The 15 Best NFL Linebackers of All Time in NFL History

Who would make your list of the “Top 15 NFL Greatest Linebackers of All Time in NFL History”? Whatever your choices, it can’t be said that the linebacker’s job is one of the toughest on the field. Not to mention that it has evolved much more than other positions over the course of the game’s history.

A linebacker is the leader of defense and is responsible for making defensive plays while covering the defensive backfield, blocking passes, and reading the movement of the opposing offense with extremely keen instincts, among other things.

Based on these responsibilities, there are a number of criteria considered in choosing the creme de la creme from the large number of linebackers that have dotted the game since the history of the NFL. These include their personal and team achievements, career stats, and degree of influence on the game, all of which are rated against the era in which they played.

So here are our top 15 picks for the best NFL linebackers of all time.

The 15 Best NFL Linebackers of All Time in NFL History

1.Lawrence Taylor

It is not possible to start this list with any other name. Lawrence Taylor is by far the number one name among the best linebackers in the NFL of all time and one of the best times for football players. Alumnus of the University of North Carolina, Taylor captained his school team in 1980. He won the unanimous All-American Awards and ACC Player of the Year honors the same year. year.

He was drafted by the New York Giants in the 1981NFL Draft and played his entire career on the team, retiring after the 1993 season. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion, ten-time pro and three-time team first Pro. Lawrence’s finesse in the game and his exceptionally high football IQ saw him become the only defensive linebacker to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award (1986). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

2. Ray Lewis

If we stand on a specific linebacker, Ray Lewis is by far the greatest linebacker in the world to step onto the field. His influence on the network was legendary and his in-game energy was second to none.

Twice American player University of Miami, he was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, where he played the 17 seasons of his career. He retired in 2012. His 13 Pro Bowl selections make him the most selected linebacker in NFL history. In 2000, Ray Lewis was named Super Bowl MVP and NFL Defensive Player of the Year. No other linebacker has ever won both honors in one season.

Whatever your feelings about this 10-time All-Pro and Pro Football Hall of Famer, he is undoubtedly the best linebacker in the world and one of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time.

3. Dick Butkus

Richard Marvin Butkus is currently a sportscaster and actor now, but back then, he was the most feared and admired linebacker of his day. Butkus could hit like a freight train; he was the model linebacker in more ways than we can count.

A consensus All-American, Rose Bowl Champion and Big Ten Conference MVP from the University of Illinois, he was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1965 NFL Draft. He spent his entire career with the Bears and has been invited to eight professional tournaments. He was named Defensive Player of the Year twice and twice.

Dick joined the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979 and was recognized by the NFL Network as the most feared forward in NFL history in 2009.

4. Mike Singletary

Nicknamed “Samurai Mike” for his signature look, the player had more than his bullying tactics to earn a place among the NFL’s greatest linebackers of all time. He was an integral part of the legendary Chicago Bears defense in the 1980s.

Singletary had a stellar career at Baylor, and spent his entire eleven-year career (1981-1992) with the Bears. During his time there, he won Super Bowl XX (1985) and was invited to the Pro Bowl ten times. Mike was made a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

5. Jack Lambert

The next logical addition to this list, LambertHe spent his entire career as a middle linebacker with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974-1984. the NFL at the time, cementing his place. of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time.

The Kent State University alum was four times Super Bowl champion, a feat achieved by the Steelers in six consecutive years. For his efforts, Lambert was invited to 9 Pro Bowls and was included in the all-8 team roster. The NFL’s two-time Defensive Player of the Year was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

6. Jack Ham

If ever there was an exhaustive checklist detailing all the abilities required of a linebacker, Jack Raphael Ham would tick all of those boxes. A complete complement to the line formation, Ham’s contribution as an outside linebacker has been exemplary on the field. His teammate, Jack Lambert, was part of the famed “Steel Curtains” that won four Super Bowl championships.

He is an 8-time professional bowler and 8-time all-around player, and holds the record for most forced turnovers (53) by a linebacker in NFL history. He retired in 1982 after spending his entire career with the Steelers. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1988.

7. Derrick Thomas

Tragedy would not let us experience all that Thomas would have been as a player. However, what he gave us is enough to recognize him as one of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time.

Derrick played for the Kansas Chiefs from 1989 until his death in 2000. For his career contributions, he remains the franchise leader in sacks (126.5 sacks) and the NFL record for most sacks (7) in a single game. Thomas, who is a six-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, died at the age of 33 from complications he suffered in an accident on January 23, 2000. He was inducted posthumously in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. The No. 58 jersey was also retired by the Chiefs the same year.

8. Junior Bucket

The second posthumous addition to our list, Junior Seau was a tackle king. His reading of the game and his positioning were reflected in his unusually high number of professional attacks (1,849). As a player, he played for the San Diego Chargers (1990-2002), Miami Dolphins (2003-2005), and New England Patriots (2006-2009).

Sean was a University of Southern California alumnus and a 12-time Bowler Pro and 10-time All-Pro. His San Diego Chargers No.55 jersey was retired at the end of his career in 2009. Seau suffered multiple head concussions during his career. He committed suicide in 2012. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

9. Brian Urlacher

One of the newest Football Hall of Fame entrants (2018), Brian was instrumental in his team’s play in the 2005 season. His contribution earned him Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL in 2005. He played his entire career for the Chicago Bears from 2000 to 2012, earning 8 Pro Bowl invites and becoming an All-Pro five times.

The 2000 NFL defensive rookie of the season ended his career with 1,353 tackles, 41.5 sacks and created 34 turnovers. He has the third-most appearances (182) of any player in team history.

10. Ray Nitschke

A legendary linebacker who played his 15-year career (1958-1972) with the Green Bay Packers is best remembered as an integral part of the legendary Packers defense of his time, led by head coach Vince Lombardy.

The Class of 1978 Pro Football Hall of Fame helped his team to five NFL championship wins during his day, including the first two games of the Super Bowl era in 1967 and 1968. He was invited to the Pro Bowl in 1964 and is a seven-time All-Pro.

With his remarkable 5 NFL championships, it’s hard to argue that he’s on any list of the greatest linebackers of all time.

11. Derrick Brooks

Linebacker’s 14 seasons as a professional footballer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers produced some of the best plays in franchise history. As a linebacker, his technique and instinct were on point, as evidenced by his superb passing coverage and sure-fire tackles, both of which produced 1,700 career tackles and forced 49 turnovers.

Derrick won the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2002, he received 11 Pro Bowl invitations, 9 all-pro recognition and an MVP Award in the 2005 Pro Bowl game. He played from 1995 to 2008 and is a member of the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played 224 games for the Buccaneers and his No. 55 jersey was also retired following his retirement in 2010.

12. Harry Carson

Although Lawrence Taylor is considered the greatest linebacker in the NFL of all time, he had one help to accomplish what he did, namely Harry Carson. Harry, among others, was an integral part of the New York Giants’ linebacking core of the early 1980s, known collectively as “The Crunch Bunch”, as well as the “Big Blue Wrecking Crew” defense of the rest of the 1980s.

He played his entire career with the Giants (1976-1988) and captained the team for ten of those seasons. Harry is a Super Bowl winner (1986), a 9-time Pro Bowler and a 6-time All-Pro. He earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

13. Kevin Greene

There’s probably a lot of merit to the claim that Kevin Greene retired only because he had to. The linebacker was still breaking records well into the end of his career and was part of the 1990s NFL team.

Kevin’s career spanned 15 years across five different teams. He started his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1985 and left the franchise in 1992. He then played for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1993-1995) and the San Francisco 49ers (1997). ) He is currently ranked third on the NFL’s all-time sack list (160) and is the hottest linebacker on the list. In 1996, at the age of 34, he also became the oldest player to ever lead the league in sacks (14.5). The latter record earned him the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award that season.

Greene has 5 Pro Bowl invites and 3 First Team All-Pro Awards invites to show for his career. He joined the sport’s other legends as a Hall of Famer in 2016, cementing his status as one of the NFL’s greatest linebackers of all time.

14. Sam Huff

Huff played for the New York Giants (1956-1963) and the Washington Redskins (1964-1967; 1969). During his time with the Giants, he was part of a formidable and relentless group of linebackers who terrorized fouls. The 1961 Pro Bowl MVP turned out to be the Giants’ best in six NFL championship games.

The hard-hitting linebacker is a five-time Pro Bowler, a six-time All-Pro, a Class of ’82 Hall of Famer and is on the NFL’s Team of the Past Ten Years.

15. Patrick Willis

Willis rounds up our list of the greatest NFL linebackers of all time. He had the shortest career (8 years) of any player on his roster, thanks to a foot injury that ended his 2014 season and forced him into early retirement.

A 2007 NFL draft pick, the linebacker has played his entire career for the San Francisco 49ers. During his time there, he was hailed for his fighting prowess and tallied 950 tackles in his short career. He is also the recipient of two Butkus Awards (college and professional), a seven-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro.

He’s the youngest player on this list and is the only one yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but given his accomplishments in time he’s had, it would be fair to assume that honor isn’t. is not that far.