The Top 5 Pro Football Players of All Time

This is my list of the top 5 pro football players ever. Of course out of the thousands of NFL history it's very hard to pick the top 5 but I gave it a lot of thought. I tend to think of a top player as somebody who dominated his sport during his era. So I have an old timer or two. But for the most part modern players would dominate old school NFL players. Modern NFL players are too big and fast for the old era players to do anything with them. But on to my list of the top 5 pro football players ever, feel free to list yours in the comments below. I will reply to questions or comments on my list. In the sources below I will link to some articles about the best players by position.

1 Jim Brown- Cleveland Browns

Jim Brown was the best pro football player in the history of the game. Jim Brown played in shorter seasons than modern counterparts and still held records for many years after he retired. The whole league wanted to nail Jim Brown and knew he would get the ball but he still dominated. That makes Jim Brown the best pro football player ever in my opinion.

2 Rod Woodson Steelers, 49ers, Ravens and Raiders

Bo Jackson was the best athlete ever as you can see here, but Rod Woodson was pretty close. Woodson was a world class track star before joining the Steelers. He just dominated the NFL at cornerback and later safety. Rod Woodson belongs on any list of the top 5 pro football players ever.

According to Profootballreference.com Woodson 71 passes for 1,483 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding 2 scores each on punt and kick returns as well. Rod Woodson added one touchdown on fumble return and added over 1,000 NFL tackles. Pretty good for a player that teams tried to throw away from.

3 Anthony Munoz- Cincinnati Bengals

It is sometimes hard to gage how good an offensive lineman is but I think Anthony Munoz was the best offensive tackle to play the game. Offensive linemen have no stats and you only hear their name when they commit a holding penalty. According to Profootballreference.com Munoz is a hall of famer, 11 time pro bowler and 9 time first team all pro football player. No all time list of the best NFL players is complete without Anthony Munoz on it.

4 Lawrence Taylor- New York Giants

Lawrence Taylor dominated the NFL like no defensive player before him. He changed game plans for offenses and caused a few ulcers for coaches and players. Taylor was just a beast of a sack master and I feel he is the best linebacker of all time. Try to forget his off the field issues and remember how great Lawrence Taylor was for the New York Giants.

5 Sammy Baugh- Washington Redskins

Joe Montana is the best quarterback to ever play but Sammy Baugh was the better football player. Sammy Baugh passed for over 20,000 yards when the NFL was a run first league and a pass was what you made at a pretty girl. Sammy Baugh also averaged over 45 yards per punt, however that was inflated a bit by quick kicks. Sammy Baugh played both ways and intercepted 31 passes on defense making him one of the top 5 pro football players ever.

Sources

The best running backs ever

The Top Ten Quarterbacks ever

Sammy Baugh's stats from profootballreference.com