Bow before your gods of football.

Behold the Pyramid of Middle Linebackers – the greatest who ever played the game.

The rules of the pyramid are simple. There is one spot at the very top, four spots on the second level, and five spots on the third. If you are on the second level, you are tied for second place; same goes for the third.

Players on each level are ordered chronologically.

THE MIDDLE LINEBACKERS

#1

Ray Lewis (1996-2012)

(“Sugar”)
University of Miami
1996 Draft Pick #26 (Round 1)
Baltimore Ravens
2x Super Bowl Champion
1x Super Bowl MVP
13x Pro Bowl
7x All Pro #1
3x All Pro #2
3x Tackles Leader
2x Defensive Player of the Year
2000s All Decade Team
228 Career Reg. Games
41.5 Career Reg. Sacks
31 Career Reg. Interceptions
19 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
21 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries
3 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns

#2

Bill George | Dick Butkus | Jack Lambert | Mike Singletary

Bill George (1952-66)
(“The Golden Greek”)
Wake Forest University
1951 Draft Pick #23 (Round 2)
Chicago Bears (1952-65)
Los Angeles Rams (1966)
1x NFL Champion
8x Pro Bowl
8x All Pro
1950s All Decade Team
173 Career Reg. Games
—

Dick Butkus (1965-73)
(“The Enforcer”)
University of Illinois
1965 Draft Pick #3 (NFL), 1965 Draft Pick #9 (AFL)
Chicago Bears
8x Pro Bowl
5x All Pro #1
3x All Pro #2
2x Defensive Player of the Year
1960s All Decade Team
1970s All Decade Team
119 Career Reg. Games
22 Career Reg. Interceptions
27 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries
1 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdown
—

Jack Lambert (1974-84)
(“Jack Splat”)
Kent State University
1974 Draft Pick #46 (Round 2)
Pittsburgh Steelers
4x Super Bowl Champion
9x Pro Bowl
6x All Pro #1
2x All Pro #2
1x Defensive Player of the Year
1970s All Decade Team
1980s All Decade Team
146 Career Reg. Games
23.5 Career Reg. Sacks
28 Career Reg. Interceptions
17 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries
—

Mike Singletary (1981-92)
(“Samurai Mike”)
Baylor University
1981 Draft Pick #38 (Round 2)
Chicago Bears
1x Super Bowl Champion
10x Pro Bowl
7x All Pro #1
1x All Pro #2
2x Defensive Player of the Year
179 Career Reg. Games
19 Career Reg. Sacks
7 Career Reg. Interceptions
12 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries

#3

Ray Nitschke | Nick Buoniconti | Brian Urlacher | Bobby Wagner | Luke Kuechly

Ray Nitschke (1958-72)
University of Illinois
1958 Draft Pick #36 (Round 3)
Green Bay Packers
5x NFL Champion
2x Super Bowl Champion
1x Pro Bowl
2x All Pro #1
5x All Pro #2
1960s All Decade Team
190 Career Reg. Games
25 Career Reg. Interceptions
2 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns
—

Nick Buoniconti (1962-74, 1976)
University of Notre Dame
1962 Draft Pick #102 (Round 13)
Boston Patriots (1962-68)
Miami Dolphins (1969-74, 1976)
2x Super Bowl Champion
8x Pro Bowl
5x All Pro #1
5x All Pro #2
183 Career Reg. Games
32 Career Reg. Interceptions
2 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns
—

Brian Urlacher (2000-12)
University of New Mexico
2000 Draft Pick #9 (Round 1)
Chicago Bears
8x Pro Bowl
4x All Pro #1
1x All Pro #2
1x Defensive Player of the Year
2000s All Decade Team
182 Career Reg. Games
22 Career Reg. Interceptions
5 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns
—

Bobby Wagner (2012-Present)
Utah State University
2012 Draft Pick #47 (Round 2)
Seattle Seahawks (2012-2021, 2023-Present)
Los Angeles Rams (2022)
1x Super Bowl Champion
8x Pro Bowl
6x All Pro #1
3x All Pro #2
2x Tackles Leader
2010s All Decade
178 Career Reg. Games
32 Career Reg. Sacks
13 Career Reg. Interceptions
956 Career Reg. Solo Tackles
1,628 Career Reg. Combined Tackles
4 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns
—

Luke Kuechly (2012-19)
(“Captain America”)
Boston College
2012 Draft Pick #9 (Round 1)
Carolina Panthers
7x Pro Bowl
5x All Pro #1
2x All Pro #2
2x Tackles Leader
1x Defensive Player of the Year
2010s All Decade Team
118 Career Reg. Games
12.5 Career Reg. Sacks
18 Career Reg. Interceptions
690 Career Reg. Solo Tackles
1092 Career Reg. Combined Tackles
2 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns