Creating a defense from the Geathers family tree

Here's a look at the Geathers family and how an entire defense could theoretically be created out of it.

Robert Geathers Sr., held up by his sons in the above photo, was a third-round pick by the Bills in 1981, out of South Carolina State. He played DT in the NFL for six seasons, and also had a stint in the USFL. In his heyday, he measured in at 6'6", 320 pounds.

Robert's brother, James "Jumpy" Geathers, was a second-round pick by the Saints in 1984, out of Wichita State. He played as a DE/DT hybrid in the NFL until 1996, primarily for the Saints but also for the Redskins, Falcons, and Broncos. In his heydey, Jumpy measured in at 6'7", 290 pounds.

Robert has three sons. His first is Robert Geathers Jr., a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2004, out of Georgia. He measures in at 6'3", 280 pounds and has played mainly DE but also a little bit of OLB in his 11-year Bengals career. By the time his current contract is finished, the Bengals will have paid him nearly $50 million over the course of his career.

The middle brother and Robert Sr.'s second son is Clifton Geathers, currently on the 53-man roster of the Steelers. He was a sixth-round pick by the Browns in 2010, out of South Carolina and has been with numerous teams. Clifton measures in at 6'8", 325 pounds and has played mainly 3-4 DE.

The youngest brother and third son is Kwame Geathers, now on the Bengals' practice squad. He was signed as a UDFA by the Chargers in 2013, out of Georgia. He played in seven games for the Chargers last year, but was placed on IR this year and eventually got let go with an injury settlement. Kwame measures in at 6'6", 335 pounds and has played mainly 3-4 NT. Apparently, the Bengals think he might work as a 4-3 NT.

Jumpy has two sons. The first is Jeremy Geathers. He was signed as a UDFA by the Saints in 2008, out of UNLV. Since then, he has bounced around both the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League, and is currently with the Orlando Predators of the AFL. Jeremy is a DE/OLB hybrid who measures in at 6'3", 255 pounds.

The second is Jarvis Geathers. He was a UDFA in 2010, out of UCF, but did not catch on with any team. In college, he played DE/OLB and measured in at 6'2", 238 pounds.

Another cousin, Clayton "Porcupine" Geathers Jr., is significantly lighter than everyone else. He measures in at 6'2", 208 pounds and is the starting strong safety for UCF. Last year, he was part of a Fiesta Bowl victory. He's a senior now, and NFL Draft Scout has him pegged as a 7th-to-UDFA prospect for the 2015 NFL Draft. He's nicknamed "Porcupine" because "you can't touch him." His father is Clayton Geathers Sr., brother of Robert Sr. and Jumpy. It doesn't look like Clayton Sr. played in college or the pros, but it's safe to assume that he has some football experience, since he held a key role in his son's ascension to college football.

Another cousin, Carlton "Banks" Geathers, plays basketball. A junior, he measures in at 6'10", 255 pounds and is a backup forward/center for South Carolina. Carlton is quite an athlete, having played tight end in high school in addition to basketball, and his football coach believes that he could have played TE in college. His father is Carl Geathers, brother of Robert Sr., Jumpy, and Clayton Sr. There are four additional brothers, totaling eight. According to the linked article:

Carl, the third-youngest of the eight brothers, was the only one not to play sports. He said he didn't see reason to - the other brothers had it covered, and he enjoyed having the house to himself while everyone else was at practice.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2010/05/02/1268762_gamecocks-in-the-geathers-family.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy

The names of the other four brothers are not available, so I don't feel like I can specifically include any of them. That forces Carl to make the team by default. I don't mean to pick on Carl, though - even if he's not as athletically inclined, I would bet that he is talented and accomplished in other ways. Anyway, here's my lighthearted idea for an 11-man Geathers defense, a 4-4 formation:

Right DE: Jumpy (6'7", 290 pounds)

Right DT: Robert Sr. (6'6", 320 pounds)

Left DT: Kwame (6'6", 335 pounds)

Left DE: Clifton (6'8", 325 pounds)

Right OLB: Robert Jr. (6'3", 280 pounds)

Right ILB: Jarvis (6'2", 238 pounds)

Left ILB: Jeremy (6'3", 255 pounds)

Left OLB: Carlton (6'10", 255 pounds)

Deep S: Clayton Jr. (6'2", 208 pounds), shaded more to the right to help out Carl

Left (#1) CB: Clayton Sr. (unknown)

Right (#2) CB: Carl (unknown)

This might be the meanest backyard defense in America.