Top 10 NFL careers of Tennessee football O-Linemen

Teams played for:

• Green Bay Packers, 2000-2011

When Scott Wells arrived in Green Bay, he was joining another former Tennessee football player  in Chad Clifton. From 1996 to 1999, Clifton was a star for Rocky Top, helping the win the national title and back to back SEC titles with Peyton Manning one year and Tee Martin the next. He helped UT have a dominant rushing attack regardless of who started at running back.

More from Vols Football

• How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
• Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
• Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
• Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
• Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay

Clifton was then taken in the second round of the NFL Draft, and he immediately became a regular on Green Bay’s offensive line, protecting Brett Favre at tackle. A mark of Clifton’s career was his ability to line up at left or right tackle. He started 10 games in 2000, 13 in 2001 and nine in 2002 before a dirty hit by Warren Sapp knocked him out for the season.

However, Clifton returned in 2003 and started all but two games over the next six years, leading Green Bay to three playoff appearances and making a Pro Bowl. After Aaron Rodgers took over in 2008, he remained the starter, leading them to three straight playoff appearances, making another Pro Bowl and winning a Super Bowl.

A mark of Clifton and Wells is that they started at the two most important positions on the line, center and left tackle, when Green Bay had its best two-year run of the century in 2010 and 2011. That’s saying something. As for Clifton, he was released after the 2011 season, but in 12 years, he appeared in 165 games, started in 160 of them, made two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl.