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Jerry Rice Owns Most Unbreakable Record in NFL History

In this Tuesday edition of Niners Daily, we pass along an NFL analyst's top five list, which is topped by a certain all-time great San Francisco 49ers player.

Over at NFL.com, Elliot Harrison began a recent article with a simple question: How impressive is the record New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. set last year when he averaged 108.8 yards per game as a rookie?

Beckham's stellar season broke a record set in 1960, prompting Harrison to put that achievement in perspective by listing out the five most unbreakable records in NFL lore.

So which record came in at No. 1? You can probably guess which 49ers player it involves.

Yup, the G.O.A.T. himself, Jerry Rice.

The Hall of Famer owns the record for most receptions and touchdown catches in NFL history, but it is his incredible mark of 22,895 career receiving yards that topped this list.

Consider that Terrell Owens, second on the all-time receiving list, finished his career with 15,934 yards and you'll have no problem understanding why Rice's record seems so out of reach.

The active leader is longtime Indianapolis Colts wideout Reggie Wayne with 14,343 yards, but he is 36 years old and nearing the end of his career. The player with the most yards who is still in his prime is Detroit Lions star Calvin Johnson. Still, Johnson, at 29 years old and 10,405 career yards, is nowhere near the record.

That's because in 20 NFL seasons, Rice averaged 1,090 receiving yards. How that's for production and longevity?

"Nobody in the first 95 seasons of the NFL is even close to Rice in this category," Harrison wrote. "And no one will touch him in the next 95. He is the Babe Ruth of the sport, plain and simple."

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