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Who are the top safeties in NFL history? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Kenny Easley: though he was forced to retire prematurely due to a severe kidney disease, Easley was a dominant player when healthy, making five Pro Bowl and three All-Pro teams and winning the 1984 Defensive Player of the Year award in just seven NFL seasons.
9. Willie Wood: a member of the Green Bay Packers dynasty that won five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls in the 1960s, Wood was an instrumental part of the defense with 48 career interceptions, eight Pro Bowl selections, and five All-Pro nods.
8. Brian Dawkins: a hard-hitting and versatile playmaker who was a 9x Pro Bowler and 4x All-Pro, Dawkins is the only player in NFL history with at least 25 sacks, 25 interceptions, and 25 forced fumbles (his 36 career forced fumbles are a record for a safety).
7. Larry Wilson: spending his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Wilson was an 8x Pro Bowl and 5x All-Pro selection who picked off 52 career passes and was named to both the 1960s and 1970s All-Decade Teams.
6. Troy Polamalu: perhaps the best strong safety of his era, Polamalu was an 8x Pro Bowler and 4x All-Pro who also took home 2010 Defensive Player of the Year honors and guided the Pittsburgh Steelers to a pair of Super Bowl titles.
5. Ken Houston: a Pro Bowler for a dozen consecutive years, Houston also made two All-Pro teams and racked up 49 career interceptions across the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins.
4. Paul Krause: the NFL’s all-time leader with 81 career interceptions, Krause also made eight Pro Bowl and three All-Pro teams during his career, though interestingly only led the league in picks once in his career (during his rookie season).
3. Ed Reed: the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens, Reed was a ballhawking safety who was named to nine Pro Bowl and five All-Pro teams and led the league in interceptions 3x, totaling 64 career interceptions and 9 return touchdowns.
2. Emlen Tunnell: a 9x Pro Bowl and 4x All-Pro selection who was also named to the 1950s All-Decade Team, Tunnell ranks second all-time in NFL history with 79 career interceptions and was the first African-American inducted into the Hall of Fame.
1. Ronnie Lott: a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in his rookie year (1981), Lott went on to be a 10x Pro Bowler and 6x All-Pro while accumulating 63 career interceptions as the defensive anchor of a San Francisco 49ers team that won four Super Bowls in the 1980s.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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Countdown 110: Top 10 Preps-to-Pros Players in NBA History
