Rod Stephens Madden Career 1994-1997 - Peak 92 OVR

Rod Stephens didn't arrive in Seattle with fanfare. He came out of Georgia Tech in 1989 and spent his early seasons chasing kicks on special teams before the middle of the Seahawks defense became his to patrol. By 1994 he was the engine of that unit, piling up 128 combined tackles as a full-time starter and knocking the ball loose at a rate most inside linebackers never reach.

Over 107 games he collected 462 solo stops, 6 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and a fumble return for a score, the numbers of a player who found the football and brought it down. Seattle let him walk after 1994 and he signed with Washington, where he kept starting into 1996.

His Madden presence is a single, loud data point. The 1996 edition pegged him at 92 overall, a rating that landed after he had already proved he could anchor a front seven. It is the only card that ever carried his name, and it caught him at full value.