There are multiple safeties who can lay claim to the title of greatest of all-time, but one thing is for sure — nothing changes the game defensively like a ball-hawking or hard-hitting force in the defensive backfield.
Having quality safety play has always been vital, but in the modern NFL, as passing attacks have grown exponentially, there has never been a greater need for elite defenders at the last level of the defense.
The league history is littered with good safeties, but this list has the best safeties.
Here are the 10 greatest safeties in NFL history.
10. Larry Wilson
Wilson joined the St.Louis Cardinals in 1960, the team he would play all 13 years of his football career with. Over that period, he collected 52 interceptions, had 14 fumble recoveries and seven defensive touchdowns.
Known most notably for one of the best safety blitzes of all-time, Wilson collected 21 sacks in his career. He, along with Charles Woodson, are the only players to have 50 or more interceptions to pair with 20 or more sacks.
Over his career, Wilson accumulated eight Pro Bowl honors and five First-Team All-Pro nods. And notably, in 1966, he snagged interceptions in seven straight games.
9. Willie Wood
It’s shocking to look back on it, but Wood was never drafted and had to request a tryout with the Green Bay Packers to even make the team. Wood became a starter before his second season and never relinquished that role for Green Bay, playing his entire 12-year career with the team. Patrolling the field, he snagged 48 career interceptions and also was able to corral 16 fumble recoveries during his 12-year career. He led the league in interceptions in 1962, with nine.
When all was said and done, Wood earned eight Pro Bowls, was selected as First or Second-Team All-Pro nine times and played in six championship games with the Pack, going 5-1 in those games.
8. Cliff Harris
Despite not being drafted during any of the 17 rounds of the 1970 Draft, Harris was a turnover magnet, collecting 29 interceptions and 18 fumble recoveries during his career. Moreover, Harris also delivered multiple interceptions in all 10 seasons he played in the NFL, with his single-season high of five coming during his 1977 season, when he was selected for the Pro Bowl, earned First-Team All-Pro honors and helped the Dallas Cowboys win the Super Bowl.
Harris played for the Cowboys in all 10 of his NFL seasons, earning six consecutive Pro Bowl nods, three First-Team All-Pros and two Super Bowl titles. All in all, he ended up playing in five different Super Bowls in his career with Dallas.
7. Brian Dawkins
Hard-hitting safety was in Brian Dawkin’s DNA, and he ultimately forced 36 fumbles over his 16-year career. Dawkins played the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he is still tied for the team record with 34 interceptions. Over his 13-year stint with the Eagles, he was selected to seven Pro Bowls, four First-Team All-Pro teams, and finished third in the 2002 Defensive Player of the Year race. Dawkins also is part of an exclusive NFL defensive club, standing as one of just five players in NFL history to haul in 35 interceptions and collect 20 sacks over his career.
6. Ken Houston
One of the most electric players with the ball in his hands, Houston held many records that were only recently broken. In 1971, he set a then-NFL record with five non-offensive touchdowns in a single season, with four of those coming from pick-sixes. That would stand until 2006, when Devin Hester delivered six non-offensive touchdowns for the Chicago Bears. His ball skills were apparent even without counting the return touchdowns though, claiming 31 interceptions in his first seven seasons and finishing with 49 in his career.
Houston split his career with his first six years coming with the Houston Oilers and the last eight coming with Washington. Over those 14 seasons, he was selected to 12 straight Pro Bowls, earned two First-Team All-Pro nods and finished his career with nine defensive touchdowns.
5. Troy Polamalu
One of the best safeties ever and a dominant force in the 21st century, Polamalu was a turnover machine. Over his career, he led the Pittsburgh Steelers in interceptions seven times, including four straight seasons from 2008-2011. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Steelers, helping lead the team to seven playoff appearances in those 12 seasons and winning two Super Bowls in those seven berths.
Polamalu was selected to eight Pro Bowls during his career, received four First-Team All-Pro honors and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 on the back of his seven interceptions. Moreover, he also was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s and selected to the Steelers All-Time Team.
4. Emlen Tunnell
Another takeaway machine, Tunnell came down with 79 interceptions in his career, good for the second-most in NFL history. However, the play didn’t end with the pick for him — he also put up 1,282 return yards off those interceptions, which was a record at the time and stood for four decades, but now ranks fifth all-time.
Tunnell played the majority of his career for the New York Giants, before finishing it with the Green Bay Packers for the final three seasons. Over his career, Tunnell claimed nine Pro Bowl appearances, four First-Team All-Pros and, most impressively, finished with more than five interceptions in each of his first 10 NFL seasons.
3. Paul Krause
The definition of a turnover-machine, Krause was a constant issue for opposing offenses. Krause holds the all-time NFL record with 81 interceptions over his 16-year career, with three of those going for touchdowns. He wasted no time getting going, delivering 12 picks his rookie season, including a ridiculous streak where he earned a pick in seven straight contests. He ultimately finished with multiple interceptions in 15 of his 16 seasons.
Krause was drafted by Washington, ultimately spending just four seasons with the team before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1968, where he would play the final 12 seasons of his career. Over his career, Krause made eight Pro Bowls, three First-Team All-Pros and finished with six defensive touchdowns to his name.
2. Ed Reed
Easily looked at as one of, if not the most, adept ball hawks in league history, Reed instilled fear in opposing quarterbacks and offensive playcallers alike. The premier defensive playmaker, he has the most interception return yards in NFL history, tallying an absurd 1,590 yards off of interceptions. Moreover, he also won Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 when he compiled a league-leading nine interceptions, including a famous 106-yard interception return touchdown against QB Jeff Garcia and the Cleveland Browns. At the time, that was the longest interception return in NFL history.
Over his 12 seasons, 10 of which famously came with the Baltimore Ravens, the star safety earned nine Pro Bowl nods, five First-Team All-Pros and tallied 64 interceptions, seventh-most in NFL history. He also helped lead the Ravens to seven playoff berths, culminating in his lone Super Bowl title in 2012.
1. Ronnie Lott
Lott is clear and away the best safety of all time. The dynamic, hard-hitting safety was famous for dishing out vicious hits and creating turnovers. That started from the jump, with Lott cashing in three interceptions for touchdowns, becoming the second rookie in NFL history at the time to do so. Lott was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1981, immediately delivering with a First Team All-Pro nod, Pro Bowl and finishing sixth in the MVP race as a defensive rookie. That performance also helped the Niners claim the Super Bowl title that same year.
Most notably, Lott began playing some safety in 1985, before making the move to the position full-time the following season. For his career, he claimed four Super Bowls, garnered six First-Team All-Pros, 10 Pro Bowls, led the league in interceptions two times and eventually needed his career with 63 interceptions, the eighth-most all-time.
Honorable mentions:
- Steve Atwater
- Kenny Easley
- John Lynch
- LeRoy Butler
- Donnie Shell
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