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10 Best Linebackers of All Time: 2023 Edition

best linebackers in nfl

Who are the best linebackers of all time? Lining up directly behind the line of scrimmage, linebackers make important tackles on running plays and in covering short passes.

Best Linebackers of All Time

Linebackers require excellent vision and tackling skills, but they’re also seen as the leader of the defensive unit and are often the toughest players on the field. We take a look at the 10 best linebackers in NFL history.

10. Bobby Bell

Bobby Bell is one of the most physically gifted linebackers in NFL history. He had phenomenal athleticism at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, and ran the 40-yard dash in a reported 4.5 seconds.

One of the best open-field tacklers in history, he was great at blitzing and finished his career with 40 sacks, 26 interceptions, six pick-sixes and nine fumble recoveries. The Defensive Player of the Year in 1969, Bell helped guide the Chiefs to Super Bowl IV victory.

9. Jack Ham

A key part of Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain”, Jack Ham formed part of the Steelers dynasty which won four championships in six years during the 1970s. Ham covered receivers like a safety, earned eight Pro Bowl achievements, and his 53 takeaways are the most in history by a non-defensive back.

8. Chuck Bednarik

Drafted in 1949, Philadelphia Eagles legend Bednarik was one of the hardest hitting tacklers of all-time. He was also the last true two-way player when he retired in 1962 as he lined up at both linebacker and centre.

Bednarik spent his entire 14-season career in Philadelphia. The eight-time Pro Bowler helped lead the Eagles to two NFL championships. He’s also remembered for “The Hit” on Frank Gifford which dropped the Giants running back unconscious before he even hit the ground. 

7. Junior Seau

Junior Seau played the game at breakneck speed. In 20 seasons he became one of the league’s most beloved players. At 6-foot-3, 250-pounds, he had freakish athletic ability with a 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds and a 38″ vertical leap. Seau, a 12-time Pro Bowler, spent the majority of his career with the Chargers. He made 1,847 tackles, 18 interceptions, 56.5 sacks and 11 forced fumbles.

6. Derrick Thomas

One of the best pass rushers of all time, Derrick Thomas earned nine Pro Bowl appearances, made 126.5 sacks and 41 forced fumbles in 11 seasons in Kansas City.

In 1990 in just his second year, Thomas broke the record for most sacks in a game with seven against the Seahawks. He was also sacks and forced fumbles leader in 1990, and led the league again in forced fumbles in 1992.

5. Mike Singletary

Mike Singletary is one of the best linebackers in NFL history and one of the greatest readers of the game. Tough and intense, Singletary was a ferocious tackler and earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1985 and 1988. Singletary was a 10-time Pro Bowler and helped guide the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX.

4. Jack Lambert

Playing alongside Jack Ham, Jack Lambert was a part of Pittsburgh’s “Steel Curtain” which won four championships in six years during the 1970s. A two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and nine-time Pro Bowler, Ham was one of the best linebackers of all time.

The Pittsburgh defensive captain for eight years, Lambert was smart, tough and tenacious. He recorded 1,479 tackles, 28 interceptions and 23.5 sacks during his 11-year career.

3. Dick Butkus

Dick Butkus is one of the best linebackers of all time. He had a vicious tackle, a phenomenal football IQ, and is considered one of the most intimidating players in history. An eight-time Pro Bowler, Butkus won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards in 1969 and 1970.

Butkus was a ball-hawk and is considered to be the Chicago Bears greatest linebacker of all time which is saying something when you consider that Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher both played for the Bears.

2. Ray Lewis

Ray Lewis is a Baltimore Ravens icon and one of the toughest and most passionate players to ever play the game. A true leader, he was extremely intelligent, strong and fast. Across his 17 seasons with Ravens he earned 13 Pro Bowl appearances and won two Super Bowls, including an MVP performance in Super Bowl XXXV.

Lewis completed 2,059 tackles and 17 forced fumbles. He’s the only player in NFL history with at least 40 career sacks and 30 career interceptions, and his 50 takeaways is behind only Jack Ham for most by a defensive back.

1. Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor is the best linebacker of all time. He had a combination of speed, power and intelligence that set him apart from everyone else. A two-time Super Bowl champion, Taylor earned three Defensive Player of the Year Awards and made 10 Pro Bowl appearances.

Taylor also earned MVP in 1986 and in his 13-year career spent entirely at the Giants, he made 1,089 tackles, 142 sacks, forced 54 fumbles and 9 interceptions. So dominant was Taylor, he changed the way NFL defenses play.

The 6-foot-4 and 240-pound Taylor had the strength to dominate offensive linemen, fast enough to cover receivers and quick enough to sack a quarterback before they even knew what he was doing. 

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

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