The NFL Network apparently forgot that Reggie Wayne and Frank Gore exist

As many of you know and as we’ve mentioned often before, the offseason is all about rankings. Media outlets conduct a number of rankings about various things related to the NFL to keep fans interested, but sometimes those rankings are so absurd it’s hilarious.

That’s what happened on Sunday with the NFL Network, as they tweeted out a video of the top five University of Miami draft picks in the NFL since 2000... and seemingly forgot that Reggie Wayne and Frank Gore exist.

Here’s the video:

In case you don’t want to watch the whole thing, here’s their list:

1. Ed Reed, S - 1st round, 2002

2. Devin Hester, RS - 2nd round, 2006

3. Andre Johnson, WR - 1st round, 2003

4. Jimmy Graham, TE - 3rd round, 2010

5. Jeremy Shockey, TE - 1st round, 2002

You’ll notice that there are some very notable and well-deserving names on the list, such as Ed Reed, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Devin Hester, the league’s all-time leader in return touchdowns, makes some sense too, as does Andre Johnson, himself a future Hall of Famer as well. But the most striking thing about the list is who it omits: Reggie Wayne (1st round, 2001) and Frank Gore (3rd round, 2005).

So let’s just put that absurdity into context. Wayne is tenth in NFL history in receptions and tenth in receiving yards, as well as 23rd in receiving touchdowns, and he’s also among the most prolific playoff receivers of all-time (he’s second in receptions, fourth in yards, and tied for eighth in touchdowns). He’ll also wind up in the Hall of Fame one day, and his statistical resume is better than Johnson’s and absolutely dwarfs Graham’s and Shockey’s. In Wayne’s career, he caught eight more passes than Johnson, 571 more passes than Graham, and 523 more passes than Shockey. Wayne had 160 more yards than Johnson, 8,065 more than Graham, and 8,202 more than Shockey. Wayne caught 12 more touchdowns than Johnson, 23 more than Graham, and 45 more than Shockey. In other words: there is absolutely NO WAY to justify putting Graham and Shockey ahead of Wayne on such a list, and I’d argue Wayne should be higher than Johnson too. There is no justification for it other than erroneous oversight by the league’s own network.

Wayne took notice of the video too:

Another major error was overlooking Frank Gore, who ranks eighth all-time in career rushing yards and who is poised to reach the top five this season. Gore has rushed for 13,065 yards and 74 touchdowns in his career while averaging 4.4 yards per carry, so his statistical resume also dwarfs some of the others included on this list.

I’m perfectly fine with Ed Reed being number one on this list, but I think Reggie Wayne and Frank Gore should be right after that. The fact that they weren’t included on this list is so ridiculous that it’s funny. The only logical explanation is that the NFL Network simply forgot that Wayne and Gore existed, but that doesn’t really make it any better.