Who are the 5 greatest Detroit Lions players of all-time?

1. Barry Sanders, RB (1989-1998)

My number one Detroit Lion of all time is the one and only Barry Sanders. How could it not be? I mean, the man is the greatest running back that the NFL has ever seen. You could argue that a few others were better, such as Emmit Smith, Walter Payton, and Jim Brown, but you would be wrong. Barry is the best running back to ever play the game!

There was no stopping Sanders. From the first time he stepped on the field till the last. Barry was the man and everyone knew it. His opponents feared him, truly. He could power through a defense or just make them look silly with his electrifying moves.

Before, after or during his playing days, there has never been another man alive that could throw a juke or spin move like my man Barry Sanders. And don’t think for a minute he wouldn’t jump to hurdle an opponent given the opportunity.

Sanders was and still is the most exciting player ever to don the Honolulu Blue. As far as that goes, he is and was, maybe even always will be, the most exciting player in the NFL. Much like Matthew Stafford, Barry just wasn’t on very successful teams. Much of that is due to the same reasons as well.

Sanders was a six-time First-Team All-Pro and 10 time Pro Bowler for Detroit. He has participated in six playoff games, only winning one of them. Sanders has 153 career games with 151 of them being starts. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2004.

Sanders retired early and many believe that if he had not, his numbers would have been nearly untouchable. Even so, his totals are still very impressive.

In his 10 seasons with the Lions, Sanders rushed for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns on just 3,062 touches. He was averaging 5.0 yards per carry and 100 yards per game. Barry also caught 352 passes for 2,921 yards, with another ten touchdowns through the air.

At the time of his retirement following the 1998 NFL season, Sanders held 14 separate NFL records. Including the most consecutive seasons with 1,000 rush yards or more with 10 and the most games in a single season with 100 rush yards or more with 14.

Sanders also holds numerous Detroit Lions Franchise records. A few of them include the most career rushing yards with 15,269, most rushing yards in a single season with 2,053, and the most rushing yards in a single game with 237.

After watching Barry Sanders play when I was a kid to rattling off some of his records and stats, it is clear that he is the absolute greatest Detroit Lion ever. How do you feel about my list? Would you make any changes or do you agree? Let me know in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you!