Who are the 10 greatest safeties in NFL history?

There are multiple safeties who can claim the title of greatest of all time, but one thing is certain: nothing changes the game on defense like a ball-selling or hard-hitting force in the defensive backfield.

Having quality safety play has always been vital, but in the modern NFL, as the passing game has grown exponentially, there has never been a greater need for elite defenders at the bottom level of the defense.

The history of the league is littered with good safeties, but this list has the better assurances.

Here are the 10 greatest safeties in NFL history.

10.Larry Wilson

Wilson joined the St.Louis Cardinals in 1960, the team he would play for all 13 years of his football career. During that period, he racked up 52 interceptions, recovered 14 fumbles and seven defensive touchdowns.

Known best for one of the best safeties of all time, Wilson racked up 21 sacks in his career. He, along with Charles Woodson, are the only players to have 50 or more interceptions to combine with 20 or more sacks.

Over the course of his career, Wilson accumulated eight Pro Bowl honors and five First Team All-Pro nods. And notably, in 1966, he had interceptions in seven consecutive games.

9. Willie Wood

It’s shocking to remember, but Wood was never drafted and had to request a tryout with the Green Bay Packers to even make the team. Wood became a starter before his second season and never relinquished that role for Green Bay, playing his entire 12-year career with the team. Patrolling the field, he had 48 interceptions in his career and was also able to recover 16 fumbles during his 12-year career. He led the league in interceptions in 1962, with nine.

When all was said and done, Wood won eight Pro Bowls, was selected First or Second Team All-Pro nine times and played in six championship games with the Pack, going 5-1 in those games.

8. Cliff Harris

Despite not being selected during any of the 17 rounds of the 1970 draft, Harris was a turnover magnet, racking up 29 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries during his career. Additionally, Harris also recorded multiple interceptions in all 10 seasons he played in the NFL, with his high of five in a single season coming during his 1977 season, when he was selected to the Pro Bowl, earning First Team All-American honors. Pro and helped the Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl.

Harris played for the Cowboys in all 10 of his NFL seasons, earning six consecutive Pro Bowl nods, three first-team All-Pros and two Super Bowl titles. In total, he ended up playing in five different Super Bowls in his career with Dallas.

7. Brian Dawkins

The hard-hitting safety was in Brian Dawkin’s DNA and he ultimately forced 36 fumbles over the course of his 16-year career. Dawkins played most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he is still tied for the team record with 34 interceptions. During his 13 years with the Eagles, he was selected to seven Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pro teams and finished third in the 2002 Defensive Player of the Year race. Dawkins is also part of an exclusive NFL defensive club, being one of five players in NFL history to achieve 35 interceptions and 20 sacks throughout his career.

6. Ken Huston

One of the most electric players with the ball in his hands, Houston held many records that were recently broken. In 1971, he set an NFL record with five non-offensive touchdowns in a single season, four of them coming on pick-sixes. That would hold until 2006, when Devin Hester had six non-offensive touchdowns for the Chicago Bears. However, his ball skills were evident even without counting return touchdowns, claiming 31 interceptions in his first seven seasons and finishing with 49 for his career.

Houston split his career: his first six years were with the Houston Oilers and the last eight with Washington. During those 14 seasons, he was selected to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls, earned two First Team All-Pro nods and finished his career with nine defensive touchdowns.

5. Troy Polamalu

Polamalu, one of the greatest safeties of all time and a dominant force in the 21st century, was a turnover machine. Over the course of his career, he led the Pittsburgh Steelers in interceptions seven times, including four consecutive seasons between 2008 and 2011. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Steelers, helping lead the team to seven playoff appearances in those 12 seasons and winning two Super Bowls in those seven positions.

Polamalu was selected to eight Pro Bowls during his career, received four First Team All-Pro honors and won the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award thanks to his seven interceptions. Additionally, he was also named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team and selected to the Steelers’ All-Time Team.

4. Emlen Tonne

Another conclusion machine, Tunnell suffered 79 interceptions in his career, the second most in NFL history. The play didn’t end the pick for him, though: He also racked up 1,282 return yards with those interceptions, which was a record at the time and stood for four decades, but now ranks fifth all-time.

Tunnell played most of his career for the New York Giants, before finishing it with the Green Bay Packers for the last three seasons. Over the course of his career, Tunnell earned nine Pro Bowl appearances, four first-team All-Pros and, most impressively, finished with five-plus interceptions in each of his first 10 NFL seasons.

3. Paul Krause

Krause, the definition of a turnover machine, was a constant problem for opposing offenses. Krause holds the NFL’s all-time record with 81 interceptions in his 16-year career, three of them for touchdowns. He wasted no time and hit the ground running, giving up 12 picks in his rookie season, including a ridiculous streak where he got a pick in seven straight games. He ultimately finished with multiple interceptions in 15 of his 16 seasons.

Krause was drafted by Washington and ultimately spent only four seasons with the team before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1968, where he would play the final 12 seasons of his career. Over the course of his career, Krause made eight Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pros and finished with six defensive touchdowns to his name.

2. Ed Reed

Easily considered one of, if not the most, adept ball hawks in league history, Reed instilled fear in opposing quarterbacks and offensive play-callers alike. The premier defensive playmaker, he has the most interception return yards in NFL history, totaling an absurd 1,590 yards in interceptions. Additionally, he also won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004 when he compiled a league-leading nine interceptions, including a famous 106-yard interception return touchdown against QB Jeff Garcia and the Cleveland Browns. At the time, that was the longest interception return in NFL history.

Over his 12 seasons, 10 of which were with the Baltimore Ravens, the star safety earned nine Pro Bowl nods, five first-team All-Pros and tallied 64 interceptions, the seventh-most in NFL history. . He also helped lead the Ravens to seven playoff berths, culminating in their only Super Bowl title in 2012.

1. Ronnie Lott

Lott is clearly and by far the best safety of all time. The dynamic, hard-hitting safety was known for dishing out vicious hits and creating turnovers. That started right out of the gate, with Lott hauling in three interceptions for touchdowns, becoming just the second rookie in NFL history at the time to do so. Lott was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1981, and immediately earned a First Team All-Pro, Pro Bowl nod and finished sixth in the MVP race as a defensive rookie. That performance also helped the Niners win the Super Bowl title that same year.

Notably, Lott began playing safety in 1985, before moving to the position full-time the following season. In his career, he won four Super Bowls, earned six first-team All-Pros, 10 Pro Bowls, led the league in interceptions twice and ultimately netted his career-high 63 interceptions, the eighth-most of all time.

Honorable mentions:

• Steve Atwater
• Kenny Easley
• Juan Lynch
• butler leroy
• Donnie Shell

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