2013 NFL Mid-Season All-Pro Team

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick (7) is pressured by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston (50) at Lincoln Financial Field. The Chiefs defeated the Eagles 26-16. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

4-3 OLB Vontaze Burficit, Cincinnati Bengals

The tackle numbers aren’t misleading in this case, as Vontaze Burficit has been every bit as aggressive and impactful in run defense as his high tackle count seems to indicate. His emergence on the Bengals defense as a second-year player has been a joy to watch, but I wish he were more consistent on a week-to-week basis.

4-3 OLB Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

It was incredibly difficult to choose the 4-3 OLBs on this team, and I am almost certain that I snubbed somebody; feel free to yell at me in the comments section. Anyway, David has been one of the few bright spots on a dysfunctional Buccaneers team, as the second-year star out of Nebraska has blossomed into one of the game’s best all-around linebackers. David can cover, blitz, and play the run about equally well, and he has some amazing stats this year with five passes defended, 11  tackles for loss, six sacks, and eight total hits on the quarterback.

3-4 OLB Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs

Tamba Hali has been nearly as good as Houston has been this year, but Houston’s 15 QB hits and ten tackles for loss put him over the top. Houston has been flat-out dominant this season, and he and Hali are a big reason why the Chiefs are sitting pretty at 8-0.

3-4 OLB Robert Mathis, Indianapolis Colts

I really wanted to put Elvis Dumervil here due to his mind-boggling consistency at putting pressure on the quarterback, and teammate Terrell Suggs also garnered plenty of attention. But I couldn’t leave Robert Mathis off of this All-Pro team, because he is just defying time out there with 12 sacks, 13 QB hits, three fumbles forced, and eight tackles for loss. Mathis has been making plays all over the place, and he’s a big reason why the Colts are playoff-bound for the second straight season. He’s been an absolute stud on the Colts defense, and former teammate Dwight Freeney might have also made a run for this list if he didn’t suffer a quadriceps injury.

ILB/MLB Derrick Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

For the longest time, Derrick Johnson has been among the most underrated linebackers in the NFL, and it’s because some fans and analysts don’t give enough credence to how important coverage linebackers are. While Johnson more than pulls his weight in run defense and can perform blitzes with success when needed, he really earns his keep with his coverage and leadership. He may not be among the league leaders in passes defended, but there’s more to coverage than stats; Johnson is the game’s best coverage LB.

ILB/MLB Kiko Alonso, Buffalo Bills

One of the front-runners for the Rookie of the Year award, Kiko Alonso simply has a knack for making big plays. In fact, no other linebacker has made more plays than Alonso has this season, as he has 81 total tackles, four interceptions, and five tackles for loss. He’s made a huge impact to the Bills defense as a rookie, and it’s been impressive watching his instinctive play in coverage. In fact, Alonso is already one of the game’s most instinctive linebackers, which certainly bodes well for the future to come.

ILB/MLB Sean Lee, Dallas Cowboys

Everyone knew that the Linebacker U product is one of the most talented LBs in the NFL, but he’s taken things to a whole new level. At this point, it is perfectly fair to refer to Sean Lee as an elite player in this league, because he has now blossomed into a solid coverage linebacker based on his play this season. Whereas the rest of the Cowboys LBs have been incredibly awful in coverage, Lee has held his own out there. I mean, he has four interceptions and six passes defended to his name, so there’s that. Lee has been busy racking up tackles this season, and he is well on his way to being firmly entrenched as one of the league’s best all-around ‘backers. By the way, I can’t help but feel that I snubbed NaVorro Bowman.