Daniel Shirey/CFA-pr via USA TODAY Sports
12. Sterling Sharpe, Wide Receiver, 1988-1994
Sterling Sharpe was, arguably, the best wide receiver in the NFL at the time of his career-ending neck injury. Had he not gotten injured, I truly believe that he would be regarded as one of the top three wide receivers in NFL history. The five-time Pro Bowler and three-time First-Team All-Pro selection ins’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, because of the relatively small sample size of his career, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to be.
At the time of his retirement Sharpe was a more dynamic player than Jerry Rice. Yeah, I just said that. From 1992-1994 (in 48 games) Rice caught an incredible 38 touchdowns; in that same time span Sharpe caught 42 touchdown passes. Sharpe is one of the best players in Packers’ history — I rest my case. In just seven seasons he recorded 65 receiving touchdowns (second-most in franchise history) and racked up 8,134 receiving yards (third-most in franchise history).
Had Sharpe continued on his current pace, with Brett Favre as his quarterback, for just five more years he would have caught 135 career touchdowns (which would place him fourth all-time in NFL history). Remember, that would be after just 12 years in the NFL. Rice played in the NFL for 21 seasons in case you were wondering. Not many players have ever dominated the NFL like Sharpe did for a few years and he deserves to be remembered as an all-time great Packer.
Next: A Free Safety