You will likely never get everyone to agree on who is the hardest hitter in NFL history. Let me give you five fairly recent players and you can argue about it with your friends all night. J. J. Watt, 6’5”, 289-pounds, won three NFL Defensive Player of the year awards. Clay Matthews, 6’3”, 255-pounds,won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2010. James Harrison, 2008 Defensive Player of the Year is one of the most feared.
He has been suspended and fined more than once for causing injuries to other players. Von Miller, 6’3” and 245 pound Super Bowl 50 MVP. And Vontaze Burfict, 6’1”, 248-pounds, suspended for three games in 2016 for his head hit the Bengals’ player Antonio Brown.