Ted Washington always amazed me. So it's harder to peg players. He got the do the grunt work for the guys that replaced John Randle and Warren Sapp. Jerry Ball was shaped like his name. Donald is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a seven-time First-Team All-Pro, Made the 2010 NFL All . Wilfork frequently drew. He did play some 3-4 end in his career and was always effective as a defensive tackle in the Chiefs 4-man lines when they went to nickel, he would routinely turn in 5, 6, or 7-sack seasons. He possessed a freakish combo of power and speed for someone of his size. edit* Hampton was a beast don't know how I didn't think of him! Willis was a dynamic6-2, 213-pound middle guard for the Cleveland Browns from 1946-53. With that said, Im happy to have you on the site and hope I can help you out in achieving your goals! Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans. First-team All-Pro: 5 times (1980, 1981, 82, 83, 88). If youre a football player, you must understand what a defensive technique is. Fronts are more complex now than there were "back in the day". He was a 'move' guy, not a power guy and he could rush the passer very well in addition to playing his two-gap responsibilities. Gil Brandt's greatest NFL tackles of all time - NFL.com Raji possesses a more diverse and dynamic skill set than Pouha. pounds, Wilfork was the anchor of the Patriots defensive line for more than a decade making First-team All-Pro once and second-team All-Pro four times and five Pro Bowls in his 13 seasons and earned himself two rings. It used to take three blockers to stop him. They line up with a defensive end on both sides of them, but theres a pretty large gap between them since the offensive line is made up of five players. Washington has four first-round picks on its defensive line, and Jonathan Allen might have been the best in 2020. Had he not been denied the opportunity to follow up his stellar 2010 season, Williams would certainly have merited inclusion. Bill Wills is one such example, he was undrafted in the 1946 draft! You simply cant run a 3-4 defensive scheme without one. The third-year pro has the power, leverage and quickness to threaten the pocket on every play. 25 Best Undrafted NFL Players of All Time - AthlonSports.com They rank up there with the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Red Sox, and all the other teams to win several championships since the turn of the century. Art Shell, 1968-1982. As they continue to learn the What Is a Secondary in Football? He was drafted into the NFL in 2004 by the New England Patriots. Tom LaMarre. Of course, it leaves some space right up the middle. His 10 kick blocks rank top 10 among all NFL players. One of the least glamorous positions in the NFL is Nose Tackle, but they are still a critical position in the NFL so who are the greats? Now we are getting into the run-stopping specialists, though very good at that specialty. A nose tackle, also known as the nose guard or middle guard, is a player that aligns themselves in the middle of the defensive line. He was a Second-team All-Pro in 1987 and a consensus First-team All-Pro in 1988 and was picked to Paul Zimmerman's (. Its generally reserved for the defensive end and theyre responsible for both the B-gap (in-between the guard and tackle) and C-gap (on the outside of the tackle). Super Bowl champion: 3 times (XIX, XXIII, XXIV), First-team All-Pro: 3 times (1986, 1987, 1988). His professional football career began in 1977 when he was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles 1977. 1. Pro Football Network analyst Matt Valdovinos ranks the top 25 offensive tackles in the NFL. Patriots all-time 53-man roster: 'Dynasty Era' players dominate, but Another big man, around 330-350 (390?) All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Ostensibly a 2-gapper, Raji manages to make a lot of plays behind the line of scrimmage. Pittsburgh Steelers All-Underrated Team: Nose Tackle Joe Nash is a glaring omission. And in that role, he recorded 24 sacks in 1985-86. There are always 22 football players on the field at once and they all have their own specialized roles. Here is a ranking of the 10 best nose tackles in the game today. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Theyre largely responsible for the C-gap, which is the space on the outside of the tackle, but they might try and confuse the tackle by starting outside and making a move inside. His penetration causes havoc in the running game and makes hima credible danger to the quarterback. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. STEELERS' ALL-UNDRAFTED TEAM Quarterback: Devlin Hodges Running Back: Willie Parker Fullback: Dan Kreider Wide Receivers:. There are players that play close to the ball and others that play further away. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Defensive tackles are mostly the silent killer of a team. I also thought Jamal Williams was excellent for a few years at his peak. Joe Klecko (89%, 59 Votes) Kris Jenkins (8%, 5 Votes) Jason Ferguson (3%, 2 Votes) Sione Pouha (0%, 0 Votes) Abdul Salaam (0%, 0 Votes). In some situations, they might line up in-between the guards and center if they want to directly fill the gaps during a run play. Bob Baumhower Baumhower was a unique player, tall (6-5) for a nose tackle and may have been better suited as a 4-3 tackle or 3-4 end. For the 3-technique, the defensive player is asked to line up on the outside shoulder of the offensive guard. He was also one of the best kick blockers ever and the best of the 2000s by far with 17 blocked place kicks. My name is Steven and I love everything sports! These savvy veterans and youngsters such as Knighton, Cleveland Browns rookie Phillip Taylor and Arizona Cardinals youth Dan Williams, are collectively ensuring the nose tackle remains very relevant. In the Bears under front,Toeaina is required to take on the center and occupy the interior, creating one on one matchups for pass rushing defensive ends and the 3-technique tackle. I realize he was mostly a part-time player but I thought Pete Kugler for the 49ers played alot of quality snaps. He played college football for the University. When done correctly, the nose tackle acts as a space-eater. He did not focus on personal achievements, which is one of the reasons that his stats are not filled with rich numbers. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Pittsburgh Steelers: Tackling the Defense - City of Champions PFF Rankings: The NFL's top 25 interior defensive linemen ahead of the Thomas was great at tackling and arguably the best among all nose tackles. A Complete Overview, What Is a Sack in Football? 15 Greatest New England Patriots of All Time - Sportscasting Team (s): Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions & Philadelphia Eagles. Houston Texans starter Shaun Cody has adapted well to the rigours of Wade Phillips' 1-gap 3-4. The change of league did not have much impact on the team as the team continued to dominate, and in 19450, they became the NFL champion. This is because four linebackers can either drop back and guard the middle of the field or play at the line of scrimmage against the run. It frequently took 2 or 3 linemen to block him, freeing up teammates to double-cover or blitz. Best Defensive Tackles of All Time in the NFL - Ranker As mentioned above, the best feature of a nose tackle is that he sacrifices himself for the greater good of the team. The top 25 NFL offensive tackles heading into the 2020 season Thomas was a solid defensive nose and could have been a terrific 3-technique. It is no coincidence that with Peko disrupting the line of scrimmage, youngsters Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunalp have been able to blossom into dangerous pass rushers. Jamal Williams career seemed to be heading into obscurity as a very good shade (nose) tackle in a 4-3 defense for the Chargers from 1998 to 2004. For the most part, the nose tackle is responsible for filling up these two gaps. It is not easy for the nose tackles to be the best defender, but Culp did it in 1975 after joining the Houston Oilers. This type of scheme consists of five players on the defensive line a nose guard, two defensive tackles, and two defensive ends. Ted Washington is another. A coach usually elects to have two defensive tackles on the field, although one of those defensive tackles might be a versatile nose tackle. He recorded 137.5 sacks over his 14-year career and was. Enjoy! If its a 2-technique, the player must line up head-to-head with the guard. Interior Defender Rankings: The 32 best DIs entering the 2021 NFL - PFF One name that might get overlooked among some of the best defensive tackles all-time is the former Baltimore Ravens great Haloti Ngata. Smears also played and started the most number of matches as a nose tackle. Of course, thats not the case with any odd-numbered technique. By Matthew Valdovinos. 2022 NFL interior defender rankings and tiers - PFF He was also one of the best kick blockers ever and the best of the 2000s by far with 17 blocked place kicks. He played in the NFL for 13 seasons and recorded 32.5 sacks. This is different from the 0-technique, which is responsible for the two gaps in between the center and both offensive guards. In terms of pure 3-4 nose tackles, to this day no nose has played in and started more games at the position than Fred Smerlas. The quintessential 2-gap artist, Hampton is the cornerstone of the Steelers ferocious run defense. With that in mind, he shared some final thoughts on his playing career. But his place went to a division rival who doesn't benefit from quite as strong a supporting cast around him. He did that while ascending as one of the greatest nose tackles of all time. 6'5" and around 375 pounds, he was literally an immovable object in the trenches. Take a look at how they stack up. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. We've been a complete joke at NT since he left. If youre interested in learning more about the nose tackle position in football, continue reading for a full breakdown of what a nose tackle does and what it takes to be a dominant nose tackle. Sopoaga is such a powerful and active presence, that he demands a double team on almost every play. Sometimes even experts fail to recognize talent. The 55 Best Movies and Series on HBO Max (Where You 1968 (Denver Broncos, Round: 2 / Pick: 31), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions, 1979 (Buffalo Bills, Round: 2 / Pick: 32), Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers, 1991 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 1 / Pick: 25), San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, 1987 (Minnesota Vikings, Round: 3 / Pick: 72), Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots andDetroit Lions, 1984 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 5 / Pick: 121), 1977 (Philadelphia Eagles, Round: 7 / Pick: 175), Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, 2004 (New England Patriots, Round: 1 / Pick: 21), 1987 (Detroit Lions, Round: 3 / Pick: 63), Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings.