NFL, one of the most exciting sports leagues in the world, is the gathering place of all American football legends. To be the best in the league, one needs to be fast, athletic, dedicated, hard-working, and have exceptional talent.
Nose tackle is an underappreciated and selfless position in American football. However, the proliferation of 3-4 fronts in recent seasons has made the position more important. What does it need to be a good nose tackle?
Well, a player needs to have the mentality to sacrifice himself for the team’s achievement. A nose tackle has to occupy multiple blockers to create a lane of pursuit for fellow defenders.
Defensive nose tackles do not have flashy statistics or bouquets of trophies on their accolades; rather, they silently distribute for the team’s wins. This article features the ten best nose tackles of all time in the NFL who set examples of how to contribute from the back.
Best Nose Tackles of All time
As mentioned above, the best feature of a nose tackle is that he sacrifices himself for the greater good of the team. Therefore, he does not have a lot of individual achievements to boast about. However, here are ten players who were not just great nose tackles but also great defensive backs of all time.
| Player Name | Career |
| Curley Culp | 1968-1981 |
| Fred Smerlas | 1979-1992 |
| Ted Washington | 1991-2007 |
| Bill Willis | 1946-1953 |
| Henry Thomas | 1987-2000 |
| Michael Carter | 1984-1992 |
| Pat Williams | 1997-2010 |
| Charlie Johnson | 1977-1984 |
| Vince Wilfork | 2004-2016 |
| Jerry Ball | 1987-1999 |
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Let’s see why these players are considered the best nose tackles of all time.
1. Curley Culp
| Full Name | Curley Culp |
| Date of Birth | March 10, 1946 |
| Place of Birth | Yuma, Arizona |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in |
| Weight | 265 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1968 (Denver Broncos, Round: 2 / Pick: 31) |
| Teams | Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions |
| Death | November 27, 2021 |
Career Highlights:
Super Bowl Champion: 1 time (IV)
AFL Champion: 1 time (1969)
First-team All-Pro: 1 time (1975)
Pro Bowl: 6 times (1969, 1971, 1975–1978)
Defensive Player of the Year: 1 time (1975)
You can guess from his career highlights how much we could write about him. However, we are going to keep it short. He debuted in 1968 with the Kansas City Chiefs. During his stay in Kansas, Culp shined as a defensive nose tackle.
The six-time pro bowler is also an AFL and Super Bowl champion. It is not easy for the nose tackles to be the best defender, but Culp did it in 1975 after joining the Houston Oilers. He played a total of 179 and recorded 68.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles.
The over six ft tall was like a mad bull himself. It used to take three blockers to stop him. He had great strength, along with skills and techniques. Curly Clip is, undoubtedly, the flag bearer for the best nose tackles of all time.
Career stats of:
| G | AV | Sacks | FR | FF |
| 179 | 106 | 68.5 | 10 | 14 |
2. Fred Smerlas
| Full Name | Frederic Charles Smerlas |
| Date of Birth | April 8, 1957 |
| Place of Birth | Waltham, Massachusetts |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in |
| Weight | 295 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1979 (Buffalo Bills, Round: 2 / Pick: 32) |
| Teams | Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers |
Career Highlights:
First-team All-Pro: 5 times (1980, 1981, 82, 83, 88)
Pro Bowl: 5 times (1980–1983, 88)
Smears was an exceptional talent. He has been an all-pro or pro bowler more than any other nose tackle. Being five times first-pro and the five-times pro bowler is a rare achievement in the NFL for a nose tackle. Smears also played and started the most number of matches as a nose tackle.
Smears was a very durable nose tackle and had played 149 consecutive matches. He has played a total of 200 games and recorded 29 sacks and two interceptions. Despite being a 5-time pro bowler, he is still not in the hall of fame. However, his contribution to the team’s victories earned him four all-pro awards.
Career stats of Fred Smerlas:
| G | AV | Sacks | Int |
| 200 | 104 | 29.0 | 2 |
3. Ted Washington
| Full Name | Theodore Washington Jr. |
| Date of Birth | April 13, 1968 |
| Place of Birth | Tampa, Florida |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in |
| Weight | 375 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1991 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 1 / Pick: 25) |
| Teams | San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns |
Career Highlights:
Super Bowl champion: 1 time (XXXVIII)
First-team All-Pro: 1 time (2001)
Pro Bowl: 4 times (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001)
NFL players are large in size. Still, only a few of them are as large as Ted Washington. He weighs 375 pounds and still ran so fast. Washington had played for several teams in his 17-year-long career.
He won the super bowl once and was named all-pro once in 2001. He used his size to his advantage and made the lives of the blockers impossible.
The San Francisco 49ers signed him in the 1991 NFL draft, where he was overall 25th.
Career stats of Ted Washington:
| G | AV | T | Sacks | FF | Int |
| 236 | 121 | 603 | 34.5 | 8 | 2 |
4. Bill Willis
| Full Name | William Karnet Willis |
| Date of Birth | October 5, 1921 |
| Place of Birth | Columbus, Ohio |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 210 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1946, undrafted |
| Teams | Cleveland Browns |
Career Highlights:
NFL Champion: 1 time (1950)
First-team All-Pro: 4 times (1950–1953)
Pro Bowl: 3 times (1950–1952)
NFL 1940s All-Decade Team
Sometimes even experts fail to recognize talent. Bill Wills is one such example, he was undrafted in the 1946 draft! But he got the opportunity to join the newly formed Cleveland Browns, and there he proved how good he was.
The dynamic 6ft 2 inches tall and 210 pounder middle and noseguard was the key player in the defensive back for the browns. Wills was exceptionally quick for his size, and so he was nicknamed “The Cat.”
Till 1949, The Browns were playing in the AAFC, and then the team joined the NFL. The change of league did not have much impact on the team as the team continued to dominate, and in 19450, they became the NFL champion. Wills played a key role in the defense and was all-pro once and a pro bowler.
Bills, in his career, became a total of a three-time pro bowler and a four times all-pro. His pro career started as remaining undrafted and ended as one of the best nose tackles of all time!
Career stats of:
| G | GS | Int |
| 99 | 66 | 1 |
5. Henry Thomas
| Full Name | Henry Lee Thomas Jr. |
| Date of Birth | January 12, 1965 |
| Place of Birth | Houston, Texas |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 275 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1987 (Minnesota Vikings, Round: 3 / Pick: 72) |
| Teams | Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots andDetroit Lions |
Career Highlights:
Pro Bowl: 2 times (1991, 1992)
The two-time pro bowler Hank Thomas is often underappreciated and is one of the most underrated players of recent times. Thomas was a solid defensive nose and could have been a terrific 3-technique.
He was drafted into the NFL in 1987 and remained active till 2000. By this time, he played over 200 games to record 93.3 sacks, 1007 tackles, and four touchdowns, so many for a defensive nose tackle. Thomas was great at tackling and arguably the best among all nose tackles.
Career stats of Henry Thomas:
| G | AV | Sacks | FF | Tackles | TD |
| 213 | 113 | 93.5 | 19 | 1,007 | 4 |
6. Michael Carter
| Full Name | Michael D’Andrea Carter |
| Date of Birth | October 29, 1960 |
| Place of Birth | Dallas, Texas |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 285 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1984 (San Francisco 49ers, Round: 5 / Pick: 121) |
| Teams | San Francisco 49ers, |
Career Highlights:
Super Bowl champion: 3 times (XIX, XXIII, XXIV)
First-team All-Pro: 3 times (1986, 1987, 1988)
Pro Bowl: 3 times (1985, 1987, 1988)
After getting drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 1984, Michael Carter remained unmoved throughout his pro football career.
Carter knew what his job was as a nose tackle, and he did it perfectly. He had the ability, strength, and quickness to be one of the top defensive backs in the tournament. From his 121 games, he recorded 121 sacks. Besides, he had been a part of the 49ers’ three super bowl winning teams and a three-time first-team all-pro and three-time pro bowler.
Career stats of Michael Carter:
| G | AV | Sacks | Int |
| 121 | 76 | 22.5 | 1 |
7. Pat Williams
| Full Name | Patrick Williams Sr |
| Date of Birth | October 24, 1972 |
| Place of Birth | Monroe, Louisiana |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in |
| Weight | 317 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1997, undrafted |
| Teams | Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings |
Career Highlights:
Second-team All-Pro: 1 time (2007)
Pro Bowl: 3 times (2006–2008)
Pat Williams is a perfect example that nose tackles are selfless and dedicated to the team’s benefits. Williams would rush into the offense and occupy multiple blockers to create a lane of pursuit for fellow defenders.
Like Bill Wills, Pat Williams was also undrafted in 1997. Then he was signed by the Buffalo Bills, but it was with Minnesota Vikings where he shined and reached his full potential.
Williams became a three times pro bowler in three consecutive seasons, from 2006 to 2008. He played a total of 200 games and recorded 20.5 sacks and 8 forced fumbles.
Career stats of Pat Williams:
| G | AV | T | Sacks | FF |
| 200 | 91 | 566 | 20.5 | 8 |
8. Charlie Johnson
| Full Name | Charles Johnson |
| Date of Birth | January 17, 1952 |
| Place of Birth | Beaumont, Texas |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in |
| Weight | 262 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1977 (Philadelphia Eagles, Round: 7 / Pick: 175) |
| Teams | Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings |
| Retirement | 1984 |
| Death | August 13, 2021 |
Career Highlights:
First-team All-Pro: 2 times (1980, 1981)
Pro Bowl: 3 times (1979–1981)
Charlie Johnson had a short career in the NFL, but he still managed to cement his preposition among the best nose tackles of all time in NFL history. His professional football career began in 1977 when he was picked by the Philadelphia Eagles 1977.
Johnson’s primary duty was to stop the run, and he did it so well. He did not focus on personal achievements, which is one of the reasons that his stats are not filled with rich numbers.
Career stats of Charlie Johnson:
| G | AV | Sacks | Int |
| 117 | 75 | 6.0 | 5 |
9. Vince Wilfork
| Full Name | Vincent Lamar Wilfork |
| Date of Birth | November 4, 1981 |
| Place of Birth | Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 325 lb |
| NFL Draft | 2004 (New England Patriots, Round: 1 / Pick: 21) |
| Teams | New England Patriots and Houston Texans |
Career Highlights:
Super Bowl champion: 2 times (XXXIX, XLIX)
First-team All-Pro: 1 time (2012)
Pro Bowl: 5 times (2007, 2009–2012)
Vince Wilfork was born in 1981 in Florida. He was drafted into the NFL in 2004 by the New England Patriots. In his rookie year, he had to share his position with Keith Traylor. The next year, Taylor was released, and this became the season Wilfork made his name known by recording 54 tackles in only 16 games.
Wilfork played more than 100 games for the Patriots and is considered the best player in the nose tackle position for the Patriots. He received a Hall of Fame induction from the New England Patriots soon after his retirement in 2017.
Career stats of Vince Wilfork:
| G | AV | T | Sacks | FF | Int | TD |
| 189 | 116 | 561 | 16.0 | 5 | 3 | 26 |
10. Jerry Ball
| Full Name | Jerry Ball Jr. |
| Date of Birth | December 15, 1964 |
| Place of Birth | Beaumont, Texas |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in |
| Weight | 330 lb |
| NFL Draft | 1987 (Detroit Lions, Round: 3 / Pick: 63) |
| Teams | Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings |
Career Highlights:
First-team All-Pro: 1 time (1991)
Pro Bowl: 3 times (1989–1991)
A 375-pounder as a defensive tackle is something not everyone can expect. But Ball did it. He
started his career with the Detroit Lions in 1987 and later played in three more teams, including Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings.
He played in the NFL for 13 seasons and recorded 32.5 sacks. The ball was so dominant that the opposition had to make a change in their alignment to bring their best player in the middle to face the pressure Ball created.
Though he played as a run stuffer in the later part of his career, he is mostly known for his role as a nose tackle. Balls retired from the game in 1999, leaving behind a dominant legacy.
Career stats of Jerry Ball:
| G | AV | T | Sacks | FF | Int |
| 191 | 85 | 509 | 32.5 | 5 | 1 |
Conclusion
Defensive tackles are mostly the silent killer of a team. They silently contribute and help their team to win. Being a team player is their primary characteristic. From Culp to Jerry Ball, everyone featured in this article has played major roles in their teams’ success, which established them as the best defensive nose tackles of all time in the NFL.
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