Pac-12 Football: Marcus Mariota and the top 10 players of the century
By Rick Timmons
In addition to his defensive stats, Ngata blocked seven kicks in his time at Oregon, proving to be a special teams force as well. Haloti Ngata has now seen nine successful seasons in the NFL after being drafted 12th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2006. The five-time Pro Bowler might not have produced the best, most impressive numbers while at Oregon, but he was no doubt one of the best players of the century.
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7
Haloti Ngata
DT, 2003-05
Haloti Ngata is one of the more intriguing players on this list. After recovering from a torn ACL, Ngata posted 107 tackles of which 17.5 were for a loss and paired with 6.5 sacks. Good numbers for sure, but not eye-popping by any means.
Ngata, however, was the type of player whose impact on the field extended beyond the box score. Regularly drawing double teams, Ngata made the rest of his defensive line better — and still managed to post the stats listed above. Everyone could tell that he was a dominant force, regardless of the numbers, and thus he finished his senior season as a consensus All-American and was named the Pac-10 defensive player of the year along with co-winner Dale Robinson.
In addition to his defensive stats, Ngata blocked seven kicks in his time at Oregon, proving to be a special teams force as well. Haloti Ngata has now seen nine successful seasons in the NFL after being drafted 12th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in 2006. The five-time Pro Bowler might not have produced the best, most impressive numbers while at Oregon, but he was no doubt one of the best players of the century.
Next: Troy Polamalu