Jevon Kearse
Kearse, a first-round choice of the Titans in 1999, wasted no time establishing himself as one of the league’s premier pass rushers. Kearse has 14.5 sacks, eight pass deflections, and a league-high nine caused fumbles in his first season. He was selected Rookie of the Year and finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year. His quickness, stature, and explosiveness earned him the moniker “The Freak.” Despite the fact that Kearse’s career was brief, his influence was felt. He was widely considered as one of the era’s most feared pass rushers.
Jevon Kearse
Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett has accomplished so much in his six-year career and continues to improve. Garrett’s finest season to date was in 2022. After posting 16.0 sacks in 16 games, the former No. 1 overall pick finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Since 2018, Garrett has ranked second in sacks (67.5). In each of the four seasons in which he has been totally healthy, he has been named a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro pick. The Cleveland edge rusher is the type of player around whom an entire defense can be built. And he’s still in the prime of his career.
Myles Garrett
T.J. Watt
Many people did not anticipate T.J. Watt to be this good. The former Wisconsin Badger was taken 30th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, trailing many other pass rushers. The hybrid linebacker/end showed flashes as a rookie, but really came into his own as a sophomore in 2018, compiling 13.0 sacks on his way to a Pro Bowl nomination. From 2019 to 21, he finished third, second, and finally first in Defensive Player of the Year voting, amassing 52.0 sacks and 15 forced fumbles in 46 games. Watt’s strength resides on his adaptability. He’s perfectly content sitting back and assisting in pass coverage, but he’s a nightmare when it comes to sprinting downhill and catching quarterbacks.
T.J. Watt
Clay Matthews Jr.
Clay Matthews Jr. was a first-round choice out of USC, following in his father’s footsteps. While Senior had the lengthier career, Junior had likely the greater impact. By Year 2, Matthews Jr. had established himself as one of the league’s most feared defensive playmakers. In 2010, he had 13.5 sacks and 25 Quarterback hits on his way to being named All-Pro and finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He contributed to the Packers’ Super Bowl victory by starting all four playoff games and recording 3.5 sacks. Matthews Jr. was named to the Pro Bowl six times.
Clay Matthews Jr.
Merlin Olsen
Olsen, a member of the “Fearsome Foursome,” played his whole career for the Los Angeles Rams. Olsen played 15 seasons in the NFL and was named to the Pro Bowl 14 times, second only to Tom Brady. Olsen stood out as a defensive tackle because of his ability to rush the passer. The Rams’ defensive line, which included Deacon Jones, Lamar Lundy, and Rosey Grier, tormented opposing offenses and utterly took over games. Olsen was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982 and went on to have a great career as an actor (Little House on the Prairie, Father Murphy).
Merlin Olsen
Richard Dent
Dent, an unsung hero from the 1985 Chicago Bears, was a vital part in what was possibly the best defense in league history. Dent was drafted in 1983, but spent much of his rookie season as a reserve. Despite starting only 10 games in Year 2, Dent racked up 17.5 sacks. Dent was a lock-in starter for the first time in 1985, and he delivered by leading the league with 17.0 sacks and seven forced fumbles. The Bears finished first in every key defensive category this season. Dent was a wrecking ball in the playoffs, earning 6.0 sacks in Chicago’s three victories.
Richard Dent
Rickey Jackson
Rickey Jackson, the all-time best pass rusher for the New Orleans Saints, is frequently underrated. That could be because Jackson was part of the highly regarded 1981 draft class, which included six defensive players who went on to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, including Lawrence Taylor, Mike Singletary, and Howie Long. Jackson’s stats are on par with his contemporaries. The 2010 Hall of Fame inductee had 136.0 sacks and 40 forced fumbles in his career. Jackson was a member of the Saints’ renowned “Dome Patrol” defense, which is widely regarded as the top linebacking unit in league history.
Rickey Jackson
John Abraham
John Abraham was drafted in 2000 and was a productive pass rusher until the end of his career. Abraham was awarded a First-Team All-Pro with the Jets under Herm Edwards in 2001. In his career, he had double-digit sack totals eight times, including his final two healthy seasons in 2012 and 2013. Abraham was a unique player in that he could combine speed and agility in a 6-foot-4, 270-pound physique. He wasn’t only rushing offensive linemen. Abraham used a variety of counters, including a vicious spin move, to get into rival backfields.
John Abraham
John Randle
Randle, a fierce pass rusher who played with an edge, confounded expectations throughout his NFL career. Randle was signed by the Vikings in 1990 after being undrafted owing to his short stature for the position. Randle spent eleven years with the Vikings, making seven Pro Bowls and six All-Pro appearances. Randle made up for his lack of size with quickness and burst. Randle had 137.5 sacks in his career, and no offensive guard could keep him in front of them.
John Randle
Robert Mathis
A year after drafting Dwight Freeney in the first round, it’s difficult to believe the Colts believed they’d be acquiring another elite pass rusher in the fifth round. In 2003, Robert Mathis was drafted 138th overall out of Alabama A&M. For his first few years, Mathis was more of a rotational component, entering the game in apparent passing situations to offer the Colts a fresh look. Yet, by Year 6, the league had taken note of the Indianapolis edge rusher. From 2008 to 2013, he was selected to five Pro Bowls. Mathis, 32, had a spectacular 2013 season in which he had a league-high 19.5 sacks but finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting (Luke Kuechly).
Robert Mathis
Cameron Jordan
Teams still have to account for Cameron Jordan on the field after 12 seasons in the league. Jordan has been a one-man wrecking crew for a Saints defense that has quietly been among the best in the league over the last few seasons. Jordan has 114.5 sacks since 2012, the most in the league during that time. Jordan, as a conventional 4-3 end, can disrupt both the pass and run game. His versatility makes game preparation for the near 290-pound edge rusher difficult. Jordan has appeared in seven Pro Bowls and was named to the All-Pro First Team in 2017.
Cameron Jordan
Alan Page
Alan Page, a Vikings hero, made history in 1971 by becoming the first mainly defensive player to earn the NFL Most Valuable Player award. QBs and running backs were the only players to earn MVP at the time. Page established his case by dominating the line of scrimmage all season. Page spent 15 seasons with the Vikings, where he helped the team win four conference championships and a league championship. He was a member of the well-known “Purple People Eaters” defensive line, which was noted for harassing opposing quarterbacks. Page’s career ended with 148.5 sacks and induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Alan Page
Dwight Freeney
Dwight Freeney was a game-changer from the start of his NFL career. Freeney’s speed as a defensive end was unrivaled in the position. With a quick first stride, Freeney could go by offensive lineman before they could get a hold of him. He rapidly established himself as one of the league’s top pass rushers, amassing 51.0 sacks in his first four seasons. Freeney recovered a fumble in the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI victory in 2006.
Dwight Freeney
Terrell Suggs
While teammates Ray Lewis and Ed Reed received greater attention, Terrell Suggs was an All-Pro performer in his own right. Suggs spent the first 16 years of his career with the Ravens, becoming a veteran for a team that has become synonymous with defense. Suggs was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 after appearing in just one game and recording 12.0 sacks. Suggs capped his Baltimore career with 132.5 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, a Defensive Player of the Year award (2011), and a Super Bowl win. In his final season as a member of the 2019 Kansas City Chiefs, he added another Super Bowl ring to his collection.
Terrell Suggs
Jason Taylor
Jason Taylor, a 2017 Hall of Fame inductee, was an excellent athlete who used his length and quickness to cause havoc on opposing defenses. Over the course of 15 seasons, the Dolphin legend racked up 139.5 sacks. His most productive season was in 2002, when he had a league-high 18.5 sacks and placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting. While some believed Taylor had peaked that season, he silenced all naysayers by having another monster year in 2006. Taylor was named Defensive Player of the Year after leading a stacked Miami defense to 13.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, 11 deflected passes, and two defensive touchdowns.
Jason Taylor
Simeon Rice
Simeon Rice came into the league with a lot of hype and more than lived up to it. Rice tied the NFL record for first-year sacks with 12.5 in his debut season. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times. Rice was awarded First-Team All-Pro in 2002 after recording 15.5 sacks. He later contributed to the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl victory by recording two sacks in the game. Rice was an ironman (he missed only two games in ten years) who tended to perform best on the largest stage.
Simeon Rice
Jared Allen
A fourth-round choice who became a four-time All-Pro. Allen entered the league with minimal notice, but rose to prominence after recording 9.0 sacks in his debut season. Allen’s career didn’t take off until he signed with the Vikings in 2008. Allen appeared in 96 games and had 85.5 sacks from 2008 to 2013. Allen achieved a career best with 22.0 sacks in 2011, falling just 0.5 sacks short of Michael Strahan’s record, and was named Defensive Player of the Year. His quick burst off the line and never-ending motor made him impossible to deal with.
Jared Allen
Jack Youngblood
Jack Youngblood, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is one of the finest players to ever wear a Rams uniform. Youngblood spent his entire 14-year career with the Rams and was a regular presence on defense. Youngblood was chosen an All-Pro every year from 1974 to 1979, with 79.0 sacks in 88 games. He finished his career with 151.5 sacks and was named to the NFL’s All-Decades Team.
Jack Youngblood
Von Miller
Miller’s first season demonstrated that he would go on to become one of the league’s top defenders. Miller, the No. 2 overall pick in a stacked 2011 NFL Draft, was voted Defensive Rookie of the Year and a Second-Team All-Pro in his first season with the Broncos. He was frequently mentioned as one of the best edge rushers, but he solidified himself as an all-time great in Super Bowl 50 by winning MVP honors. Miller would almost certainly have been a Hall of Famer if he had retired after that game. Since then, he’s played six more seasons (racking up 63.5 more sacks) and won another Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. Miller has a one-way ticket to Canton, Ohio, if he decides to hang up his cleats.
Von Miller
Derrick Thomas
While evaluating the best defenders in league history, Derrick Thomas cannot be disregarded. Thomas, who spent his entire career with the Kansas City Chiefs, was the league’s most productive pass rusher. Thomas had 20.0 sacks in his first year as a pro, only two shy of the all-time record. And he accomplished it while missing a game in which the Chiefs (without Thomas) sacked the opposition quarterback six times. Thomas set the record for the most sacks in a single game in Week 10 of the 1990 season, with 7.0 – a record that still holds to this day. After his career was unfortunately cut short by a deadly car accident in 2000, Thomas was inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously.
Derrick Thomas
Michael Strahan
Strahan had a fluid frame that worked wonderfully for him. He wasn’t a big guy dragging around excess weight. Instead, he was quick on his feet, nimble, and explosive going off the edge. From a statistical standpoint, his career began slowly. However, the light bulb went out in Year 5 of his Giants career. It was here that he recorded his first double-digit sack total (14.0). This subsequently led to two monster seasons in which Strahan had 22.5 sacks and 18.5 sacks, respectively. During that historic season, the seven-time Pro Bowler was voted Defensive Player of the Year. Only Al Baker (23.0 sacks) has more sacks in a single season than Strahan.
Michael Strahan
DeMarcus Ware
Micah Parsons has the potential to be the best defense in Cowboys history. That would undoubtedly be a significant accomplishment. But, DeMarcus Ware is the most productive pass rusher coming out of Dallas right now. Ware, who attended Troy University, made an early impact, recording 8.0 sacks as a rookie. Following that, he went on to have at least 10.0 sacks in eight of his following nine seasons. Ware’s best season came in 2008, when he achieved career highs in sacks (20.0) and tackles-for-loss (20.0). (27.0). He was instrumental in redefining the rush end/stand up OLB role that we’ve become accustomed to seeing since he excelled in the 2000s.
DeMarcus Ware
Aaron Donald
Aaron Donald does not fit the traditional definition of a pass rusher, according to experts. For one thing, the position is typically reserved for rangy 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-6 athletes who line up on the outside rather than the inside. You know, men with incredible length and athleticism. Donald is a bowling ball of a man who is regarded as being significantly undersized for his job as an interior defensive lineman. Well… Donald demolished all of those preconceived beliefs — and then some. Some consider him to be the best defensive player to ever play the game. Donald has shown to be an outstanding disruptor of the highest kind as a ‘undersized’ defensive tackle. His hands are as legally forceful as they can be without becoming an attack. Donald’s engine never stops, and his low center of gravity allows him to force guards back into the pocket – primarily due to his tremendous power. In only 138 games as a defensive tackle (! ), the three-time Defensive Player of the Year has 103.0 sacks and 24 forced fumbles.
Aaron Donald
Julius Peppers
During his time at Carolina, Peppers was a physical specimen. Once a basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels, he used his 6-foot-7 frame and correspondingly remarkable wingspan to become one of the most spectacular defensive ends in league history. Peppers was almost spider-like at the point of attack, either working his way towards opposing quarterbacks or knocking away passes at the line of scrimmage. Peppers’ basketball background allowed him to have excellent footwork. Peppers took pleasure in his short-area quickness, and as a result, he was frequently able to dodge tackles before they could grasp onto him. Peppers had nine Pro Bowl appearances and 159.5 sacks during his career (in only 266 games played).
Julius Peppers
J.J. Watt
J.J. Watt’s career was hampered by injuries. He will not finish in the top 20 all-time in career sacks. As a result, people may wonder why he is ranked among the top ten in this list. Well, one could argue that he had the most dominant four-year stretch of any NFL player, regardless of position. Watt had 69.0 sacks between 2012 and 2015. Unsurprisingly, he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. Watt was also a five-time First-Team All-Pro pick. His mix of power and quickness was truly impressive before he was hampered by a slew of injuries.
J.J. Watt
Kevin Greene
A fighter. Greene was a player who transcended his athletic abilities to become an all-time great based on his work ethic, toughness, and determination to win at any cost. It’s incredible that he began his college career as a walk-on punter at Auburn before rising to third on the NFL’s all-time sack list (160.0). Greene moved back and forth between defensive end and outside linebacker as his career progressed. He was a three-time first-team All-NFL selection and a member of five Pro Bowl squads.
Kevin Greene
Deacon Jones
Deacon Jones fits into the Jim Brown category. Because he wasn’t playing in what many believe to be the’modern day’ NFL, others speculate on how excellent these two gentlemen would’ve been compared to athletes today. We’re willing to go out on a limb and say that Jones would have been alright. He was the meanest, hardest, and most athletic defensive lineman of his period. He was believed to have racked up 173.5 sacks over a 14-year period (unofficially), which would rank him third all-time. He wouldn’t just try to sack the opposition quarterback; he’d also want to inflict significant bodily injury on the guy.
Deacon Jones
Bruce Smith
Smith holds the record for the most career sacks in the NFL. Smith was simply meant to break the previous record during his 19-year career. He was the first overall choice out of Virginia Tech and had an early impact in the NFL. Smith had 6.5 sacks as a rookie, and that total increased to 15.0 as a sophomore. Smith went on a 13-year streak with at least 10.0 sacks (the most coming in 1990 with 19.0 sacks). Smith was a remarkable athlete, despite not being the biggest defensive end. He was also extremely strong, which allowed him to shuck offensive tackles like they were practice dummies. Smith had 11 Pro Bowl appearances, 10 All-NFL teams, and two Defensive Player of the Year awards by the end of his career.
Bruce Smith
Reggie White
White, who finished second all-time in sacks with 198.0, was a fantasy if you were trying to build the ideal defensive lineman. At 6-foot-5, the Tennessee native was a great athlete who could play both inside and outside in a pinch. He was the type of player that rival teams would have to plan their offense around, mostly as a defensive end. White was that dominant in the front row. He exhibited incredible lateral quickness for a man weighing more than 300 pounds. His enormous wingspan allowed him to land a powerful first punch on offensive tackles. His pedigree as a techie made him unblockable from there.
Reggie White
Lawrence Taylor
The NFL’s most feared player in history. The greatest defensive player in NFL history. Perhaps the most dominant player in professional football history. L.T. was a spectacular athlete who played for the New York ‘football’ Giants for almost ten years. He single-handedly transformed the way the position was played while playing outside linebacker. Typically, the outside linebacker would be a stay-at-home guy, looking to assist in both coverage and run support. Taylor’s pass-rushing ability off the edge wreaked havoc on rival offenses. He was simply too swift for linemen, and his natural strength made the idea of chipping him at the line of scrimmage with a tight end laughable. He is now ranked 14th all-time in sacks as of 2023. (132.5).
Lawrence Taylor