The 3 best overall defenders on the team are Wagner, Kam, and Bennett. Their abilities are far and away greater than just their positions on a static defense. They could play multiple positions on many defenses and still play at a pro bowl level. Earl and Sherm are more static to their positions in this defense. Sherm wouldn't be as good on a defense with more man coverage and Earl is still small for the position and is strictly a FS only who's been allowed to play on mostly instinct due to having a SS captain, be it Milloy or Kam. Contrary to popular belief, Sherm and Earl are more fitted here than being truly scheme diverse like the other 3 even though they may be specifically more fitted to be here.
All 5 fit the bill of the thread title, however. EASILY.
Also, I don't think anyone sane thinks that Rawls needs to be a goner. He's just not as overall talented as Carson. Carson didn't slip because of anything other than exposure. He was a JUCO guy who came in late and then broke a thumb metacarpal, if I remember right. Carson could fit into this bracket. Rawls and Prosise possibly could, but there's sort of a reverse Emmitt Smith argument here. Emmitt went 4 yards before being touched in most of his career (OL) and I don't think he was truly a great RUNNING talent, but he was also one of the most durable RBs ever. He played...always. Is that a talent? I guess it has to be. We'll see if Carson falls into that category too, but he's kind of more bad arse than a lot of guys on the field and he knows it.
Baldwin's 6.56 3 cone isn't really legendary(it kind of is), if you put it in perspective. There are proabably 30 guys in the last 25 years who are at that level of quickness or even better (I literally looked this up about 3 years ago in terms of 3 cone), but almost none of them are actually great WRs on top of that. Combine his monstrous quickness with his mental makeup and you have something special.
Reece, if he were here, is/was one of these players. He's learned to be a great blocker over the years, but he doesn't just have great receiving skills....he was literally a WR. One that ran a 4.4 40 at that. Him at 240 pounds at 28-29 years old was the reason why the FB position stayed alive as long as it has and his level of play was transcendent of the position.
Lockett is fast approaching a real level of special. He's still smaller. While really fast, he may not be a true burner. While really quick, he's not on the quicks level of Baldwin. High pointing can be a problem. His innate really special ability is spacial awareness. His timing on cuts and how he feels defenders closing in even when he's not really directly looking is something he just has. You can't teach it.
Probably missing stuff here, but eh.....
