Sammy Knight Madden Career 1999-2009 - Peak 90 OVR

Nobody drafted Sammy Knight out of USC in 1997, so New Orleans signed him, and he responded by making the PFWA All-Rookie team and refusing to leave the field for a decade. He read routes like he had the call sheet. In 1998 he ran an interception back 91 yards against Minnesota, and in a 2001 win over Buffalo he picked off Rob Johnson three times in a single afternoon. Across twelve seasons with the Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs, Jaguars, and Giants, he collected 42 interceptions, 1,048 tackles, 13 fumble recoveries, and five defensive touchdowns.

Madden tracked the climb of a player who kept getting better at the one thing that mattered. He opened at 83 in both the 2000 and 2001 editions, then hit a 90 in the 2002 game after a second-team All-Pro season and a Pro Bowl trip. The number stayed strong for years, 88 and then 89, before easing back to 83 by the 2008 edition as the miles added up. He later returned to USC as a graduate assistant, coaching the position he mastered without anyone's permission.