Jessie Tuggle went undrafted out of Valdosta State, but the home-state Atlanta Falcons signed him, and he went on to a 209 Game career, all in the Peach State. Tuggle was at Inside Linebacker for years before moving to Middle Linebacker, but regardless of where he was in the interior, few NFL players could tackle more efficiently than he could.
A five-time Pro Bowl Selection, Tuggle played his entire professional career with Atlanta, but that didn't necessarily mean he drew much attention outside the ATL. The Falcons were not good for most of Tuggle's career, and that undoubtedly led to plenty of tackling opportunities. He would lead the NFL in Combined Tackles four times (1990, 1991, 1992 & 1995) and had seven seasons in the top ten. The Falcons improved late in his career, and he tasted playoff success and played in Super Bowl XXXIII.
As of this writing, Tuggle is the all-time leader in Solo Tackles. You have to think that anyone who leads the National Football League historically in the critical metric of Solo Tackles (albeit, this stat was not always kept) should give him a (small) chance for Canton.
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