NaVorro Bowman would prove to be a tackling machine during his time with the San Francisco 49ers, and once he became a starter, he would help usher in a new wave of strong defense for the team.  Bowman would be a First Team All-Pro in 2011 (despite not making the Pro Bowl), and he finished second overall in Solo Tackles.  He repeated his First Team All-Pro performance in 2012 and 2013, making the Pro Bowl both years; in 2012, he helped the Niners reach the Super Bowl, though they lost to the Baltimore Ravens.  From 2011 to 2013, he had 140 Combined Tackles or more, which was good enough for the top ten each year.  A torn ACL and MCL cost Bowman the 2014 season, but his return in 2015 saw him again reach the Pro Bowl and the First Team All-Pro, and this time he would lead the NFL in Solo and Combined Tackles.

Bowman didn’t play much longer after that, as injuries piled up, and he played only two more years.

One of the better dual-threat Running Backs of his era, Matt Forte was a surprise starter as a rookie in a season that would see him rush for over 1,200 Yards and finish seventh in the league.  The product of Tulane early established himself as a solid receiving back with 63 Receptions and he quickly became a favorite of the Chicago Bears’ fanbase.  Forte played for Chicago for eight seasons, and while he was named to the Pro Bowl twice (2011 & 2013), cases could have easily been made for him in other seasons.  He had five seasons in which he went over the 1,000-yard rushing mark and six 50 Reception seasons, punctuated by a 102-catch campaign in 2014.  As a testament to his offensive versatility, Forte would finish in the top ten in yards from scrimmage, highlighted by a 1,933-yard year in 2013. 

Forte signed with the New York Jets, where he played the last two years of his career, but he returned to Chicago to sign a one-day contract so he could retire as a Bear.  His career would end with 9,796 Rushing Yards, 4,672 Receiving Yards, 75 Touchdowns and 14,468 Yards From Scrimmage.

From Texas A&M, Martellus Bennett began his pro career with the Dallas Cowboys where he was the backup Tight End to Jason Witten and was regarded as an above average blocker.  He would later go to the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, the latter of which would see him go to the Pro Bowl in 2014.  Bennett’s career would finish in New England where he would help them win Super Bowl LI. 

The third member (at least that is where we see him in the pecking order) of Seattle’s famed “Legion of Boom”, Kam Chancellor was a very important figure in the Seahawks rise to prominence in the 2010’s.  Chancellor would win the starting Strong Safety position in 2011 where he would be chosen for the Pro Bowl that year and consecutively from 2013 to 2015.  A two-time Second Team All Pro, Chancellor secured his spot in Seahawk history when in their Super Bowl XLVIII he had 10 Combined Tackles and a pick on Peyton Manning in their destruction over the Broncos.  Chancellor would suffer a sever neck injury in 2017 and he was forced to retire early but his place in the Seahawk canon will always be remembered.