Two Former Tigers Named To The NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team Defense

Former LSU defenders Patrick Petterson and Tyrann Mathieu were both named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team Defense on Monday.

LSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

For Immediate Release - April 6, 2020

LSU’S PATRICK PETERSON AND TYRANN MATHIEU NAMED TO NFL ALL-DECADE TEAM

BATON ROUGE – Former LSU football greats Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu have been named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 2010s, the NFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame announced on Monday.

Peterson and Mathieu, both All-America defensive backs at LSU, were among 52 players along with two head coaches named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.

Peterson, drafted No. 5 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, has played his entire pro career with the Arizona Cardinals, earning first team All-Pro honors on three occasions and being selected to the Pro Bowl eight times. Peterson has started 138 games in his career, recording 25 interceptions, 438 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. He’s also scored five touchdowns, including an NFL-best four in punt returns for scores as a rookie in 2011.

Mathieu, who helped Kansas City win Super Bowl LV in February, had four interceptions and 89 total tackles for the World Champion Chiefs in 2019. During his seven-year NFL career, which spans stops in Arizona, Houston and Kansas City, Mathieu has 25 interceptions and 472 tackles.

Mathieu has twice been named first team All-Pro and has made one appearance in the Pro Bowl.

Peterson and Mathieu were both national award winners at LSU with Peterson claiming the Bednarik and Thorpe Awards in 2010, while Mathieu won the Bednarik Award in 2011 after helping the Tigers to a 13-0 regular season mark and the SEC title that year.
Mathieu went on to become a third round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2013.

Peterson and Mathieu are part of an LSU group of defensive backs dubbed “DBU”. During the decade that spans 2010-19, LSU had 15 defensive backs selected in the NFL Draft, which includes five first rounds picks, a group that consists of Peterson (No. 5 overall in 2010), Morris Claiborne (No. 6 overall in 2012), Eric Reid (No. 18 overall in 2012), Jamal Adams (No. 6 overall in 2017) and Tre’Davious White (No. 28 overall in 2017).