Former Falcons star believes he's the greatest receiver in NFL history

During a recent appearance on "The NFL Players Podcast," former Atlanta Falcons All-Pro pass-catcher Andre Rison had the following to say about why he should be considered the best wide receiver to ever play in the NFL.

"When I look at it, I look at it as if I could cover you. Because, really, I was a defensive back," Rison said. "I never played wide receiver in my life [before college]. I got put at wide receiver in college. So, my thing is, when I look at the top receivers [in NFL history], if I feel like I can check you, there's no way I'm going to [rank] you in front of me. I know you can't check me. Jerry Rice couldn't check me if he tried three times. None of them guys could check me."

The five-time Pro Bowler then elaborated.

"You would have to go to some old-school guys that can get wiggly, that were shifty, DBs that could move left [and] right, all that good stuff," Rison explained. "So, when I look at it, I compile all that information, all that data, I'm the greatest receiver to play [in NFL history]."

Rison admitted that he obviously didn't have the career receiving stats that Hall of Famer Jerry Rice had during his time in the league. But when it comes to things like route-running, catching, running after the catch, and blocking, the former Falcons play-maker doesn't believe any current or past wide receivers have done it better than him in the NFL.

It's certainly an interesting argument from Rison and he clearly hasn't lost any of the confidence about himself that he had out on the field during his playing career.

But, unfortunately for the former first-round draft pick, he's probably going to have a hard time finding a lot of people who will agree that he is the best wide receiver in NFL history.

Rison certainly had a solid career in the league, as he was voted to the Pro Bowl five times, finished with at least 1,000 receiving yards in a single season five times, was a first-team All-Pro selection in 1990 and helped the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl during the 1996 season.

Whether he likes it or not, though, many use statistics to determine who is regarded among the absolute best wide receivers to ever play in the NFL. So, with Rice having 12,690 more career receiving yards, Terrell Owens having 335 more career receptions and Randy Moss having 72 more career receiving touchdowns, it's going to be hard for Rison to convince many people that he is the greatest wide receiver of all time.

The fact that Rison hasn't even been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after playing his final snap in the NFL during the 2000 season should speak volumes regarding how others feel about his comparison to some of the other top wide receivers in league history.

But even if he never ends up getting a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it doesn't seem like that's going to do much to change Rison's opinion of himself and how he believes he stacks up against some of the best wide receivers to suit up in the NFL.