Defensive Lineman/Linebackers Interior Lineman (5)
Ray Lewis (2018), Sam Mills (2022), Zach Thomas (2023), Brian Urlacher (2018), Patrick Willis (2024)
Modern Positional Average
Defensive Lineman/Linebackers/Interior Linemen:
Here are the five Defensive Lineman/Linebackers/Interior Linemen who have entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame and played within the last 25 years. They comprise our baseline:
Ray Lewis (2018), Luke Kuechly (2026), Zach Thomas (2022), Brian Urlacher (2018) & Patrick Willis (2024)
Much like with what he had in exterior linemen, we have a convoluted system where we try to look at the interior run-stuffers, while recognizing that the front seven varies depending on scheme and player.
Before our new system, we looked at the Modern Inductees regardless of the year they were inducted, but now that we're looking at the last quarter-century, Mills is out, and with the arrival of Luke Kuechly, the average stats at this position have changed dramatically.
Here are the statistical averages that we are using based on the last group of Defensive Lineman/Linebackers/Interior Linemen to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Games Played: 164.8
- Approximate Value: 147.8
- Approximate Value per Games Played: 0.8968
- Games Started: 163
- Approximate Value per Games Started: 0.9068
- Approximate Value per Five-Year Peak: 78.6
- Approximate Value’s Best Five Results: 84.2
- Top Five Defensive Player of the Year Finishes**: 8.4
- Pro Bowls: 8.2
- First Team All-Pros*: 5.2
- Interceptions: 19.2
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak: 9.4
- Quarterback Sacks: 27.3
- Quarterback Sacks Five-Year Peak: 15.4
- Tackles for Loss: 97.6
- Tackles for Loss Five-Year Peak: 53.4
- Forced Fumbles: 13.8
- Combined Tackles: 1,493.2
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak: 710.2
- Top Five Combined Tackles Finishes: 16.0
- Super Bowl Wins: 1.0
- Super Bowl Appearances: 0.4
*This is an aggregate of the Top Five finishes (5th = 1, 4th = 2, 3rd = 3, 2nd = 4th, 1st = 5)
**This is a reminder that the All-Pros we use are from the AP.
Stats
- Games 164.8
- Approximate Value 147.8
- Approximate Value per Game 0.8968
- Games Started 163
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.9068
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 76.6
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 84.2
- Top Five Aggregated DPOY Finishes 8.4
- Pro Bowls 8.2
- First Team AP All-Pros 5.2
- Interceptions 19.2
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak 9.4
- Quarterback Sacks 27.3
- Quarterback Sacks Five-Year Peak 15.4
- Tackles for Loss 97.6
- Tackles for Loss Five-Year Peak 53.4
- Combined Tackles 1493.2
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak 710.2
- Top Five Aggregated Completed Tackles Finishes 14.2
- Forced Fumbles 13.8
- Super Bowl Championships 0.4
- Super Bowl Appearances 1
#3 Overall, Bobby Wagner: Free Agent Linebacker, #1 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2025 Pre-Season Rank #2, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #3, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #3, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #6, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #10, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #18. Peak: 2016-20
Bobby Wagner is currently a Free Agent, and we aren’t sure if he will ever play another snap in the National Football League.
If that is the case, it should not matter, as the longtime Middle Linebacker can retire as one of the most explosive tackling machines that ever lived.
A Super Bowl Champion with the Seattle Seahawks, Wagner earned nine Pro Bowls in Seattle, with a tenth as a Washington Commander. Recording 15 picks, Wagner is currently third overall in Combined Tackles with an even 2,000, and is only 59 behind Ray Lewis, meaning that if he finds work this year, he can grab the official all-time lead.
As great as he was in the interior, Wagner’s versatility saw him record 39.5 Sacks and 15 Interceptions. Regardless of whether he plays again, his legacy is complete, whether or not his name has transcended football. The Pro Football Hall of Fame voters will recognize Wagner for his overall career, and he should be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee based on the patterns we have seen so far.
Stats
- Games 219 (+54.2)
- Approximate Value 180 (+32.2)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.8219 (-0.0749)
- Games Started 217 (+54)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.8294 (-0.0774)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 78 (+1.4)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 78 (-6.2)
- Top Five Aggregated DPOY Finishes 2 (-6.4)
- Pro Bowls 10 (+1.8)
- First Team AP All-Pros 6 (+0.8)
- Interceptions 15 (-4.2)
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak 5 (-4.4)
- Quarterback Sacks 39.5 (+12.2)
- Quarterback Sacks Five-Year Peak 10.5 (-4.9)
- Tackles for Loss 107 (+9.4)
- Tackles for Loss Five-Year Peak 35 (-18.4)
- Combined Tackles 2000 (+506.8)
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak 711 (+0.79999999999995)
- Top Five Aggregated Completed Tackles Finishes 21 (+6.8)
- Forced Fumbles 7 (-6.8)
- Super Bowl Championships 1 (+0.6)
- Super Bowl Appearances 2 (+1)
#30 Overall, Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers Linebacker, #2 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2025 Pre-Season Ranking #22, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #49, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #79, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #118, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #142. Peak Period: 2020-24
From 2020 to 2024, Fred Warner assaulted this list and terrorized rushers as one of the best (if not the best) man-to-man interior forces in football. It was an incredible run that yielded four First Team All-Pros, and the quick-as-a-cat Middle Linebacker had a fifth one in his sights in 2025 before an early-season broken ankle took him out for the rest of the campaign.
That led to his first tumble on our Notinhalloffame Football Monitor, but he enters this season in perfect health and ready to anchor the 49ers defense and possibly make a Super Bowl run. Barring injury, this is what we expect from Warner, who will likely get right back on track. This is one player we would not bet against.
Stats
- Games 121 (-43.8)
- Approximate Value 93 (-54.8)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.7685 (-0.1283)
- Games Started 121 (-42)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.7685 (-0.1383)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 74 (-2.6)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 75 (-9.2)
- Top Five Aggregated DPOY Finishes 0 (-8.4)
- Pro Bowls 4 (-4.2)
- First Team AP All-Pros 4 (-1.2)
- Interceptions 10 (-9.2)
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak 8 (-1.4)
- Quarterback Sacks 10 (-17.3)
- Quarterback Sacks Five-Year Peak 7 (-8.4)
- Tackles for Loss 38 (-59.6)
- Tackles for Loss Five-Year Peak 26 (-27.4)
- Combined Tackles 948 (-545.2)
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak 655 (-55.2)
- Forced Fumbles 15 (+1.2)
- Super Bowl Championships 0 (-0.4)
- Super Bowl Appearances 2 (+1)
#31 Overall, Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens Linebacker, #3 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2025 Pre-Season Rank #39, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #62, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #92, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #133, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #146. Peak Period: 2020-24
Smith was a Second-Team All-Pro for two years in a row (2020-21), but as good as he was, the Bears weren’t, and Smith and Chicago grew disenchanted with each other. Chicago traded Smith to the Ravens during the season, and it started the best run of his career.
In the year he was traded (2022), Smith had career highs in Combined Tackles (169) and Solo Tackles (103), and was rewarded with his First Team All-Pro. Smith has since followed that with his second and third First Team All-Pro selections, and his domination in the middle has continued the Baltimore defense's stellar reputation.
Last season, the streak of at least First Team All-Pro selections and 150 Combined Tackles ended, but he was a Pro Bowl selection for the fourth straight year. His “down year” is still a dream season for most Middle Linebackers, and there is no reason to think that he won’t be one of the best MLBs in 2026.
Stats
- Games 125 (-39.8)
- Approximate Value 98 (-49.8)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.7840 (-0.1128)
- Games Started 123 (-40)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.7967 (-0.1101)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 73 (-3.6)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 73 (-11.2)
- Top Five Aggregated DPOY Finishes 0 (-8.4)
- Pro Bowls 4 (-4.2)
- First Team AP All-Pros 3 (-2.2)
- Interceptions 10 (-9.2)
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak 8 (-1.4)
- Quarterback Sacks 21.5 (-5.8)
- Quarterback Sacks Five-Year Peak 14.5 (-0.9)
- Tackles for Loss 68 (-29.6)
- Tackles for Loss Five-Year Peak 50 (-3.4)
- Combined Tackles 1135 (-358.2)
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak 783 (+72.8)
- Top Five Aggregated Completed Tackles Finishes 5 (-9.2)
- Forced Fumbles 3 (-10.8)
- Super Bowl Championships 0 (-0.4)
- Super Bowl Appearances 0 (-1)
#48 Overall, DeMario Davis, New York Jets, Linebacker, #4 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2025 Pre-Season Rank #47, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #47, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #61, 2022, Pre-Season Rank #137. Peak Period: 2019-23
Davis, a veteran player, has experienced a significant rise in the second half of his career. From 2019 to 2023, Davis was an All-Pro (one First Team and four Second Team), and his versatility and leadership were the keys to some very good New Orleans defenses in the early 2020s.
As good as he has been in his 30s, he turns 38 this season, and his Hall of Fame resume looks to be “too little, too late.” He's back with the NFL team where he started it all, the New York Jets, and if he continues to age like wine, who knows!
Stats
- Games 227 (+62.2)
- Approximate Value 139 (-8.8)
- Approximate Value per Game .6123 (-0.2845)
- Games Started 213 (+50)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.6526 (-0.2542)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 74 (-2.6)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 74 (-10.2)
- Top Five Aggregated DPOY Finishes 0 (-8.4)
- Pro Bowls 2 (-6.2)
- First Team AP All-Pros 1 (-4.2)
- Interceptions 4 (-15.2)
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak 2 (-7.4)
- Quarterback Sacks 45 (+17.7)
- Quarterback Sacks Five-Year Peak 24 (+8.6)
- Tackles for Loss 116 (+18.4)
- Tackles for Loss Five-Year Peak 56 (+2.6)
- Combined Tackles 1536 (+42.8)
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak 615 (-95.2)
- Top Five Aggregated Completed Tackles Finishes 0 (-14.2)
- Forced Fumbles 6 (-7.8)
- Super Bowl Championships 0 (-0.4)
- Super Bowl Appearances 0 (-1)
