Introducing Arkansas football's 2010s All-Decade Team - Defense

HawgBeat asked and you delivered.

Fans cast more than 700 votes for Arkansas football's All-Decade Team of the 2010s over the past week and a half.

They chose from a ballot of 125 names - players who, with only a handful of exceptions, made double-digit starts over the past 10 seasons.

We revealed the offense Sunday. Now it's time for the results on the defensive side of the ball, along with our own Andrew Hutchinson's selections...

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Years at Arkansas: 2011-14

Stats this decade: 190 tackles, 47.5 TFL, 18 sacks, 13 PBU, 1 INT, 26 QBH, 1 FR, 4 FF

Notable: It would have been hard to believe if you were told right after he flipped from Georgia Tech to Arkansas as a low three-star prospect late in the 2011 recruiting process, but Flowers was arguably the Razorbacks' best defensive player of the decade - as evidenced by him receiving a higher percentage of votes than any other player at any position. He became a full-time starter by his sophomore year and was named to the All-SEC second team as a junior. He could have left school following Arkansas’ 3-9 season, but Bret Bielema convinced him to return for his senior year, when he became the heartbeat of the top-10 defense in 2014. At the end of his career, Flowers ranked second in UA history with 47.5 tackles for loss (behind only Billy Ray Smith Jr.) and tied for seventh with 18 sacks, while also racking up 26 hurries. He had a knack for knocking down passes, as well, as his 13 pass breakups would have been tied for the sixth most among defensive backs in the decade. Those skills made him a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in the 2015 NFL Draft. Flowers was one of New England's best defensive players for four seasons, helping it reach the Super Bowl each of the last three years - winning it twice - before signing a five-year, $90 million deal with Detroit as a free agent.

Second team: Deatrich Wise Jr. (26.7 percent)

Years at Arkansas: 2007-11

Stats this decade: 60 tackles, 19 TFL, 17 sacks, 4 PBU, 10 QBH, 1 FR, 6 FF, 1 safety

Notable: The son, grandson and nephew of former Razorbacks, Bequette was a low three-star recruit coming out of Little Rock Catholic, but ended up becoming one of the best defensive ends to ever wear the uniform. His 23.5 career sacks rank third in UA history, but his career spanned two decades. Only his final two years were in the 2010s, during which he racked up 17 sacks - including 10 in 10 games as a senior. Bequette also forced five fumbles in those 10 games in 2011, helping Arkansas win the Cotton Bowl to cap an 11-win season. The Patriots took him in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft and, although he played in just eight regular-season games during his career, he won a Super Bowl ring as a member of their practice squad. Today, Bequette is serving our country in the U.S. Army. He graduated from Ranger School in 2018 and is now a 1st Lieutenant in the Army's 101st Airborne Division.

Second team: Chris Smith (9.5 percent)

Receiving votes: Tenarius Wright (2.9%), Jeremiah Ledbetter (2.2%), McTelvin Agim (1.4%), Mataio Soli (0.7%), Adamario Ambrose (0.5%), Tevin Beanum (0.3%), Randy Ramsey (0.3%), Gabe Richardson (0.3%), JaMichael Winston (0.1%)

Hutch's Pick: Trey Flowers and Jake Bequette - The incredible percentage of votes Flowers received (746 of 767) didn't particularly surprise me. There's a reason I put him at No. 2 on my list of the top 25 Arkansas football players of the decade. I'll never forget the emotion he showed on his way back to the locker room after yet another heartbreaking loss, this time at No. 1 Mississippi State, during his senior year. When the Razorbacks finally broke through and finished the 2014 season strong, I was most happy for him, as he could have been in the NFL and already making money. The second defensive end spot was a little trickier. Despite the fact that I put Chris Smith a few spots higher on my top-25 list, I ended up going with Bequette for the All-Decade Team because he was such a key part of Arkansas' great 2010 and 2011 teams. I was disappointed, however, to see fans give Deatrich Wise Jr. so many more votes than Smith. Wise was a very good defensive end for the Razorbacks, but Smith had better numbers and was a second-team All-SEC selection.

Years at Arkansas: 2012-14

Stats this decade: 92 tackles, 20.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 2 PBU, 8 QBH, 3 FR, 3 FF

Notable: Originally committed to Alabama, Nick Saban's reportedly asked Philon to grayshirt just a week before National Signing Day. The allure of the in-state Crimson Tide was not enough to keep him home and instead, he flipped to the Razorbacks, where he could play with high school teammate JaMichael Winston. Alabama's loss was Arkansas' gain. After redshirting his first year in Fayetteville, Philon was named to the SEC's All-Freshman Team in 2013 and then earned second-team All-SEC honors from the AP when he was a key cog in the middle of the Razorbacks' top-10 defense in 2014. He did so well that he opted to enter the NFL Draft as a redshirt sophomore and he ended up being picked by the Chargers in the sixth round. Although he had enough success in the NFL to land a two-year, $10 million deal with the Cardinals as a free agent, his professional career is currently on hold because of an off-field incident during the offseason.

Second team: Bijhon Jackson (21.5 percent)

Years at Arkansas: 2016-19

Stats this decade: 148 tackles, 31.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks, 4 PBU, 19 QBH, 2 FR, 6 FF

Notable: Arkansas' highest ranked signee of the decade, Agim was the No. 50 overall player in the Class of 2016 and a five-star recruit by some services. Those accolades coming out of Hope meant he came to Fayetteville with sky-high expectations. Although he probably never quite met those expectations, Agim still had a very solid career for the Razorbacks. One thing that probably kept him from reaching his full potential was that he played for three different defensive coordinators and went back and forth between defensive tackle and defensive end. In fact, his 40 career starts were split evenly, with 20 at each position. Despite those things working against him, Agim managed to rack up 14.5 sacks and 31.5 tackles for loss in his career - figures that are tied for 13th and 14th, respectively, in UA history.

Second team: Armon Watts (20.6 percent)

Receiving votes: Robert Thomas (11.2%), Alfred Davis (7.2%), Byran Jones (6.4%), DeQuinta Jones (5.1%), Taiwan Johnson (4.8%), T.J. Smith (4.7%), DeMarcus Hodge (3.8%)

Hutch's Pick: Darius Philon and McTelvin Agim - Even though he played only two years at Arkansas, Philon was an easy choice for the top defensive tackle spot. The second spot, for me, came down to Agim and Armon Watts, with some consideration for Robert Thomas. Ultimately, Agim's production over four years swayed me to pick him over Watts, who was great, but for only one year. I was also surprised to see Bijhon Jackson land on the second-team unit and receive more votes than Watts because his numbers were worse than several other candidates. My theory is that fans still hold him in high regard because he was a four-star in-state product who chose to stay home, especially with Joshua Frazier opting to sign with Alabama in the same class.

Years at Arkansas: 2015-18

Stats this decade: 320 tackles, 13 TFL, 4 sacks, 3 PBU, 3 INT, 5 QBH, 3 FR, 3 FF

Notable: One of the most inspirational stories of the decade, Greenlaw dealt with homelessness as a child before being adopted by Brian and Nanci Early. On the field, he earned the nickname "Big Play Dre" for his feats at Ramay Junior High and Fayetteville High. Greenlaw was set to follow Early to Arkansas State in the Class of 2015, but the Razorbacks offered late in the process and he opted to go to school just down the road from where he played high school ball. Injuries forced him into a starting role as a true freshman, when he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, but injuries also kept Greenlaw off the field quite a bit. If he stayed healthy, there's a great chance he would have challenged Tony Bua's career tackles record. Even with those injuries, he currently ranks 14th in UA history. The 49ers took him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and he's been a steal, earning a spot on Pro Football Focus' All-Rookie Team and making the game-saving tackle in Week 17 that clinched the No. 1 seed.

Second team: De'Jon Harris (37.0 percent)

Years at Arkansas: 2013-14

Stats this decade: 150 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 3 PBU, 1 INT, 5 QBH, 1 FR, 2 FF

Notable: Coming out of North Little Rock in 2011, Spaight actually signed with Division II Southern Arkansas before deciding to take the junior college route instead. After two All-American years at Coffeyville C.C., he committed to Kansas State when the Razorbacks didn't recruit him, but flipped to his home state school when Bielema was hired and extended an offer. Once in Fayetteville, Spaight developed a reputation as a hard hitter, with coaches and teammates turning his last name into a verb. It wasn’t until his second and final season that it translated to the field, but it did so in a big way. Spaight had an SEC-high 128 tackles - the most by an Arkansas player in 11 years - on the Razorbacks' top-10 defense in 2014, helping him become Arkansas’ first linebacker to earn first-team All-SEC honors since 2006. The Redskins took him in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft and he had a four-year NFL career, mostly on special teams, before retiring in May 2019.

Second team: Brooks Ellis (27.9 percent)

Years at Arkansas: 2007-11

Stats this decade: 201 tackles, 23 TFL, 7 sacks, 6 PBU, 10 QBH, 3 FR, 1 FF, 1 safety

Notable: An in-state product, Franklin was a three-star safety coming out of Marion. However, he moved to linebacker and bulked up 20 pounds during his redshirt year, helping him earn the starting middle linebacker job as a redshirt freshman. Franklin didn't leave the starting lineup the rest of his career, as he started a UA-record 50 straight games - which has since been matched by Travis Swanson. He's believed to be the only player in school history to lead the team in tackles four times and he ranks second all-time with 382 tackles. However, his career spanned the decade, with only two of his seasons being in the 2010s. Franklin earned All-SEC accolades both years, getting a second-team nod from the coaches as a junior and a second-team nod from the coaches and AP as a senior. He’s probably best remembered for his 94-yard scoop-and-score that helped the Razorbacks avoid an ugly loss at Vanderbilt in 2011. Despite that success, Franklin went undrafted and was mostly a practice squad player in the NFL, but he did appear in 20 regular-season games.

Second team: Jerico Nelson (19.2 percent)

Receiving votes: Alonzo Highsmith (10.2%), Bumper Pool (5.6%), Braylon Mitchell (1.7%), Anthony Leon (1.2%), Dwayne Eugene (0.7%), Jarrett Lake (0.7%)

Hutch's Pick: Martrell Spaight, Dre Greenlaw and Jerry Franklin - Despite recent struggles at the position, Arkansas actually had some quality linebackers during the decade. Even though he did most of it in one year, Spaight was the best of the bunch, in my opinion. His hits were truly bone-jarring. The fact that injuries caused Greenlaw to miss so much time is disappointing because I think he would have had a chance to break Bua's career tackles record. Franklin also had a great career, even if it spanned two decades. I considered De'Jon Harris, especially because he ranks fifth on the career tackles list and was a three-time second-team All-SEC selection, but I felt like my three picks - Spaight, Greenlaw and Franklin - were better linebackers.

Years at Arkansas: 2011-14

Stats this decade: 157 tackles, 6 TFL, 18 PBU, 4 INT, 1 FR, 2 FF

Notable: The son of a former Pine Bluff standout who left the state to play at Oklahoma, Mitchel did the reverse as a four-star cornerback - and No. 160 overall prospect - from Mansfield, Texas, Legacy who came to Arkansas in the Class of 2011. He started at least five games in each of his four seasons in Fayetteville while dealing with several injuries. As a senior on the Razorbacks' top-10 defense in 2014, Mitchel moved to nickel and enjoyed his best season, notching two interceptions and eight pass breakups. That was enough for the Redskins to use a surprise pick on him in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, his injury issues continued in the pros and he never appeared in a regular-season game.

Second team: Henre' Toliver (27.0 percent)

Years at Arkansas: 2015-18

Stats this decade: 95 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack, 22 PBU, 6 INT, 1 FR, 1 FF

Notable: A low three-star prospect coming out of Florida, Pulley's only SEC offer was from Arkansas, but he turned out to be much better than his rating. He capped his true freshman season with an interception to seal the Razorbacks' win over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl and became a starter the following year, when he racked up 13 pass breakups. That was tied for second in the SEC and tied for 12th nationally, helping him earn some preseason All-SEC accolades going into 2017. Unfortunately, Pulley suffered a season-ending injury in the first half of the season opener and wasn't quite the same in 2018. That year, when he was a redshirt junior, ended when he was infamously caught flirting with Mississippi State dance team members before a game and subsequently suspended for the finale at Missouri. That proved to also be the end of his career, as Pulley opted to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. He went undrafted and failed to make it out of camp as an undrafted free agent with the Panthers.

Second team: DJ Dean (17.3 percent)

Receiving votes: Kevin Richardson II (15.3%), Jared Collins (12.9%), Darius Winston (11.6%), Isaac Madison (6.0%), Will Hines (4.3%), Greg Gatson (3.8%), Montaric Brown (3.7%), Greg Brooks Jr. (2.6%), Jarques McClellion (1.0%)

Hutch's Pick: Ryan Pulley and Tevin Mitchel -

Years at Arkansas: 2017-19

Stats this decade: 175 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 sacks, 15 PBU, 2 INT, 1 QBH, 2 FR, 3 FF

Notable: Curl had several Power Five offers as a high three-star safety coming out of Muskogee, Okla., but chose to come to Arkansas. As a true freshman, he was thrust into the starting lineup at cornerback because of the aforementioned injury to Pulley and had eight pass breakups. When Chad Morris took over before his sophomore season, Curl moved back to his more natural position at safety and he started there the last two years. Many fans might remember him for being the other player caught pregame flirting with Pulley in 2018, but he put together a really solid junior season. In fact, Pro Football Focus had him as the fourth-highest graded safety in the conference at 87.6, making him a second-team All-SEC selection by PFF. After the season, Curl announced he was forgoing his senior year to enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

Second team: Rohan Gaines (39.0 percent)

Years at Arkansas: 2008-11

Stats this decade: 174 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 0.5 sack, 11 PBU, 9 INT, 1 FR, 5 FF

Notable: A low three-star athlete out of Texas, Thomas was originally projected as a cornerback in the Class of 2008, but ended up making an impact as a safety instead. By the time the new decade rolled around, he was firmly in the starting lineup and he came down with nine interceptions in Arkansas' back-to-back double-digit win seasons. In 2010, he a second-team All-SEC selection - the only such recognition by the AP or coaches for any Razorbacks defensive back during the 2010s. His five interceptions as a senior in 2011 are tied for the most by an Arkansas player since 1993, while his 12 career interceptions - which include three in 2009 - are tied for third all-time at Arkansas, behind only Steve Atwater and Gary Adams. Thomas later signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent, but never appeared in a regular-season game. He did, however, play one year in the Arena Football League.

Second team: Santos Ramirez (30.6 percent)

Receiving votes: Rudell Crim (19.8%), Josh Liddell (8.0%), Eric Bennett (5.7%), Alan Turner (4.0%), Joe Foucha (3.8%), Ross Rasner (3.8%)

Hutch's Pick: Tramain Thomas and Kamren Curl - It took some manipulation on Twitter, but I managed to steer the public vote to what should have been one of the biggest locks on the All-Decade Team. Thomas had nine interceptions and, as mentioned above, was the only Arkansas defensive back to earn All-SEC honors during the decade. However, he needed a late surge to get by Rohan Gaines in the voting. Recency bias probably helped Gaines, as well as Curl, who received the highest percentage among the safeties. However, at least Curl was deserving of a spot - in my opinion - because of his solid play on what was a historically bad defense in 2019.

Years at Arkansas: 2013-14

Stats this decade: 104 punts, 4,365 yards (42.0 average), 47 inside the 20-yard line (45.2%), 15 of 50+ yards (14.4%)

Notable: Irwin-Hill had one of the most unique journeys to Arkansas in program history. He originally wanted to go pro in Australian Rules Football, but when that didn't work out, he picked up punting and moved from his home country of Australia to the United States to play junior college football in San Francisco. After two years there, Irwin-Hill signed with the Razorbacks in Bielema's first recruiting class and became a two-year starter at punter. His first season was his best, as he averaged 44.3 yards per punt, which ranked 13th nationally and third in the SEC. During his career, Irwin-Hill had a 42.0-yard average, which ranks seventh in UA history. However, he's probably best remembered for his non-punting plays. Against Texas A&M in 2014, he ran 51 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt. He picked up three other first downs during his two-year stint at Arkansas - two on the ground and one through the air. Although several NFL teams have brought him to camp, Irwin-Hill has yet to appear in a regular-season game, with a visa issue possibly preventing him from playing for the Falcons in 2019.

Second team: Dylan Breeding (25.0 percent)

Receiving votes: Toby Baker (11.2%)

Hutch's Pick: Dylan Breeding - I understand why it happened, but the fans got this vote wrong. The Razorbacks were blessed with seven straight years of excellent punting to start the decade and the fakes Irwin-Hill ran make it easy to remember him compared to the other two. However, strictly from a punting perspective, Breeding and Toby Baker were better than him. Baker's career 43.0-yard average ranks fourth in UA history, just ahead of Breeding's 42.9-yard average. Breeding's average, though, includes his freshman season in 2009. Take out that year and his average jumps up to an incredible 44.5 yards - a number topped only by All-American Steve Cox. He was also a two-time second-team All-SEC selection by the AP and coaches and was the primary punter for three seasons compared to two seasons for the other two, making him the best choice for the All-Decade Team.

Years at Arkansas: 2008-11

Stats this decade: 35 returns, 570 yards (16.3 yards/return), 5 TD

Notable: Already securing a spot on the All-Decade Team as a wide receiver, Adams was legendary as a punt returner. He took over those duties as a junior and senior and racked up an incredible five touchdowns on returns, which is tied for fourth in SEC history. Four of them came in the 2011 season, tying the SEC single-season record. One of them is featured in the video above, which is generally considered one of the best punt returns in college football history and won the ESPY for Best Play that year. Adams was named a first-team All-American by the FWAA that season, plus won the Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers Award. His lone touchdown return in 2010 was a 97-yarder against Ole Miss, making it the longest in school history.

Second team: Treylon Burks (2.9 percent)

Receiving votes: Jared Cornelius (2.1%), DJ Dean (0.5%)

Hutch's Pick: Joe Adams - Treylon Burks showed enough flashes as a true freshman in 2019 to indicate he might earn this spot on the 2020s All-Decade Team, but quite frankly, Adams should have been unanimous for the top punt returner of the 2010s. Adams' punt return for a touchdown against Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl following the 2011 season is the last by an Arkansas player, as the Razorbacks have one of the longest such active droughts in the FBS.