Jared Allen is widely regarded as one of the most popular and elite defensive players in recent Minnesota Vikings history. He began his professional career with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played for four years. During his last year in KC, he earned the NFL lead in sacks (15) and tackles for loss (19), and was named to the First-Team All-pro Team for the first time.
After that, he joined the Minnesota Vikings, where he was a First-Team All-Pro three times in the six seasons he played there. Allen never had a year with less than 10 sacks, and he earned his second Sack Title in 2011 with a career-high 22.
While he will always be remembered as an elite pass rusher, his ability to stop the rush is often underrated. Allen was a complete player despite not being one of the better defensive athletes on his team. His fundamentals were sound, and he even brought back the mullet hairstyle to the field, although some may argue that it was better left in the past.
As Jared Allen's career drew to a close, he played for the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers before retiring in 2015. His retirement was a momentous occasion, marked by an impressive record of 136.0 sacks and 171 tackles for loss. In a symbolic gesture, Allen posted a video of himself literally riding off into the sunset, a poignant moment that resonated with many and solidified his place in the 'Hall of Fame’.
Punters typically don't have much of a chance to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, Deron Cherry's focus on being a Safety paid off and he became one of the best at his position, benefiting the Kansas City Chiefs. Using his athletic abilities, Cherry became a top defensive star in the NFL and was consistently one of the league's best players. Even though he never led the league in interceptions, Cherry was an exceptional open-field tackler and rarely lost in one-on-one situations. As a result, Cherry was selected to the Pro Bowl six times and was named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1980s.
Cherry's impressive skills allowed him to record 35 interceptions and he ranked in the top six in that category five times, including a second-place finish in 1986. It is surprising that he was never named as a Finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.