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Ranking the top football players of the 1990s, by position.

The Best of the 1990s NFL

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Wide receivers have historically been some of the most dazzling players in all of the NFL. &nbsp;And in the 90s it was no different. The 90s had some of the flashiest wide receivers to ever play the game. When talking about 90s wide receivers, you're also talking about some of the greatest all around football players to ever play. Here is a list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-current-nfl-wide-receiver/ranker-sports?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best wide receivers</a> of the 90s, be sure to vote up your favorites. Who are the greatest WRs of the 90s?When looking at 1990s wide receivers, is Cris Carter your favorite? or is it Marvin Harrison? Is it another player? There are so many great players on this list. Take a look at the top wide receivers of the 1990s and vote up you think most deserves the top spot on this list.Who are the greatest WRs of the 90s, take a look at some of our other NFL lists to see where your favorites land!&nbsp;

1990s NFL Wide Receivers, Ranked by Fans

The Best NFL Wide Receivers of the '90s

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FREEFORM

Jerry Rice

Jerry Lee Rice Sr. (born October 13, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Due to his numerous records, accomplishments, and accolades, he is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver in NFL history.Rice is the career leader in most major statistical categories for wide receivers, including receptions, touchdown receptions, and receiving yards, once being the leader for total yards and touchdowns in a season. He has scored more points than any other non-kicker in NFL history with 1,256. Rice was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times (1986–1996, 1998, 2002) and named All-Pro 12 times in his 20 NFL seasons. He won three Super Bowls with the 49ers and an AFC Championship with the Oakland Raiders. As of 2017, Rice holds over 100 NFL records, the most of any player by a wide margin. In 1999, The Sporting News listed Rice second behind Jim Brown on its list of "Football's 100 Greatest Players". In 2010, he was chosen by NFL Network's NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the greatest player in NFL history. Rice was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Rice was also inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, and in that same year  inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Randy Moss

Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is a television sports analyst and former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record (23 in 2007), the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie (17 in 1998), and is second on the NFL all-time regular season touchdown reception list with 156.  He currently works for ESPN as a studio analyst for their Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown programs.
Moss played college football for Marshall University, and twice earned All-America honors. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft, where he played for seven years before a trade in 2005 brought him to the Oakland Raiders. On April 29, 2007, Moss was traded to the New England Patriots for a fourth-round draft pick, where he set the single-season record for touchdown receptions. On October 6, 2010, Moss returned to the Vikings in a trade from the Patriots, but his second stint in Minnesota was short-lived, and was waived by the team less than a month later, being claimed by the Tennessee Titans. After sitting out the 2011 season, Moss signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2012 season then opted to retire prior to the 2013 season. He played in two Super Bowl games, XLII with the Patriots and XLVII with the 49ers, both losses.
On February 3, 2018, he was selected to join the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Cris Carter

Graduel Christopher Darin Carter (born November 25, 1965) is a former American football player in the National Football League. He was a wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–89), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002). After starting for the Ohio State University Buckeyes, Carter was drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL supplemental draft. While in Philadelphia, head coach Buddy Ryan helped to coin one of ESPN's Chris Berman's famous quotes about Carter: "All he does is catch touchdowns."  He was let go by Ryan in 1989, however, due to off-the-field issues. Carter was signed by the Vikings and turned his life and career around, becoming a two-time first-team and one-time second-team All-Pro and playing in eight consecutive Pro Bowls. When he left the Vikings after 2001, he held most of the team career receiving records. He briefly played for the Dolphins in 2002 before retiring.Since retiring from the NFL, Carter has worked on HBO's Inside the NFL, ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown, and online at Yahoo Sports. He also works as an assistant coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where his son played wide receiver. In 2017, Carter began co-hosting First Things First with Nick Wright on FS1. Carter resides in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the brother of former NBA player and coach Butch Carter.After six years, and five finalist selections, Carter was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 2, 2013.

Michael Irvin

Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is a retired American football player, actor, and sports commentator. Irvin played college football at the University of Miami, then for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) for his entire pro athletic career (1988-1999), which ended due to a spinal cord injury. Irvin was nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his college and pro careers. He is one of three key Cowboys offensive players who helped the team attain three Super Bowl wins:  he is known as one of "The Triplets" along with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. In 2007, he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
He competed in season 9 of Dancing with the Stars in 2009. Irvin was the ninth contestant to be eliminated.

Tim Brown

Timothy Donell Brown (born July 22, 1966) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Notre Dame, where he won the Heisman Trophy, becoming the first wide receiver to win the award. He spent sixteen years with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, during which he established himself as one of the NFL's most prolific wide receivers. Brown has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2015, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Marvin Harrison

Marvin Darnell Harrison (born August 25, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).  He played college football for Syracuse University, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft.  He spent all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Colts, most of them with quarterback Peyton Manning, and is widely considered as one of the greatest and most productive wide receivers in NFL history. He earned a Super Bowl ring with the team in Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears.
Harrison was a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist for the Classes of 2014 and 2015 before being elected in 2016, the same year his former coach Tony Dungy was voted into the Hall.

Sterling Sharpe

Sterling Sharpe (born April 6, 1965) is an American former American Football wide receiver and analyst for the NFL Network. He attended the University of South Carolina, and played from 1988 to 1994 with the Green Bay Packers in a career shortened by injuries.

Terrell Owens

Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), popularly known by his initials, T.O., is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. A six-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time first-team All-Pro, Owens holds or shares several NFL records. He ranks third in career receiving yards at 15,934 and third in receiving touchdowns at 153.
After playing college football and basketball at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Owens was selected in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Owens was a member of the team for seven seasons until he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 following conflict with the 49ers front office. Two years later, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys before being released following three seasons with the team. Owens' NFL career subsequently concluded after one season each with the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. He last played professionally for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League in 2012.
While regarded as one of the best players of his era, Owens created a significant amount of controversy during his professional career and also attracted attention for his flamboyant touchdown celebrations. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.

Andre Reed

Andre Darnell Reed (born January 29, 1964) is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills (1985–1999) and one with the Washington Redskins (2000).  After being eligible for eight years, Reed was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014. Reed is currently a Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA) Ambassador after being inducted to their Hall of Fame in 2015. In addition, he leads up a literacy program for underprivileged youth in the BGCA, called Read with Reed 83 Challenge. 
Reed currently ranks eighteenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951.  At the time of his retirement, Reed was second all-time in career receptions. In 2009, Reed was elected to the Buffalo Bills 50th Season All-Time Team.

Isaac Bruce

Isaac Isidore Bruce (born November 10, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the St.Louis Rams in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Memphis. He is remembered as one of the members of ”The Greatest Show on Turf”.
An All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection, Bruce amassed 15,208 receiving yards in his career (fifth all-time). He played the first 14 years with the Rams and won a Super Bowl ring with the team in Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans. He also played for the San Francisco 49ers. During his time with the Rams, he was the leading wide receiver of “The Greatest Show on Turf”.

Herman Moore

Herman Joseph Moore (born October 20, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons.  He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers.  He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft, and also played for the NFL's New York Giants.

Torry Holt

Torry Jabar Holt (born June 5, 1976) is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons.  He was named to the Pro Bowl seven times and retired with the 10th most receiving yards, including a record six consecutive seasons with 1,300 yards. He played college football at North Carolina State University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft, and spent the next ten years with the Rams and is remembered as one of the members of the "Greatest Show on Turf."

Hines Ward

Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia. The Steelers selected him in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft and he became the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yardage and touchdown receptions. Ward was voted MVP of Super Bowl XL and upon retirement was one of eight NFL players to have at least 1,000 career receptions.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, to a Korean mother and African-American father, Ward grew up in the Atlanta area. He has become an advocate for the social acceptance of foreigners in Korea, especially blended or mixed race youth.Aside from his career in the NFL, Ward has appeared in various forms of film and television media, including the reality TV series Dancing With The Stars and brief cameos in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises and in the television series The Walking Dead. He was a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America from 2012 to 2015. Ward joined CNN and HLN in May 2016. He was the Player Relations Executive of the Alliance of American Football.

Art Monk

James Arthur Monk (born December 5, 1957) is an American former football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles.  Monk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
He is a relative (first cousin once removed) of jazz pioneer Thelonious Monk.

Andre Rison

Andre "Bad Moon" Rison (born March 18, 1967) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts. Rison was selected to the Pro Bowl five times, from 1990–1993 and once again in 1997.
Rison won a Super Bowl championship with the Packers in 1996 over the New England Patriots, scoring the first points of the game on a 54-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Brett Favre.  He also won a Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004. He is one of the few players to win professional football championships in both the United States of America and Canada. He was released by the Argonauts during the 2005 CFL season. He holds an NFL record for scoring a touchdown with 7 teams.
He was a star player at Flint Northwestern High School and in college at Michigan State University. As a senior at Michigan State, Rison had 30 receptions for 709 yards and 5 touchdowns; he was a prominent contributor to the 1987 Michigan State squad that won the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1988.

Rod Smith

Roderick Duane Smith (born May 15, 1970) is a former American football wide receiver who played thirteen seasons for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).  He played college football at Missouri Southern State.  He was originally signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent and played his entire career with the team.  As of 2017's offseason, his 849 career receptions and 11,389 receiving yards ranked him 27th and 31st all-time.

Ed McCaffrey

Edward Thomas McCaffrey (born August 17, 1968) is a former professional American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons.  McCaffrey played college football for Stanford University and earned first-team All-American honors.  The New York Giants chose him in the third round of the 1991 NFL Draft.  He also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.

Jimmy Smith

Jimmy Lee Smith Jr. (born February 9, 1969) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at Jackson State University.

Antonio Freeman

Antonio Michael Freeman (born May 27, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL), most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Tech.

John Taylor

John Gregory Taylor (born March 31, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers. Taylor attended Pennsauken High School and was one of six NFL players to come from PHS during the 1980s. Taylor attended Delaware State College and was a member of their football team, the Hornets. He was a member of the 49ers teams that won Super Bowls XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX.

Irving Fryar

Irving Dale Fryar, Sr. (born September 28, 1962) is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons.  Fryar played college football for the University of Nebraska, and was recognized as an All-American.  He was selected with the first overall pick of the 1984 NFL Draft, becoming the second wide receiver to be taken number one overall, the first being Dave Parks in 1964. Fryar played professionally for the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins of the NFL.

James Lofton

James David Lofton (born July 5, 1956) is an American former football player and coach.  He is a former coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers (1978–1986), Los Angeles Raiders (1987–1988), the Buffalo Bills (1989–1992), Los Angeles Rams (1993) and Philadelphia Eagles (1993).  He was also the NCAA champion in the long jump in 1978 while attending Stanford University.  Lofton was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Keyshawn Johnson

Joseph Keyshawn Johnson (born July 22, 1972) is a former American football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons.
He played college football for the University of Southern California, and earned All-American honors.  The first pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.
He retired from football following the 2006 season, and spent seven years as a television broadcaster for the sports channel ESPN.  Keyshawn Johnson was a contestant on the 17th season of Dancing with the Stars, in which he was the first contestant eliminated.

Gary Clark

Gary C. Clark (born May 1, 1962) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins (1985–92), Phoenix Cardinals (1993–94), and Miami Dolphins (1995).

Keenan McCardell

Keenan Wayne McCardell (; born January 6, 1970) is a former American football wide receiver who played 17 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).  He played college football for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL Draft, and he was also a member of the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans. A two-time Pro Bowl selection, McCardell won two Super Bowl rings, with the Redskins in 1991 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. He is currently the wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.



Wide receivers have historically been some of the most dazzling players in all of the NFL. &nbsp;And in the 90s it was no different. The 90s had some of the ...