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Vote below for the best linebacker of the 2000s
Yesterday, we took your votes on the Packers’ top cornerbacks of the first 25 years of the 2000s, and competition was fierce. The Packers have a deep bench of contributors there, and lots of people voiced intense opinions in the comments. That’s great!
What’s less great is the Packers’ depth at linebacker. There have been a few decent players at the position so far this century, but nobody who reaches the heights of even the third or fourth corners you voted on yesterday.
Still, there are good memories aplenty among the Packers’ linebackers. Who’s your choice for the best linebacker of the 2000s so far?
390 tackles (49 for loss), seven sacks, four interceptions
84 games played (80 starts)
A fourth round pick in 2000, Diggs was a starter essentially from the get-go and would go on to start virtually every game for which he was healthy until injuries piled up in the 2005 season. Diggs was never a Pro Bowler or All-Pro in Green Bay, but he was a very solid player, recording four interceptions and seven sacks to go with a boatload of tackles across his Packers career. His best season came in 2002, when he logged three sacks and two interceptions to go with his 85 total tackles, which included 12 tackles for loss, the second-most on the team.
1x second-team All-Pro
789 tackles (52 for loss), 15.5 sacks, nine interceptions
107 games played (107 starts)
Another instant starter, Barnett was a tackling machine over his eight years with the Packers, surpassing 100 total takedowns in every season for which he was healthy. At his peak, Barnett stuffed the stat sheet with the best of them, contributing in every part of the defensive effort. He recorded at least three sacks in three of his seasons with the Packers, at least two interceptions in three seasons, and recovered at least one fumble in five seasons. He also took an interception back 95 yards for a touchdown against the Saints in 2005, easily the most impressive single play of his career. His best season came in 2007, when Barnett recorded 131 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions, earning a second-team All-Pro nod.
1x Pro Bowl
922 tackles (55 for loss), 19 sacks, nine interceptions
142 games played, 136 starts
Before A.J. Hawk was a stoic, cigar-smoking TV show cohost, the 2006 fifth overall pick was a long-tenured member of the Green Bay Packers. Though he’s probably mostly remembered for rarely keeping his helmet on, giving his own sideline the finger, and being victimized on a crucial fake field goal in the 2014 NFC Championship game (I’ll spare you the link on that one), Hawk also was a solid, durable linebacker for most of his tenure. He missed just two games in his Packers’ career, breaking the 100-tackle threshold six times. His 19 sacks...
