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Top 10 NFL careers of Tennessee football LBs

By Caleb Calhoun

31 Oct 1999: Al Wilson #56 of the Denver Broncos celebrates on the field during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Vikings defeated the Broncos 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport
31 Oct 1999: Al Wilson #56 of the Denver Broncos celebrates on the field during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mile High Stadium in Denver, Colorado. The Vikings defeated the Broncos 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bahr /Allsport /
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Photo by Brian Bahr/AllSport
Photo by Brian Bahr/AllSport /

Scouting Report. Years in NFL: 8. 839. Al Wilson. 2. player. Pick Analysis. 1995-1998

Teams played for:

  • Denver Broncos; 1999-2006

We talked earlier about peak value vs. career value with Jerod Mayo and weighing them against each other. Well, that certainly applies to Al Wilson, who had by far the greatest peak value of any Tennessee football linebacker ever in the NFL.

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Wilson is arguably on the Mt. Rushmore of greatest Vols ever. The only All-American on the 1998 national championship team, his leadership qualities that year combined with his accomplishments as a four-year starter from 1995 to 1998 make him the most successful Vol of the modern era in terms of winning combined with individual accomplishments.

After that run, he was taken with the final pick of the first round of the 1999 Denver Broncos. Denver had just won back to back Super Bowls, but upon John Elway’s retirement, they were looking to rebuild their franchise, and Wilson was the guy they decided to build around. Immediately, the 6’0″ 240-pound Jackson, Tenn. native proved them right.

Just in his second year, Wilson had three interceptions and five sacks, anchoring a defense that helped the franchise get back to the playoffs. Over the next few years, Wilson became the face of the franchise, and he helped it make four playoff appearances in six years and three straight. Sadly, a severe neck injury cut Wilson’s career short, forcing him to retire after 2006.

Related Story. Top 10 Vols with 2021 NFL Draft potential. light

But in eight years, Wilson made five Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro honors, First-Team in 2005 and Second-Team in 2006. He had 21.5 career sacks, another 62 tackles for a loss, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, five interceptions, a pick-six and 723 tackles, 565 of which were solo. If not for Ray Lewis, he would have been the face of NFL linebackers during this time.

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