranks at the bottom of this particular Mt. Rushmore.
Position: LB Years active: 1981-1993 Teams: New York Giant
Naturally, as only one of two defensive players to earn MVP honors, and the only one to do so unanimously, Lawrence Taylor is popularly regarded as the greatest defensive player in the history of the NFL.
Years active: 1985 – 2004 Position: WR Teams: San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawk
If you're looking for the man who brought pass catchers into vogue, you found him.
Years active: 2000-2022 Position: QB Teams: New England Patriots; Tampa Bay Buccaneer
He was already named to the NFL 100 in 2019, but after smashing the massively favored Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV on his first try with a brand-new team, he silenced all questions about his individual greatness.