Who are the top 5 greatest Left Tackles of all-time?

[Jetsfan80]

Leading up to the start of the season, I'll be posting a thread once every day or so devoted to determine the top 5 all-time at each position, as voted on by JN.

I am using football-reference.com's AV (Approximate Value) metric to help compare across eras.  The "Peak AV Average" means the average "score" for each player's among their top 5 performing years in the league, to help establish which players had the high peaks and which players were more of the "compilers" over a long career.  Utilizing a "peak AV" also allows for players with careers shortened by injury to be included.

Also note that AV only goes back so far, so some players from the earliest days in NFL history (primarily the 30s, 40s and early 50s) are, unfortunately, excluded.

 

Earlier in the week, JN voted on Free Safeties:

 

 

 

Today, we vote on Left Tackles!

Below are the candidates and their resumes, ranked in the order weighted by AV/Peak AV:

 

1.  Anthony Munoz, CIN (1980-1992)

• Career AV:  181
• Peak AV Average:  18
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  9
• Pro Bowl Selections:  11

2.  Willie Roaf, NO/KC (1993-2005)

• Career AV:  145
• Peak AV Average:  16
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  4
• Pro Bowl Selections:  11

3.  Orlando Pace, STL/CHI (1997-2009)

• Career AV:  126
• Peak AV Average:  17
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7

4.  Jim Parker, BAL (1957-1967)

• Career AV:  89*
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  8
• Pro Bowl Selections:  8

* AV is only recorded the PFR database beginning in 1960

5.  Richmond Webb, MIA/CIN (1990-2002)

• Career AV:  130
• Peak AV Average:  15
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7

6.  Jim Tyrer, DTX/KC/WAS (1961-1974)

• Career AV:  144
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  5
• Pro Bowl Selections:  9

7.  Gary Zimmerman, MIN/DEN (1986-1997)

• Career AV:  135
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7

8.  Andrew Whitworth, CIN/LAR (2006-2021)

• Career AV:  142
• Peak AV Average:  13
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2 
• Pro Bowl Selections:  4

9.  Dick Schafrath, CLE (1959-1971)

• Career AV:  120
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  6

10.  Walter Jones, SEA (1997-2008)

• Career AV:  127
• Peak AV Average:  13
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  4
• Pro Bowl Selections:  9

11.  Jonathan Ogden, BAL (1996-2007)

• Career AV:  124
• Peak AV Average:  13
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  4  
• Pro Bowl Selections:  11

12.  Art Shell, OAK (1968-1982)

• Career AV:  122
• Peak AV Average:  13
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  8

13.  Lomas Brown, DET/AZ/CLE/NYG/TB (1985-2002)

• Career AV:  143
• Peak AV Average:  12
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  1
• Pro Bowl Selections:  7

14.  Mike Kenn, ATL (1978-1994)

• Career AV:  139
• Peak AV Average:  12
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5

15.  Jason Peters, BUF/PHI/CHI (2004-present)

• Career AV:  137
• Peak AV Average:  12
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  9

16.  David Bakhtiari, GB (2013-present)

• Career AV:  94
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  2
• Pro Bowl Selections:  3

17.  George Connor, CHI (1948-1955)

• Career AV:  0*
• Peak AV Average:  0
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  4
• Pro Bowl Selections:  4

* AV is only recorded the PFR database beginning in 1960

18.  Tony Boselli, JAX (1995-2001)

• Career AV:  74
• Peak AV Average:  14
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  3
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5

19.  Duane Brown, HOU/SEA/NYJ (2008-present)

• Career AV:  122
• Peak AV Average:  12
• 1st Team All-Pro Selections:  1
• Pro Bowl Selections:  5

 

Just missed the cut:  Matt Light, Tarik Glenn, Joe Jacoby, Joe Thomas, Joe Staley, Bruce Armstrong

[section314]

This was the easiest one yet. Voted Munoz 1 thru 5. And to think we passed on him for Lam Jones.

[Jetsfan80]

1 minute ago, section314 said:

This was the easiest one yet. Voted Munoz 1 thru 5. And to think we passed on him for Lam Jones.

 

Easiest for # 1, sure.  I was more interested in seeing who people thought would be 2-5 but you clearly went a different direction, lol.

[section314]

Just now, Jetsfan80 said:

 

Easiest for # 1, sure.  I was more interested in seeing who people thought would be 2-5 but you clearly went a different direction, lol.

Be back with the other 4 in a post.

[Barry McCockinner]

A greatest LT's of all time without Adrian Jones on it?

[mrcoops]

#1 is definitely easy with Munoz, but it's all very subjective after that. Lots of great Tackles on this list.

[section314]

In no particular order........Pace, Jones, Ogden and some love for one of the "old guys" Jim Parker.  Honorable mention to Winston Hill.?

[Jetsfan80]

2 minutes ago, mrcoops said:

1 is definitely easy with Munoz, but it's all very subjective after that. Lots of great Tackles on this list.

I think this is one of those positions where being biased toward more recent players could be justified.  Lawrence Taylor ushered in a new era of pass rusher and nearly every team has at least one freaky athletic edge guy these days for LT's to deal with.

[Jetsfan80]

3 minutes ago, section314 said:

Honorable mention to Winston Hill.?

No love for legendary Jets LT Duane Brown?

[Obrien2Toon]

What about J Thomas?

J Peters

Edit never mind 

seen you said Thomas missed the cut, surprising didn’t he have like 6 first team all pros

anyway my list

munoz

Roaf

Pace

Ogden

Boselli

w Jones 

[Maynard13]

This guy right here. Absolute Beast.

[Maynard13]

How about the 3 greatest IHOP customers.

Daniel Falelee

 

Mekhi Becton

 

 

@The Crusher

 

[Jetsfan80]

2 hours ago, Obrien2Toon said:

Edit never mind 

seen you said Thomas missed the cut, surprising didn’t he have like 6 first team all pros

He did, but for whatever reason he never scored very highly in the AV metric.  His peak score in any season was a 12.

Lack of longevity compared to some of the others on the list hurt him as well.

[Jet_Engine1]

5. WINSTON HILL

[greenwave81]

12 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

5. WINSTON HILL

Was just gonna ask that...what, no Winston Hill??

List must've been made by a youngster!

[Maynard13]

4 hours ago, section314 said:

This was the easiest one yet. Voted Munoz 1 thru 5. And to think we passed on him for Lam Jones.

Wow didn’t know that. That’s worse than Taking Brady over Sapp. 

[chirorob]

Still makes me sad we could have drafted 2 of those guys, but traded down for a pittance and then took James farrior.

[Jetsfan80]

16 hours ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

5. WINSTON HILL

 

15 hours ago, greenwave81 said:

Was just gonna ask that...what, no Winston Hill??

List must've been made by a youngster!

 

As explained in every thread I've done with these top 5 polls, the rankings are based on pro-football-reference.com's AV metric.  Hill simply didn't make the cut, ya homers.  Left Tackle is a fairly loaded position, historically, so it really shouldn't be that big of a shock.  Moreover, Hill played RT for nearly the entire 2nd half of his career, which hurts his case.  

Meanwhile, you'll notice Jim Parker and Jim Tyrer (both of whom retired before Hill did) are near the top of the list, so it's not recency bias, either.  

[maury77]

I only went with guys that played while I was alive

1. Munoz

2. Ogden

3. Jones

4. Pace

5. Zimmerman. 

[Untouchable]

1. Munoz

2. Ogden

3. Pace

4. Jones

5. Roaf

[Untouchable]

Parcells had two of the Top 5 LT’s of all-time staring him in the face and he chose to trade down and take James Farrior…

[Jet_Engine1]

42 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

 

 

As explained in every thread I've done with these top 5 polls, the rankings are based on pro-football-reference.com's AV metric.  Hill simply didn't make the cut, ya homers.  Left Tackle is a fairly loaded position, historically, so it really shouldn't be that big of a shock.  Moreover, Hill played RT for nearly the entire 2nd half of his career, which hurts his case.  

Meanwhile, you'll notice Jim Parker and Jim Tyrer (both of whom retired before Hill did) are near the top of the list, so it's not recency bias, either.  

Shut up with your logic and reason!

[Jetsfan80]

1 hour ago, Untouchable said:

Parcells had two of the Top 5 LT’s of all-time staring him in the face and he chose to trade down and take James Farrior…

Crazy how loaded that '97 draft class ended up being overall:

• Pick 1.1:  Orlando Pace (HOF)
• Pick 1.6:  Walter Jones (HOF)
• Pick 1.13:  Tony Gonzalez (HOF)
• Pick 3.73:  Jason Taylor (HOF)
• Pick 2.60:  Darren Sharper (6x All-Pro)
• Pick 3.66:  Ronde Barber (5x All-Pro)
• Pick 2.44:  Sam Madison (4x All-Pro)
• Pick 1.28:  Trevor Pryce (2x All-Pro)
• Pick 2.36:  Tiki Barber
• Pick 1.19:   Tarik Glenn
• Pick 1.12:  Warrick Dunn
• Pick 4.98:  Derrick Mason
• Pick 2.42:  Jake Plummer
• Pick 2.43:  Corey Dillon
• Pick 3.91:  Mike Vrabel
• Pick 3.65:  Dexter Coakley
• Pick 1.10:  Chris Naeole
• Pick 2.34:  Jamie Sharper

Plus several other nice players, including our own Jason Ferguson in Rd 7.

And even though Farrior was of course a bust as a Jet, he still went on to have an excellent career too.

[Jetsfan80]

2 minutes ago, Jet_Engine1 said:

Shut up with your logic and reason!

Remove emotion from the equation or else it just becomes "some dumb kid's list".

In every one of these threads it seems there's a complaint about a Jet being missing.  Guys, this franchise hasn't been to a SB in over 50 years for a reason.  The only positions the Jets have ever been really good at, historically, are Nose Tackle and Center.  That's it.  End of list. 

Other franchises have had superior talent at the other positions on the field, and it shows up pretty clearly in lists like these.

[Trotter]

16 hours ago, Maynard13 said:

Wow didn’t know that. That’s worse than Taking Brady over Sapp. 

Did not know this as well and remember when we drafted him.

Just goes to show no matter how bad you think this org has been at drafting over 50 years - it actually gets worse the more you dig.

[Trotter]

5 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Remove emotion from the equation or else it just becomes "some dumb kid's list".

In every one of these threads it seems there's a complaint about a Jet being missing.  Guys, this franchise hasn't been to a SB in over 50 years for a reason.  The only positions the Jets have ever been really good at, historically, are Nose Tackle and Center.  That's it.  End of list. 

Other franchises have had superior talent at the other positions on the field, and it shows up pretty clearly in lists like these.

So if the JETS have a horrible year and JD gets let go which has virtually no shot of happening but let's just play it out, you have pretty much guaranteed that the new GM would draft center in round 1 and NT in round 2.

Well done sir.