Who are the best edge rushers in the NFL? Execs, coaches and scouts ranked their top 10 in our annual summer series.
ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts to help us rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, from quarterback to cornerback and all positions in between. This was the sixth edition of these rankings, and as usual, several players moved up or fell off A reminder of the rankings process: Voters gave us their 10 best players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average and dozens of interviews, with research and film study help from ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen.
In total, more than 70 voters submitted a ballot on at least one position, and in many cases all positions. Additional voting and follow-up calls with those surveyed helped us break any ties. Each section includes quotes and nuggets from the voters on every ranked player -- even the honorable mentions. The objective was to identify the best players for 2025. This was not a five-year projection or a career achievement award. Who are the best players today?The money has spoken clearly -- pass rusher is pushing wide receiver for the game's second-most important position behind quarterback. Several teams carefully budgeted for this offseason, bracing for a spike in salaries for pass rushers due to several elite sack masters negotiating new contracts.The top-tier defensive ends tilt the math on the field. Protections slide, offensive lines show double-teams, and the sacks still come. This is one of the strongest position groups in the league, and the rankings bear that out. Even the honorable mentions have superstar potential. With another 14 sacks in 2024, Garrett is the first player since individual sack totals were first tracked in 1982 with four consecutive seasons of at least 14 sacks. "There's a short list of guys you have to shift your fronts to, and Garrett is the first person you think of when it comes to how much of your game plan he occupies," an NFL coordinator said. "Every single second on the field you know what he's doing, or what he might do next." Garrett's hold on the No. 1 ranking is firm; he earned at least 70% of the first-place votes in back-to-back years. Nobody is quicker off the ball. Garrett reached an average "get-off" of 0.70 seconds, per NFL Next Gen Stats, tied for the quickest among edge rushers with at least 200 pass rushes. That resulted in 40 quick pressures , which ranked second in the NFL. "He has significantly refined his overall game over the years," an NFC personnel evaluator said. "A good tackle used to be able to give him problems, but that's less and less the case now. He's more consistent with his pass rush."Watt is a worthy rival to Garrett in the AFC North. His 108 career sacks rank third all time for a player's first eight seasons, behind Reggie White and DeMarcus Ware . He's a near-lock for an All-Pro team every year. And he leads the NFL in forced fumbles over the past two seasons, along with being second in sacks and quarterback hits ."He's still the gold standard for me," a veteran AFC defensive coach said. "He completely wrecks a game and he can do everything." Watt's play lacked splash late in the season, with seven total tackles and zero sacks over his final four games including playoffs. His pass rush win rate dipped from the low-20s to 18.5%. "I thought he wore down a little bit," an NFL coordinator said about Watt's late-season clip. "But their whole defense did. I think they just got tired, and the struggles on offense could have played a role." His 126 pressures and 31.0% pass rush win rate since 2023 lead the NFL. He has done this despite facing a 31.5% double-team rate in 2024, highest among edge rushers on this list. He generated a league-high 19.1% pressure rate last season and led the Cowboys with a 24.2% pressure share, the eighth-highest clip in the NFL. His pass rush win rate of 25.3% ranked second overall. And, oh yeah, Parsons is the second player in NFL history to produce 12 or more sacks in each of his first four pro seasons . He has done all this as a hybrid off-ball linebacker who transitioned to a pure pass-rushing role. His speed and bend are obvious, but he does more than that. "He does it with countermoves and the ability to finish," an NFC personnel evaluator said. "He rarely misses when he's within arm's reach of the quarterback. His run defense needs work, though." Added an NFL personnel director: "Explosiveness, motor, violence, can align inside and beat with first-step quickness. He's such a tone setter that everyone else feeds off his energy."and stealing votes from Watt and Parsons is tough. Nearly half of Crosby's votes landed in the top three. Crosby's relentless energy shows up every Sunday. His 324 pressures since 2019 are more than any other player -- by 40 pressures. "Relentless motor, skilled rusher and never wants to leave the game," an NFL coordinator said. "Keeps getting better and better." An ankle injury didn't stop Crosby from recording 100% play time in nine of his 12 games played last season. He averaged 60.4 snaps per game, most among edge defenders. Crosby's lack of support up front only enhances his profile. While Crosby has 59.5 sacks since 2019, no other Raiders player has registered more than 10 during that span. "For him to play at that high a level with that volume is incredible," a high-ranking AFC personnelstaff member said.Bosa is an eye-test pass rusher. While his 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons represent mild production for a top-five pass rusher, Bosa's disruption is obvious. "His leverage, explosiveness, power and polished rush arsenal are unmatched," an NFL personnel director said. "He has the same rush moves as And Bosa posted a 22.2% pass rush win rate, up nearly four points from the previous year. His 0.70 "get-off" in 2024 was the quickest in his career and tied Garrett for the best of the season. Since 2021, Bosa has generated 121 quick pressures , the fifth most in the NFL during that span.His 17.5 sacks -- his second consecutive season posting that number -- comprised 49% of the team's sack production. He accounted for 32.2% of the team's total pressures, making him the only defender to have recorded a pressure share above 30%. With four consecutive Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro berth, Hendrickson is undoubtedly one of the NFL's best free agency signings of the past decade. No wonder he sat out offseason workouts in search of a new contract. "His ability to get to the quarterback by any means necessary is truly impressive," an AFC scout said. "He can beat you with technique and relentless motor." Some voters believe Hendrickson does not possess the same high-end traits as those in the top tier. But he's so wildly productive that they can't hate on him. "He's probably taken for granted a little bit," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "Elite player all the way."Often, a serious injury can move an elite player out of a top-10. Not the case with Hutchinson, who sustained his momentum despite missing 12 games because of a broken leg. The five games he did play were phenomenal, with Hutchinson leading the NFL in sacks, pressures and win rate. His 7.5 sacks through the first five games of a season were the most for a Lions defender since William Gay in 1982.Hutchinson's 35.0% pass rush win rate was tops by a wide margin. The next closest, Danielle Hunter, finished nearly nine points below him, though Hunter produced his number over a full season. And Hutchinson was on pace for 48 incompletions created. Added an AFC executive: "I thought he would have been a finalist for last season if he hadn't gotten hurt. Rare motor, exceptional length, great combination of athleticism and power.""He's got a complete skill set," an AFC executive said. "And he's only getting better. Only two years in the league. Will keep improving." The Texans are satisfied with the draft-day trade two years ago that moved the team up nine spots to No. 3, pairing No. 2 pickIn Year 2, Anderson finished in the top 10 in sacks and pass rush win rate . His ability to finish also improved, as he converted 19.0% of his total pressures into sacks . As a rookie, his sack conversion rate was 10.9%. "What I like about him is he doesn't have a lot of glaring weaknesses," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "He can rush, set a hard edge and play the run." Many will argue Hunter as Houston's better pass rusher over Anderson, who has advantages in upside and age. But Hunter was downright dominant in his ninth NFL season, ranking first in pass rush win rate among players with a minimum of 200 snaps. He also ranked first in pass-rush wins and incompletions credited . In the latter category, no other player is within seven incompletions created. Hunter overcame neck issues and scheme transitions late in his Minnesota tenure to produce 28.5 sacks over the past two seasons with the Vikings and Texans. "That's why they call him 'Cyborg,'" an AFC executive said. "He's always been an incredible athlete, and he's learned to expand his pass-rush ability and can win in a variety of ways." As a Texan, Hunter found ways to beat offensive tackles with a bull rush -- or an NBA-style Eurostep into a spin."He can get a few more double-digit-sack seasons," the executive said. "He has the body type that will age well." Verse is a tough evaluation because of his lack of production. His 4.5 sacks and 17.5% pass rush win rate are modest. He didn't appear on many ballots as a result. But this description of Verse from now-retired offensive tackle Terron Armstead is somewhat common around the league.Just like you can't teach height in basketball, you can't teach Verse's power.Verse was credited with 24 incompletions and three interceptions created, both quality numbers. And his 23.3% double-team rate was fourth on this list behind greats Parsons, Garrett and Crosby."It's not that he's not ascending into a premier rusher, but he's not ahead of some of the others who are more productive or better run players right now," said an NFC executive who doesn't think Verse should be in the top 10. "He's still got premier ability, someone you have to account for on every snap. If this was a skill-set conversation only, he'd be top five. He's got everything you want from that standpoint. But he just hasn't had the consistent production." -- NFL personnel evaluator "Young, athletic, upside, speed rusher, can impact game -- small and average against the run, but very productive overall." -- AFC executive "Elite motor with a really good rush. One of the most productive guys the last two years." -- NFC executive "Quick off the ball, has very good hand usage and mixes moves very well. He's always destructive in the run game." -- NFC executive200 arrests made during immigration raids at SoCal pot farms, DHS says
Cincinnati-Bengals Outside-Linebackers Houston-Texans Execs Verse-Jared Hendrickson-Trey Las-Vegas-Raiders Crosby-Maxx 2025 Garrett-Myles Dallas-Cowboys Bosa-Nick Anderson-Jr-Will Detroit-Lions Hunter-Danielle Hutchinson-Aidan Los-Angeles-Rams Parsons-Micah San-Francisco-49Ers Defensive-Ends Nfl Ranking Watt-Tj Cleveland-Browns Edge-Rushers Pittsburgh-Steelers 17083889
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