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One of the main narratives following Super Bowl LV was Tom Brady's undisputed claim as the NFL's GOAT. Even all-world receiver Jerry Rice conceded that title to Brady, who won his seventh Super Bowl and fifth Super Bowl MVP at age 43. While Brady's status as the GOAT can still be debated, his longevity and sustained excellence is truly peerless.

That being said, Brady is not the GOAT when it comes to a Pro Football Reference metric. The website created a "Hall of Fame Monitor"in 2019 that was designed to estimate a player's chances at being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Using approximate value, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships and other statistical milestones, the site created a point system to determine the pecking order at each position.

At quarterback, Peyton Manning holds the top spot with 258 points. Brady is No. 2 with 250.94 points, followed by Brett Favre (178.84 points), Aaron Rodgers (163.72 points), Johnny Unitas (169.34 points), Joe Montana (153.45 points), Drew Brees (140.5 points), John Elway (137.78 points), Fran Tarkenton (117.28 points), and Dan Marino (116.85 points). While Brady has five more rings than Manning, Manning's two titles, five MVP awards (compared to Brady's three) and seven All-Pro selections (compared to three for Brady) gives him a slight edge for the time being. But while Manning's career is about to be immortalized in Canton, Ohio, Brady can add to his point tally in the coming seasons.

Philip Rivers, who announced his retirement following the Colts' playoff loss to Buffalo, is actually 12th on Pro Football's QB Hall of Fame metric with 97.64 points. He's just behind Steve Young (112.98 points) and ahead of Barr Starr (97.53 points), Matt Ryan (97.43 points), and Ben Roethlisberger. (95.38 points).

Eli Manning, in case you were wondering, is 21st on the list with 83.41 points. While his point tally is well short of the Hall of Fame average, Manning's ranking is higher than Hall of Famers Joe Namath (82.5 points), Bob Griese (73.45 points), Troy Aikman (64.85 points), and Jim Kelly (59.1 points), among others. He also has more points than current Seahawks quarterbackRussell Wilson (74.2 points).

While Brady can still catch Manning, Rice's place atop the wide receiver food chain is pretty secure. Rice's 311.81 points are more than twice as many as the second-ranked receiver, Randy Moss (149.59 points). While Moss' 23 touchdown catches in 2007 remains a single-season record, Rice's three rings, 10 All-Pro selections (compared to four for Moss) and 13 Pro Bowls (Moss was a six-time Pro Bowler) put him in a class by himself.

Here's a look at the top-five players at each position, according to Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame Monitor. We'll also include current players who are close to the average point total for Hall of Famers at their position.

Peyton Manning -- 258 points

Tom Brady -- 250.94 points

Brett Favre -- 178.84 points

Aaron Rodgers -- 163.72 points

Johnny Unitas -- 160.34 points

Average point tally for HOF quarterbacks: 104

Notable current players: Matt Ryan (97.43 points), Ben Roethlisberger (95.38 points), Russell Wilson (74.20 points)

Walter Payton -- 214.91 points

Jim Brown -- 182.41 points

Barry Sanders -- 178.05 points

Emmitt Smith -- 176.30 points

LaDainian Tomlinson -- 136.15 points

Average point total for HOF running backs: 107

Notable current players: Adrian Peterson (123.85 points), Frank Gore (100.05 points), LeSean McCoy (83.14 points)

Interesting nugget: Brown led the NFL in rushing for eight of his nine seasons. His 1,863-yard season in 1963 was the most ever at that time.

Jerry Rice -- 311.81 points

Randy Moss -- 149.59 points

Marvin Harrison -- 147.60 points

Larry Fitzgerald -- 140.92 points

Terrell Owens -- 139.83 points

Average point total for HOF wide receivers: 105

Notable current players: Fitzgerald, Julio Jones (100.82 points), Antonio Brown (98.7 points)

Interesting nugget: In just 12 games, Rice caught 22 touchdown passes in 1987, which stood at the single-season record until Moss caught 23 touchdowns in 2007.

Tony Gonzalez -- 196.33 points

Antonio Gates -- 113.63 points

Shannon Sharpe -- 113.23 points

Dave Casper -- 111.62 points

Jason Witten -- 105.62 points

Average point total for HOF tight ends: 98

Notable current players: Rob Gronkowski (89.51 points), Travis Kelce (73.16 points)

Interesting nugget: Of the top-five tight ends on this list, only Sharpe and Casper played on Super Bowl-winning teams. Sharpe won back-to-back titles with the Broncos; Casper caught a touchdown pass in the Raiders' win over Minnesota in Super Bowl XI.

Bruce Matthews -- 158.7 points

John Hannah -- 153.1 points

Randall McDaniel -- 148.75 points

Alan Faneca -- 134.23 points

Larry Little -- 133.73 points

Average point total for HOF guards: 110

Notable current players: Zack Martin (67.78 points), David DeCastro (44.33 points), Mike Iupati (37.43 points)

Interesting nugget: Five of Matthews' 14 Pro Bowl selections came at center, as Matthews temporarily switched positions midway through his career.

Anthony Munoz -- 160.65 points

Forrest Gregg -- 139.5 points

Jim Parker -- 121.25 points

Ron Yary -- 120.18 points

Willie Roaf -- 117.3 points

Average point total for HOF offensive tackle: 101

Notable current players: Jason Peters (89.7 points), Tyron Smith (73 points), Andrew Whitworth (59.65 points)

Interesting nugget: Gregg, a key member of the Packers' 1960s dynasty, actually coached Munoz in Cincinnati from 1980-83. The duo helped the Bengals reach their first Super Bowl in 1981.

Dermontti Dawson -- 128.23 points

Jim Otto -- 124.78 points

Mike Webster -- 117.6 points

Dwight Stephenson -- 111.95 points

Kevin Mawae -- 99.05 points

Average point total for HOF centers: 109

Notable current players: **Maurkice Pouncey (73.78 points), Alex Mack (64.58 points), Jason Kelce (51.28 points)

** -- Pouncey retired following the 2020 season

Interesting nugget: Dawson succeeded Webster in Pittsburgh following Webster's departure for Kansas City in 1989. For a 25-year span, the Steelers had a top-five all-time center manning their offensive line.

Bob Lilly -- 159.2 points

Alan Page -- 157.1 points

Randy White -- 142.18 points

Joe Greene -- 136.53 points

John Randle -- 135.6 points

Average point total for HOF defensive tackles: 114 points

Notable current players: Aaron Donald (127.63 points), Ndamukong Suh (79.98 points), Geno Atkins (75.85 points), Fletcher Cox (71.98 points)

Interesting nugget: Page became the first defensive player to win league MVP in 1971. While he never won league MVP, Greene succeeded Page as Defensive Player of the Year in 1972. He won the honor for a second time in 1974, while also winning the first of four Super Bowls over a six-year span.

Reggie White -- 237.75 points

Bruce Smith -- 211.35 points

Jack Youngblood -- 124.15 points

J.J. Watt -- 123.88 points

Michael Strahan -- 123.6 points

Average point total for HOF defensive ends: 103

Notable current players: Watt, Calais Campbell (77.58 points), Cameron Jordan (69.1 points), Chandler Jones (62.63 points)

Interesting nugget: The NFL's first big free agent signee, White helped deliver Green Bay's first title in 29 years with his three-sack effort in the Packers' win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

Ray Lewis -- 197.03 points

Mike Singletary -- 171 points

Jack Lambert -- 151.65 points

Dick Butkus -- 128.85 points

Luke Kuechly -- 118.4 points

Average point total for HOF inside linebackers: 114

Notable current players: Bobby Wagner (96.68 points), K.J. Wright (35.4 points), Sean Lee (26.5 points)

Interesting nugget: Butkus and Kuechly were not penalized for having relatively short careers. Butkus retired after nine seasons and 119 career games. Kuechly played eight seasons and in 118 regular season games before retiring after the 2019 season.

Lawrence Taylor -- 215.68 points

Derrick Brooks -- 162.8 points

Jack Ham -- 143.7 points

Ted Hendricks -- 137.35 points

Junior Seau -- 119.58 points

Average point total for outside linebackers: 106

Notable current players: Khalil Mack (83.35 points), Lavonte David (42.45 points), Justin Houston (39.25 points)

Interesting nugget: Taylor joined Page as the NFL's only defensive league MVPs in 1986. He led the NFL with 20.5 sacks that season while also leading the Giants to their first Super Bowl title.

Rod Woodson -- 118.05 points

Deion Sanders -- 174.43 points

Ronnie Lott -- 173.75 points

Ed Reed -- 150.4 points

Willie Wood -- 130.73 points

Read more:
Peyton Manning, not Tom Brady, is actually the GOAT, according to PFR's Hall of Fame monitor metric - CBS Sports