Twenty years ago this Monday, former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman was killed in action in Afghanistan. Tillman was a 7th-round pick, selected 226th overall in 1998, and coincidentally the Cardinals have the same pick again this year. Would be remarkable if the pick were anywhere near as successful.
Tillman started 11 games his first two years, but it was his third season, 2000, where he really broke out. He recorded 155 total tackles that year. That's not only the most of any defensive back this century, but the 8th-highest total from any player at the position in nearly 40 years, and probably league history (tackle data at pro-football-reference.com, used in compiling this table, goes back to 1987).
Next best season by a DB this century was also a Cardinal, Budda Baker.
The Cardinals will send out a couple of representatives of the Pat Tillman Foundation, Army veteran Jeremy Glasstetter and Air Force veteran Deborah Trimble, to make the pick this year. Kind of cool.
Defensive backs to record at least 125 tackles in a season this century are shown below. I notice three guys made the list from 2023: Minnesota's Camryn Bynum, Atlanta's Jessie Bates and the Chargers' Derwin James. (I also notice Bronco Hall of Famer Steve Atwater not only holds the record of 173, but basically lived on this list. Rodney Harrison also a frequent visitor.) There's a 17th game now, so maybe we'll see a 155-tackle season again. But it's been a while since the remarkable Tillman campaign.
DEFENSIVE BACKS RECORDING 125-PLUS TACKLES, 1987-PRESENT | |||
---|---|---|---|
Player | Year | Tckl | Pos |
Steve Atwater, Den. | 1990 | 173 | FS |
Scott Case, Atl. | 1990 | 170 | FS |
Brad Edwards, Was. | 1992 | 168 | FS |
Victor Green, NYJ | 1996 | 165 | SS |
Scott Case, Atl. | 1991 | 162 | FS |
Eric Turner, Cle. | 1993 | 159 | FS |
Andre Waters, Phi. | 1991 | 156 | SS |
Pat Tillman, Ari. | 2000 | 155 | SS |
Tim McDonald, Phx. | 1989 | 155 | SS |
Stevon Moore, Cle. | 1993 | 155 | SS |
Darren Woodson, Dal. | 1993 | 155 | SS |
Andre Waters, Phi. | 1988 | 154 | SS |
Steve Atwater, Den. | 1992 | 151 | FS |
Steve Atwater, Den. | 1991 | 150 | FS |
Brad Edwards, Was. | 1993 | 150 | FS |
Budda Baker, Ari. | 2019 | 147 | FS |
Jalen Pitre, Hou. | 2022 | 147 | SS |
Steve Atwater, Den. | 1993 | 141 | FS |
Rodney Harrison, N.E. | 2004 | 141 | SS |
Donte Whitner, Buf. | 2010 | 140 | SS |
Antoine Bethea, Ind. | 2011 | 139 | FS |
Camryn Bynum, Min. | 2023 | 137 | S |
Victor Green, NYJ | 1995 | 137 | SS |
Andre Waters, Phi. | 1989 | 137 | SS |
Barry Church, Dal. | 2013 | 135 | FS |
Brad Edwards, Was. | 1991 | 135 | FS |
Reshad Jones, Mia. | 2015 | 135 | FS |
Gibril Wilson, Oak. | 2008 | 134 | SS |
Jessie Bates, Atl. | 2023 | 132 | S |
Rodney Harrison, S.D. | 1997 | 132 | SS |
Morgan Burnett, G.B. | 2014 | 130 | SS |
Marty Carter, T.B. | 1993 | 130 | SS |
Michael Green, Chi. | 2002 | 130 | SS |
Robert Griffith, Min. | 1999 | 130 | SS |
Eric Reid, Car. | 2019 | 130 | SS |
Steve Atwater, Den. | 1989 | 129 | FS |
Jason Belser, Ind. | 1993 | 127 | FS/SS |
Johnathan Cyprien, Jac. | 2016 | 127 | SS |
Corey Graham, Buf. | 2015 | 127 | SS |
Rodney Harrison, S.D. | 2000 | 127 | SS |
Eric Weddle, S.D. | 2008 | 127 | FS |
Stanley Richard, Was. | 1997 | 126 | FS |
Landon Collins, NYG | 2016 | 125 | SS |
Shaun Gayle, Chi. | 1990 | 125 | SS |
Rodney Harrison, N.E. | 2003 | 125 | SS |
Rodney Harrison, S.D. | 1996 | 125 | SS |
Derwin James, LAC | 2023 | 125 | S |
Rich Miano, Phi. | 1992 | 125 | SS |
Mike Minter, Car. | 2000 | 125 | SS |
Jonathan Owens, Hou. | 2022 | 125 | FS |
I'm guessing the viewing audience isn't typically very big for the seventh round of the NFL Draft. But it seems like it will be a little bigger than usual this year.