Top 30 NFL players of the 1990

Top 30 NFL players of the 1990s

DENVER, UNITED STATES: Denver Brocos running back Terrell Davis (30) makes a 12 yard carry late in the second quarter during game action 24 September, 2000 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. AFP PHOTO/ MARK LEFFINGWELL (Photo credit should read MARK LEFFINGWELL/AFP via Getty Images) /

30 of 30

Barry Sanders, (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images) /

1. Barry Sanders

You would be hard pressed to find a player that was more fun to watch in his prime than Barry Sanders. It’s no secret that outside of the Hall of Fame running back, the Lions didn’t have any other firepower. In Sanders’ nine seasons in Detroit, the team had six different quarterbacks lead the team in passing yards.

The fact that he dragged them to the playoffs on multiple occasions is worthy of being No. 1 on this list in its own right, because that alone showed how special Sanders was. It didn’t matter if it was Dave Krieg, Scott Mitchell, or Rodney Peete taking snaps- if Sanders was running well, Detroit always had a chance.

The legendary Lions running back from Oklahoma State is a 1990s first-team All-Decade team member. He helped lead Detroit to the playoffs on five occasions, including a berth in the 1991 NFC Championship Game. He led all players in rushing yards from 1990-99 with 13,799, and did so on his way to being selected to six All-Pro teams, and winning the 1997 NFL MVP. He retired abruptly at the age of 30, and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

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