If Atlanta Falcons’ wide receiver Julio Jones stands as the primary ambassador for all that’s good with Alabama football in the National Football League, then Dont’a Hightower is a close second.
Following a year in which he totaled 65 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a crucial forced fumble in the Super Bowl against Atlanta, Hightower was ranked No. 94 on the NFL’s Top 100 players of 2017. His strip sack of Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan in the fourth quarter assisted the Patriots to a 34-28 win, earning the franchise its fifth Super Bowl championship.
The NFL Top 100 players list is one that is voted on yearly by the players.
"He's a baller" – @JjenkzLockdown on @zeus30hightower #NFLTop100 pic.twitter.com/rx03l6wOwP
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 2, 2017
Through five seasons, Hightower’s racked up 372 total tackles – including 17 sacks, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 12 pass breakups. He’s earned two Vince Lombardi trophies under head coach Bill Belichick and prior to New England, the sixth-year veteran was a two-time BCS national champion (2009, 2011) at the University of Alabama with coach Nick Saban.
For his efforts in Foxborough, Mass., Hightower was invited to the 2016 NFL Pro Bowl and signed a five-year extension with the Patriots on March 15 that was worth $35.5 million.
Stephen M. Smith is a managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
