Top NFL Longhorns of All-Time List: No. 5, Earl Thomas
Over the years, The University of Texas has produced some outstanding football players who went on to establish special legacies in the National Football League. The Forty Acres has served as a breeding ground for 345 players selected in the 83 NFL Drafts to date; with 44 of them being selected in the prestigious first round. Many Longhorns left Austin to become stars in the theater of professional football, proving once again that Texas Football is one of the premier programs in the nation. With this impressive reputation in mind, here are the top five National Football Players that were members of Longhorn Nation:
Earl Thomas, Safety
Over the past decade, there hasn’t been another safety as dominant and as consistent as Earl Thomas. He was drafted in 2012 by the Seattle Seahawks and, in the following years, helped produce one of the best defenses in the history of the NFL.
The “Legion of Boom,” a common reference to the Seattle Seahawks defense during the 2011-2018 seasons, featured icons in the names of Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Bobby Wagner, and their leader in the secondary, Earl Thomas. Seattle’s defense propelled the northwestern franchise to its first Super Bowl victory in SB XLVIII against the Denver Broncos.
Along with his Super Bowl ring, Thomas has earned himself seven Pro Bowl appearances and three First-Team All-Pro honors. Earl Thomas played 11 or more games in nine out of 10 seasons in the NFL, further proving his consistency of playing at an elite level throughout his career.
As the decade came to an end, many considered him the “Safety of the Decade,” as his performance year in and year out has always been the best in the league.
On March 13, 2019, Earl Thomas signed a four-year, $55 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, making him the fourth highest-paid safety in the league. Coming off a great year with the Ravens, Thomas is looking to make another run at the Super Bowl with the newly-crowned MVP, Lamar Jackson, on his side.
Come back next week to check out who will come in at No. 4.