Green Bay Phoenix All-Decade Team

This decade saw Green Bay reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years. It was a productive decade for the Phoenix. Here are the 12 players who make up my All-Decade team for Green Bay.

Point Guards: Keifer Sykes, Carrington Love

There was not one player who meant more to Green Bay basketball this past decade than Keifer Sykes. From day one, he was exciting to watch and you knew the program would be in good hands with him at the point. People around the program knew how good he was early on, but the conference was introduced to how great he was in the conference tournament in 2013 at Valpariaso. Despite losing on a buzzer beater, Sykes poured in 31 points on 11-of-20 shooting. That performance set the stage for two incredible years. He averaged at least 18.6 points per game in each of his final two seasons, including 20.3 as a junior in 2013-14, leading the Phoenix to the Horizon League regular season title. Sykes won the conference Player of the Year award as both a junior and senior, the first two-time winner of the award since Detroit's Rashad Phillips in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Quite simply, he was one of the best players in school history.

After Keifer's graduation, Carrington Love took over the point and did something Sykes fell short of doing: lead the Phoenix to the NCAA Tournament. Love was not a full-time starter until his junior season, but averaged double figures both of his final two seasons. His final season, under Linc Darner, Carrington averaged 17 points per game, shooting a career-high 35 percent from deep. His shining moment came as a senior in the tournament semifinals against Valparaiso, as Love scored 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting in the upset over the top-seeded Crusaders. Love was a really solid guard for the Phoenix and deserves to be on this team.

Shooting Guards: Rahmon Fletcher, Khalil Small, JayQuan McCloud

Rahmon Fletcher was the point guard in the early part of the decade, but he is too good not to have as a starter. I put him as the shooting guard since he was a tremendous shooter for the Phoenix. In his four years, he played in 128 games with 123 starts. In his last two years when it was part of the decade, Fletcher started 64 games of the 65 he played in. A four-year starter, Rahmon averaged double figures in each season. In his final two seasons, he averaged more than 15 points per game in both seasons. Fletcher shot more than 47 percent in his career, including 37.6 percent from deep. He is not only a hell of a player, but consistent as well, and that gets him a starting nod on this All-Decade team.

Khalil Small was a solid player for Green Bay whose coming out party was in the NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M as a sophomore. In the game, he poured in a game-high 22 points in the 92-65 loss. After three solid years with the Phoenix, Khalil turned it up a notch as a senior. Thrust into more of a scoring role, Small averaged 18.2 points on 44 percent shooting. He also was a sniper, connecting on more than 38 percent of his attempts from deep. In his final season, he led the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

Hey, you, get off of McCloud. Despite only playing two years for the Phoenix, JayQuan still scored 1,058 points. He saved his best season for his last, averaging 17.1 points per game and led the team in points, rebounds and assists. He scored at least 30 four times as a senior, helping lead the Phoenix to the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament and an appearance in the semifinals.

Small Forwards: Sandy Cohen III, Amari Davis, Bryquis Perine

There are many times when the player you were so excited to get turns out to be a flop when he plays for you. Sandy Cohen was not one of those players for the Phoenix. Coming in as a transfer from a few hours down south at Marquette, Cohen was not eligible to play until mid-season in 2017-18. Even though he only played 60 games for GB, he racked up 1,020 points, averaging 17 per contest. As a senior, he averaged 17.5 per game on 47.5 percent shooting. He was a great offensive player and was a great defender as well with his log arms. Sandy was the do-it-all player for the Phoenix in his final season, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks en route to a First Team All-Horizon League honor. His tremendous play carried to the post-season, as he willed the Phoenix to the CIT Championship game. In CIT play, he averaged 20 per game on 55 percent shooting, including knocking the down the game-winner against Texas Southern in the semifinals. I wonder what would have happened had he played all four years in Titletown.

The only current player to make the list is Amari Davis.....and he just finished his freshman season, so we could very easily see him on the next All-Decade team as well. Amari broke the record for most Horizon League Freshman of the Week awards, which unsurprisingly, earned him Freshman of the Year honors. He is a throwback player, as he made exactly zero 3-pointers on the season. He was a mid-range and attack the basket player.....and he is good at it. The 6-3 guard (yeah, I know, I put him out of position in this team. I could not leave him off) shot 51.4 percent from the floor and averaged nearly 16 per game. The best is yet to come for Amari.

Another guy who is playing out of position on this team, Bry Perine played second fiddle to Rahmon Fletcher on some good Phoenix teams. He and Fletcher stayed with the team, even after Tod Kowalczyk left Green Bay for Toledo and the Phoenix hired Brian Wardle. Bry averaged double figures both years he was a full-time starter. Perine's best moment was the game-winning shot on Senior Day against a Valparaiso team with a chance at the top seed in the conference tournament. Perine was a solid player who deserved to be on this team.

Power Forwards: Jordan Fouse, Greg Mays

During his time with the Phoenix, Jordan Fouse played more small forward, but he could very easily play power forward on this team. Fouse was never a big-time scorer, although he did average 12.7 points per game as a senior. He started 133 games out of 134 games he played in during his career and did everything he could to help the team win. The ultimate glue guy. Early in his sophomore year, the Phoenix played Virginia and former Green Bay legend Tony Bennett. Late in the game, the Phoenix led by two and Fouse deflected a pass off a trap and scored on a layup to give Green Bay a four-point lead and the Phoenix won 75-72 in one of the biggest wins in program history. His accomplishments speak for themselves in his career. He was a starter on one of the best teams in program history, which went 24-7 and won the regular season conference title and was a part of a team that broke a 20-year NCAA Tournament drought. Fouse led the team in points in both the semifinals and the finals during that run. He was an All-Horizon League Defensive team choice all four years in Titletown, one of just two players in school history to accomplish the feat, joining Terry Evans from 2006-09. Jordan is also the only player in NCAA history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 350 assists, 250 steals and 175 blocks. Quite simply, No. 4 for Green Bay was a beast. And this time I am not talking about Brett Favre.

Mays was a steady presence for the Phoenix, starting on the 24-7 2013-14 team. Mays had a deadly mid-range shot and was known for his dunking ability. Along with Keifer Sykes, Mays was a headline dunker for a team the Anchorage Daily News referred to as Pho Slamma Jamma, His best season came in that 2013-14 season when he averaged 10.3 points per game on nearly 59 percent shooting. In the NIT game for Green Bay against Belmont, Mays dropped in a team-high 15 points in the loss. Greg was a very steady contributor for the Phoenix on some of the best teams in program history.


Centers: Alec Brown, Brennan Cougill

Alec Brown was an obvious choice as the starting center for this team. From day one, he was a starter and major contributor. Brown started 125 games in his illustrious Phoenix career. He averaged double figures in every single season. Through two seasons, he was 6-of-25 from deep, but he transformed himself into one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. In his final two seasons, he made 72 triples and had shot 42.4 percent from deep. He was the absolute perfect complement to Keifer Sykes. Keifer was more of an attack-the-basket type point guard and Alec was more of a jump shooting 7-footer. He was a First Team All-Horizon League selection his last two seasons and was named the Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. Brown was also a fierce rim protector, as he rejected 309 shots in his career, which was tied for the Horizon League record at the time of graduation. Alec was a part of the first recruiting class Brian Wardle brought in and he set the tone for what would be a terrific tenure.

Brennan Cougill, a transfer from Iowa, was a solid big for the Phoenix for his two seasons, averaging at least nine points per game both seasons. Cougill was one of the emotional leaders of the team, getting the crowd pumped after big shots. His best year was his junior season when he averaged 9/7, starting 21 games. His seven rebounds per game was second on the team to Alec Brown. He edged out a few players for this backup center spot.


Player of the Decade: Keifer Sykes
Coach of the Decade: Brian Wardle

All-Decade Wisconsin Basketball Team

Wisconsin had a terrific decade, reaching the Sweet 16 six times and the Final Four twice more. There were so many terrific players in the golden age of Bucky basketball. Here is the 12-man team I created for Wisconsin:

Point guards: Jordan Taylor, Bronson Koenig, Traevon Jackson

With all the success with Frank Kaminsky and how much he improved throughout his time in Madison, people forget how much Jordan Taylor improved from his freshman through his senior years. Taylor was incredible his final two seasons at Wisconsin, but people don't really remember how much he struggled shooting his freshman season. In his rookie campaign, he shot just 26 percent overall and 19 percent from deep. In his rookie campaign, Taylor had a chance to win it at the end of regulation in the NCAA Tournament against Florida State. However, Taylor bricked a wide open triple try and the game went into overtime, where Trevon Hughes hit a basket at the end to win it 61-59. Everything started to turn around as a sophomore when taking over in the starting lineup midway through the season for an injured Jon Leuer. He improved his shooting percentages to 40 percent from the field and 33 percent from deep. His junior season was his best, and he played Batman to one of the biggest basketball moments in program history. He scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half, leading the Badgers to a comeback victory against undefeated No. 1 Ohio State. He was an All-American and led the Badgers to Sweet 16 appearances in his final two seasons in Madison and is a worthy starter on this team.

Bronson Koenig is a legend at Wisconsin after what he did as a junior, knocking out Xavier in the second round in the NCAA Tournament, but he was a lot more than that. With 270 3-point hits, he cruised past Ben Brust for tops in school history in that category. He drilled a school-record eight triples in Wisconsin's 80-70 win over Virginia Tech in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, he burst onto the scene after an injury to Traevon Jackson midway through the season. Wisconsin did not miss a beat with Bronson in the starting lineup and was the floor leader for a team that reached the NCAA Title game. In the Big Ten Tournament title game, he scored 18, including drilling two massive triples in overtime, helping Bucky to the big win. He shot more than 39 percent from deep in each of his last three seasons.

When you think of big shot makers, Traevon Jackson is one of the first names that comes to mind. Regardless of how he did in the game up to that point, Trae was the guy who would have the ball at the end. And he made quite a few of those big shots. Bo Ryan loved to have point guards take the big shots at the end of the game, and Jackson loved having the ball at the end. Jackson first showed his big shot making ability in 2013 in a game against No. 12 Minnesota. With the game tied and the game and shot clocks winding down, Jackson pumped and got a friendly bounce to give the Badgers the victory. He also hit the winner in the regular season finale at Penn State. The following season, he hit the dagger shot against Florida, but the biggest shot happened against Michigan State. With Wisconsin having lost five of six and facing MSU, Jackson hit a jumper over Gary Harris to give the Badgers the win and it was the catapult to an eight-game winning streak. There is no doubt he should be on this All-Decade team.

Shooting Guards: Josh Gasser, Ben Brust

The heartbeat of the All-Decade team is Josh Gasser. He had to be on the team. Gasser was never a big scorer, but he never had to be, being on teams with Jordan Taylor/Jon Leuer early on and Frank Kaminsky/Sam Dekker at the end. But he did everything else needed to win. Defense? You bet. Hustle? Absolutely? Good shooter? Yessir. Gasser started from the second game of the season in Madison as a freshman and never looked back. In his first game, he scored 21 in a blowout win against Prairie View A&M and started 30 games in his rookie campaign. Overall, he shot 40 percent from deep for his career, but he will always be remembered for one play. The play that epitomizes Josh Gasser happened in the Big Ten Tournament title game in 2015. With Wisconsin down two with time winding down, Bronson Koening missed a 3-pointer and the ball was going out of bounds. Gasser chased it down and saved it while diving into the crowd. Yeah, his foot was out of bounds, which wasn't called by the refs, but that play will always be the play that sums up the player Josh Gasser is.

Ben Brust was the ultimate sniper for Wisconsin. He had the 3-point makes record for Wisconsin until Bronson Koenig broke it. Brust was notable for his halfcourt shots. He made his first one at the end of a loss in Chapel Hill to North Carolina, but he will always be remembered for his other halfcourt heave on Feb. 9, 2013. His shot tied No. 3 Michigan after Tim Hardaway, Jr. had given the Wolverines a three-point lead with two seconds left. Brust followed that up with a deep 3-pointer over Caris Lavert in overtime to give the Badgers the lead, which held up for the win. He broke the school 3-point record with a huge triple against Oregon in the NCAA Tournament that held up as the winner. He improved significantly on defense over the course of his career. Brust was a really solid Badger who is more than deserving to be on this team.

Small forwards: Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes

When Sam Dekker came to Madison, people expected Dekker to be an All-Conference performer from day one. Dekker was a good player his first two seasons with the Badgers. However, people wanted more. Even throughout his junior season, he was a good player, a great Robin to Frank Kaminsky's Batman. But in the NCAA Tournament, he turned it on. He was the West Region's Most Outstanding Player, leading Wisconsin to its second consecutive Final Four appearance. Against Arizona in the Elite 8, the Sheboygan native scored 27 on 8-of-11 shooting and a blistering 5-of-6 from behind the arc. In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged 19.2 points on 57.1 percent field goal shooting and 41.7 percent from 3-point land. He was a monster, and he carried it to the National semifinals, where he buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to beat previously unbeaten Kentucky. He will forever go down as a Wisconsin legend.

Nigel was a good player for Wisconsin from the moment he stepped on campus. As a freshman, he scored 7.7 points per game and earned Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. He stepped into the starting lineup in 2014-15 and averaged 12.4 points per game as the Badgers made the title game. His biggest shot came against Villanova as a senior in the second round of the 2017 tournament. With the game tied late, he made a Kobe-esque move around the defender and went with a reverse layup to give the Badgers the lead they would not relinquish, as Bucky defeated the defending champs. In all four of his years, Wisconsin made the Sweet 16, reaching the Final Four twice.

Power Forwards: Ethan Happ, Jon Leuer, Nate Reuvers

Ethan Happ was an incredible player for the Badgers. After learning for a year under Frank the Tank, he made the most of his career. He is one of just six players in NCAA history to score 2,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds and dish out 400 assists. As a freshman, he helped turn around Wisconsin's season with a game-winning layup against Michigan State. That win was the catalyst for a run that ended in the Sweet 16. He scored all those points despite making one 3-pointer in his entire career. At the time of graduation, he was third in school history in points and assists and far and away the program's leading rebounder. He was one of a kind.

In Jon Leuer's two years this decade, he was one of the best players in the Big Ten. Despite missing a few weeks in 2009-10, he still averaged 15.4 points per game. His inside-outside combination was lethal. He shot 37.5 percent from deep in his final two seasons and nearly 49 percent shooting overall. Along with Jordan Taylor, they formed one of the best duos in the country. Leuer averaged 18.3 and 7.2 rebounds per game. His ability to score inside and out earned him a second round selection by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011.

It was tough to choose the last power forward. Keaton Nankivil and Vitto Brown also were in consideration for this final forward spot, but ultimately, I decided to go with the only current player to be on the All-Decade team. After the graduation of Vitto and Nigel Hayes, the Badgers needed a big to complement Ethan Happ. That was even more evident when the Badgers were hurt by injuries in 2017-18. Reuvers was planning on redshirting to gain strength to handle the grind of the Big Ten season, but was pressed into action. He gave them a boost, averaging more than five points a game, which is not bad for a guy deemed not ready. Reuvers also blocked 26 shots as a freshman. His shot blocking capabilities has been on display through his first three years, blocking 144 shots. He is only 10 behind Happ, so barring injury, he will shatter that record. Reuvers has improved his scoring as well, averaging 13.1 points per game this past season, earning an All-Conference nod. I am looking forward to seeing what he will do as a senior.

Centers: Frank Kaminsky, Jared Berggren

I can't think of one player who improved himself from his first year to his final year more than Frank Kaminsky. As a freshman, you could see his shooting ability, but only averaged 1.8 points per game. He improved a little his sophomore year, but still not great. After Jared Berggren, Mike Bruesewitz and Ryan Evans graduated in 2013, he knew he needed to take a big leap. Early on in the 2013-14 season, he scored a school-record 43 points in a win over North Dakota. He introduced himself to the conference with a 25 point, 11 rebound, effort at league-leading Michigan. Frank introduced himself to the nation with his 28-point, 11-rebound performance in the Elite 8 against Arizona, helping the Badgers reach their first Final Four since 2000. His encore the following year was the best individual season in school history, as Frank racked up awards like his squad racked up wins. Kaminsky led the Badgers to the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles and the program was a No. 1 seed for the first time in school history. Again meeting with Arizona in the Elite 8, Frank scored 29 in the 85-78 win, as the Badgers made consecutive Final Four appearances for the first time in program history. Kaminsky slayed undefeated Kentucky with a 20-point, 11-rebound effort to send the Badgers to their first title game since 1941. His goofy personality and incredible improvement on the court made him easy to root for, and not only is he a starter on this team, but he is the All-Decade Player of the Year.

Jared Berggren was an underrated big. He was known for his ferocious dunks and blocking ability. Perhaps his most famous dunk is over 2013 Player of the Year Trey Burke. His dunk and foul tied the game with less than a minute left, where Bucky won in an overtime thriller. At the time of graduation, Berggren was the school's all-time leader in blocked shots with 144. He has since been passed by Ethan Happ and Frank Kaminsky and tied by Nate Reuvers, but he still ranks third and that does not diminish how much of a rim protector he was. Much like other Wisconsin players, he did not see the floor much early on, but developed into a good player. After averaging 1.1 points per game as a freshman, he developed to a player who averaged 11 points and seven boards as a senior. He is well-deserving as being the reserve to Frank on this All-Decade team.

Head Coach: Bo Ryan
Player of the Decade: Frank Kaminsky

All-Decade NFL Undrafted Team (2010-19)

I went through the draft classes, starting in 2010, and came up with the All-UDFA Team of this past decade. To be included in this list, they have to be an undrafted FA in this decade, so if a player was an UDFA in 2009 and had a great decade, he was not included.

QB Case Keenum

There really wasn't much competition for this spot. The former Houston standout signed with the Houston Texans after going undrafted in the 2012 Draft. He has gone on to throw for more than 14,000 yards and 75 touchdowns and led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game in 2017.  He was the only choice for this spot.

RB LeGarrette Blount

Blount was a solid player for New England. Whenever the Patriots needed a dependable back to call when they suffered an injury or had an ineffective starter, Blount was ready to go. He burst on to the scene as an undrafted free agent rookie for the Buccaneers, running for more than 1,000 yards and scored six touchdowns. His greatest performance happened in the 2014 AFC Championship against Indianapolis, running for 148 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Patriots to a 45-7 blowout of the Colts. Following that effort, he led New England to a Super Bowl win against Seattle. Overall, he won three Super Bowls in four years with the Patriots and Eagles. His best season came in the Patriots championship season of 2016 when he had career-highs in rushing yards (1,161) and touchdowns (18). Overall in the decade, he ran for 6,306 yards and 56 touchdowns.

RB Phillip Lindsay

He only has been in the league two seasons, but I decided to put him on this list. He has run for more than 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, including becoming the first offensive undrafted rookie ever to make the Pro Bowl. In two years, he has amassed 2,048 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, while averaging nearly five yards per carry.

WR Adam Thielen

It took him a few years to make his mark with the home state Minnesota Vikings, but once he did, the Vikings had one of the most potent receiving cores in the NFL. After having a solid 2016 season, he really burst onto the scene on Christmas Eve that season. At Green Bay, he caught 12 passes for a career-high 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That set the stage for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in Pro Bowl seasons in 2017 and 2018. In the decade, he caught 323 passes for 4,315 yards and 25 touchdowns.

WR Doug Baldwin

Doug Baldwin showed flashes his first two years, but he became a real weapon with Russell Wilson as his career went on. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2016 and 2017, catching 21 touchdowns in those two seasons. Despite abruptly retiring following the 2018 season, he caught at least 50 passes in seven of his eight seasons and caught 722 passes for 6,563 yards and 49 touchdowns.

WR Robby Anderson

Rounding out this loaded wide receiver trio, Robby Anderson was a good wide receiver for the New York Jets, despite having no other receiving talent during his time. The deep threat has had more than 750 receiving yards in his last three seasons, catching at least 50 passes in each of those seasons. In his four seasons, he has caught 207 passes for 3,059 yards and 20 touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how he does with Teddy Bridgewater in Carolina.

TE Jack Doyle

Jack Doyle has been a dependable tight end for the Colts, especially when Andrew Luck was in town. He had his best seasons in 2016 and 2017 when he combined for 1,274 yards receiving and nine scores. He has gone to the Pro Bowl twice, including last year when he had 448 yards receiving and four touchdowns. The undrafted tight end out of Western Kentucky has recorded more than 2,000 receiving yards in his career and 18 touchdowns.

OT Alejandro Vellanueva

After signing as an undrafted free agent, the Army graduate signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 before moving on to the Pittsburgh Steelers after being cut in 2014. He developed for a year and has been a mainstay along the Pittsburgh offensive line after that. He has started 74 games and has made two appearances in the Pro Bowl. He has consistently been named one of the better tackles in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

OT La’el Collins

La'el Collins is interesting due to the fact that he had first round talent and would have gone top 10-15, but there was an investigation surrounding a shooting death of a pregnant woman, whom he had previously had a relationship with. He was not a suspect, but it was detrimental enough that he went undrafted. Dallas signed him, and he has been a fixture in the offensive line ever since. He played guard until Doug Free retired, and then he moved over to right tackle. In 2019, he signed a five-year extension. He has played in 62 games in his career, starting 61, for the Cowboys strong offensive line unit.

OG Andrew Norwell

After signing as an undrafted free agent, he was put into the lineup because of the Panthers struggling offensive line. He helped anchor an offensive line that helped lead the Panthers to Super Bowl 50. When he was a free agent in 2018, he became the highest-paid guard in the NFL.

OG Ronald Leary

Ronald Leary has played in 77 games, starting 76, since entering the league in 2012. He helped Zeke lead the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 2015. He signed a nice contract with the Broncos and spent the last three with the Broncos.

C David Andrews

Since entering the league in 2015, David Andrews has started 57 games for the New England Patriots. He started week one as a rookie and started the Super Bowl wins against Atlanta and Los Angeles. He missed the 2019 season with a pulmonary embolism, but he has done enough up to that point to be the center on the All-UDFA Decade team.

UTIL: Taysom Hill

Taysom Hill has done a bit of everything in the NFL. After signing as an UDFA and playing pretty well in the preseason, the Green Bay Packers tried to hide him on the Practice Squad, but he was signed to their 53-man roster by the New Orleans Saints. He has been used everywhere by New Orleans, playing quarterback, running back and even returning kicks. In the last two years, he has run in three touchdowns and caught six touchdowns. He has also blocked multiple kicks during his short career so far.

EDGE Shaquil Barrett

Shaq Barrett was signed by Denver as an UDFA and registered 14 sacks in five years. But everything turned around after signing a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With Tampa Bay, he had a career-year. He more than doubled his career sack total with 19.5 sacks to go along with 37 quarterback hits. He cashed in on his monster season with a franchise tender being placed on him by the Buccaneers.

EDGE Mario Addison

After a few years, Mario Addison came into his own after landing in Carolina. He registered three sacks in 20 games to begin his Panthers career, but turned it up a notch in 2014, recording 6.5 sacks. He followed that up with six in 2015. He really turned it the last four years, bringing down opposing quarterbacks 39 times. He signed a big deal with the Buffalo Bills this offseason.

IDL Michael Pierce

Michael Pierce helped anchor a good Ravens defense. He has played in at least 14 games in all four seasons, including starting 30 in his career. He had 151 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his career and that helped land him a three-year deal with the Vikings this offseason.

IDL Zach Kerr

Kerr has had a solid career, bouncing around the NFL. After signing as an undrafted free agent with the Colts, he played there for three years before going to Denver. In his two years with the Broncos, he played in 27 games and recorded 52 tackles and two sacks. Overall, he has 135 tackles and 7.5 sacks during his career. 

IDL Damon Harrison

"Snacks" has had an incredibly productive career. He is currently a free agent, but I think he will be signed at some point this season. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jets and started all 16 games his final three seasons with the Jets. He had 193 tackles during his time with the Jets and was rewarded with a contract by the Giants, where he improved even more. In less than three years with the Giants, he turned into one of the best run-stuffing defensive tackles in the league. He racked up 162 tackles and four sacks before being traded to Detroit. Harrison is only 31, so I don't think he is done yet.

LB Todd Davis

It took him a few years to really become a player, but he has morphed into a tackling machine the past few years. His last four years, he has averaged 107 tackles per season, including a career-high 134 in 2019. He has started at least 14 games in each of the last four seasons and will continue to be a tackling machine for the Broncos.

LB Vontaze Burfict

Burfict is one of the most controversial players in the NFL, but when he is on the field, he is a pretty darn good player. Like La'el Collins, Burfict was more talented than an undrafted player. He was a first or second day-caliber player, but the dirty play concerns from his time at Arizona State forced him to become undrafted. The Bengals, known to take a chance on people with problems, signed him as an UDFA, and he rewarded them. He burst onto the scene with 127 tackles as a rookie and followed that up with a whopping 171 tackles in 2013, which earned him a Pro Bowl selection. However, due to injuries and suspensions, he has only reached 100 tackles once in since then. His overall work has earned him a spot on this team, though, as he has racked up more than 600 career tackles to this point.

LB Cory Littleton

Much like Todd Davis, Cory Littleton has turned a corner the past few seasons. He played his first four seasons with the LA Rams before cashing in a big payday with the the Vegas Raiders this offseason. The last two years, he has racked up 259 tackles and 7.5 sacks, earning a Pro Bowl invite in 2018 when the Rams made their first Super Bowl appearance since the 2001 season. He has also picked off five passes the past two seasons. The 26-year-old will only get better as time goes on.

CB Malcolm Butler

Malcolm Butler burst onto the scene in the Super Bowl against Seattle when he picked off Russell Wilson at the goal line to preserve New England's 28-24 victory. After that, he became one of the league's better defensive backs. Over his final three seasons with the Patriots, he intercepted eight passes and recorded 44 pass deflections and earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 2015. He cashed in when he hit free agency, earning a big pay day with the Tennessee Titans. He hasn't had near the success with the Titans, but he has picked off five passes, including a pick six in each of his two seasons with the Titans.

CB A.J. Bouye

After a rookie season in which he played in just six games with the Houston Texans, he turned it on his next three seasons. In his next three seasons, he had six interceptions as the nickel back, playing in 44 games in those three seasons. He was rewarded with a hefty contract to be a starter for the Jaguars and he rewarded them by reaching the Pro Bowl in his first season with the team. In that season, he recorded six interceptions, playing on a defense that helped the Jaguars reach the AFC Championship game. 

CB Chris Harris Jr.

One of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, it didn't take him long to make an impact. He intercepted three passes in three consecutive seasons. He has made four Pro Bowls, including helping leading a dominant Broncos defense to a Super Bowl 50 win over Carolina. Harris has 20 career interceptions, taking four back to the house. He has also forced six fumbles and recovered four. His career-high is 17 passes defensed in a season, but that is mostly due to teams avoiding him.

S Anthony Harris

After playing just four games as a rookie, he has played at least 14 games the past four seasons and has transformed into one of the better safeties in the league. He did not record an interception his first three years, but came away with three in 2018 and six in 2019. His 2019 season helped him receive the franchise tag by the Vikings. 

S Tashaun Gipson

Gipson is heading to his fourth team in his career, which started in 2012, and has been successful every place he's been. He played in 10 games as a rookie, picking off one pass. But he started 16 in his second season and picked off five passes. That was followed by intercepting six in his third season in 2014. He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl that season. Overall, he has 23 interceptions since coming into the league, and since his second year in 2013, he is tied for fourth in the NFL in that category, just one fewer than Stephon Gilmore and Richard Sherman for second.

K Justin Tucker

Kickers are more likely to be undrafted, so it is not surprising that the best kicker in the game makes the cut here. He has been outstanding ever since stepping foot in the NFL, as he made 30-of-33 field goals in his rookie season in 2012. In his eight-year career up to this point, he has made 91 percent of his field goals, which makes him the most accurate kicker in NFL history. The former University of Texas standout has been named First Team All-Pro the past two seasons. Not bad.

P Johnny Hekker

Hekker has a cannon for a leg, averaging 47 yards per punt in his eight-year career. The four-time All Pro selection is a weapon for the LA Rams as a punter and as a passer. He has completed 13-of-22 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown. All 13 of his completions have gone for first downs. But he is known for his punting ability, and he is darn good at it. In 2015, he had his best season, averaging 47.9 yards per punt and made the All Pro team.

KR Darius Jennings

While Darius Jennings only played three years this past decade, he proved to be a weapon in the return game, specifically in 2018. In that season, he averaged a whopping 31.7 yards per return, including a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the season opener against Miami. 

PR Marcus Sherels

Minnesota has been successful with undrafted free agents, as Sherels is the third Viking on this list after Thielen and Harris (fourth if you include Case Keenum, who had a career with them in 2017). Sherels has been a really good punt returner since joining the league. In his 10 years, he has had more than 2,500 yards worth of punt return yards. He has returned five for scores, including two in 2016.