Tennessee football’s top 10 NFL DEs ever

Teams played for:

• Cleveland Browns, 1953-1954
• Chicago Bears, 1955-1966
• New Orleans Saints, 1967-1969

We now get to the NFL legends who played for Tennessee football. Doug Atkins, who passed away in 2015 at age 85, is one of the greatest legends in UT history. He was a two-time All-American in 1951 and 1952 and was part of the final dynastic run of Robert Neyland, leading the Vols to back to back national championships in 1950 and 1951. There’s a reason his No. 91 is retired.

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After an incredible run in college, Atkins was taken by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 1953 NFL Draft, helping them win the NFL Championship in 1954. However, then he was traded to the Chicago Bears, and that’s where he became a star.

Atkins was a backup rotational player in Cleveland, but the Bears saw his potential with his imposing presence at 6’8″ 257 pounds. They used his size to his advantage to turn him into what he eventually became known as, the most feared player ever seen, and he revolutionized the defensive end position in the process.

Over 12 years in Chicago, Atkins became a superstar, helping them win an NFL Championship in 1963 and reaching eight Pro Bowls. He also earned nine All-Pro honors while, there, four of which were first team.

In 1967, Atkins was traded to the New Orleans Saints, and he made his 10th All-Pro team in 1968 before retiring in 1969. However, he became a Hall-of-Famer, playing for 17 seasons, appearing in 205 games and starting in 176 of them. The crazy part about him on this list is that he’s not No. 1.