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A day after the NFL announced Auburn alum Kevin Greene’s upcoming induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, fellow linebacker Von Miller made his own case for future inclusion within the sport’s hallowed halls.
Miller, of the Denver Broncos by way of Texas A&M, terrorized Cam Newton (also Auburn) and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, registering 5.0 tackles and 2.5 sacks while forcing a pair of critical fumbles en route to earning the game’s MVP honors.
For Miller, the performance might have hardened the clay on his Canton bust, even after being just five years removed from College Station. Through half a decade in the league, Miller has 60.0 career sacks, exactly 100.0 shy of Greene, who ranks No. 3 all-time. Greene, by comparison, tallied 59.5 sacks through the first five full seasons of his career.
Here’s a look at 10 of the best former SEC linebackers by stat category in the NFL in 2015 and their chances to join the likes of Greene (and likely Miller) in the Hall of Fame.
TACKLES
Mark Barron, OLB, St. Louis Rams (Alabama) – It’s Barron who led all former SEC linebackers in solo tackles this season, dropping 79.0 ball carriers to rank No. 9 at the position in the NFL. The former Crimson Tide linebacker is carving out a nice career, but is on pace for about 620 career tackles. Well short of the greats, considering the No. 1 all-time leading tackler Jessie Tuggle earned about 1,000 more than that.
Kelvin Sheppard, MLB, Miami Dolphins (LSU) – Sheppard posted a career-high 75 solo tackles in 2015 after struggling to catch on with the Buffalo Bills and Dolphins the past five seasons. He has a chance to build himself into the regular rotation now in Miami, but isn’t exactly packing his bags for Canton any time soon.
Danny Trevathan, ILB, Denver Broncos (Kentucky) – Trevathan returned from a broken kneecap that sidelined him for five games in 2014 to post 109 tackles (73 solo) for the world champion Denver Broncos. The player John Elway drafted with the pick they traded Tim Tebow for has paid off, but he has to build more consistent seasons at his pre-injury form to have any chance to be even considered. Consider that a no.
Kevin Minter, MLB, Arizona Cardinals (LSU) – Former LSU Tiger Kevin Minter broke out this season for the Cardinals, with a career-high 72 solo tackles. After struggling for playing time during his first two years and appearing primarily on special teams, Minter will look play off the momentum heading into 2016. But he needs to earn his first Pro Bowl selection before we talk any further about his career.
K.J. Wright, OLB, Seahawks (Mississippi State) – Wright has developed into a consistent defender for Seattle, leading the Seahawks in solo tackles (71) for the second time. With 466 career tackles, he’s looking at around 900 for his career (based on a 10-year-or-so career). He’s been involved in some scuffles and a controversial figure which don’t help his already bleak HOF cause.
SACKS
Melvin Ingram, OLB, San Diego Chargers (South Carolina) – It took four seasons after leaving South Carolina for Melvin Ingram to find his groove in the NFL, but did so in 2015 with a career-best 10.5 sacks for the San Diego Chargers, who took him with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 draft. The big season is encouraging, but he’s far behind where he needs to be to be able to hang with the all-time greats — especially when you consider that all-time sack leader Bruce Smith had 200.
Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs (Georgia) – Despite missing the Kansas City Chiefs’ final four games, Houston wasn’t on pace to lead the league in sacks for the second-consecutive year. The Georgia alum, who finished half a sack behind Michael Strahan’s all-time single season record for sacks (22.5) in 2014, managed just 7.5 quarterback takedowns. If Houston can recoup quickly from the hyperextended knee he suffered in November, he has the potential to post big sack years for quite some time and possible leave the game with somewhere in the ballpark of 130 career sacks, putting him in the neighborhood of Lawrence Taylor (132 career sacks).
Pernell McPhee, OLB, Chicago Bears (Mississippi State) – Former Bulldog enjoyed a solid season in his first year with the Chicago Bears, tallying 6.0 sacks in his first campaign as a starter. Perhaps a move from Baltimore to the Windy City was what his career needed, but it’s going to take a lot more production to be mentioned in the same breath as Miller or Greene.
INTERCEPTIONS
Karlos Dansby, ILB, Cleveland Browns (Auburn) – The Auburn product led the NFL in pick-sixes (2) for the third time in his career in 2015. He’s tied for 17th on the NFL’s career list with six. While it’s an impressive career, at his current pace, he’ll need about 30 more interceptions to crack the top 20 on the NFL’s all-time list.
Thomas Davis, OLB, Panthers (Georgia) – Davis tied Carolina teammate Luke Kuechly for most interceptions by a linebacker this season. The four interceptions this year are by far the most in a single season for the SEC’s most-veteran former linebacker with 10 seasons under his belt. He’s had a nice career.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
