The Three Most Ferocious Hitters in the NFL

The first preseason NFL game is finally here. That means football is back for another great year, so I felt compelled to give my two cents on who I feel are the three biggest hitters in the history of the NFL.

My number one hitter has to be the “Assassin” Jack Tatum. Jack Tatum came out of THE Ohio State University and played for legendary coach Woody Hayes. Tatum was drafted by Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders. He immediately became a fan favorite for his vicious hits on offensive players he faced. Tatum played in 136 games with 37 picks and was a 3x Pro Bowl player. He once had a 104-yard fumble return for a TD in 1972. It’s still the longest in Raider history. He hit guys like a ton of bricks.

Then, my second favorite all-time hitter was a man called L.T.—that’s short for Lawrence Taylor. Taylor was drafted by the New York Giants. He had 142 sacks and had 1,089 tackles. He was 1986 MVP and just flat out a crushing, aggressive, electric, intimidating, and very dominating player. Just ask Joe Theisman. L.T. ended his career on a bone-jarring and bone-breaking tackle. He sacked him and blew up his leg and broke it badly. Needless to say, Theisman’s career was finished. There will never be another Lawrence Taylor.

Get our free mobile app

My third favorite big hitter has to be the one and only Dick Butkus. Butkus was a two-way player at Illinois. But when he got to the Chicago Bears in the mid-'60s he was the middle linebacker in the NFL. Butkus put the fear of God in his opponents. When the ball was hiked, he was off like he was shot out of a cannon. Richard Marvin Butkus played for the Bears from 1965 to 1973. He was an 8x Pro Bowl player and was an NFL 100^th Anniversary All-Time player. This man was just a wrecking machine that crushed guys during his career.

So, there you have my list of the three most head-ripping players in the history of the NFL.  These guys were just men that instilled fear into any offensive player. Now, the question is who are your top three?