11. Tim Brown
Some elite receivers come out of nowhere after playing at small colleges. But Brown is not one of those players. He was a star in high school, left Notre Dame with a Heisman Trophy and 19 school records, and continued to achieve greatness in the NFL. He was a Pro Bowler in his rookie season and eight other times during his 17-year career and was named to the 1990s All-Decade Team.
Despite producing nine consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving, Brown was largely overshadowed during his prime years by Jerry Rice. Of course, the two ended up playing alongside each other for a few years, forcing Brown even deeper in Rice’s shadow. Brown also made just one Super Bowl appearance in his career and wasn’t always enough to overcome a lack of support around him. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to deny that Brown deserves to be among the best receivers to ever play the game.