In 12 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars, safety Carnell Lake had quite the career.
Lake, who was selected in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft out of UCLA, earned four All-Pro accolades (one first team, three second teams) and five trips to the Pro Bowl. Lake also finished seventh in NFL MVP voting in 1997 and was fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting that year as well.
Despite the individual accolades during his career, Lake remains rather underrated historically. Former teammate and fellow defensive back Rod Woodson attempted to change that during Monday’s appearance on the All Things Covered podcast with former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden and current cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Woodson spoke glowingly of his former teammate, stating that Lake doesn’t get his due for the athleticism and versatility that played a key role in his ability to wear many hats in the secondary during his time in the NFL.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he did, how he played throughout his career,” Woodson said to McFadden and Peterson, via the All Things Covered YouTube page. “Carnell was like a big, old…outside linebacker in college. Came to us, played strong safety, dime, played nickel when I got hurt. Moved to corner when I got hurt.”
Lake was instrumental defensively for the Steelers during his 10-year stint in the Black and Gold.
Coming out of UCLA, Lake made the switch to strong safety and played his first six seasons at the position, earning a second-team team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl nod in the 1994 season, recording 91 tackles, 5.0 sacks four interceptions that season.
Then, in the 1995 season opener, Woodson tore his ACL. While the Steelers famously kept him off of injured reserve keeping him eligible to return for Super Bowl XXX that season, Pittsburgh needed a cornerback to handle Woodson’s role. That’s where Lake stepped in.
Lake played right cornerback that season and earned second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors again, even though he had a decline in numbers. He was instrumental to the Steelers defense that year.
After that season, Lake made his move back to strong safety for the 1996 season and earned another Pro Bowl not, scoring a touchdown on a fumble return that season, which led the league. But then, in 1997 he moved between safety and cornerback again and had his best season ever, earning first-team All-Pro, MVP votes and Defensive Player of the Year award votes.
Lake eventually moved to left cornerback full-time in 1998, which was his last season in Pittsburgh. That year he tied his career high in interceptions with four and had a pick-6 in the process, but that was the end of his tenure in Pittsburgh.
From there, Lake played free safety for the Jaguars in 1999, and then was a defensive back in 2001 with the Ravens after missing the 2000 season with a foot injury.
He was as versatile and dependable as they were in the secondary during his career, especially his 10-year tenure with the Steelers. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves historically, though he is in the Steelers’ Hall of Honor, part of the All-Time team in franchise history and is a member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team.
