Five Best Wide Receivers in NFL History

Sure, everyone knows who the best wide receiver of all-time is. But after that, who are the other four best wide receivers of all-time? I firmly believe that ten different people posed with the same question would have ten diverse answers.

Having said that, I have compiled my list of the five best wide receivers to ever play the game. Some are quite well known; however, there is one shocker on my list that I am sure will stir much debate. At any rate, here are my five best wide receivers of all-time.

Jerry Rice

Rice is unequivocally the best wide receiver to ever play in the NFL. I don't necessarily think he was the most talented, but he definitely ended up in the right system, with both the game's best head coach (Bill Walsh) and two of the best quarterbacks (Joe Montana and Steve Young) of their era.

I know Rice is the all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, but those numbers don't tell the complete story of Rice's contributions to both the game of football and the San Francisco 49ers.

Not only was Rice the best receiver to ever play the game, he was the epitome of a class act off the field as well. The 16th pick in the 1985 draft, Rice has compiled career numbers of 1,549 receptions, 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns. He also helped the Niners win Super Bowl titles in 1989, 1990 and 1995. Rice also caught at least one pass in 274 consecutive games from 1985 through 2004 - another NFL record.

One of the game's most durable players, Rice was also the NFL's oldest wide receiver ever at the time of his retirement. Rice also won rookie of the year in the 1985 season, the league's MVP for 1987, Super Bowl most valuable player in 1989, and NFL player of the year for 1990 and 1997, and helped the 49ers win three Super Bowls (1989-90, 1995).

Maybe one day, some receiver will surpass Rice's gaudy statistics. However, until that time, no one can ever take the place of the great Jerry Rice - the best wide receiver in NFL history.

Lance Alworth

All I can say is that had "Bambi" played in more recent times, he, not Rice, would be considered the best wide receiver of all-time. I'll also throw in the fact that, although Oakland Raiders' owner, Al Davis, is slowly losing his competence, he made one of his best transactions ever when, as an assistant coach with the 1962 San Diego Chargers of the American Football League, he signed a flanker named Lance Alworth to a contract after a spirited bidding battle with the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers.

Years later, Davis said of Alworth, "Lance Alworth was one of maybe three players in my lifetime who had what I would call 'it.' You could see right from the start that he was going to be a superstar."

In 11 seasons, nine with the Chargers, Alworth caught 542 passes for 10,266 yards for an impressive career average of 18.94-yards per catch and 85 touchdowns. During his nine seasons with the Chargers, the graceful receiver averaged more than 50 catches and 1,000 yards per season.

Alworth was named All-AFL seven consecutive years and caught at least one pass in every AFL game he played, including a then-record 96 straight regular-season games and 105 in a row, if you count two AFL title games and seven All-Star appearances. In 1978 Alworth became the first AFL player to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I know Alworth played the majority of his career in the pass-happy AFL, but once again, were he playing in more modern times, Alworth may have set the bar so high that even Rice may not have been able to catch him. As it stands, Alworth was still good enough to earn the number two spot on my five best wide receivers of all-time list and the top spot in millions of football fans' hearts.

Lynn Swann

I know Swann's numbers don't put him in the league's top ten wide receivers of all-time in many career receiving categories, but I will argue with my last breath that there was never a more acrobatic - and sure handed - wide receiver to ever play the game.

Let's not forget either that Swann - and his Hall of Fame receiving partner, John Stallworth - both played in an era when the ball was thrown considerably less than it has been for the past two decades.

Another factor that would shrink Swann's numbers - but not his uncanny ability - was the fact that the Steelers also had a Hall of Fame running back in Franco Harris.

Swann, the Steelers' No. 1 draft pick and 21st player selected overall in 1974, immediately led the NFL in punt returns while setting a club record - and fourth best in NFL history.

The following year, Swann became a starter and recorded 49 catches for 781 yards and a league-high 11 touchdowns. He then finished off his season by winning MVP honors in the Steelers' 21-17 Super Bowl X victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Although Swann - a three-time All-Pro - only played nine seasons with the Steelers and had career marks of 336 receptions for 5,462 yards and 51 touchdowns, his contributions to the game and the Steelers - not to mention his big game performances in the postseason - were enough to cement his status as a Hall of Famer and one of the best wide receivers of all-time.

Cris Carter

Incredibly, there may not be a wide receiver on this list whose hands were as good as Cris Carter's. I know that may be going out on a limb a little bit, but Carter's ability to nab anything thrown remotely in his direction was nothing short of amazing. I should know - I saw him up close and personal for three years when he first started out with the Philadelphia Eagles and I was a young reporter for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun.

At any rate, personal tales aside, Carter's hands were so good that he caught more passes (1,101) than anyone in NFL history besides Jerry Rice. Carter is also fourth on the all-time yardage list with 14,934 yards.

Twice, Carter caught 122 passes in a season (1994, '95), the first time establishing an NFL record for catches in a season (which was beaten a year later) and became the second player in history to reach 1000 career catches. Love him or loathe him, Cris Carter is one of the best wide receivers in NFL history.

Marvin Harrison

I know a lot of people might want to rip me for this selection, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one and going with my Philly homeboy as the fifth best wide receiver of all-time. I know he's still playing, but Harrison's numbers - not to mention his class and grace - are right up there with the very best of all-time.

With 927 career catches for 12,331 yards, Harrison could - and most likely, will - pass every wide receiving record not held by Jerry Rice. Yes, I could have went with several other players in this spot (Tim Brown, James Lofton, Steve Largent) but I think Harrison is already in that elite group - and following the 2006 season, he should move up considerably on both career receiving lists - as well as in the minds of many football fans across the world. Whether it's too soon or not to have Harrison on this list, I firmly believe he is one of the five best wide receivers to ever play in the NFL.