Ten modern-day NFL stars with the throwback swagger to thrive in '95

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The one thing you can always count on with the passage of time is that our perception of how something evolves can change as much as the thing itself. The NFL is no different. We watch the games today and see players that are bigger, faster and stronger than anybody could’ve ever imagined. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the athletes that thrive in this version of the league are undeniably better than the men who came before them.

Consider how expectations around pass-catchers have changed. It would be easy to assume players have only recently begun putting up mind-boggling receiving numbers, goosed by the rising prominence of aerial attacks around the league. But one of the first ceiling-smashing receiving seasons actually came three decades ago , in 1995, when five players — Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, Cris Carter, Isaac Bruce and Herman Moore — topped 110 catches, a number that had never been reached before and has only been surpassed once (in 2018) since.

That’s not the only connection between now and 1995. Then, as in 2025, the Chiefs, Bills, Steelers, Packers, Lions, Eagles and 49ers were battling for divisional supremacy. A retread QB (Jim Harbaugh then, Daniel Jones now) was driving the Colts to relevance. And — of course — Jerry Jones’ Cowboys were in the spotlight. Which brings to mind a simple question:

What current players would’ve dominated if they had to play in the league in that season?

Why go through this exercise at this point in the season, as opposed to a sleepier stretch of the NFL calendar? Well, in part because there is no better moment to appreciate the timeless talent of these players, who are demonstrating every week exactly why they could excel at this throwback challenge. It also hopefully helps bring the history of the game to life, with a particularly ’90s-flavored matchup — Lions vs. Eagles on Sunday Night Football — on tap this week. So let’s get into it.

You would think it would be easy to compile a strong list of obvious candidates. It’s a different situation when you’re limiting the list to only 10 players, as we’re doing with this exercise.

It’s also important to remember how much the game has changed over the past 30 years. “There are a few guys who could’ve played in the (’90s), but there are a lot of guys who couldn’t have made it back in our day,” said Lomas Brown, who is a color analyst for the Detroit Lions radio broadcasts and also played with five teams between 1985 and 2002. “I look at a lot of these guys and how they play. The rule changes help a lot of these guys out compared to back when we were playing.”

Brown will have a great seat to watch two of the players who were no-brainers on this list when the Lions play the Eagles: Detroit right tackle Penei Sewell and Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Brown was an All-Pro left tackle for the Lions in 1995, so that was a special year for him individually. He also remembers how rugged the NFL was in those days. Detroit actually suffered a brutal beating in the playoffs that season to an Eagles team that was noted for its toughness.

As Brown stated, most of today’s rule changes speak to how physical the game was in the 1990s. It was common for defensive backs to deliver crushing hits on defenseless receivers. Chop blocks were legal, and tacklers could hit quarterbacks in the head and the legs. This isn’t a defense of those days; it’s simply a reality of how violent the sport could be in that decade.

Even the players of that day carried different dimensions. A 6-foot-2, 252-pound running back like Baltimore’s Derrick Henry wouldn’t be a unicorn in that world. Philadelphia’s Zack Baun was one of the best linebackers in football last season, and he’s 25 pounds lighter than Bryan Cox, a Pro Bowler with the Dolphins in 1995. And big receivers were all the rage back then. Most of the best in the business measured in the 6-2 to 6-4 range, including the aforementioned Rice, Carter and Irvin.

All those factors make picking players who could thrive 30 years ago much harder. Former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said there are some younger players who’ve caught his eye, like when Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson amassed 238 scrimmage yards in a win over Buffalo in Week 6. Lewis also is also high on San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, who didn’t make the cut here because he is out for the season with a broken and dislocated ankle.

Lewis stressed that a player’s mental approach matters just as much when thinking about how they would play 30 years ago.

“I think about edge rushers and guys like Bruce Smith or Michael Strahan and they had more discipline to them than what I see from these guys today,” Lewis said. “I’m watching Buffalo the other day, and (defensive end) Joey Bosa is killing them because he jumps underneath on a pass rush, and the quarterback jumps outside (the contain). I would say there was 100 percent more discipline in the coaching back then. And you had to answer to your teammates.”

So now you have a sense of the thought process behind this exercise. And here comes the fun part: Deciding who made the list. There’s bound to be plenty of complaints and arguing about who’s not in this club. Just know that current status doesn’t mean everything in an exercise like this. It’s more about the people who fit best in an era that has long since passed.

Here are the 10 who stood out, with era-appropriate comps included:

The easy comp here is one that followed Mahomes out of college — Brett Favre. The one that makes more sense involves another Hall-of-Fame quarterback in that era who could make plays with his legs and his arm — Young. Mahomes has become a legend because of moments that drop jaws and leave fans scratching their heads in amazement. What’s often underrated about his game is the cool efficiency that made Young so dangerous. Yes, Mahomes could surely have sliced and diced defenses in the ’90s, but his penchant for managing the game (he ranks third in NFL history with a 101.8 career passer rating) would’ve been just as potent as his superpowered heroics.

Of course, it also helps that the man has three Super Bowl victories under his belt. If you want somebody who can hang with the heavyweights of the day — a group that includes Favre, Young, Troy Aikman, John Elway, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Warren Moon — you had better have a guy who knows how to win. That is what separates Mahomes from Buffalo’s                       Josh Allen                       , while his durability makes him an easy pick over                       Joe Burrow                       . If you’re wondering why                       Lamar Jackson                       didn’t make the grade, then think about that decade. Sadly, it is highly unlikely anyone would’ve been open-minded or creative enough to build an offense around his skillset as a QB. Mahomes is the guy, hands down.

The running back position in the ’90s was still a critical part of offensive success. As much as teams needed effective quarterback play, they also thrived when they had a feature back who could handle 25 to 30 carries a game. Of the few players today who can do that today, Barkley has proven he’s the cream of the crop. The Philadelphia Eagles put their offense on his shoulders when they were struggling offensively and sitting at 3-2 last season. He responded with one of the most impressive efforts a running back has produced in any era. With his carries-per-game mark ramping up from 18 over Weeks 1-5 to 23 the rest of the way, Barkley set league records for rushing yards (2,504) and scrimmage yards (2,857) in a full season (including playoffs). Philadelphia also won 16 of its next 17 games after increasing his workload, a decision that helped the Eagles eventually capture the Lombardi Trophy.

That’s the kind of productivity you used to see from stars like Smith, Sanders and Davis back in the day. Yes, the Eagles are going through more offensive issues this season, and Barkley wasn’t even on pace for 1,000 yards through seven games. But then first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo fed Barkley the ball in a Week 8 win over the Giants, matching a season high with 10 first-half carries for the back, and Barkley responded with a season-high 150 yards. Sound familiar? Barkley still can alter fortunes in an instant — as he did this past week with a difference-making 41-yard catch-and-run in a narrow win over the Packers on Monday Night Football . That’s why he’s on this list over players like Baltimore’s Henry and Atlanta’s Robinson.

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