November 10, 2024

Peter King Reveals His All-Time NFL 53-Man Roster Featuring Tom Brady, Deion Sanders

King #King

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The two weeks between the conference title games and the Super Bowl can be difficult from an NFL content perspective. NBC Sports’ Peter King found a time-tested way to spark some conversations.

In his newest column, the longtime writer crafted his all-time 53-man roster.

King noted he only included players who have overlapped with his career, which began in 1984. He also omitted legends whose careers were already at the halfway point when he entered the business.

That explains why heavy hitters from the 1970s and earlier didn’t make the cut.

  • Quarterback: Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes
  • Running back: Barry Sanders, LaDainian Tomlinson, Derrick Henry
  • Fullback: Maurice Carthon
  • Wide Receiver: Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Hines Ward, Tyreek Hill
  • Tight end: Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce
  • Offensive tackle: Anthony Muñoz, Jonathan Ogden, Joe Thomas 
  • Offensive guard: Russ Grimm, Larry Allen, Jahri Evans
  • Center: Jason Kelce
  • Defensive end: Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Michael Strahan 
  • Defensive tackle: John Randle, Aaron Donald, Cortez Kennedy 
  • Hybrid: J.J. Watt 
  • Edge-rusher Von Miller 
  • Outside linebacker: Lawrence Taylor, Derrick Brooks 
  • Inside linebacker: Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, Tedy Bruschi 
  • Cornerback: Deion Sanders, Richard Sherman, Darrell Green 
  • Safety: Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Tyrann Mathieu
  • Kicker: Adam Vinatieri 
  • Punter: Shane Lechler 
  • Specialists: Steve Tasker, Matthew Slater, Reyna Thompson, Brian Mitchell, David Tyree 
  • Returner: Devin Hester
  • James Harrison, linebacker 
  • Chris Hogan, wide receiver 
  • Mark Bavaro, tight end 
  • Christian McCaffrey, running back 
  • Michael Irvin, wide receiver
  • Plenty of the usual suspects are there. Tom Brady, Barry Sanders, Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders are widely considered either the best or one of the best at their respective positions.

    Chris Hogan jumps out as the biggest surprise.

    Hogan was a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots but had an otherwise nondescript career. Across nine seasons, he finished with 220 receptions for 2,836 yards and 19 touchdowns.

    King recounted a past conversation with Brady in which the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback said he “trusted Hogan and [Malcolm] Mitchell to be in precisely the perfect spot.” And the trust was built entirely through Hogan’s effort in practices.

    “That’s football. Great football, anyway,” King said.

    Of course, these sorts of thought experiments always invite discussions over who missed out.

    Calvin Johnson was a somewhat unexpected absence at wide receiver, especially with Hines Ward warranting inclusion. Johnson was by far the superior pass-catcher, but King said Ward was “the best blocking wide receiver I’ve seen” on top of being a dependable wideout.

    Champ Bailey is perhaps the greatest cornerback of his era and didn’t claim one of three spots afforded the position. Bailey was a 12-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, continuing to perform at a high level deep into his 30s.

    Derrick Henry getting in over Terrell Davis and Adrian Peterson, whom King had as his fourth- and fifth-best running backs might spark some debate as well. King justified his case by calling Henry “the most physically dominating back in the game in the last half-century.”

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