2013 NFL Mid-Season All-Pro Team

St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) celebrates after sacking Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (not pictured) during the first quarter at Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

4-3 DE Robert Quinn, St. Louis Rams

Don’t look now, but Robert Quinn already has 17 QB hits, ten sacks, and 13 tackles for loss this season. When he faces inferior competition, he absolutely destroys them. I mean, just look at what he did to Paul McQuistan on Monday night. He also had a memorable display in Week 2 against Sam Baker, earning our Player of the Week award. Quinn clearly deserves a spot on an All-Pro team, and it just seems like he is unstoppable when he’s at his best. He’s able to get to the quarterback with an arsenal of moves, and he has a great blend of speed and strength to boot.

4-3 DE Michael Bennett, Seattle Seahawks

The winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to be kicking themselves for not re-signing Michael Bennett this offseason, and you can bet that Bennett will have a huge game when he faces his old team this week. One reason why it would have been absolutely idiotic for the Seahawks to trade for Jared Allen is the fact that they already have an elite group of DEs, with most of them being better than Allen. Bennett is the best of them, and he’s an elite defensive end in this league. No, not just solid but elite. Bennett does an amazing job of getting after the passer and stopping the run, and his run defense has been criminally underrated ever since he came into the league.

3-4 DE J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

I absolutely hate it when people say that J.J. Watt has “cooled off”, because he’s still the most dominant defensive player in the NFL. Watt may not have last year’s gaudy numbers, but he is doing an even better job of swallowing up blocks in an effort to open things up for his teammates. Offenses are keying in on him more than ever in an effort to stop him, but Watt still has 17 QB hits, five sacks, three passes defended, and 12 tackles for loss this season. Those are all excellent numbers, and his work against the run has been magnificent this season. Seriously, watch his instincts and power against the run the next time you see a Texans game.

3-4 DE Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets

I always think that 3-4 defensive ends are among the most underrated players in the league, because they do more “dirty work” than 4-3 DEs but still get lumped in as “DEs” in statbooks and All-Pro lists like this one. Muhammad Wilkerson needs to get more press for being one of the league’s elite players, because there are very little defensive linemen in this league who are as disruptive as Wilkerson. He blows up plays in the backfield on a regular basis, whether he is defending the pass or the run. Wilkerson has a whopping seven sacks, 11 QB hits, and nine tackles for loss in another fantastic season, and he, rookie Sheldon Richardson, and NT Damon Harrison form arguably the league’s best three-man front.

4-3 DT Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals

He’s simply irreplaceable, and that’s what makes the news that he tore his ACL yesterday so heartbreaking for Cincinnati Bengals fans and most NFL fans. Atkins has been the league’s best defensive tackle over the past few seasons, and there is nobody as disruptive, explosive, or talented on the defensive line as him, with the exception of J.J. Watt. His ability to dominate in the passing game and running game as a 4-3 DT is almost unheard of, as he has 13 QB hits, five tackles for loss, and seven sacks this season. Atkins plugs up holes, shoots through gaps, and blows by offensive linemen with quick speed or brute strength.

4-3 DT Jason Hatcher, Dallas Cowboys

I was close to putting a household name in Ndamukong Suh on this list, but I decided to take the road less traveled and go with one of the best player’s in the game that you may have never heard of. Jason Hatcher is having a breakout season, and he’s put together a string of performances that even Geno Atkins would be proud of. Hatcher may not offer much as a run defender, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a player not-named-Geno-Atkins who has done a better job of putting pressure on the quarterback. The Cowboys rising star at DT already has seven sacks this season, which ties him with Atkins for the league lead, and he also has the highest number of tackles for loss by a DT this year with eight. Hatcher has been dominant, and this is somebody who has to be accounted for on every single play.

3-4 NT Dontari Poe, Kansas City Chiefs

It was a toss-up between rising star Damon “Snacks” Harrison and Dontari Poe, but I decided to select Poe, who has proven me wrong in a major way this season. But hey, at least I’m willing to admit it and praise just how well the guy has played. Poe’s emergence as the league’s best pass rushing nose tackle (and it’s not even close) has been incredible to watch, and the second-year pro out of Memphis has had only one bad game this season. He has opened things up big-time for star OLBs Justin Houston and Tamba Hali, but Poe also has five sacks of his own this season. Overlook his solid play against the run at your own risk.