RADIO
Linebackers are some of the most versatile players on defense. They have the strength to outmuscle offensive linemen and the speed to cover wide receivers. They also have the agility to shift directions instantly, especially if the offense runs a trick play. Based on game film and formation, these prophets can even guess what play the offense will execute.
Those traits often make them captains of the defense. They take command by keeping everyone on the same page and reminding their roles in every play. Good linebackers can make tackles or get interceptions if they are in the proper position.
However, the great ones are those whose achievements transcend time. They can dominate in every snap, regardless of which era they play. These are the ten linebackers who will remain as constant benchmarks for succeeding generations.
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10. Derrick Brooks
Brooks used his durability and competitive drive to dispel the questions about his size. While he was not as tall as other linebackers, his agility to cover one side to another made him the perfect linebacker for the Tampa 2 defense. He often disrupted passing lanes in the middle of the field and had his fair share of picks, 25 of them to be exact, throughout his 14-season career.
What’s impressive is that he never missed a game while playing his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He retired in 2008 after becoming a one-time Super Bowl champion, five-time First-Team All-Pro member, and 11-time Pro Bowler. Brooks was also the 2002 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and 2000 Walter Payton Man of the Year awardee. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
9. Bobby Bell
Bobby Lee Bell Sr. is regarded as the Kansas City Chiefs' legendary “Redwood Forest” defense leader. The team took him in the seventh round of the 1963 AFL Draft, and he made an impact as the left-side linebacker. While he could have had more sacks in his 12-season career, he is one of the game’s best open-field tacklers. He is tied with Brooks for most interception touchdowns by a linebacker with six.
Bell retired in 1974, four years after the official AFL-NFL merger. He was a five-time First-Team All-AFL and one-time First-Team All-Pro member. Bell also made it to three Pro Bowls and six AFL All-Star Games. He won Super Bowl IV with the Chiefs and was the 1969 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The University of Minnesota alumnus was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
8. Junior Seau
There’s criticism that Seau was out of place at times. But that’s how he played, and it worked more often. He could track the ball, whether with the quarterback or the running back. Seau is also a fierce competitor that easily wins one-on-one blocks. He also played hurt, which became both a blessing because he played for 20 seasons and a curse because of his unfortunate passing.
While Seau was the face of the San Diego Chargers for over a decade, he is the only linebacker on this list who suited up for multiple teams. But it was with the Chargers that he became a six-time First Team All-Pro and 12-time Pro Bowler. He was also the NFL’s 1994 Man of the Year for his contributions to the community. Seau was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
7. Jack Ham
Ham might be low on the radar of non-Pittsburgh Steelers fans, but those who have watched him play were amazed by his blazing speed. He was so quick that he could cover passing routes like a defensive back. The Penn State alumnus holds the record for most turnovers by a non-defensive back with 53. Meanwhile, his 32 picks put him third among linebackers.
He rarely makes mistakes because he puts his speed and cerebral approach to good. That combination earned him six First Team All-Pro and eight Pro Bowl selections. He is also a four-time Super Bowl champion, even if he didn’t suit up in Super Bowl XIV because of an ankle injury. Ham became a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in 1988.
6. Derrick Thomas
It’s depressing that Thomas met an untimely death at age 33. He had a few years left in his tank and could have gone on his terms. But the career he had is enough to put him on this list. He was the 1989 Defensive Rookie of the Year and had 20 sacks in his sophomore season. This outside linebacker from Alabama also holds the single-game sacks record with seven.
Thomas finished his career with 642 tackles, 126.5 sacks, and 41 forced fumbles. He earned five All-Pro and nine Pro Bowl selections throughout his 11-season career. Aside from leading the league in sacks in 1990, he also led the league in forced fumbles twice. The Chiefs inducted him into their Hall of Fame a year after his passing. He was posthumously inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
5. Mike Singletary
If samurai warriors lived by the bushido moral code, “Samurai Mike’s” code focused on disrupting the other side. Singletary is a member of the famed 1985 Chicago Bears squad that used the “46” defense to lose only one game and win Super Bowl XX. However, his achievements surpass that championship because he is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
He is also a seven-time First Team All-Pro member and ten-time Pro Bowler. Singletary is also a member of the 1980s NFL All-Decade Team. But beyond his exploits on the football field, he was also regarded as a great leader. He won the 1990 Man of the Year and 1991 Bart Starr Award for outstanding character and leadership in the community. Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.
4. Jack Lambert
There’s that Sports Illustrated cover showing him with his helmet on and some of his teeth knocked out. If that image struck fear in you, imagine what offensive units had to face when he lined up against them. After three seasons at Kent State, Lambert became the force in the middle of the “Steel Curtain” defense for the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers.
He is the ideal linebacker for what is now known as the “Tampa 2” defense. His speed and tenacity earned him the 1974 Defensive Player of the Year award. Lambert is a vital cog in the four Steelers Super Bowls during that decade. Individually, he had six First Team All-Pro and nine Pro Bowl selections. Lambert became a Pro Football Hall of Fame member in 1990.
3. Dick Butkus
Butkus would remain the measuring stick for great linebackers even if he played his last NFL game five decades ago. His mobility around the field allowed him to shut down plays alone. He could have played more than nine seasons without a knee injury. The middle linebacker is highly revered in Chicago because he was born and raised in The Windy City.
Despite his relatively short career, he had five First-Team All-Pro selections. He also finished his career with 22 interceptions and 11 sacks. Butkus also won two Defensive Player of the Year awards, including in 1969 when the Bears finished 1-13. He continued to be of service after his playing days via the Dick Butkus Center for Cardiovascular Wellness and the Butkus Foundation.
2. Ray Lewis
His pre-game dance is second to none. But beyond the theatrics, Lewis has achieved milestones that no other linebacker did. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is also the first in league history with 40 sacks and 30 interceptions. The former Miami Hurricane was also the heart and soul of the 2000 defensive unit that allowed only 165 points and 970 rushing yards in 16 games.
He also can motivate teammates to elevate their game, as exemplified during the Ravens’ run to victory in Super Bowl XLVII. Lewis also won Super Bowl XXXV and is a seven-time First-Team All-Pro. The first-round pick in the 1996 NFL Draft is a 13-time Pro Bowler and a three-time tackles leader. He became a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2018, his first year of eligibility.
1. Lawrence Taylor
Taylor is regarded as the best defensive player ever because he has been a disruptive force for the New York Giants throughout his 13-year career. He was the league’s Most Valuable Player in 1986, making him only the second defensive player to win that award. No other defensive player has won the NFL’s highest individual honor after him.
The University of North Carolina alumnus has three Defensive Player of the Year honors, eight First-Team All-Pro selections, and ten Pro Bowls. More importantly, his impact changed blocking schemes for offensive linemen and offensive formations. Opposing teams would be lucky if he dropped back in coverage. Taylor won two Super Bowls with the Giants and had a then-record 20.5 sacks in 1986.
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