25 best NFL players of all time from the SEC
By John Buhler
Kevin Greene
Outside Linebacker, Auburn Tigers
The Auburn Tigers have had some unbelievable players over the years. It’s part of what makes Auburn a top-15 in college football history. To play at Auburn, a guy has to be an elite football talent. However, it is peculiar that one of the school’s greatest NFL players was a former walk-on back in the 1980s.
He’s finally gotten the respect he deserves, as outside linebacker Kevin Greene was a pass rushing monster in his prime. Greene played for four different NFL franchises from 1985 to 1999, most notably with the Los Angeles Rams and later the Carolina Panthers. He made five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro first-teams, and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 with Carolina.
Greene collected 160.0 career quarterback sacks, leading the NFL in that category in 1994 and 1996. He was finally elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. Greene has since gone on to be a linebackers coach in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and now the New York Jets.
He was underrated for most of his career. People didn’t really realize the sack numbers Greene was putting up until after the fact. From his days as a walk-on at Auburn in 1981 to Canton enshrinement 35 years later, few people in NFL history had the motor of Green. He just wanted it more than people who had more football talent than he did.