Geno Atkins, who had a dominant run at the University of Georgia, was considered small for a Defensive Tackle and fell to the fourth round in the 2010 Draft. However, this turned out to be a steal for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Atkins began his career as a bench player, but he started at Right Defensive Tackle in his second year and held that position until 2019. His quick jump off the snap was unmatched, and he established himself as an excellent edge creator. His speed was impressive, as he was often seen chasing down runners. Atkins was named to eight Pro Bowls with Cincinnati and was a First Team All-Pro in 2012 and 2015. It is worth noting that Atkins achieved all this without much support in the Jungle.

After the 2019 Season, Atkins was named to the All-Decade Team, but he underwent major shoulder surgery and was only able to play eight games in 2020, recording only one tackle. Unfortunately, this ended his career in the NFL, which had been a very successful one, with 75.5 sacks, 100 tackles for loss, and 384 combined tackles.

Sometimes, you were born to do something, even if you grew up having never seen it.

Born and raised in Ghana, Ezekiel Ansah was an excellent student and natural athlete.  He received an academic scholarship from BYU, and tried out for the basketball team (which he did not make), but did earn a spot in track.  With his size, Ansah was persuaded to try out for football, and despite not even knowing how to put on shoulder pads, he made the team.  Three years later, he had impressed scouts so much that he was the Fifth Overall Pick in the 2013 Draft.

Taken by the Detroit Lions, Ansah became a starter as a rookie, and proved quickly he was a very good pass rusher.  Ansah made the Pro Bowl in 2015 off of a 14.5 Sack year, and he had another double-digit Sack year (12) in 2017.  He recorded 50.5 Sacks over his eight NFL seasons; six with Detroit, and one each in Seattle and San Francisco.  What a career for someone who never picked up a football until college!

After a decent career at Eastern Carolina, Dwayne Harris was a late round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2011, where he would serve mostly in Special Teams.

Harris was strong not just as a Returner but as a Gunner, which allowed him to enjoy a ten-year career in the National Football League.  A Cowboy for his four years, Harris was a New York Giant over his next three seasons, where he was a Pro Bowl Selection in 2016.  He also played for Oakland where he led the NFL in Yards per Punt Return in 2018.  Harris closed his career with a year in Chicago in 2020.

David DeCastro, an All-American at Stanford, was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers as their First Round (24th Overall) Pick in the 2012 Draft. Unfortunately, he was only able to play four games as a rookie due to an injury, but he has been relatively healthy since then. He played at Right Guard until the end of the 2020 Season. In 2015, DeCastro was chosen for the Pro Bowl, and he continued to earn that accolade for six consecutive years. Additionally, he has been a First Team All-Pro twice.

However, DeCastro sustained an injury that kept him out of the entire 2021 Season. As a result, the team released him, and he subsequently retired. Despite this setback, DeCastro will be remembered as one of the better Tackles in Steelers history.