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Tennessee football’s 10 DTs with best NFL careers

By Caleb Calhoun

The Titans Albert Haynesworth (92) leaves the field after the game. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 31 to 13 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 19, 2006. (Photo by Joseph Labolito/NFLPhotoLibrary)
The Titans Albert Haynesworth (92) leaves the field after the game. The Tennessee Titans defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 31 to 13 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 19, 2006. (Photo by Joseph Labolito/NFLPhotoLibrary) /
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Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images /

Pick Analysis. 5. 839. Scouting Report. 2001-2002. Years in NFL: 11. Aubrayo Franklin. player

Teams played for:

  • Baltimore Ravens, 2003-2006
  • San Francisco 49ers, 2007-2010
  • New Orleans Saints, 2011
  • San Diego Chargers, 2012
  • Indianapolis Colts, 2013

Now we get to the guys who managed to spend a decade or close to it in the pros. Aubrayo Franklin joined Rashad Moore as Tennessee football’s two replacement defensive tackles in 2002. That year, he had 56 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and a pass broken up. He was helping to replace two legends, whom we’ll get to, but that still wasn’t standout play.

As a result, he fell to the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and was taken by the Baltimore Ravens. Early on, Franklin didn’t play a lot, as he only appeared in one game as a rookie and only started in one game through four years in Baltimore. However, he began to appear in the rotation regularly in 2005 and 2006, and that earned him a spot on the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2007, Franklin became a regular starter as a 6’1″ 320-pound nose tackle with San Francisco. His role remained the same in that regard for four straight years. Although he was let go after Jim Harbaugh arrived, he then joined the New Orleans Saints in 2011 and appeared in two playoff games with them.

After a year with the San Diego Chargers, Franklin started in two playoff games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2013, as he was a regular fixture up front then. That would be his final year in the pros, though, and he finished his 11-year career with 94 starts, appearing in 142 games overall, and coming away with 256 career tackles.

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