Texas Football Names State’s All-Time Defensive Linemen

SAN ANGELO, TX — Texas Football continued its series of naming the state’s all-time players at each position with the release Thursday of the top 10 defensive linemen.

Though none of them played in West Texas, two of them did play against San Angelo Central.

Arlington Martin’s Myles Garrett, who was No. 3 on the list, helped terrorize Central in the second round of the playoffs back in 2011.

Long before he was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett was just a sophomore when he played against Central in a 43-12 win for the Warriors.

The Bobcats were 9-3 that season and won their first outright district title since 1963, but they were simply outmatched when they ran into Arlington Martin.

By his senior year, Garrett was the Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year. He went on to play for Texas A&M and became the first Aggie selected No. 1 in the NFL Draft.

Last year, he became the NFL’s single-season record holder with 23 sacks.

No. 4 on Texas Football’s list was Tommie Harris, who was a four-year starter at Killeen Ellison from 1997 to 2000.

Harris was a freshman when Ellison defeated Central 23-7 in a nondistrict game during the ‘97 season.

By his senior year, he was the top defensive line recruit in the state and signed with the University of Oklahoma. He was later a first-round selection by the Chicago Bears and earned three Pro Bowl nods.

Texas Football’s story includes honorable mention players, one of whom was from our general neck of the woods — Throckmorton’s Bob Lilly, who went on to make 11 Pro Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys.

To see the entire list, check out Texas Football’s story here.