Top 25 hardest hitters in NFL history

Detroit Lions player Barry Sanders (L) is tackled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defender John Lynch (R) after a short pass reception in the first quarter of their game 07 September at the Silverdome in Pontiac, MI. AFP PHOTO/Matt CAMPBELL (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL / AFP) (Photo by MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images) /

9 of 25

FOXBORO, MA – DECEMBER 12: Rodney Harrison #37 of the New England Patriots talks to Chad Johnson #85 of the Cincinnati Bengals after Johnson was unable to catch a ball in the end zone at Gillette Stadium on December 12, 2004 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Patriots won 35-28. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

17. Rodney Harrison

Rodney Harrison had some old school in his game. He wasn’t as violent as a Jack Tatum, but he had shades of that classic, no holds barred football that made players fear coming across the middle because they knew No. 37 was there waiting to destroy them.

Whether it was with the San Diego Chargers or New England Patriots, Harrison was a thumper. He wasn’t quite as renowned as guys like Rod Woodson or other star defensive backs of the 1990s and early 2000s, but he could make the case that no one lowered a shoulder into a chest as well as he did.

He made his first Pro Bowl in 1998 with the Chargers. He spent the first nine years of his career in San Diego before going to New England in 2003. That season, he was named First-Team All-Pro and helped the Patriots win their second Super Bowl in three seasons. New England repeated the following year with Harrison patrolling the defensive backfield.

Harrison retired after the 2008 season. He built a 15 year career of letting receivers know that the middle of the field wasn’t safe if he was in the vicinity. He was a two-time All-Pro and one of the hardest hitting defensive backs of all time.

Home/NFL