Ryan Kerrigan was the 2010 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and you would expect from a player who won such an accolade, he went high in the draft.  The Washington Redskins took him 16^thOverall, where he became their starting Right Defensive End as a rookie.

Kerrigan moved to Outside Linebacker as a sophomore, and he was a Pro Bowl in 2012.  An expert pass-rusher. Kerrigan led the NFL in Forced Fumbles (5) in 2014, and Tackles for Loss (18) in 2016, and he has had four 10-plus Sack years.  The former Purdue Boilermaker went to three more Pro Bowls consecutively (2016-18).   Kerrigan's output declined in 2019, and he was coming off of the bench in 2020, which would be his final year in Washington, as Kerrigan signed with division rival Philadelphia, but that would only be for one year before he retired.  

Kerrigan had 95.5 Sacks and 120 Tackles for Loss over his career.

Do you believe in Fitzmagic?

One of the most intriguing careers of an NFL Quarterback belongs to Ryan Fitzpatrick, a QB that defied the odds time and time again, and was constantly written off, despite becoming a cult-like figure among fans

From Harvard, Fitzpatrick was a Seventh Round Pick in 2005 by the St. Louis Rams, but he did not see any significant action until he was with the Buffalo Bills, where he had three straight 3,000 Yard years.  He would also exceed that mark once with the Jets, and once with the Dolphins while throwing for 34,990 Yards in total.  Fitzpatrick also played for Cincinnati, Tennessee, Houston and Tampa and retired with 223 Touchdown Passes.

An All-American from the football factory of Ohio State, Malcolm Jenkins was New Orleans’ First Round Pick in 2009, and the Defensive Back was a part of the team that won the Saints’ first ever Super Bowl that year.

Jenkins became a starter at Free Safety the following year, staying with New Orleans until he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014.  With the Eagles, Jenkins won another Super Bowl, playing a larger role than he did in his Saints’ Title, while individually going to three Pro Bowls.  He rejoined New Orleans in 2020, playing two years before retiring after the 2021 Season.

Jenkins won’t make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but a 13-year career with two Super Bowl Rings is a solid career.  Throw in his NFLPA Alan Page Community Award, you have one of the most respected players in recent memory.

K.J. Wright had a good career at Mississippi State, which led him to be taken 99^th Overall in the 2011 Draft by Seattle.

Wright was part of what became a powerful Seahawks defensive unit, that went to back-to-back Super Bowls, winning the first (XLVIII), a blowout win over Denver.  A Pro Bowl Selection once (2016), the strong side Linebacker had five seasons of 100-plus Tackles, including a four-year run from 2015 to 2018.  A Seahawk until 2021, Wright had one final campaign in the NFL with the Raiders before retiring with 13.5 Sacks and 992 Combined Tackles.