Oregon Ducks Football: Best Linebackers of All Time

We are at the sixth edition evaluating the best to ever play on the gridiron for the Oregon Ducks.

Looking at the great linebackers of the past, to the legends of today, here are the top 10 of all time.

(Note: Rankings are based off of statistical performance with the Ducks, as well as leadership ability and performance in professional football. Feel free to comment below if you agree or disagree with any of these choice.)

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For offensive linemen: click here

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Honorable Mentions

Anthony Trucks: His name is a perfect reflection of his playing abilities. In the backfield or up close to the LOS, Trucks was an intimidator.

Bryan Hinkle: He is one of the best Ducks in terms of production in the NFL. He played 12 seasons (all with the Pittsburgh Steelers) and accumulated 22.5 sacks and 15 interceptions in that time.

Spencer Paysinger: Paysinger often got overlooked because of the other linebacker he played with, but he gave great years to the Oregon program.

10.Peter Sirmon

In his four seasons with the Ducks (1996-1999), Sirmon tallied 32 tackles for loss.

That was enough to earn him a spot in the top 10 in Oregon history.

Sirmon was drafted in the forth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, where he played all seven years of his career.

9.John Bacon

Bacon is one of my favorite Ducks of all time.

I dare you to find someone more terrifying then the "Baconater."

Add to his great skill set, his mohawk made him even more of a badass.

8.Matt Smith

Smith is not the most well known Ducks linebacker, but he was an absolute terror roaming the field.

In the 2000 season (his senior season) Smith led the team in tackles and was arguably the best player on the defensive unit.

Smith may one day be in the Oregon Hall of Fame.

7.Casey Matthews

Matthews comes from one of the most well-known football families.

Starting for three of his four years with the Ducks, Matthews is one of the best linebackers in Oregon history.

Matthews was the anchor last season on one of Oregon's best defenses of all time.

6.Kevin Mitchell

Top five in career tackles and tackles for loss, Mitchell is an easy choice to put on this list.

His 44 career tackles for loss and 366 career tackles are truly impressive.

Unfortunately, he did not find success in the NFL.

5.Jerome Boyd

Boyd got overshadowed a bit by the great secondary the Ducks had whilst he played.

His success with the Ducks was not enough to get him drafted, but the Oakland Raiders picked him up in free agency in 2009.

Let’s hope he finds success like P-Chung and Jarius Byrd.

4.Wesley Mallard

As Jerry Allen would say, “Mallard: what a name for a Duck”.

Mallard is, in my humble opinion, the best linebacker of the past decade and one of the best in Oregon history.

Looking simply at statistics, it wouldn’t appear that he deserves to be this high on the list.

But real Oregon fans remember his impact.

3.Tom Graham

Graham was a ‘tackling machine’ for the Ducks.

He is the leader in career tackles for the University of Oregon, and he did it in emphatic fashion.

Graham was then drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

He played seven seasons in the league.

(Graham is here with Dan Fouts and Bobby Moore.)

2.Ernest Jones

Statistically, a case could be made to have Jones at No. 1 on this list.

Jones is near the top in both career sacks and tackles for loss, Jones found his name all over the Oregon record books.

Jones will someday be the Ducks Hall of Fame.

1.Dave Wilcox

Fans of Oregon history will likely agree that not Wilcox at No. 1 would be a joke.

After all, he is one of six Ducks in the NFL Hall of Fame.

After transferring from Boise Junior College (yeah, that Boise), Wilcox went on to a phenomenal college and professional career.

Wilcox is a rare breed of talent that found success in every facet of the game. 

He is the best Ducks linebacker of all time.