Shout out to TM3D1GLAZER for the idea!
This is a hard one to do and took me a while to sort out and I still iffy on the order of my list. I also noticed while making the list that I am biased towards the guys I did not watch live than the ones I tune in to watch week in and week out as the rules and ability to hit or get hit impressed me the most being able to get back up from it and the lack of players getting injured compared to what we are seeing now. So here they are...
Honorable Mention
Reggie White, Jim Brown, Steve Young, Eli Manning, Patrick Mahomes, any Tight Ends (Gronk, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Ozzie Newsome especially), Ed Reed, Kurt Warner, Randy Moss, Deion Sanders, John Elway, O.J. Simpson (guys, relax!), and Tua Tagovailoa
Number 10: Dan Marino
Dan the Man. Probably the best QB to never win the Super Bowl, maybe best player ever to not. This is the man that got my dad into being a Dolphins fan, and this is the man I began to miss not suiting up for us even though I was born years after he retired. Even though he could be number 1, I have nine other guys I feel like were better than Marino.
Number 9: Emmitt Smith
One of my earliest memories of Emmitt Smith was when I got involved in a Greatest RB of All Time between him and Barry Sanders... And I never watched either of them or ever heard of either two. I bluffed and said Emmitt cause I said his athletism was crazy but lied cause I liked his name better than Barry Sanders at the time. Turns out Emmitt Smith was Troy Aikman's RB and he was pretty good. The best way to describe him comparing him to current players is Derrick Henry's ability to run over people with the height of Tyreek Hill.
Number 8: Walter Payton
I may be wrong about Emmitt being the best RB of all time. There is a good case to make that Payton is the reason RB's are being used in more than just the run game as he popularized the running back catching the ball instead of just carrying. The man walked so McCaffrey can run. I really like Payton and just feel like he was ahead of his time and just impressed to see a RB doing what he did in the 70's and 80's.
Number 5, 6, and 7: Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning
Have to lump these three together. This would be my top three QB's of all time in this particular order with Marino at 4 and maybe Steve Young at 5. I got to watch Manning play on TV and watch him win his final super bowl. I got to watch Brady play and win multiple super bowls. I did not watch Montana play live, but I believe he is better than the other two. His ability to stay calm and collected under pressure set the standard held today to lead comebacks when trailing. I also kinda like perfection and Montana holds a perfect 4-0 Super Bowl record. Brady comes in at the second QB spot purely on his pocket presence and his Super Bowl wins. Peyton Manning sits at the bottom of this list just because he simply can't outdo the other two.
Number 4: Barry Sanders
Turns out I have flipped sides faster than LeBron flipping teammates. A four time rushing leader and the 1997 MVP is impressive, but then look at who his Offensive Line were, look at who his coach was, and look at the team and success around him and you would be surprised he lasted ten years at one team. He was able to rack up over 15,000 rushing yards in a short period of time and would had become the rushing leader had he played a year or two longer. If that was the case, Emmitt Smith would had played longer just to try to beat Sanders' record. I don't believe there will ever be any other RB that can amount to the success Barry Sanders did than Barry Sanders himself.
Number 3: Ray Lewis
One of the most fiercest defensive players ever and there will never be another player like Ray Lewis. One of the most do it all guys you will ever see. One minute he is stopping a running back, next minute he sacks the QB six yard, the next he picks him off and runs for 60+ yards to the end zone and is ready to do it all over again.
Number 2: Jerry Rice
If anyone wants to argue any WR better than Jerry Rice, I don't believe they have ever watched film. Back in the 80's 1,000 yard receivers were rare. Even more rare than an authentic apology video on YouTube. The fact that he had 1,000 each season for 11 straight seasons (12 of the 13 year span of 1986-1998) is remarkable.
Number 1: Lawrence Taylor
A Linebacker is my best NFL player ever. Of All Time. An unstoppable force who was able to tear teams apart. This may be the only person who can party all week, never show up to practice, and play 10× better than anyone who steps foot. If this wasn't so well known and well documented, no one would had believed me if I would had said that. I do not support any of his behaviors or lifestyle, but I do not see anything on the field to say he is not the best player ever. Fun fact: he also tackled a guy so bad that he literally snapped his leg. YouTube Joe Thiesmann and you would find that video immediately and they will replay it over and over and over and over again until it is stuck in your brain and is the only conversation starter you can think of to say at the dinner table.
There you go! There is my list! Comment down below your thoughts!