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| Dontari Poe sack from @poemans_dream |
I have put together a list of some of the best known defensive player that are also active using IG. I am not going to include any players that have just a couple of photos, these are also top players that have shared lots of pictures with fans. They share shots of the team, press and media events as well as personal shots with their family and friends. As with offense, the list is skewed toward younger players as they are much more likely to be active on IG than older players.
So without further ado, here are some of the best defensive players to follow on Instagram organized into defensive categories (in alpha order within each category).
Defensive Linemen
Cameron Jordan, Defensive End (New Orleans Saints)
A 3rd year player in the NFL, Jordan is a big part of the resurgent Saints defense in 2013. Jordan has been a solid force in both the run game and pass rush for the Saints. Through just 5 games, he has already logged half the sacks (4) that he had in all of 2012.
@camjordan94
180 photos 9,700 followers
Dontari Poe, Defensive Tackle (Kansas City Chiefs)
Kansas City has put together one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL in 2013 and 2nd year player, Poe, is one of the keys to that defense. He has logged 4.5 sacks through 5 games of the seasons and over 19 combined tackles. This exciting young player out of University of Memphis is definitely worth following.
@poemans_dream
265 photos 4,300 followers
Robert Quinn, Defensive End (St. Louis Rams)
In just his 3rd season in the League, Quinn has established himself as one of the sacks leaders in the NFL. He logged 10.5 sacks in 2012 and has already achieved half that number through 5 games in 2013. He is also an active IG user.
@rquinn94
266 photos 4,800 followers
Ndamukong Suh, Defensive Tackle (Detroit Lions)
Playing in just his 4th season in the NFL, Suh has been a lightning rod for media attention. His aggressive personality has helped him log 137 combined tackles during his first 3 years but also left him fined several times for questionable behavior. If he can control his aggression within the rules, he may just end up a hall of fame DT.
67 photos 33,000 followers
Demarcus Ware, Defensive End (Dallas Cowboys)
Playing in his 9th season in the NFL, Ware has 115 sacks during that span, and over 550 combined tackles. Ware continues to be a dominant pass rusher and is off to another good start in 2013.
230 photos 85,000 followers
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| Watt at Wisconsin game from @justinjames99 |
J.J. Watt, Defensive End (Houston Texans)
In just his third season in the League, JJ Watts has established himself as one of the most dominating Defensive Linemen in the game. He lead the NFL in sacks in 2012 with 20.5, won NFL Defensive Player of the Year and became the first player in NFL history to have at least 16 sacks and 15 blocked passes in a single season.
92 photos 100,000 followers
Linebackers
Lance Briggs, Middle Linebacker (Chicago Bears)
With the retirement of Brian Urlacher in 2012, the Bears staunch defense became Briggs squad and he has relished the challenge and was leading the league in tackles through 5 games. In his 11th season in the League, he is no longer the fastest linebacker but he makes up for that with brains and a nose for the football.
@lancebriggs
104 photos 10,000 followers
Clay Matthews, Middle Linebacker (Green Bay Packers)
With the retirement of Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, Matthews becomes the most well known Linebacker in the NFL. As the anchor of the Green Bay defense, Matthews is fun to follow. He has not yet started to share many photos but hopefully he will soon.
@clay_matthews52
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| Victory plane ride home from @rmathis_the1st |
Robert Mathis, Outside Linebacker (Indianapolis Colts)
Mathis is playing in his 11th season in the NFL and yet he is still has one of the quickest pass rushes in the League. He has logged over 100 sacks in the NFL during his career and is off to a blistering pace in 2013 with 9.5 sacks through 5 games.
@rmathis_the1st
180 photos 7,100 followers
Shaun Phillips, Outside Linebacker (Denver Broncos)
The Broncos are on a roll this year and currently #1 in the power rankings. While the offense is amazing, their defense has been incredibly good this year too. Phillips is one of the reasons why the defense is so improved. Coming over from San Diego this year, Phillips has brought an aggressive pass rush and has already logged 5.5 sacks through 5 games. He is very active on IG having shared over 600 photos.
@shaunphillips90
620 photos 8,200 followers
Aldon Smith, Outside Linebacker (San Francisco 49ers)
Smith has quickly become one of the best pass rushers in the game. In just his 3rd year in the league, he has already registered over 38 sacks. He was second in 2012, with 19.5 sacks. He has a bright NFL career ahead and a good player to follow on Instagram.
@aldonsmith
133 photos 165,000 followers
Defensive Backs
Thomas DeCoud, Safety (Atlanta Falcons)
DeCoud is in his 6th year in the NFL and has anchored the Falcons defensive backfield during that time. He is a hit master logging over 330 tackles during his career. He is also one of the most active NFL Instagram users sharing over 1,800 photos.
@twentyate28
1837 photos 16,500 followers
Patrick Peterson, Cornerback (Arizona Cardinals)
In his 3rd year in the NFL out of LSU, Peterson is widely considered one of the best cover corners in the NFL. He has 12 interceptions over 2.3 years in the league and is an exciting player to watch. He has not started sharing many photos yet but hopefully he will increase it in the near future.
@patrickpeterson21
21 photos 9,200 followers
Troy Polamalu, Safety (Pittsburgh Steelers)
In his 11th season in the NFL, Polamalu is probably best known for his long hair that he wears loose during games. He has been the anchor of the Steelers defensive backfield for all 11 years and has over 30 career interceptions and over 660 combined tackles.
@tpolamalu
16 photos 62,000 followers
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| Verner on game day from @atv20 |
One of the key reasons for the Titans resurgence in 2013 has been defense and Verner is a key part of that defense. In his 4th years in the NFL, Verner has developed into top notch DB and already has 4 interceptions over the first 5 games of the year.
@atv20
313 photos 3,500 followers
Major Wright, Safety (Chicago Bears)
In his 4th season out of University of Florida, Major Wright is a key factor in the Bears takeaway-oriented defense. During his 3.5 years, he has logged over 198 combined tackles, 9 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles.
@lilmade21
191 photos 9,800 followers
