Most sports fans have done it. You start talking about great athletes with some friends, or get a debate going in a group chat, and before you know it things have devolved into the making of a hypothetical super team, either in the respective league’s history or comprised of currently active players. Sometimes it’s a collective effort, bartering over different roster spots to ensure everybody’s most adamant opinions are represented. Other times separate lists are made and stacked up against one another, and contentions are raised over each and every difference in the rosters. Others are done via a draft format. I’ve certainly done it, many times, with many different friends and with a variety of sports, making sure to plant my very opinionated flag as to which players are the best at each position.
The problem, though, particularly with all-time teams, is that the best players aren’t always the pieces who fit best together. Roster construction in all sports is like putting together a puzzle, but most noticeably in football, where the game played by Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski is barely discernible as the same game played by Jahmyr Gibbs and Micah Parsons. Furthermore, simply ranking the best players and throwing them together on a fictional roster fails to account for the schematic wrinkles and necessity of varied skill sets in a sport as complex and malleable as football. Deep threats at wide receiver are exciting, but when you build a whole room of them, you’ll have some trouble facing off against a defense that simply won’t allow themselves to be beaten over the top. You run into problems defensively if you load your front exclusively with elite pass-rushers whose performance in the run game might leave something to be desired.
In the spirit of trying to make an all-time team suited to win games rather than merely reflect player rankings, I’ve made the roster below, with a loose depth chart. Obviously the players included are all in the Hall of Fame or are going to be once they’re eligible, so it’s not like I wasn’t still picking from a pool of the greatest players the game has ever seen. (Two of these players, in fact, were inducted just last month.) But I made it a point to focus more on the combination of skill sets and body types than getting a list of players ranked in a proper order. As a result, many players who are among the greatest of all time at their respective positions have been omitted in favor of those who offered something specific to the makeup of the team, even if a Top 10 or Top 20 list might rank the player on the roster lower than some who were left off of it. A good hundred players or more got serious consideration for the squad, but like the actual NFL teams did over the weekend in preparation for the upcoming season, I had to trim it to 53.
Knowing full well that if 100 people did this exercise, we would get 100 different combinations, my purpose here isn’t simply to present the information, but to defend the reasoning behind my decisions. However, particularly for the first real article on this site, a piece of that length is something I’m not inclined to write and something I doubt others are inclined to read. This will be plenty long already. As such, I’m going to defend those choices that actually need defending. I don’t believe I need to explain why Tom Brady is my starting quarterback, why Lawrence Taylor is one of my starting edge defenders, or why Ray Guy, the only full-time punter in the Hall of Fame, got tabbed for the job on this team. But knowing that other decisions will lend themselves to greater debate, I’ve decided to address any choices that may lead to controversy, question, or objection. Without further ado:
(Starters listed first in bold. Backups not necessarily in exact depth chart order, due to varying personnel situations.)
Quarterbacks
Tom Brady
Patrick Mahomes
Aaron Rodgers
Running Backs
Jim Brown
Barry Sanders
LaDainian Tomlinson
Gale Sayers
Wide Receivers
Jerry Rice
Calvin Johnson
Randy Moss
Larry Fitzgerald
Terrell Owens
Lance Alworth
Tight Ends
Rob Gronkowski
Tony Gonzalez
Travis Kelce
Shannon Sharpe
Offensive Line
Anthony Munoz
Larry Allen
Jim Otto
John Hannah
Jonathan Ogden
Willie Roaf
Gene Upshaw
Will Shields
Bruce Matthews
Defensive Line/Edge Defenders
Reggie White
Joe Greene
Aaron Donald
Lawrence Taylor
Deacon Jones
Warren Sapp
Bob Lilly
Bruce Smith
Myles Garrett
JJ Watt
Linebackers
Dick Butkus
Ray Lewis
Derrick Brooks
Chuck Bednarik
Jack Ham
Defensive Backs
Deion Sanders
Dick Lane
Ed Reed
Ronnie Lott
Charles Woodson
Rod Woodson
Mike Haynes
Darelle Revis
Emlen Tunnell
Brian Dawkins
Specialists
Adam Vinatieri
Ray Guy
Backup QBs – Some would likely say it’s too early to anoint Mahomes as the second-greatest quarterback of all-time, but I disagree. While I tried not to dabble in projections for the handful of current players included on this team, his resume and the trajectory thereof are unimpeachable, even coming off a lost season in 2025. His unique style of play sets him apart, and leading his team to the Super Bowl five times in a six-year span is something even Brady never quite did. Barring a drop-off so steep as to actually diminish his existing accomplishments, he should retire a decade or so from now with the collective stats, awards, and championships to remain the most serious challenger for Brady’s GOAT status.
The biggest knock on Rodgers is his relative lack of championships, turning in only one for his career unless the Steelers pull off a feat this year far more stunning than the Seahawks winning the title last season. However, I’m firmly of the belief that if he’d spent his prime years with a head coach on par with Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, and Bill Walsh, he would have the same sort of championship pedigree as Brady, Mahomes, and Joe Montana. This argument, of course, could also be applied in favor of Peyton Manning or Dan Marino, who were also considered for this last QB spot. I chose Rodgers to err in favor of his mobility, as well as to account for the truly rare throws he’s made over the years which have caused his fellow legends at the position to marvel.
RB Room – This may be surprising to some given the way many modern fans downplay his greatness, but Jim Brown as my starter was actually one of the easier decisions I had to make during this exercise. To this day, he’s still the most physically dominant running back the game has ever seen. Barry Sanders is not far behind, hence his inclusion, which follows more popular sentiments. An important caveat to this discussion: despite technically being a “fullback,” Brown was the feature back in Cleveland for the entirety of his career, and would be my most featured back on this team. But at 6’2″ 235, he could certainly play fullback the way the position looks today, and would when necessary in this hypothetical. (I wouldn’t want to be the defender trying to guess which of Jim Brown or Barry Sanders is getting the handoff.)
I imagine Tomlinson’s inclusion is a surprise to many. It was important to have at least one back who’s truly proven as a dynamic receiver, and he was the choice. Admittedly, it was close between Tomlinson and Marshall Faulk, with Christian McCaffrey beginning to factor into the discussion as well, and I can’t blame anyone who would choose one of those instead. It’s a close call, but Tomlinson’s ability in his prime to be an entire offense all by himself is something we’ve seldom seen.
Plenty of other great backs earned consideration for the last spot, including the likes of Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Earl Campbell, and Eric Dickerson. Ultimately, the narrow decision to put Sayers on the team came down to his prowess in the return game. Once again, the big distinction in my version of this exercise is roster-building practices that are as realistic as possible, at least for something that would require a time machine to achieve.
WR Roles – Running as much 11 personnel as we see today is unlikely with a team that includes players who are experts in running schemes the pro game hasn’t seen in decades, but it still plays into how I would order this depth chart (and how my officially listed starters are presented). In 11, I would play Johnson and Moss as my X and Z receivers, with Rice in the slot where his skill set can be utilized to the greatest effect. When playing with fewer wideouts, I have no plans to take Rice off the field; in these scenarios, he would play one outside receiver spot while Johnson and Moss alternate as needed at the other one.
The pick that I assume will surprise the most people here is Alworth. His inclusion comes from an effort to maintain parallel skill sets. While any receiver on this team is obviously an all-time great who can do everything at an elite level, everyone has clearly defined strengths to their game. Fitzgerald mirrors Rice in his ability to keep the sticks moving no matter what, not to mention routinely turning modest gains into explosive plays. Owens gives you another bigger receiver who can win at the catch point with regularity, like Johnson can. And Alworth provides a second deep threat. Several others were considered for that deep role, and it likely would belong to Tyreek Hill had he been a bit healthier and more productive over the last couple years. But Alworth ultimately got the nod.
TE Options – I think my tight end choices across the board are generally fairly easy to defend, unlike the players themselves. Any debate over other options is mostly just a matter of splitting hairs, as Antonio Gates and John Mackey were equally deserving candidates to those chosen. The most glaring aspect of this position group is the seeming recency bias, as opposed to other groups on the team. But the fact of the matter is, tight ends have only begun to be valued as highly for their receiving as their blocking over the last 30 years, and there’s no need to sacrifice one aspect of the offense when you can have both. I did make it a point, though, to get players here who win in different ways than each other, which I think I achieved.
OL Omissions – There are two roster decisions on the offensive line I expect to be the most controversial. The first is Bruce Matthews as a backup tackle. Matthews was excellent at the position, but maybe not as dominant as the likes of Orlando Pace, Forrest Gregg, or Joe Thomas, who all had to regrettably be left off the team. As I’ve mentioned previously, I want this to simulate the building of a real team, and real teams have long snappers, a position at which Matthews is often considered the greatest of all-time. It only makes sense to get an elite long snapper who can also provide quality depth at another position, rather than using a full roster spot on that position alone. I imagine the Houston Oilers would agree.
The second is listing only nine offensive linemen, thus going two-deep at every position except center. That’s because my backup center is also a backup/situational linebacker, and that’s where I have him listed on the roster. Chuck Bednarik was truly one of the greats in an era when many played on both sides of the ball, and I’d be a fool not to take advantage of his versatility.
One other note: I’m aware that Jonathan Ogden was a career left tackle and I’m playing him at right tackle. Most players of that caliber are plenty capable of playing either side with equal proficiency, provided any real amount of time to practice. The best tackles have just historically played on the left side by default. However, if any issues were to arise from one of these legends playing out of position, both Matthews and Larry Allen proved over their careers that they could step in anywhere on the offensive line and simply dominate. So the bases are all covered.
Deacon Jones – The entire edge defender section of this article bears the name of one man because when I discuss this with people, he’s the starter whose inclusion receives the most resistance. Consequently, it’s the one of the opinions for which I’m most willing to stand on the proverbial table and make a wholehearted, unyielding defense.
Simply put, Deacon Jones is one of the most dominant defensive players the NFL has ever seen. Lawrence Taylor still takes the cake, but the margin between the two is closer than some might think. Getting 173.5 sacks (unoficially), currently good for third all-time, during an era when running was still the name of the game is no small feat. Between his aggressive style of play that abused offensive linemen and the absolute necessity of double-teaming him whenever possible, he’s perhaps the most demanding player to block in pro football history. With a build almost identical to that of Myles Garrett, now a fellow Ram and a hypothetical teammate for the purposes of this article, there’s no doubt he would fit spectacularly into today’s NFL.
Garrett, I realize, is another pick here that some might question, once again bringing up dreaded accusations of recency bias. However, physical freaks never go out of style, hence the presence of JJ Watt in this room as well. And he’s a physical freak without a doubt. He’s dominant to a degree we’ve only seen with so many players. Additionally, aberration or not, last year’s record-setting performance has put him more firmly into rarified air as far as career sack totals are concerned. 14 sacks this year (his career per-season average) would put him at 139.5. Every player who’s reached that total already has a bust in Canton. Five years averaging 15 sacks per year (16 is his 17-game average currently) would give him the all-time record by half a sack. He would turn 36 in the final weeks of that hypothetical 5th season, so it’s not as if this is the likeliest scenario, but the potential for an assault on Bruce Smith’s all-time record is more realistic than it’s been at any point in the 23 years since said record was established. (For what it’s worth: Smith played until his age-40 season. If Garrett, who has had double-digit sacks in all but his rookie year, does the same, he would only have to average 7.5 sacks per year.) Regardless of whether he beats that record or not, his rare ability to beat blockers through sheer size and explosion have put him into a place where he has to be at least considered for a spot on this roster. Once again, I looked to avoid overemphasizing projections when dealing with current players, but it’s hard to imagine him doing anything over the remaining 2-3 seasons of his prime other than solidifying his place on this team. So I’ve decided to pull the trigger and put him on it now.
I feel inclined to add context about how I view Watt and why he was a must for my team. His role would be as the utility pass-rusher. Over the course of his career, he was primarily known for his exploits as an edge defender, both in odd and even fronts, operating frequently out of both 2-point and 3-point stances. But he also spent considerable time working from the interior (again, in multiple fronts) and even from a more traditional linebacker position. He’s a movable chess piece in the front 7, and that’s why I would intend to deploy him as a utility pass-rusher.
No Nose Tackle – Some more keen observers reading this may have noticed that there isn’t a true nose tackle on this roster, despite ostensible efforts to play with a 3-4 defensive look. While that is essentially how I have the “starters” listed, the full breadth of offensive schemes this team is liable to face makes it essential to be able to switch between various fronts and personnel packages with relative ease. So the five defensive line/edge players I have listed are ultimately those 11 players most likely to accrue the most snaps in any given game, regardless of how often they may or may not be the 11 on the field together. I wouldn’t plan on playing Joe Greene (275 pounds) at nose for any extended period of time, though it bears mentioning that for this hypothetical time machine scenario, you would have to allow 20th Century players a little bit of time to bulk up with the training and dietary resources of their 21st Century counterparts. When lined up in a true 3-4, Warren Sapp – who I realize also didn’t play an overwhelming amount of nose tackle – could ably fill that role, even more so with the elite players around him. While a bit slight at “only” 303 pounds compared to great career nose tackles like Vince Wilfork and Casey Hampton (both 325), I have little doubt in his ability to draw double-teams, plug A-gaps, and collapse the pocket. And that’s precisely what I would ask of him.
The other player whose position is technically a bit of a projection is Reggie White, who I have officially listed at 3-4 defensive end although he didn’t actually play there. But as a 4-3 defensive end with some experience playing on the interior early in his career, I believe he has the right combination of skills to succeed as a 3-4 end. This is particularly true on a roster with this sort of exaggerated talent, which would allow him the freedom to pin his ears back and rush the passer more than a typical 3-4 end would be schematically empowered to do. In the interest of discussing the aforementioned personnel and alignment options, White can move to the edge at any given time as a highly proven commodity, especially in 4-3. Given Lawrence Taylor’s excellence as a traditional linebacker, which is understandably forgotten given his accomplishments as a pass rusher, the 11 listed starters can play together comfortably in 4-3 whenever needed.
Bob Lilly earned the last spot in this group thanks to his length and technical refinement, which make him well-suited for any variety of schematic adjustments that could be needed. It was a close call, though, as the likes of Alan Page, Merlin Olsen, and real-life teammate Randy White all had similarly compelling cases.
Butkus, Brooks, & Bednarik – While both Dick Butkus and Ray Lewis would be starters on this team and play a comparable number of snaps per game, I should defend my decision to make Butkus my #1 linebacker, and by default my Mike backer. This is another opinion that tends to ruffle a lot of feathers whenever I express it. Dick Butkus played the linebacker position and the game of football the way they were meant to be played. Watching his highlights can make you instantaneously feel the chill of an autumn breeze, smell the aromas of a stadium on game day, and perhaps hear the militant tunes of the NFL Films soundtracks ringing in your ears. Along with hitting his opponents about as hard as anyone ever has, he excelled in every role asked of a linebacker even before the game progressed to demand so much more of them. He was ready to do whatever it took, and that indomitable intensity paired with an equally relentless football IQ is what made him one of the greats. None of this is said, by the way, as a slight to Lewis, whose excellence at the position has never been in question. He’s the best the game has seen… since Butkus.
Brooks’s role on this team would be as the primary coverage linebacker, a role that was obviously most likely to go to a player who played the bulk of his career in the 21st Century. Bobby Wagner and newly-inducted Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly both had strong cases to take this spot, and current star Fred Warner is well on his way to being in the running as well. But ultimately, when a historically good defense is built intentionally around your ability to cover anybody, that moves the needle for getting this sort of distinction.
The aforementioned Bednarik has the exact opposite role in this room. Along with being a miraculously good two-way player (multi-time All-Pro at both center and linebacker) who allows me to add depth to the secondary with the extra roster spot his versatility creates, he was the league’s best linebacker in an era that was still dominated by the run game. Most commonly, he would have seen single and double wing offenses, as well as the prevalent T formation, which employed three running backs at a time and muddied up Jim Brown’s positional designation in the process. He was an expert at fitting the run versus all styles of running back and schematic concept, which makes him a natural choice to play in obvious running situations and against more run-heavy teams.
Jack Ham was the winner of a tight race with fellow Steel Curtain linebacker Jack Lambert and the legendary Mike Singletary for this final spot. Ultimately, his renowned leadership and peerless propensity for forcing turnovers became the deciding factors.
All Eras Covered – The defensive backfield is the position group where I ended up being the most aggressive with including historical players. Because of increased emphasis on the passing game in recent decades, today’s defensive backs get far more hype and some of the greatest to ever play the game are relegated by the masses to forgotten sections in the annals of history. While three of my four listed starters are relatively predictable picks, and might even be chosen for these same spots if my roster and depth chart decisions were put up for a vote, Dick “Night Train” Lane is underrated despite 68 career interceptions, good for 4th all-time. Naturally, the knock on a statistic like that one is that quarterbacks threw a much higher proportion of interceptions back in his era. While that’s true, it’s a double-edged sword because quarterbacks also didn’t throw the ball as often. So attempts were less ample even if passes were less precise. His interceptions didn’t come from poor quarterback play as much as they did from brilliant timing in anticipating routes and ball trajectories. With the same elite skill from Sanders on the other side and from Reed at his free safety position, it’s a deadly proposition to throw the ball downfield against this crew. Unlike Sanders, however, Lane’s dominance was also a product of intense and sometimes controversial physicality. The two approaches would be rather effective in balancing one another out.
While the nickel is a starter for most teams today, it hasn’t always been that way, and in fact it hasn’t always even been an existing position. Charles Woodson, while listed as a backup, would be my “starting” nickel and would play a substantial number of snaps in each game. Non-relative Rod Woodson would be his de facto backup at that spot, as well as being the dime back. The two Woodsons, who each played plenty of time at cornerback and safety throughout their careers, would share the utility DB role, with Charles likely playing a little bit more cornerback and Rod playing a little bit more safety. Similarly to Watt up front, these guys can go anywhere. Outside corner, slot, deep safety, box safety. Man, zone, or blitzing. They can do it all.
Mike Haynes is another corner tragically forgotten by many as the decades have passed. Gifted with the same talent as Sanders and Lane for the timing to disrupt routes at the catch point, he was also a dominant press corner who could jam the best receivers at the line of scrimmage. The combination of athleticism and technical soundness that he possessed make him an all-timer, whether he gets his proper recognition 40 years later or not. While Sanders was the most obvious choice for a starting position, Haynes and Revis both warranted serious consideration for Lane’s spot, and I would plan to deploy all three of them liberally.
I assume everyone reading this is rather familiar with Brian Dawkins and understands his inclusion. Although he spent his career predominantly as a free safety with impressive range over the middle, he was also the last guy you wanted to meet in the open field, and garnered 39 career forced fumbles as a result. Emlen Tunnell, though, with similar range and tackling ability to Dawkins on the back end, is not as widely recognized all these decades after the fact. This is true even with 79 career interceptions, only two behind all-time leader Paul Krause, who narrowly missed the cut for this roster. Tunnell, though, like Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio in baseball, gave multiple years of his esteemed career to the US Armed Forces, and was a war hero in the South Pacific in World War II. Had he enjoyed the normal experience of playing his collegiate years straight through and then going into the NFL uninterrupted, he would undoubtedly still hold the all-time record and might even be the only player to have reached 100 career picks. The baseball player to whom he can be even more aptly compared, though, is Jackie Robinson, as Tunnell was the first black player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That’s a distinction which makes his inclusion on a team such as this even more meaningful.
Truly Special Teams – While I’ve emphasized realism enough to ensure I had a proper long snapper on the roster, I won’t go as far as to make a full depth chart for every special teams unit, comprised of these players. Suffice it to say, however, while few of these players were asked to play non-premium special teams positions in their careers, I have no doubt the collective athletic profiles and work ethics on this roster could easily make for high-quality gunners, shields, up-backs, and every other role that needs filling on the various units in this phase of the game. As for the starters at the higher-profile positions, Adam Vinatieri and Ray Guy are decided by default, and I’ve already acknowledged Matthews as my long snapper and Sayers as my kick returner. My punt returner, unsurprisingly to many I’m sure, is Deion Sanders. Most of these choices need little explanation. If there’s one that does, it would be Vinatieri. His career field goal percentage may be a little bit further down the all-time list, though some of that can be attributed to a rough final season at 47 years old with a head of gray hair. But half of the men presently ahead of him in career percentage are kicking currently. Right now, we’re in the easiest era we’ve ever seen to be a kicker, not to mention none of those men have had their own late-career catastrophe of a season yet. Being the all-time leader in field goals made doesn’t hurt his case, although that’s not the deciding barometer I employed here. You expect a good kicker to make most of his kicks, and his 83.8% rate satisfies that requirement. But you also want, and honestly need, a guy who will make them when you need it the most. Now, when you think of clutch kicks in big moments, what kicker comes to your mind? I’m guessing many of you thought of the same guy I did. You want a kicker who comes through for you when it matters, and Vinatieri did that.
I feel strongly about the players I’ve selected for this team and the work that has gone into making it. I’m sure many of you feel just as strongly about some of these players and about others you feel may have been snubbed. I always strive for professional conduct in debates such as these, and simply ask for the same in return should you choose to leave a comment (which I welcome) with your own opinion on which direction a certain choice should have gone. Thank you for reading.
