3. Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott may be a great human being outside of the football field, but in his day, he was the hardest hitting defensive back in the game.
If you were to rank the most feared defenders of the 1980s, Lott would more than likely be No. 2 behind Lawrence Taylor (who we will touch on shortly). He totaled more than 100 tackles in a season five times and finished his career with 1,146 tackles. He constantly laid out receivers, and this was in the 1980s and ‘90s- when Lott hit someone, he hit them. He could also drop down and take away the run game, as well, from his safety position.
On top of being a hard hitter, Lott was fantastic in coverage. He led the NFL in interceptions twice, and finished his career with 63 picks. Lott was a Pro Bowler 10 times in his career, and also a six-time All-Pro. He is one of the best defensive players of all time, arguably the best safety of all time, and was a vital part of four Super Bowl winning teams with the San Francisco 49ers. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.