All-Time BEST NFL Players by Jersey Number (#1-99)

number one warren moon quarterback moon was both the first African American quarterback elected to the Hall of Fame as well as the first non drafted quarterback to get in he said he started wearing number one in college because he wanted to be the number one guy wanted to remind his teammates who numero uno was number two Matt Ryan quarterback Charlie trippy is the only number two hall-of-famer but he wasn't close to Ryan in our voting up to this point Ryan is the only quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl wearing the number to a number

he chose because his hero was former quarterback Tim Couch number three Bronco Nagurski fullback linebacker tackle Bronislaw Nagurski born in Canada was at the center of the NFL's growing popularity in the 30s he wasn't just named all-pro four times he was an all-pro at three different positions number four Brett Favre quarterback Favre is our first unanimous winner he sits at or near the top in most all-time passing categories and is 297 consecutive games streak is still the longest of any non kicker in NFL history far first war than number four in college and ended up

with it by default he wanted his high school number ten but it wasn't available the equipment manager telling him four was basically the only number he could use so he took it and the rest is history number five Paul Hornung halfback fullback the golden boy was one of the anchors to all those Packers teams that dominated the NFL before the Super Bowl era got going he received the ultimate praise from his legendary head coach Vince Lombardi who said Hornung was the best player he ever coached number six Johnny Hecker punter the only punter to come

out number one in her voting Hecker's made four Pro Bowls and for all-pro teams as a 20-19 he's also one of the most versatile punters you'll ever see being called upon regularly to use his arm on fake punt plays posting a passer rating over ninety in his first nine first down Rams on a completion from Johnny Hecker number seven John Elway quarterback Elway isn't just the greatest seven ever play in the NFL Sports Illustrated selected him as the greatest seven to ever play any sport oay steps up in the pocket lets it go along to

Johnson ease Elway were seven in college at Stanford but he wanted eleven which he wore in high school but a defensive back already had it so he had to choose between seven and twelve and he took seven because he said there wasn't that many famous athletes who had worn it number eight Steve Young quarterback the debate over who were eight better always boils down to young and Troy Aikman but it was young who came out just ahead in our vote young almost falls down throws to the end zone in one of the oddest facts you'll

ever likely to hear about young he was the only 49er to ever wear the number eight in the franchise's history and the only one who will ever wear it as it was retired in 2008 number nine drew Brees a quarterback Brees will eventually dawn that gold jacket at some point and being a member of the Hall is really the only thing Brees doesn't have on his resume just yet Brees may be the most famous football player to wear nine but his inspiration for wearing it baseball legend Ted Williams touchdown pass number ten Fran Tarkenton quarterback

tark wasn't nicknamed the Scrambler for nothing he was the first true modern-day dual-threat quarterback his ability to elude pressure was legendary he led the Vikings to three Super Bowls though a victory in the big game eluded him all three times number eleven Larry Fitzgerald wide receiver Fitzgerald may be the second greatest receiver to ever lace him up having amassed the second-most receptions and receiving yards in NFL history Fitzgerald wore number one in college while at Pittsburgh and wanted to continue wearing it as a pro but NFL rules didn't allow receivers to wear it Fitzgerald touchdown

Cardinals so he simply says he took two of them number 12 Tom Brady quarterback as of 2019 Brady had more playoff wins by himself than 28 franchises do in their entire histories its fourth quarter that's money time for the greatest God ever sowed it up now had he had it his way his nickname would have been TV 10 which is the number he wore in college but when he was drafted punter Lee Johnson was already wearing it so he just went with the number he found hanging in his locker number 13 Dan Marino quarterback Marino

may not have a Super Bowl ring but that's about the only blemish on his otherwise spectacular Hall of Fame career Marino first wore 13 in Little League baseball for his dad's team who let the rest of the team picked their numbers first leaving Marino with the quote unlucky number number 14 Otto Graham quarterback Graham did wear the number 60 as well but wore 14 longer while playing for the Browns in the NFL he played a key role in one of the most impressive runs ever by a professional football team leading the Browns to league championship

games every year between 1946 and 1955 winning seven of them Marian motley number 15 Bart Starr quarterback Brian Bartlett star that was his full legal name was MVP of the first two Super Bowls and was the face of Vince Lombardi's Packers dynasty he's considered one of the greatest postseason quarterbacks in history going nine and one is 90% winning percentage and NFL record for quarterbacks number 16 Joe Montana quarterback he is the most famous 16 in history but often forgotten he warned 19 as a 49er very briefly in training camp his rookie year that helps explain

why he chose it when he was traded to the Chiefs who had retired the number 16 Montana's original connection and 19 by the way back to throw Montana it was his number back in his youth football days number 17 Philip Rivers quarterback Rivers hadn't made the Super Bowl as a 20-19 but that's about the only thing he hadn't accomplished over his career River says he chose the number 17 to honor his father who wore the number when he played in high school Weber's takes the snap stands tall the pocket takes a shot downfield for Mike

Williams leaps touches number 18 paint commanding quarterback Manny ended his career with over 70,000 passing yards in over 500 passing TDs Peyton Manning's fifth touchdown of this game Manning chose 18 to honor his brother Cooper who weren't in high school but had to give the game up because he had spinal stenosis number 19 Johnny Unitas quarterback often forgotten Unitas was actually drafted by the Steelers in 1955 but they cut him before the regular season ever began Unitas backup path he throws downfield he was the first quarterback to ever throw for 30 TDs in a season

and is credited as the quarterback to pioneer the two-minute drill number 20 Barry Sanders running back Sanders was one of the most humble superstars any sport has ever seen why it's three he's on his way as a rookie Sanders was playing this final game of the season and had come out of the game and a blowout win over the Falcons with a hundred and fifty-eight rushing yards he trailed Cristiano koieie by 10 yards for the Russian title and was asked if he wanted to go back in to overtake him his response NAT let the other

guy play number 21 Deion Sanders cornerback Dion's resume has it all and he's the only athlete to ever play in a Super Bowl and a world series and why did he choose his number because he said he was number two in your program which was the number he wore at FSU Saturday but number one in your heart thus the number 21 number 22 Emmitt Smith running back there were some great 22s in NFL history but Smith was our unanimous winner starting with the fact he's the NFL's all-time rushing leader Smith was actually the third EMA

in his family but the only one who spells his first name with two T's and that's not how his parents originally spelled it Smith officially added the second T because writers kept misspelling it 14 more for Abbott Smith number 23 Devin Hester kickoff punt returner Hester played cornerback and wide receiver but he's the only player on our list who made it primarily for his abilities in the return game no one in history has as many TVs as Hester's 20 in the regular season and playoffs [Applause] in history number 24 champ bailey cornerback no cornerback has

gone to as many Pro Bowls as Rolland Champ Bailey who got his nickname from his mother he played for both Washington and Denver though neither team has retired his number Bailey number 25 Fred Biletnikoff wide receiver Biletnikoff is considered one of the pioneers at the wide receiver position his route running in hands both legendary Bullitt Nick off says he wore the number 25 because his favorite player was Tommy McDonald a Hall of Fame receiver who played in the late 50s and most of the 60s number 26 Rod Woodson cornerback safety Woodson was so good he

helped three different teams make the Super Bowl and of course he won that one with Baltimore he has the third most interceptions in NFL history and he holds the record for fumble recoveries and interceptions returned for a touchdown Woodson also took two punts and two kickoffs back to the house in his career as well number 27 Steve Atwater safety 27 was a close one between two non Hall of Famers Atwater and Ken Houston the smilin assassin was the defensive anchor to those Broncos teams that won back-to-back Super Bowl titles he didn't make the haul despite

coming close multiple times but his game was so respected by his peers edy Reed said he would give up his own spot in the hall if it meant Atwater could make it in number 28 Marshall Faulk running back another close call cuz Darryl Greene was an amazing 28 but Faulk is the standard when you think of multi-purpose backs [Applause] Faulk put up five games with over 250 scrimmage yards and is just one of three backs in NFL history with more than 10,000 rushing yards and 5,000 receiving yards number twenty-nine Eric Dickerson running back dickerson still

holds the record for rushing yards in a season at 2105 and most rushing yards by a rookie at 1808 but he just put it down into another gear that's fun to watch Dickerson originally chose the number 25 as his number but a friend told him 25 sounded like a slow number Dickerson was so bothered by the thought he exchanged it for 29 number 30 Terrell Davis running back TD started off his rookie year with over 1100 yards and got better and better with each year topping out with over 2,000 yards before an injury derailed his

career Davis said he wanted the number 33 which is what he wore in college but another back had it he said he didn't really like 30 but said it grew on and off Davis from left side breaks his tackle here we go TD 30 number 31 Jim Taylor fullback Taylor had five seasons with more than a thousand yards rushing and was the NFL's second leading rusher during Jim Browns career he even beat Brown out for the rushing title once in 1962 which would end up being the only year that Brown did not lead the NFL

in rushing number 32 Jim Brown running back Brown regularly enters the conversation as the greatest player to ever take the field Brown retired after putting up a season with over 1500 rushing yards and 17 TVs he quit football in his prime to pursue a career in ding going on to appear in 44 movies number 33 sammy baugh quarterback sling and Sammi revolutionized the quarterback position upon his rival to the NFL but often overlooked was how good he was on the defensive side of the ball he owns what is arguably the greatest single game ever put

up by a player in NFL history throwing for TD passes in a win against the Lions while coming up with four interceptions on the other side of the ball all in the same game number 34 Walter Payton running back Peyton rushed for over 1200 yards of season from 1976 to 1986 save the strike-shortened 82 season one of Peyton's most overlooked accomplishments he missed only one game in his 13-year career which is remarkable for any running back but especially for one who played as physically as Peyton did and don't forget as eight TD passes either or

the fact he was one of the best blocking running backs the game has ever seen his brother said his now-famous nickname sweetness came about because people were trying to make fun of his soft voice but it ended up being the perfect way to describe his game number 35 ninis Williams cornerback safety Williams started his career with a bang coming up with six interceptions as a rookie he was a shutdown corner who matched up with the game's best his first name by the way means praise or praiseworthy certainly appropriate for the way he played the game

number 36 Jerome Bettis running back the bus finished his career top 10 all-time in rushing yards seemingly fighting head-on for every single one of them [Applause] Bettis one is one Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2005 which was held in Detroit the same City fetes was raised in as a child number 37 dope Walker running back kick returner defensive back Walker like Terrell Davis doesn't have a large body of work to evaluate retiring at the age of 29 to pursue business interests before that though the 511 hundred and seventy-three pound back led Detroit to back-to-back

titles in 52 and 53 and led the league in scoring twice number 38 Arne Herbert quarterback Herber is considered the pioneer at the quarterback positions passing games hadn't been developed until he came along Herbers in the Hall of Fame despite throwing more career interceptions that he had career TD passes number 39 Larry Csonka running back fullback Csonka might be the face of that fame 1972 dolphin squad that to this day is the only team to finish the year without a single loss during the regular season or playoffs what's remarkable about zonka was the fact he

acted his both lead running back and fullback paving the way from Mercury Morris at times though day number 40 Gale Sayers running back the Kansas comment was a threat to score almost every time he touched the ball and that's why he was used as running back receiver and in the return game in fact as a returner there are some who argue he was the best the game has ever seen [Applause] number 41 Lorenz O'Neil fullback Neil actually wore several numbers over his career but were 41 more than any of the others LaDainian Tomlinson said without

41 there would have been no 21 and paid him the ultimate compliment by having Neil be the one to induct him into the Hall of Fame number 42 Ronnie Lott and safety lot might be the greatest safety the game has ever seen he doesn't get the credit Montana gets for all those Super Bowl wins but he was the Montana on the defensive side of the ball former wide receivers Charlie Taylor and Paul Warfield were the inspiration for a lot choosing to wear the number 42 number 43 Troy Polamalu safety Polamalu doesn't have the kind of

staff some other safeties do but numbers don't adequately tell the story of his game as his true reputation was built around coming up big in the biggest moments as well-known as he was for his excellent play he was almost just as famous for his hair head and shoulders signed him to be their spokesman and even took out a 1 million dollar insurance policy on his famous locks number 44 John Riggins running back Riggins made it into the Hall not only on the back of a hundred plus touchdowns and ten thousand-plus rushing yards but also off

of one of the greatest Superbowl runs in history right Riggins was nicknamed the diesel for the powerful way he ran unafraid of contact often inviting it number 45 Kenny Easley safety 45 hasn't been worn by too many Hall of Famers but easily definitely put it on the map for his play with the Seahawks for most of the 80s the Hall of Famer played just seven seasons kidney disease cut his career short otherwise he would have gotten more praise for being one of the best DBS the game has ever seen number 46 Todd Christensen tight end

Christensen said he once heard oj anderson give a dissertation on jersey numbers that numbers like 20 21 or 22 were speed numbers numbers 38 or 39 meant they were good blockers but 46 he said it was a number for a third string fullback he said the defense is seeing number 46 running a route and figure slow guy we can cover him with a linebacker [Music] [Applause] [Music] number 47 Mel Blount cornerback Blount is considered one of the most important corner backs to ever play the game Blount was so good and so physical with receivers off

the line the NFL changed the rules so cornerbacks couldn't bump whiteouts within the first five yards of the line of scrimmage the new rule being known around the league as the Mel Blount rule he also holds the distinction as the only number 47 in the Hall of Fame Blount number 48 Daryl Johnston fullback Johnston is considered one of the greatest true fullbacks to put on a helmet cowboy fans would rain down chance of moose when he would make a big play his nickname being given to him by quarterback babe Laufenberg as a rookie because he

was so much bigger than the rest of the running back for number 49 Bobby Mitchell running back receiver Mitchell played with the Browns and Redskins are running back with Cleveland to start and then a receiver when he moved to Washington known for his game breaking speed he led the league in receiving yards at first two seasons after joining the Redskins making three straight Pro Bowls he was also the first African American to ever play for Washington number 50 Mike Singletary linebacker samurai Mike as he was known was the face of that 46 defense that put

the 85 Bears on the map Singletary is probably best remembered for his eyes which seemed ready to pop out of his head before each snap but his intimidating as he was to the opposition Singletary said later that he was just trying to focus because he had poor eyesight number 51 dick butkus linebacker Butkus was so dominant at linebacker they named the award given to the best linebacker in high school college and the NFL the bukka's award he is a Chicago legend but he was almost a Bronco Denver drafted him in the AFL Draft as well

and offered him more money but bukka's chose Chicago being he was born Illinois played in high school there and went to the University of Illinois so the hometown club was his final choice number 52 Ray Lewis linebacker Louis's resume is probably the most impressive of any linebacker in history over 40 sacks over 30 picks and 19 forced fumbles not even Lewis originally wanted a single-digit number in college but all the numbers he wanted were taken he says when he saw 52 was available he jumped on it because he said five plus two equals seven which

is God's number of completion number 53 Harry Carson linebacker Carson was the middle man of that famed crunch bunch that Bill Parcells in his defensive coordinator Bill Belichick rode to a Super Bowl title [Applause] two five touchdown Carson is also famous for all those Gatorade baths he gave ourselves during that 86 Super Bowl winning season but it was his teammate Bill Burt that actually started the tradition two years earlier Carson and Parcells however were the ones who cashed in signing a deal with Gatorade following their championship run number 54 Randy white defensive tackle linebacker this

was another hotly contested race with white just beating out Brian Urlacher as the greatest 54 white was one of the most dominating defenders in the game during his career being named first-team all-pro seven times in eight seasons from 1978 to 1985 nicknamed the man ster because he was half man half monster white retired in 1988 in part because the team fired Tom Landry number 55 Junior Seau linebacker sale played two decades and amassed over 1500 solo tackles and over 1,800 tackles combined here comes se out and he's sacked all the way back at the 41

sales 55 was retired by the Chargers making it one of just three numbers retired by the club Dan Fouts and Lance Alworth being the other two number 56 lawrence taylor linebacker LT changed the game and the linebacker position for good to many he is the greatest defensive player the game has ever seen taylor received one of the highest compliments in the game when Bill Belichick called him the greatest player he's ever coached Taylor says he chose the number 56 because he was a fan of Cowboys linebacker Thomas Hollywood Henderson number 57 Ricky Jackson linebacker Jackson

just edged out Dwight Stephenson and our voting and it's possible he doesn't get more credit simply due to timing his career started the same years as Lawrence Taylor's good sack of the night but his career with the Saints was almost just as impressive statistically he finished his career with just four and a half fewer sacks than Taylor number 58 Jack Lambert linebacker Lambert only missed the Pro Bowl twice his rookie season in his final season and he was first-team all-pro five straight years from 78 to 1983 [Applause] Lambert was also famous for his teeth or

lack of them he actually lost the top front row of them playing basketball as a child and dentures were the solution back then Lambert would simply remove them before games leading to nicknames like Count Dracula and cleats number 59 Luke Kuechly linebacker Kuechly just barely edged out Lambert's linebacker mate Jack ham in another close race the Panthers linebacker kicked off his career in remarkable fashion finishing with a hundred and sixty-five tackles as a rookie he was all-pro in five of his first eight years in the league they're pretty cool the reason he chose 59 while

he didn't it was simply a sign to him his rookie year he wore 40 in college number 60 Chuck Bednarik linebacker center while Bednarik is considered the Godfather of great linebackers in many circles the truth is he was also a great center but the hits concrete Charlie laid down were legendary whether it was his crushing clothesline of Frank Gifford or his game saving tackle in the waning moments of the Eagles championship win in 1960 number 61 bill George linebacker George beat out Curley Culp and another close tally he is the least known of the famous

bears linebackers but he was the original monster of the Midway he is considered a pioneer at the middle linebacker position being one of the first to play the position as we know it today number 62 Jim Langer Center Langer was one of the best centers to ever play the game he was at the center of the Dolphins line through the 70s a line considered one of the best of all time and one that played a pivotal role and back-to-back Super Bowl championships number 63 Gene Upshaw guard up Shaw and art shelf formed what might be

the greatest left side of any offensive line the game has ever seen Upshaw accomplished everything a lineman can imagine and holds the distinction of being the first player ever elected to the Hall of Fame who played exclusively at guard number 64 Randall McDaniel guard McDaniel played for 12 years and in that entire time he missed just two games in his entire career he played in 12 straight Pro Bowls from 1989 to 2000 a streak that puts him in a tie for longest run of consecutive Pro Bowls in NFL history number 65 Gary Zimmerman tackle Zimmerman

actually started his career in the USFL blocking for another future Hall of Famer Steve Young he was one of the best left tackles in the game during his career which ended with the Broncos along with a Super Bowl title Zimmerman was famous for his refusal to speak with the media even getting fellow linemen to join in his boycott number 66 Ray Nitschke linebacker niche he is considered Packers royalty the key cog of a defense that helped win Green Bay five NFL championships along with two Super Bowl wins Nitschke was so tough he once famously walked

away injury free from an accident where a coach's tower at practice fell on his head pinning him down even leaving a hole in his helmet number 67 Bob guichen burg offensive lineman to members of Miami's famed 70s a line made it into the hall yet couch as he was known by his teammates did not despite many of his fellow linemen and his coach saying he was the best on that unit legendary coach Don Shula noting that he'd coached plenty of Hall of Fame linemen and believed kuching burg was as good as any of them number

68 will shield guard shields didn't miss a single game his entire career and started 223 games out of a possible 224 from 1995 to the end of his career he was a Pro Bowler his streak of 12 tied for the longest in NFL history number 69 Jared Allen defensive end Allen hit the scene with the Chiefs in 2004 but made his name with the Vikings Colin is both one of the best pass rushers to play the game [Applause] and one of its greatest characters his unabashed love for the 80s mullet was symbolic of the fact

he was one of the most entertaining personalities in the game number 70 Sam Huff linebacker Huff helped the Giants reach the championships six times in eight seasons Huff was one of the most versatile linebackers in the game not just tackling everything in sight but coming up with at least one interception every season he played finishing with a total of 30 in his career number 71 Walter Jones tackled a hundred and eighty games played a hundred and eighty starts and from 2001 to his retirement Jones made the Pro Bowl every year Jones rarely got beat by

anyone throughout his career and was one of the least penalized he had just eight holding calls against him over his 12 years in the NFL number 72 Dan Dierdorf tackled you might not know it if you only know Dan Dierdorf as an announcer but he was considered one of the toughest linemen in the game during his years with the Cardinals his game peaked in the mid to late 70s making five straight Pro Bowls and three straight all-pro teams number 73 Larry Allen guard from 1996 to 2001 Allen was first team all-pro one of those seasons

as a left tackle he was one of the most dominant lineman not only of his era but of any era it was not a shock that he was a key member to an O line that led the way for Emmitt Smith becoming the NFL's all-time rushing leader and Allen is considered one of the strongest men to ever play the game benching and astonishing 700 pounds and squatting nine on number 74 Bruce Matthews tackle 74 was a tight race between all three of our finalists Matthews beating out Merlin Olsen which says a lot Matthews played 19

years in the league making the Pro Bowl 14 straight times to finish his career Matthews holds the distinction as being the first Tennessee Titan to ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame number 75 Joe green defensive tackle when Pittsburgh drafted Mean Joe he was upset because the Steelers were one of the most hapless clubs of the 60s but the pairing was a match made in football heaven as he was at the heart of the Steel Curtain defense that transformed Pittsburgh into one of the greatest dynasties the league has ever seen as for his famous

nickname Green said he never really liked it and credits his famous coke commercial for changing people's perception of him off the field at least number 76 Lou Groza tackle center defensive tackle kicker Groza once said that he considered himself a tackle who happened to be able to kick he is one of the most unique players to ever play in the NFL having made the Pro Bowl six times as an offensive lineman all while setting records in the kicking game nicknamed the toe Groza changed the game by hitting field goals from 50 yards out at a

time when attempts from that distance were a rarity number 77 Red Grange running back the galloping ghosts was the NFL's first true superstar the lead was still fighting to gain national popularity when he was drafted but he had made such a name for himself in college that the Bears actually went on a barnstorming tour across the country to help raise awareness around the game knowing fans would pay to see Grange play Chicago paid him $100,000 when they signed him and he also received part of the team's gate receipts number 78 Anthony Munoz tackled the fact

Munoz easily beat out the NFL's all-time sacks leader says volumes but that's because he is only one of a handful of names that gets brought up regularly when talking about the greatest left tackle to ever play he also had pretty good hands for alignment he caught seven passes over his career four of them for touchdowns number 79 Roosevelt brown tackle Brown made the NFL's all 75th anniversary all-time team and as part of the Giants Ring of Honor when he was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1975 he was just the second player in history

to be elected on the merits of his line play alone number 80 Jerry Rice wide receiver rice is number one all-time and receptions receiving yards and receiving touchdowns while there are still debate over who the greatest running back or even quarterback might be there is ZERO debate over who the greatest receiver of all time is pump fake by Montana watches it for the end dog rice says he didn't originally even want to play football but upon getting caught playing hooky in high school he took off running and his principal noted how fast he was and

introduced them to the school's football coach number 81 Terrell Owens wide receiver Owens came out just ahead of the great night train' Lane in our vote cuz I love me some TOS name is high atop most receiving list in the record book and he is the only player in NFL history to have scored two or more TVs against all 32 teams number 82 Raymond Barry wide receiver 82 was a close call between Barry and Ozzie Newsome but Barry was too Johnny Unitas what rice was to Montana in 1960 Barry went for 74 catches over 1,200

yards and 10 TDs which few receivers at the time had accomplished [Applause] you would also go on to be a head coach leading the Patriots to their first Super Bowl in 1985 number 83 Ted Hendricks linebacker Hendricks is one of the few men to finish his career with four rings and his versatility is almost unheard of twenty-six career interceptions for safeties and he is the holder of a record unlikely to ever be broken blocking 25 kicks he received his mad stork nickname from his college teammates who gave it to him due to his 6-7 lanky

frame number 84 Randy Moss wide receiver Mosques started his career with a bang going for over 1,300 yards and 17 TV receptions touchdown he also set the NFL record for most receiving touchdowns in a single season with 23 Moss were 88 in college but that number was retired by the Vikings who drafted him but they did not however retire mosses 84 number 85 Jack Youngblood defensive end Youngblood was one of the best pass rushers in the game during his career but played most of his career before they officially tracked the stat so you won't find

him in many record books he is regarded as one of the toughest and gutsiest players to strap on a helmet famously playing his one lone Super Ball appearance with a broken fibula number 86 buck Buchanan defensive tackle the Chiefs built their defense around Buchanan which was smart because he eventually led them to a Super Bowl win Buchanan was drafted first overall by the Chiefs which made him the first African American college player taken first in professional football and he did not disappoint number 87 Rob Gronkowski tied-in Gronkowski was known for coming up big in the

big moments his final career catch coming in Super Bowl 53 that set New England up for what would be their sixth Super Bowl victory that protocol Kowski folks that once for NFL Films that's one for posterity fittingly Gronk also finished his final game with exactly 87 receiving yards matching his jersey number number 88 Tony Gonzales tight end 88 came down to Allan page one of two defenders to ever win the MVP award in Gonzales who had maybe one of the most illustrious careers of any tight end gonzo played for 17 years split between the Chiefs

who drafted him and the Falcon ism' he had 600 or more receiving yards the last 16 straight seasons of his career number 89 Mike Ditka tight end before Ditka was a cigar-chomping head coach he was a Hall of Fame tight end in his rookie year 1961 he had over a thousand yards receiving and 12 touchdowns iron mike barred for the final 30 yards on a 47 yard play he was known as Iron Mike a nickname that came from growing up in Pittsburgh which of course is known as Steeltown number 90 Julius Peppers defensive end Peppers

finished his career with a hundred and fifty nine and a half sacks had 15 different seasons with seven plus sacks and ten with double-digit sacks he wore the number 56 for the Packers for a few seasons but will always be remembered for what he did wearing 90 in Carolina in Chicago number 91 Kevin green linebacker a hundred and sixty career sacks ten different seasons with double-digit sacks ending his career third and sacks all time with Bruce Smith and Reggie White the only two ahead of him [Applause] Green was also famous for his long golden locks

his looks strikingly similar to wrestling star Hulk Hogan who he eventually would follow into the ring green even once forming a tag team with another former NFL star Steve McMichael number 92 Reggie White defensive end white finished his career two sacks short of the magical 200 mark putting up double-digit sacks his first nine straight seasons white was the first player in NFL history to have his number retired by two teams the Eagles and Packers hanging 92 up for good number 93 John Randle defensive lineman Randall was actually undrafted scouts thinking he was too small he

went on to become one of the best pass rushers the game has ever seen and one of the greatest trash talkers anyone's ever heard Randall didn't just come up with his verbal assaults on the fly either he said he would research opposing players ahead of time just to make sure he had the right ammo to get under their skin number 94 charles haley linebacker defensive end haley is just one of two players in NFL history who can high-five you with a hand completely covered in Super Bowl rings got it back there playing for both the

49ers and cowboys during their pay days there was a 7-year stretch that saw him playing six conference championships and he was part of ten division championship teams in his 12 years playing he wasn't just along for the ride either he put up a hundred point five sacks in his career number 95 Richard dent the defensive end dent was at the heart of the famed 46 defense that led the Bears to their lone Super Bowl title dent the MVP of that game Bret care tent once again my goodness dent ended his career with two rings winning

the Lombardi with the 94 49ers as well number 96 portes kennedy defensive tackle kennedy did all his heavy lifting on the inside at defensive tackle still he had 14 sacks in 1992 winning him Defensive Player of the Year honors number 97 Cornelius Bennett linebacker it was a close race between Simeon rice and Bennett but our panel went with the former bill based on his all-around gain he was one of the most versatile linebackers in the NFL throughout the 90s playing a key role in Buffalo's unprecedented run of four straight Super Bowl appearances number 98 Robert

Mathis defensive end Mathis had seven or more sacks every year of his career save his rookie year his final year and one season in which he didn't play due to injury you got Robert Mathis when he was drafted he was given the choices between numbers 91 97 and 98 and says he let his mother chooses number four number 99 JJ Watt defensive end 99 was stacked with options barely beating out Warren Sapp and Aaron Donald watt though has a four-year run unmatched by any defender in the history of the game he was named first-team all-pro

every year from 2012 to 2015 and he won Defensive Player of the Year in three of those seasons [Laughter] walk grew up in Wisconsin and started out playing hockey which he says partially explains why he chose the number 99 Wayne Gretzky being one of his favorite athletes as a child number double zero Jim Auto Center Auto was a first-ballot hall-of-famer and is in the conversation as one of the greatest centers to ever play the game he was named first-team all-pro 10 of his first 11 seasons a feat no other player has matched Auto actually started

out his career wearing number 50 but changed it to double zero because it was a pun on his name the NFL by the way does not allow players to wear double zero or zero anymore head coach Bill Belichick and we conclude our list with a bonus selection Bill Belichick taking home the honors as the greatest to ever Don the head coaching jacket or hoodie in his case Belichick has overtaken Vince Lombardi as the top head coach in NFL history after molding the Patriots into one of the greatest dynasties the game has ever seen New England's

dominance spanning two decades and Counting