#56

Who comes to mind when the title "Greatest Defensive Player of All Time" is thrown out when talking about American Football? Names like Dick Butkus, Ray Lewis, and Reggie White are all contenders, however, no man could ever challenge the dominance Lawrence Taylor had on the field.

Athletic, Fast, Strong, Mobile, etc could all be used to describe this 6"3' 240-pound linebacker. Despite this, only 1 attribute really carried this man to stardom. LT became known as one of the most savage, hard-hitting, and fearless players on the field. Highlight reels of the man showed his complete dominance as his pass rushing game was unparalleled, and tackles racking up in the quadruple digits with over 1000 in total.
A feared man on the field, Lawrence Taylor would be marked immediately by the defense. Every team had an audible or a gameplan relating the number 56, showing their immense fear and caution about this man. Some teams would even double stack on him, as not many linemen had the strength or athleticism to keep him away from the quarterback or running back.

Hard hitters today all look up to this beast of a player, even I when I try to play defense in football think of LT. The man was able to forget the trauma and pain of a big hit and instead focused on delivering some of the most powerful cracks in NFL history. To be like LT would be an honor. It's like trying to be Robbie Lawler from the UFC, now who would ever consider to pass that up?
LT's legacy is set in stone. No other middle linebacker could ever live up to the immense skill and prowess that Lawrence possessed. He will forever go down as the greatest of all time.
Sources: https://thegruelingtruth.net/football/nfl/the-top-20-defensive-players-in-nfl-history/
80's football