The Best and Worst Defensive Lines in the NFL

Today's NFL is throwing back to the old days where running backs and linebackers became all the rage, but defensive linemen, especially interior players, have tremendous value. Obviously, edge rushers get all the glory, but the last few years have emphasized the importance of double-team guzzlers. Aaron Donald and Chris Jones added pass rushing abilities to the standard job description of defensive tackles and with the advent of more athleticism in quarterbacks, interior pressure comes at a premium.

The vast sums of top tier athletes being attracted to the defensive end position for more money and glory has crowded the top tier with too many good guys. Aidan Hutchinson's spot as the top DE according to Havoc skews the first glance at the category, but TJ Watt securing the spot makes all the sense in the world. Watt's rating leads the pack at 87.8, but the first rusher to fall outside of 75.0 is Los Angeles Ram Byron Young (74.9). Josh Sweat, whose Super Bowl sacks netted him $76.4 million from the Cardinals, was the 30th overall DE, which isn't as damning as it may seem. Many teams spend top 10 picks on players swimming off the edge, but there seems to be more and more coming each year.

The curious case of Milton Williams was presented to me during a radio spot, but the explanation is fairly simple: the Patriots have a ton of money and Milton knew exactly where the dotted line was. Mike Vrabel, from his days coaching in Tennessee, knows the value that quality interior pressure can provide when he coached Jeffrey Simmons. Of course ,the new New England regime would pay top dollar for an effect of a similar caliber if Williams can provide it.

Best Defensive Line Groups

Pittsburgh Steelers

Both edge rushers for the Steelers have properly continued the tradition of legendary defenders. TJ Watt's superiority is nearly as consistent as death and taxes while Alex Highsmith is the bookend that perfectly compliments him. Cameron Heyward is one of the elder statesman of the league but is just as productive as he ever was and probably better. Larry Ogunjobi is a fourth Beatle to fill the group, adding yet another dominant force from the middle.

Denver Broncos

Sean Payton and Bo Nix were expected to overhaul the offense that Nat Hackett and Russell Wilson destroyed and they did, but the real revelation was Denver's defense. Adjusting Pat Surtain's play style addressed the back end while Zach Allen's emergence legitimized the front. Jonathan Cooper and Nik Bonitto contributed massively to one of the most efficient and effective units in the league. Being that the Wilson trade arrested this team to limited resources, Sean Payton will have more than just a quality defensive line, elite coverage player, and young QB to build a true winner.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams have rarely drafted in the first round, but the moment they did, they nabbed the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Jared Verse wasn't just the best rookie, but he leapt into top tier levels of production and he's not the only LA freshman to impress. Verse's college teammate Braden Fiske was the Rams' second rounder and nearly double the fellow Seminole's sack total. Kobie Turner was the highest rated DL in the unit tough, centering this young defense. Les Snead has drafted most of their defensive talent in the last few years with an emphasis up front and has hit on nearly all of them. Similarly to the Chiefs' secondary, the rebuild of the group post-Aaron Donald has been wild impressive.

Worst Defensive Line Groups

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals recently brought back the Gandalf of pass rushers and prodigal son, Calais Campbell, to improve their defensive line which graded out as the worst one according to Havoc ratings. Josh Sweat will hopefully level up from the edge of Gannon's defense, one he knows from Philly. The brass in the desert has taken the necessary steps to solve their issues. Dennis Gardeck and Zaven Collins provided juice off the edges but a lack of fortitude in the middle made them one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL (-2.7 Rush EPA/100). The clock starts ticking for Jonathan Gannon this year but if Campbell and Sweat are as advertised, then he should have a fair shot.

Atlanta Falcons

With seven selections passed, the Falcons could've selected the first defensive player of the 2024 draft, but went with Michael Penix Jr. Maybe, Terry Fontenot saw something that we didn't in the man he guaranteed over $100 million just a few months prior, but the Penix choice ended up being the correct one. There is still clearly a hole that Dallas Turner, Laitu Latu, or Jared Verse could have filled. The Falcons keep drafting high but using those picks on offensive talent, which has yet to fully pay dividends. Grady Jarrett has seemingly been a Falcon since Deion was, but he's still the best they have to offer and that's not much of a compliment. Since they drafted their future franchise QB, they acquired Matthew Judon, but his addition didn't prove to be as effective as needed. The #8 pick from last year's draft may go down as the right one, but currently they have a very unbalanced roster with a problem they could've addressed.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers defense experienced an era of rebirth thanks to Jeff Hadley and the only thing that could make it better would be a more effective front seven. The secondary has had more time to develop like the offense has with Jordan Love. Rashan Gary is the only fearsome foe that can consistently win one-on-ones, but Green Bay, hosting this year's festivities, should look into this year's college prospects at #23. Hafley's infiltration can only be invigorated if that rookie can come in and make an early impact.

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