A 2^nd Round Pick from Clemson, Levon Kirkland became a starter in his second season in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1993).  Kirkland worked as an Inside Linebacker and would have seven seasons (six with Pittsburgh and one with Seattle), where he had over 100 Combined Tackles.  He would later go to the Pro Bowl in both 1996 and 1997 with a First Team All-Pro netted in the latter year as well as being named the NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year.  He would also be named to the 1990s All-Decade Second Team.

An exceptionally popular player during his days in Cleveland (the local McDonalds franchises even had a sandwich named after him for a time), Michael Dean Perry was a defensive beast who, while with the Browns, was one of the leaders of a strong defense.  MDP would go to five Pro Bowls as a Brown (his sixth coming with Denver), and he was a First Team All-Pro and Second Team All-Pro twice.  He was also named the AFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1989.  Not to bad for someone considered a little undersized, but nobody doubted his quickness off the snap was unquestioned.