1 (Tie). ILBs Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan
Far and away, this is the biggest snub of them all. And while I thought about splitting these guys up into two separate snubs, they just work so well as a duo.
People love to call Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis the best linebacker duo in the NFL, but, while Kuechly may be the best of the bunch, Marshall and Trevathan hold that distinction by a long shot — at least in my book.
According to PFF, Marshall (5th) and Trevathan (6th) are two of the games most elite inside linebackers, and they complement each other perfectly; Marshall is lock-down run defender, while Trevathan is one of the league’s best coverage linebackers, though both are great in the other aspect, too.
There’s a reason why the Broncos are one of the best run and pass defenses in the NFL, and it all starts with these two guys. When you have linebackers who can not only step up and stuff the run but drop back into coverage on running backs and tight ends, it makes an offense’s job nearly impossible.
NaVorro Bowman, Clay Matthews and Bobby Wagner all made the Pro Bowl roster on name recognition alone; two of those three spots should have gone to Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan.
