ProFootballTalk.com's Top 25 In 25

No. 24:  Shannon Sharpe.

This list of the best 25 pro football players of the past 25 years also needs a tight end.  There have been plenty of great ones, from Tony Gonzalez to Antonio Gates to Kellen Winslow, Sr. to Ben Coates. 

But since winning at a high level is so critical to overall NFL greatness, we can't imagine giving the spot to anyone other than Shannon Sharpe.

Sharpe won three Super Bowls in four years -- two with the Broncos and one with the Ravens.  He went to eight Pro Bowls, and he finished his 14-year career with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns.

He ranks No. 14 in total catches, No. 27 in receiving yardage, and he's tied for 50th in receiving touchdowns.

Though we've got issues with his abilities as a broadcaster, and we never really cared for his "blame the media" routine in defense of Ray Lewis in the days leading to Super Bowl XXXV, we think that Sharpe was the best tight end in the NFL over the past 25 years, and that earns him a spot on our list of the best 25 players since 1982.

Click here for  No. 23.