Fansided

Ranking the 30 Best NFL QB-WR duos in the modern era

By Brad Weiss

ANAHEIM, CA - CIRCA 1991:Joe Montana (16) of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jerry Rice (80) on his TD catch against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1991 in Anaheim,California on November 25th 1991. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - CIRCA 1991:Joe Montana (16) of the San Francisco 49ers congratulates Jerry Rice (80) on his TD catch against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium circa 1991 in Anaheim,California on November 25th 1991. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
24 of 30
Next
SAN DIEGO, CA-CIRCA 1991: Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins confers with Mark Clayton in a game against the San Diego Chargers at Jack Murphy Stadium circa 1991 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA-CIRCA 1991: Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins confers with Mark Clayton in a game against the San Diego Chargers at Jack Murphy Stadium circa 1991 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images) /

30 Best NFL QB-WR duos in the modern era

No. 7: Dan Marino and Mark Clayton

The 1983 NFL Draft brought the Miami Dolphins the best player in the history of their franchise, as Dan Marino fell to them towards the bottom of the first round. Marino would go to have a Hall of Fame career in Miami, leading them to a Super Bowl berth, while setting numerous NFL records along the way.

Also drafted in that 1983 NFL Draft, although in the eighth round, was a little-known wide receiver named Mark Clayton. However, it did not take long for Clayton to become a star in the NFL, becoming one half of the “Marks Brothers,” two elite wide receivers that hauled in hundreds of passes from Marino across a decade.

The other half of the Mark Brothers, Mark Duper, also could have landed on this list, but it was Clayton who was more prolific in this Dolphins offense. Clayton racked up 550 catches for 8,643 yards during his time with Marino, while also hauling in 82 touchdowns, more than plenty of wide receivers who are currently in the Hall of Fame.

Incredibly, this elite offensive group never won a Super Bowl, though, at times, they seemed downright unstoppable. Marino is one of the elite signal-callers in NFL history, but he would not have been without Clayton and Duper on the receiving end of his passes.

Home/NFL