Over the last few days we’ve been taking a look at some of the best NFL players ever, in an attempt to give you a passing familiarity with some big names that are likely to be thrown around at the water cooler or Super Bowl party.

Today’s Position: Wide Receiver. Everybody knows wide receivers, at least by name. Of course it is their primary job to run downfield and catch the ball, often in spectacular fashion. As such, they tend to be the flashiest, most ego-driven players on field, often with the wackiest end zone dances and touchdown celebrations as well as the most serious off-field problems: Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson (also known as Ocho Cinco) come to mind, as well as the egregiously underperforming Randy Moss.

Undoubtedly, the Colts have the better receiving corps of the two Super Bowl teams, and you’ll be hearing a lot about Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne through this weekend. Both are fantastic receivers, and while Harrison may be getting a bit long in the tooth he is still a potent weapon and holds several NFL records, including most receptions in a season, most consecutive 100-reception seasons, and most consecutive seasons with 1000 yards and 10 or more TDs. By the time he retires, he will easily be one of the top receivers of all time, and he might break a few more of Jerry Rice’s records before then.

Which of course brings us to Jerry Rice.

There are probably a few people who would dispute that Rice was the greatest WR of all time, but they are bitches and need to sit down. He may not have been the most physically gifted guy out there, but he made the plays and finished his career with a record 1519 pass receptions for 22,466 yards and 208 touchdowns. He appeared in four Super Bowls: XXIII (where he was named MVP), XXIV, and XXIX with the 49ers, and XXXVII with the Raiders. He holds many receiving records, as well: most yards gained in a season (1848), most touchdowns in a season (22), most consecutive games with a touchdown (13)…the list goes on and on. Rice played 20 seasons in the NFL, missing only 17 of his 320 scheduled games before signing a one-day ceremonial contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, so he could retire with the team he started with.

My second choice for best WR ever is perhaps bit unusual. Fred Biletnikoff played for the Raiders from 1965 to 1978. His numbers aren’t spectacular by today’s standards, but older football fans will tell you that passing the ball wasn’t nearly as much of a priority in the 1960s and 70s as it is today. Passing to open the run was not a common practice until teams began adopting the West Coast Offense in the mid-to-late 1970s. The Raiders under Al Davis were just beginning to implement it in the modern, pass-oriented sense at the end of Biletnikoff’s career. Even so, Biletnikoff became one of only a handful of WR Super Bowl MVPs when he was named MVP of Super Bowl XI. Watching film of the guy is pretty amazing. He could catch anything, as demonstrated by his 10 consecutive seasons with at least 40 receptions—an impressive feat for the time, especially considering the 14-game season.