Kevin Huber was a two-time All-American Punter at the University of Cincinnati and was so good that he was one of the few Punters who was drafted (5^th Round).  Even better, the team that drafted him was his hometown Bengals, where he played all of his 14 NFL seasons. 

A Pro Bowl Selection in 2014, Huber played in 216 Games, punting for 45,766 Yards.  He finished in the top ten in Punting Yards six times and Yards per Punt three times, and at the time of his retirement, he was in the top thirty all-time in Punts, Punting Yards and Yards per Punt.

J.J. Watt.

Here, we have a player in the conversation for the best Defensive End that ever lived, and if you don’t agree with that, you have to acknowledge that he belongs in the conversation.

With the above paragraph, he enters rarified air with this.  He was just as impactful off the gridiron as he was on it.

Have we gushed enough about J.J. Watt?  Let’s gush some more.

Watt was an All-American at Wisconsin, and the Houston Texans were blessed to land him with the 11^th Overall Pick in the 2011 Draft.  Watt was a starting Defensive End in his first year, winning All-Rookie honors, but what he did over the next four seasons was legendary.

From 2012 to 2015, Watt won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and in the season, he didn’t win; he was still sixth.  Watt was named a First Team All-Pro in all four seasons, he twice led the NFL in Sacks, and three times in Tackles for Loss.  Not only was he the best Defensive End in Football, he was also the greatest defensive player of that period.  Hell, if you want to say that he was also the best player outright in those four seasons, we would probably agree with you!

It was beautiful to watch.  What couldn’t he do?  He mastered the bullrush, destroying any offensive lineman who had the misfortune of blocking him, and was an expert pass rusher, but he was also an exemplary run blocker.  He was fast, he could juke, and he could overpower you.  Watt was a defensive God!

It could not last forever, and through 2016 and 2017, Watt dealt with back and leg issues that held him to only eight Games over those campaigns.  He was healthy in 2018, and returned to the Pro Bowl, landed his fifth First Team All-Pro, and led the NFL for the first time in Forced Fumbles (7).  Watt was hurt again in 2019 and played only 8 Games, and though he played in all 16 Games in 2019, he had to use his veteran knowledge to remain effective.   He left Houston for Arizona for two final seasons, and while he was not the same, he was still a living legend.

Any story on Watt could not be complete without acknowledging his philanthropic efforts and the money he raised and personally donated to various causes, including Hurricane Harvey victims.  He won the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and it could be argued that he should have won more than one.

Watt retired with 114.5 Sacks, 195 Tackles for Loss and 317 Quarterback Hits.  If he is not a unanimous First Ballot Hall of Famer, the system is broken.  Thankfully, we won’t have to worry.

Best known for his three stints with the New England Patriots, Jamie Collins found a home under Bill Belichick Linebacking corps in the interior.  Collins had four 100-plus Tackle years (two with New England, one with Cleveland and one with Detroit), and was a big part of the Patriots Super Bowl XLIX Championship.  Collins also led the league in Forced Fumbles in 2015, the same season he went to his lone Pro Bowl.

Justin Upton began his baseball career with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007, at the age of 19. By 2009, he was the starting leftfielder and an All-Star for the first time, after hitting over .300 for the first time and belting more than 25 home runs.

Upton continued to perform well, with a decent 2010 season where he hit 17 home runs and had an OPS of .799, and an excellent 2011 season where he hit 31 home runs, had an OPS of .898, and finished fourth in the MVP voting. He won his first Silver Slugger award that year.

In 2013, Upton was traded to the Atlanta Braves, where he played with his brother Melvin for two years and added another Silver Slugger award to his resume. He hit 27 home runs and drove in 102 runs during his time in Atlanta.

After being traded to the San Diego Padres in 2015, Upton continued to perform well and was named an All-Star once again, hitting 26 home runs and having an OPS of .790. However, he became a free agent at the end of the season and signed with the Detroit Tigers.

Upton had a productive 2017 season with the Tigers, hitting 31 home runs and being on pace for more. However, the Tigers traded him to the Los Angeles Angels mid-season, where he had his best year yet. In 2018, Upton hit 35 home runs, had 109 RBIs, and an OPS of .901. He earned his fourth All-Star selection and third Silver Slugger award that year.

Unfortunately, Upton struggled with patellar tendinitis in 2019, which greatly impacted his performance. He played for the Angels until 2021 and had a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners in 2022. Throughout his career, Upton amassed 1,754 hits, 325 home runs, and 1,003 RBIs.