Ranking Stuff Week: Do Vikings have best WR and RB Mt. Rushmores?
Welcome back to Ranking Stuff Week, where we are ranking stuff all week. Today, we look deeper at the Vikings’ all-time receivers and running back lists and how they stack up against the rest of the NFL’s best four.
Off we go…
Wide receivers
1. Minnesota Vikings
Mount Rushmore: Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen (or Stefon Diggs/Anthony Carter/Jake Reed/Sammy White)
Key stat: Randy Moss and Cris Carter both rank in the top five all-time in touchdowns
If the only two outstanding receivers in Vikings history were Randy Moss and Cris Carter, the Vikings would still rank toward the top of this list but there’s also no other team with the type of depth the Vikings have either. Jefferson may only be three years into his career but his production is so prolific that he’s already deserving of a spot. The debate between Thielen and the rest of the Vikings’ receivers is pretty tough to settle. The Minneapolis Miracle man, Carter’s ‘87 playoff run, Reed’s four straight 1,000-yard seasons and White being the centerpiece of the late 70s and early 80s. It’s an unmatchable group.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mount Rushmore: John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Hines Ward, Antonio Brown
Key stat: Stallworth and Swann both averaged more than 18 yards per catch in the playoffs
The original Moss-Carter took Terry Bradshaw to the Hall of Fame on the back of absurd downfield catches in the biggest moments. While their career totals aren’t as impressive as modern players, if we adjust for era they were as dominant as it comes. Both ranked in the top 20 receiving yards in the span of Swann’s career from ‘74-’82 and they were No. 3 and 4 in playoff yards during that span. What the Steelers may ultimately have on the Vikings is four Hall of Famers. Ward has an argument to belong with 1,000 career receptions and Brown should be a lock unless the committee punishes his late-career behavior.
3. San Francisco 49ers
Mount Rushmore: Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Dwight Clark, Gene Washington (or John Taylor)
Key stat: Rice has over 5,000 yards more than the next best receiver ever in receiving yards
There is an argument to give the 49ers the No. 1 spot based solely on the fact that they have Rice. He owns every receiving record known to man, leading the NFL in receiving six times during his prime and then topping 1,000 yards three times after age 36. There are players deserving of Mount Rushmore treatment that didn’t play 10 years total and Rice has 10 All-Pros. All of his records overshadow the greatness of Terrell Owens, who did play with other teams but made four of his six Pro Bowls in San Francisco. Clark was more than one moment with 6,750 career yards, though that one moment was an all-timer and Gene Washington was a two-time All-Pro as a pure deep threat.
4. Washington Commanders
Mount Rushmore: Art Monk, Charley Taylor, Gary Clark, Bobby Mitchell (or Santana Moss)
Key Stat: In 1991, Monk and Clark combined for 2,389 yards and 18 touchdowns en route to the Super Bowl
Three of the four Washington receivers are in the Hall of Fame and the only one who isn’t, Gary Clark, had more career receiving yards than Keyshawn Johnson, AJ Green and Donald Driver. Monk set the all-time receptions record for a single season in 1984 and the only receivers with more career yards that started in the NFL before him are James Lofton and Steve Largent. Taylor was a premier receiver of his time (‘64-’77) making the Pro Bowl eight times. The tough call here is Mitchell because he is a Hall of Famer but spent the early part of his career as a running back. Santana Moss might be deserving. He is 48th all-time in receiving yards and underrated because his teams were mediocre.
5. Indianapolis Colts
Mount Rushmore: Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Raymond Berry, TY Hilton
Key stat: Harrison had eight straight 1,000-yard seasons and Wayne had seven
Quick trivia: If someone asked you to rank the top five receivers in yards over the last 10 years, who would you guess? I can’t imagine many would have TY Hilton on the list but he ranks fifth since 2012 and he’s easily fourth on this list. Harrison and Wayne are ninth and 10th all-time, respectively and Berry was a six-time Pro Bowler and Johnny Unitas’s go-to guy in the 50s and 60s.
Honorable mention
Los Angeles Rams
Mount Rushmore: Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, Henry Ellard, Cooper Kupp
The Greatest Show on Turf certainly makes is case here, though the Rams’ receivers don’t quite have the hardware to match the other clubs’ histories. Shoutout to Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard game though.
Running backs
1. Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans
Mount Rushmore: Eddie George, Earl Campbell, Derrick Henry, Chris Johnson
Key stat: All four are top-50 all-time backs in rushing yards
The Oilers/Titans history has some of the greatest peak seasons since we decided a man handing a pigskin to another man was cool. Henry and Johnson both hit 2,000 yards in a single season and Campbell won MVP and then finished second in MVP running the following year when he came within 66 yards of hitting 2,000. George finished as high as third in MVP voting when he ran the ball 403 times in 2000 and Henry has been the best RB in the NFL for years.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Mount Rushmore: Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett, Ezekiel Elliott, Don Perkins
Key stat: The only player with more touchdowns in NFL history than Emmitt Smith is Jerry Rice
As with the 49ers and Rice, the Cowboys get extra points for having the best statistical running back in history. The longevity of both Smith and Dorsett is incredible considering their position. Dorsett had eight 1,000-yard seasons (and would have had nine if not for the shortened 1982 season). Elliott did not have a lengthy career but was a premier player at his best, garnering the third most MVP votes in 2016 and clearing 2,000 yards from scrimmage in 2018. Perkins isn’t just an old name tacked onto the list. He made the Pro Bowl six times in the 60s.
3. Cleveland Browns
Mount Rushmore: Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Greg Pruitt, Nick Chubb
Key stat: Jim Brown played nine seasons and led the NFL in rushing eight times
When Brown retired, it wouldn’t have been a hot take to call him the greatest football player to ever step on a field. The crazy thing is that Leroy Kelly followed up that act by making the Pro Bowl six times and ranking in the top five in MVP voting for three straight seasons. Pruitt was a very good all-around back who made the Pro Bowl four times and topped out with as many as 65 receptions and Chubb is one big season away from pushing for the top 50 ever in rushing yards.
4. Los Angeles Rams
Mount Rushmore: Marshall Faulk, Eric Dickerson, Steven Jackson, Lawrence McCutchen
Key stat: Faulk had four straight seasons of 1,300-plus yards and 80-plus receptions
In the GOAT conversation, Faulk certainly makes a strong argument. He’s eighth all-time in all-purpose yards (sixth if you remove returners) and was the heart and soul of the Greatest Show on Turf. Dickerson is a Hall of Famer who still holds the NFL rushing record and Steven Jackson, believe it or not, is 18th all-time in rushing yards. McCutchen was also a five-time Pro Bowler and ranks 75th all-time in rushing yards.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
Mount Rushmore: Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, Le’Veon Bell
Key stat: Franco Harris had nine 1,000-yard seasons and carried the ball 400 more times for 1,556 yards in the playoffs alone
Sporting two of the top 15 in rushing yards ever, the Steelers are impossible to keep off the list. While they never had the peaks of players like Marshall Faulk or Jim Brown, longevity counts for something with these two beastly backs. Parker and Bell are products of the times. They were fantastic for a few seasons and then burned out quickly but still made their mark with Parker playing a key role on two Super Bowl teams and Bell clearing 2,200 all-purpose yards in 2014.
Honorable mention
Minnesota Vikings
Mount Rushmore: Adrian Peterson, Chuck Foreman, Dalvin Cook, Robert Smith
The Vikings are very, very close to belonging on this list. Peterson is fifth all-time in rushing yards and has the 2,000-plus yard season to his name and Foreman was an ahead-of-his-time receiving back who played a massive role in the Vikings’ success in their heyday. But Cook and Smith only rank 99th and 70th all-time in rushing yards and neither player led the NFL any category during their careers in purple, which isn’t quite enough to challenge the accomplishments of the others.
