A new Pittsburgh Steelers series to pass the time this offseason. We\u2019re ranking the top 10 \u201cfreak\u201d athletes in history. Choosing just 10 is never easy for a franchise full of so much history and success.<\/p>\n
This list isn\u2019t just about the fastest players, either. We\u2019ve ranked those guys before.<\/a> This focuses on strength, quickness and speed. An overall athletic profile relative to their size and position of players who simply moved in ways no one could have expected.<\/p>\n Nearing the end with spots three and four.<\/p>\n 4. Levon Kirkland\/ILB (1992-2000)<\/p>\n As rare body types and athleticism go, it might be hard to find anyone more unique than Kirkland. At 270 pounds with shoulders larger than Rhode Island, Kirkland was a marvel. His size and agility were an uncommon theme and still are today, especially in an area where no one with his frame plays linebacker.<\/p>\n Maybe his 40 time wasn\u2019t\u00a0the\u00a0fastest (he claimed 4.7-4.8 seconds<\/a> in Pittsburgh), but he was plenty quick and apt in coverage, intercepting 11 passes across nine seasons in Pittsburgh. Four of those came in 1996. In 1997, he was named All-Pro.<\/p>\n Kirkland stuffed the run, sacked the quarterback, and created splash plays with interceptions and forced fumbles. He was truly a 1-of-1 type of player we may never see again.<\/p>\n 3. Alan Faneca\/OG (1998-2007)<\/p>\n Faneca may not be the most athletic Steeler lineman in history, but his rare explosiveness propelled a Hall of Fame career. A wide body, Faneca fired out of his stance and was an A-plus puller. Willie Parker, Jerome Bettis, and countless others followed him to daylight.<\/p>\n \u201cHis ability to play that position, dominate at that position, but be athletic enough to move around and travel from the standpoint of pulling as an offensive lineman, that is rare,\u201d Bettis told Steelers.com in 2019.<\/a> \u201cUsually, when you do it, it doesn\u2019t end in success. When Alan pulled, we had a tremendous amount of success with our ability to pull.\u201d<\/p>\n Faneca\u2019s most memorable moment came in Super Bowl XL, pulling left to right and springing Parker for a historic 75-yard touchdown run. Others were less significant but still showed how his agility got him into space when others simply couldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n On a Steelers’ nostalgia kick today. Watching them blow out the Browns 41-0 in 2005. Look at Alan Faneca here. Climb and take a perfect angle to cutoff the safety trying to fill. Buries him as Haynes cuts back and muscles his way into the end zone.<\/p>\n Faneca was unreal. #Steelers<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9Bnh8Qy5Ej<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) March 28, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s why he earns a spot on Pittsburgh\u2019s podium.<\/p>\n Previous Lists<\/p>\n Numbers 9 and 10<\/a>
Numbers 7 and 8<\/a>
Numbers 5 and 6\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n