Working on the IDP story for the magazine, three linebackers look to be head and shoulders above the rest. One is Raven C.J. Mosley, who supplements big tackle numbers by also making plays (6 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles over the last two seasons). The others are a pair who are about as consistent as it gets for those tackles.
Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner are the players, and hard to find fault with their production. Especially Kuechly, who's gone over 1oo total tackles in all six of his seasons in the league -- over 125 four times. By putting up 100-plus in even four of his last five seasons, he's in a pretty select club.
Since 2013, only five players have gone over 100 total tackles four times. Only two -- Kuechly and Wagner -- did it in each of those five seasons.
| 100-PLUS TACKLES FOUR OR MORE TIMES, 2013-2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Total | Solo | Ast |
| 2017 | Luke Kuechly, Car. | 125 | 74 | 51 |
| 2016 | Luke Kuechly, Car. | 71 | 31 | 102 |
| 2015 | Luke Kuechly, Car. | 76 | 42 | 118 |
| 2014 | Luke Kuechly, Car. | 99 | 54 | 153 |
| 2013 | Luke Kuechly, Car. | 93 | 63 | 156 |
| 2017 | Bobby Wagner, Sea. | 133 | 97 | 36 |
| 2016 | Bobby Wagner, Sea. | 85 | 82 | 167 |
| 2015 | Bobby Wagner, Sea. | 67 | 47 | 114 |
| 2014 | Bobby Wagner, Sea. | 67 | 37 | 104 |
| 2013 | Bobby Wagner, Sea. | 72 | 48 | 120 |
| 2017 | Lavonte David, T.B. | 101 | 76 | 25 |
| 2015 | Lavonte David, T.B. | 85 | 62 | 147 |
| 2014 | Lavonte David, T.B. | 101 | 45 | 146 |
| 2013 | Lavonte David, T.B. | 107 | 38 | 145 |
| 2016 | Lawrence Timmons, Pitt. | 78 | 36 | 114 |
| 2015 | Lawrence Timmons, Pitt. | 77 | 42 | 119 |
| 2014 | Lawrence Timmons, Pitt. | 87 | 45 | 132 |
| 2013 | Lawrence Timmons, Pitt. | 86 | 40 | 126 |
| 2016 | Thomas Davis, Car. | 73 | 33 | 106 |
| 2015 | Thomas Davis, Car. | 75 | 30 | 105 |
| 2014 | Thomas Davis, Car. | 66 | 34 | 100 |
| 2013 | Thomas Davis, Car. | 85 | 38 | 123 |
Of the other players on this list, two didn't make it in 2017: Thomas Davis and Lawrence Timmons. Those guys are getting up there in years, with Davis turning 35 next month and Timmons 32 in May. They probably won't make it in 2018, either, with Davis suspended for the first four games and Timmons currently a free agent. No guarantee he'll be a full-time starter in 2018.
The third, Lavonte David of Tampa Bay, is a better bet to again be over 100 tackles. He had 101 last year despite missing three games, and he just turned 28 last month. He's also pretty likely to be near the top of the position rankings.
--Andy Richardson