greatest middle linebackers of all timeflorida man september 25, 2001
3-time Pro Bowler Once drafted, Buoniconti became one of the teams best defensive players despite his lack of size. Fear does not exist in this dojo, does it? He helped lead Florida State to its first national title in 1993 and a decade later put together his greatest NFL seasons, winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors and leading the Buccaneers to their only Super Bowl win in 2002. Top 10 Middle Linebackers in NFL 2021 Rankings Super Bowl X champion 12 on the NFL's all-time list. Over his career, Urlacher was an eight time Pro Bowler and four time First Team All-Pro while racking up 1,086 tackles, 41.5 sacks and 22 interceptions. 1973 Defensive Player of the Year The 1976 Defensive Player of the Year helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, XIV). 25 Greatest Middle Linebackers in NFL History Keeping all aspects of the job in mind, we rank the top 25 greatest middle linebackers in NFL history. Jack . Taylor's dominance changed the way football is played on every level, from how offensive lines block to the way teams teach how to rush the quarterback. Lambert's size and speed and ability to control a game from the middle linebacker position made him one of the greatest players of all time. It is hard not to put Ray Lewis at the top of this list as the top Middle Linebacker All-Time. The most famous member of the No Name Defense, Buoniconti is alleged to be the ringleader of the 1972 Dolphins annual champagne toast when the last undefeated team loses each season.10. 5-time NFL Championship Game winner Born: April 16, 1982 (Coral Gables, Florida), High school: Coral Gables Senior High School (Coral Gables, Florida), Teams: New York Jets (2004-07), New Orleans Saints (2008-13), Career highlights: Super Bowl champion (2009), three-time Pro Bowl (2005, 2009, 2010), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2004). While some of the linebackers on this list probably wouldn't even get a second look in today's NFL because of their size, Wilcox (who's the father of Cal head coach Justin Wilcox) is actually the opposite. He finished his career with over 2,000 tackles (2,039), which is second on the NFL's all-time list, and set the NFL record for linebackers with 215 consecutive starts. Super Bowl IX champion Born: Dec. 15, 1940 (Springfield, Massachusetts), Died: July 30, 2019 (age 78, Bridgehampton, New York), High school: Cathedral High School (Springfield, Massachusetts), Teams: Boston Patriots (1962-68), Miami Dolphins (19690-74, 1976), Career highlights: Two-time Super Bowl champion (1972, 1973), two-time Pro Bowl (1972, 1973), two-time All-Pro (1972, 1973), Pro Football Hall of Fame (2001). Lee Roy Jordan, Dallas Cowboys (1963-76) The two-time Super Bowl champ is one of the greatest overall defenders in NFL history. Zach Thomas, Miami Dolphins (1996-2007), Dallas Cowboys (08) Two players of the four players with more tackles, Ray Lewis and Junior Seau, are in the Hall of Fame. It's on Sean McDermott & Co. to coach up whoever mans the middle. Dick Butkus No. Born: April 6, 1973 (San Diego, California), High school: Chula Vista High School (Chula Vista, California), Teams: Kansas City Chiefs (1996-2001, 2007-08), San Diego Chargers (2002-06), Career highlights: Two-time NFL All-Pro (2002, 2004), Pro Bowl (2002). Your login session has expired. was tough and imposed his physical will on opponents. Urlcaher was the leader of the Bears defense from 2000 to 2012 while winning the 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year award and the 2005 Defensive Player of the Year award. Bednarik, who the Philadelphia Eagles selected with the first overall pick in the 1949 NFL Draft, helped build the Eagles into a defensive power house. Super Bowl II champion High school: Vigor High School (Pritchard, Alabama), Career highlights: Seven-time Pro Bowl (1976-82), six-time All-Pro (1976-81), NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (1981), NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, Pro Football Hall of Fame (2018). Randy Gradishar, Denver Broncos (1974-83) At 6-foot-3 and 241 pounds, his combination of speed and athleticism would make the Hall of Famer even more valuable in today's league than he was in his era. Check out some of the best photos from the 2023 NFL Draft! It's hard to claim that anyone other than the great Lawrence Taylor is the best linebacker ever. Featuring 2018-2019 SF 49ers and some of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time, the best 49ers LBs include Mike Walter, Dave Wilcox, Keena Turner, Willie Harper, and Julian Peterson. 8-time Pro Bowler20. Born into abject poverty in rural Tennessee, he was working full-time in the cotton fields by the time he was 10 years old and had to flee his home with his sisters at 17 to get away from his violent, alcoholic father. Born: Nov. 12, 1980 (Los Angeles, California), High school: Elk Grove High School (Elk Grove, California), Career highlights: Three-time NFL All-Pro (2005, 2006, 2009), seven-time Pro Bowl (2005-11). FP - TopX: Greatest Middle Linebacker of All Time Here are my top 10 linebackers: 1. 45:47. Tragically, Seau took his own life in 2012, at 43 years old. Top 30 Linebackers in the NFL Since 1970 - The Grueling Truth He might have been the most intimidating human being to ever step on a football field. The Chicago Bears great was as good of a run stopper as defender against the pass and one player that could play sideline to sideline. Here is my ranking of the top 10 Giants linebackers, along with some honorable mentions. Not many linebackers can boast the athleticism of Urlacher, who set the single-season Bears record with 153 tackles in 2002 and owns the team's career tackles record with 1,361. Perhaps the most dominant defensive player of his generation, like so many other great linebackers on this list, Khalil Mack has had the misfortune of playing on some truly horrendous teams throughout the early portion of his career with the Raiders and the Bears. Super Bowl XXXIX champion, The foreman of the Steel Curtain defense, Butkus punished ball carriers and crushed spirits. Junior Seau, San Diego Chargers (1990-2002), Miami Dolphins (03-05), New England Patriots (06-09)1992 Defensive Player of the Year Ranking the 10 best linebackers in Raiders history Renowned for his elite combination of size and speed, Tippett was scary coming off the edge and racked up 100 career sacks, which is still the Patriots' franchise record. Nick Buoniconti was just 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds but destroyed opponents with sheer will and ferocity, helping lead the Dolphins to two Super Bowl wins and the only undefeated season in NFL history in 1972. Wagner, who first turned heads by running a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the Utah State pro day, helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win in 2013, won another NFC title two years later and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2010s. Lewis was the face of the franchise and the energizer of the defensive dominance. 2-time Pro Bowler Being the son of a former heavyweight boxing champion might be a burden for some, but Ken Norton Jr. embraced it. Report: Cardinals decline to pick up Isaiah Simmons' 5th-year option New York native and former Syracuse star Keith Bulluck helped define the early years of the Tennessee Titans as part of the team that came within one yard of winning a Super Bowl. 1 Ray Lewis Lewis is widely considered one of the greatest middle linebackers of all time. 8-time Pro Bowler Brooks, like so many players on this list, played his entire career with just one team. One of our representatives will be in touch shortly. High school: East Cleveland Shaw High School (Cleveland, Ohio), Teams: Buffalo Bills (1983-94), Atlanta Falcons (1995), Minnesota Vikings (1996), Career highlights: Four-time AFC champion (1990-93), two-time Pro Bowl (1990, 1991), two-time All-Pro (1990, 1993). No NFL team has the linebacker tradition of the Bears, who boast Hall of Famers Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary, Urlacher and Mack, a future Hall of Famer, among their all-time greats. If Dolphins fans felt like they were having flashbacks when Zach Thomas came along to play middle linebacker in the mid-1990s, it's because it wasn't the first time they'd seen an undersized, dominant player leading their defense. High school: Vale High School (Vale, Oregon), Career highlights: Four-time All-Pro (1967, 1971-73), seven-time Pro Bowl (1966, 1968-73), Pro Football Hall of Fame (2000). For starters, Lewis has the most combined tackles in NFL history (2,059). During his career, Singletary won two Defensive Player of the Year awards, was named to 10 Pro Bowl teams and was selected as a First Team All-Pro in seven different seasons. Seau recorded 1,849 career tackles over his career to go along with 56.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and 18 interceptions.
