5. John Henderson, DT
2002-2009 (Jacksonville); Two Pro Bowls; 329 career tackles
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| (Rick Stewart/Getty) |
Hailed as the best defensive line prospect to come out of the University of Tennessee since Reggie White, John Henderson struggled to live up to his potential as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. While he only missed four games in his eight-year career wearing 98, Henderson made just two Pro Bowls. He recorded a career-high 62 tackles the first time he earned an all-star invitation in 2004 and was a second team all-pro when he made his second Pro Bowl in 2006. Henderson retired from football after two seasons with the Raiders, during which he wore the number 79.
4. Greg Ellis, DE/LB
1998-2008 (Dallas); One Pro Bowl; 77 career sacks
Like Henderson, Ellis was a top-ten draft pick who failed fully to live up to expectations. The former North Carolina Tar Heel did spend a decade wearing a star on his helmet and 98 on his chest, but never recorded more than 50 tackles than a season and hit double-digit sacks just once. 2007 was Ellis' lone Pro Bowl season; after converting to linebacker in 2006 he reached the all star game thanks to his 12.5 sacks, which he made in just 13 games. Also like Henderson, Ellis spent the last year of his career wearing a different number - this time 99 - in Oakland.
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| (Ronald Martinez/Getty) |
3. Robert Mathis, DE/LB
2003-2016 (Indianapolis); Five Pro Bowls; One First-Team All Pro; 123 career sacks
Robert Mathis spent much of his career opposite of - and often overshadowed by - future Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney. Mathis started all 16 games in only three of his 14 seasons with the Colts, and missed the entire 2014 season with a torn Achilles tendon. Despite frequent injury struggles, however, Mathis put together a respectable career in Indy. His first Pro Bowl season didn't come until his sixth year in the league, but he made the Pro Bowl five out of six seasons from 2008-2013. Mathis' best season came in 2013, when he was named first team All-Pro with a career-high 19.5 sacks. Mathis retired at the end of last season as one of just two players still on the Colts roster to have been a member of the Super Bowl XLI championship team.
2. Casey Hampton, DT
2001-2012 (Pittsburgh); Five Pro Bowls; 208 career tackles
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| (Greg Bartram/US PRESSWIRE) |
Casey Hampton will never make a list of the most dominant Pittsburgh defensive linemen of all time, and barely cracks the list of most important members of the 2000s Steelers. However, Hampton was absolutely one of the best pure nose tackles to have played the game to this point in the 21st century. He anchored a Pittsburgh defense that was among the tops in the league throughout his time in black and yellow and was a key member of both the 2005 and 2008 Super Bowl championship teams. Hampton spent the entirety of his 12-year career with the Steelers.
1. Jessie Armstead, LB
1993-2003 (NY Giants, Washington); Five Pro Bowls; One First-Team All Pro; 747 career tackles
Jessie Armstead did not make many highlight reels for explosive quarterback sacks, but he was one of the most dependable tacklers of the 1990s. Armstead recorded 75 tackles or more in six of his 11 NFL seasons, including a 101-tackle 1997 campaign in which he was honored as a member of the All-Pro team. The dependable outside linebacker never missed a game in 176 possible contests, and from the time he took on a full-time starting role with the Giants in 1996 until his final season Armstead only missed one start.
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