The list of all-time great NFL players is as long as your proverbial arm. The Pro Football Hall of Fame has 382 members all told, including coaches, etc. So, narrowing the list down to the top 25 players is no easy task.
No matter how you slice it, there will be players who some feel should be on the list and others who maybe shouldn't have made that super-elite group. Regardless, any top 25 will have terrific former NFL players included. Any list of the top 25 could probably include 100 players, making it a subjective assessment.
There are a few, however, who are transcendent and will make anyone's list who has any familiarity with NFL history. Some rise above all the others and will probably always merit being extremely highly rated, regardless of who compiles the list and any biases they may have. Think of players like Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Reggie White, and Lawrence Taylor as examples of the elite of the elites.
CBS Sports analyst names the greatest NFL player, and it's no surprise
One NFL player stands above all the rest in the league's history. He was an unlikely hero, having entered the league as a lowly sixth-round draft pick from Michigan. Fortunately for his team, the New England Patriots had an assistant coach who would have a lasting impact on the franchise and the league. His name was Dick Rehbein and he recommended drafting Tom Brady. The rest is history.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports has named his top 25 NFL players of all time. One Patriot made his list, an obvious one, and the best ever, Tom Brady. He was not only on the list but topped it.
"It's hard to pinpoint when Brady ended the argument as the NFL's greatest player. He firmly entered the conversation after leading the Patriots from behind against Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX. Brady entered 'arguably the greatest' territory after he and the Patriots pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history against Atlanta. His last two titles -- especially his final one with the Buccaneers at age 43 -- cemented his legacy as the greatest winner and player the sport has ever seen. "
DeArdo hit the NFL nail right on the head. No matter what observers from other franchises victimized by TB12 (and include any he played against) feel, there is one incontrovertible fact: Brady was the best. It will be some player who ever surpasses what he did in the NFL.
Brady surpasses all others, but CBS Sports missed one Patriot who was also the best
Tom Brady's achievements start with winning seven Lombardi Trophies. No higher accolade can be accorded than that of the all-time best winner. Brady was a three-time first-team All-Pro and a 15-time Pro Bowler. He had superlative team and personal accomplishments.
DeArdo made the right pick when he selected Brady as the best of the best among a star-studded accompanying cast. Yet, one player he left out is an omission that has to be challenged. This player rates as not only the best player at his position but the best on an entire multi-player unit on any and every NFL Team, the offensive line.
That player is John Hannah of the New England Patriots. Hannah was not only the best guard who ever played the game, but with all due respect to the incomparable offensive tackle, Anthony Muniz, the closest challenger (who did make DeArdo's list), but also the best offensive lineman ever, as well.
That said, it's nice to see that the Patriots' Tom Brady is getting his due from the national media. For two decades plus, Brady dominated the NFL and were it not for poor personnel management by the Patriots, would have won a dozen or so Super Bowl titles. He had to settle for six in New England, and seven total, but it could have (should have) been many more.