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#3 Overall, Bobby Wagner: Washington Commanders Linebacker, #1 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2023 Pre-Season Rank #3, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #6, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #10, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #18.
How good did Bobby Wagner look in a Seahawks uniform last year?
After ten seasons in Seattle, where he was an All-Decade, six-time First Team All-Pro, and Super Bowl champion, Wagner played for the Rams in 2022 before returning to the Seahawks in 2023, where he collected his ninth Pro Bowl Selection. Wagner shows no signs of age and last year, he led the NFL in Combined Tackles for the third time, but can he do that for his new team in Washington?
Of note, if Wagner gets 100 Combined Tackles again (and he has never not been able to do that), he will move up past Hall of Famers Derrick Brooks and Zach Thomas, and former Atlanta Falcon, Jessie Tuggle for fourth overall. 142 Combined Tackles, brings him to third place, surpassing Junior Seau.
Even if Wagner never registers another Tackle, his Hall of Fame case is already built.
#8 Overall, Von Miller, Buffalo Bills, #1 Defensive Lineman/Linebackers: Pass Rushers
2023 Pre-Season Rank #4, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #7, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #8, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #10. Peak Period: 2011-12/2014-16
Von Miller already has a Hall of Fame resume and might have the goods to get in on the first ballot.
A Defensive Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl winner, and Super Bowl MVP for the Denver Broncos, Miller has all the statistical requirements the Hall looks for and the name recognition that fits the word "Fame.” Miller is more of a role player for the Buffalo Bills at this stage, but he is a leader, and we are only talking about the strength of his legacy. A second Super Bowl win would do a lot, though Buffalo looks to be in a reloading year, and realistically, Miller may not be playing for much longer.
Statistically, Miller is the active leader in Sacks (123.5) and is three behind recent inductee Dwight Freeney.
Modern Positional Average
Much like with what he had in exterior lineman, we have a convulted system where we try to look at the interior run-stuffers, while recognizing what that the front seven vary depending on scheme and player. With that, we have a unique situtation in that with Sam Mills, who was a late entrant in the modern vote, is not factored into the traditional statistics as his overall numbers are not complete. This means that we have an average of the four for most stats, which exclude Mills.
Here are the statistics that we are using based on the last group of Defensive Lineman/Linebackers/Interior Lineman to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Games Played: 177.4
- Approximate Value: 151.8
- Approximate Value per Games Played: 0.8557
- Games Started: 174
- Approximate Value per Games Started: 0.8724
- Approximate Value per Five-Year Peak: 76.8
- Approximate Value’s Best Five Results: 83.2
- Top Five Defensive Player of the Year Finishes**: 7.8
- Pro Bowls: 7.8
- First Team All-Pros*: 4.4
- Interceptions: 16.8
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak: 8.8
- Quarterback Sacks: 28.9
- Quarterback Sacks Five-Year Peak: 15.8
- Tackles for Loss: 103.3
- Tackles for Loss Five-Year Peak: 53.5
- Forced Fumbles: 16.8
- Combined Tackles: 1,473.8
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak: 701.6
- Top Five Combined Tackles Finishes 14.2
- Super Bowl Wins: 0.4
- Super Bowl Appearances: 0.8
*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.
#19 Overall, Calais Campbell, Miami Dolphins, Defensive End, #5 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Pass Rusher
2023 Pre-Season Rank #19, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #26 2021 Pre-Season Rank #28, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #36. Peak Period: 2014-18
A 15-year veteran, Campbell’s six Pro Bowls happened in a seven-year period (2014-20), which includes all three of his seasons as a Jacksonville Jaguar and his first in Baltimore. Campbell, who recently won the Walter Payton Man of the Year, also was honored with an All-Decade Selection. Campbell is 38 but still plays solid football as he begins his first year with the Miami Dolphins. High-character guys, especially those with a significant milestone (Campbell joined the 100-Sack club last year), generally find their way into Canton.