Fansided

30 active NFL players who will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame

By Russell S. Baxter

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 09: Aaron Donald #99 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on prior to the game against the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium on January 09, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 16: T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers recovers a fumble and runs the ball for a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JANUARY 16: T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers recovers a fumble and runs the ball for a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

24. OLB T.J. Watt

Here’s an interesting set of numbers. Dating back to the 1970 merger, only one franchise has finished with the most sacks in the league two consecutive seasons. That would be the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have either led or tied for the NFL lead in quarterback traps for the last five years dating back to 2017.

Of course, it’s obviously no coincidence that with the 30th overall selection in the draft that year, the franchise opted for University of Wisconsin edge rusher T.J. Watt.

He was the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his fifth NFL campaign after tying the recognized NFL record for sacks in a season (22.5). The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro has played and started 77 regular-season contests. Watt has already racked up 72.0 quarterback traps to go along with 22 forced fumbles. Add 11 takeaways (4 interceptions and 7 fumble recoveries) and 32 passes defensed, and that’s quite the five-year stretch.

Watt’s sack numbers have gone up each year he’s been in the league, from seven QB traps as a rookie in 2017 to 13 in his second season. There were 14.5 sacks in ’19, 15 sacks in 2020 and the aforementioned 22.5 this past year.

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