The defensive line is the heart of any successful defense, tasked with both disrupting the opposing quarterback with a pass rush and shutting down rushing attacks at the line of scrimmage.
Elite defensive lines can change the course of a game by applying pressure, forcing hurried throws and creating turnovers while also stifling run plays to control the tempo.
Here are the highlights for the top defensive lines after the 2025 regular season.
RankPrevious RankTeamPFF WARPFF GradeTop-graded playerMove11Cleveland Browns1.369687.1Myles Garrett022Houston Texans1.097681.2Will Anderson Jr.033Pittsburgh Steelers1.029776.9Cameron Heyward045Denver Broncos0.888472.2Nik Bonitto+154Los Angeles Rams0.875585.6Poona Ford-166Detroit Lions0.825279.6Aidan Hutchinson077Dallas Cowboys0.774374.0Quinnen Williams089Seattle Seahawks0.746275.1DeMarcus Lawrence+198Philadelphia Eagles0.735572.5Joshua Uche-11010Minnesota Vikings0.723868.6Jonathan Greenard01111New York Giants0.708768.0Dexter Lawrence01212Green Bay Packers0.641464.0Micah Parsons01314Atlanta Falcons0.541566.1David Onyemata+11413Tampa Bay Buccaneers0.540162.6Vita Vea-11517New England Patriots0.470963.6Cory Durden+21615Buffalo Bills0.466164.6Greg Rousseau-11716Tennessee Titans0.456768.6Jeffery Simmons-11821New Orleans Saints0.381662.1Chase Young+31919Los Angeles Chargers0.374167.5Khalil Mack02020Kansas City Chiefs0.365660.8George Karlaftis02118Indianapolis Colts0.356764.1Laiatu Latu-32222Las Vegas Raiders0.340854.2Maxx Crosby02324Jacksonville Jaguars0.320161.6Josh Hines-Allen+12423Washington Commanders0.265555.7Dorance Armstrong-12526Carolina Panthers0.233858.8Derrick Brown+12629Chicago Bears0.23353.6Montez Sweat+32727San Francisco 49ers0.222950.8Bryce Huff02825New York Jets0.19564.9Jowon Briggs-32928Arizona Cardinals0.191751.0Josh Sweat-13030Cincinnati Bengals0.121057.1Trey Hendrickson03131Baltimore Ravens0.080360.2Travis Jones03232Miami Dolphins-0.092150.0Zach Sieler0Week 18 Highlights
Best defensive line: New Orleans Saints
Carl Granderson led the unit in PFF grade (92.9), highlighted by an interception of a Kirk Cousins screen pass in the red zone, while also recording two sacks and a 77.0 PFF pass-rush grade. Chase Young was the unit’s most consistent player throughout the season and delivered again, matching Granderson with two sacks and leading the team in total pressures (nine).
Cameron Jordan stood out against the run, earning an 87.1 PFF run-defense grade while adding a sack.
Best run-defense unit: Kansas City Chiefs
Led by edge defender Charles Omenihu, the Chiefs defensive line closed the 2025 season on a high note after falling short of expectations for much of the year. Omenihu delivered a dominant performance as a run defender, leading the unit in PFF run-defense grade (93.3) while recording three run stops, including one that forced a fumble, and earning a positive grade on 53.3% of his snaps.
Rookie edge defender Cooper McDonald earned a 73.1 PFF run-defense grade while recording two run stops, and defensive interior Derrick Nnadi added four run stops of his own.
Best Pass-Rush Unit: Los Angeles Rams
Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett was under constant pressure in Week 18 against the Rams, as the defensive line generated 34 pressures and a 57.1% pressure rate, leading to six sacks and seven hits.
Despite not recording a sack, defensive interior Kobie Turner led the unit in PFF grade (88.1) while accounting for four pressures. Edge defender Josaiah Stewart and defensive interior Poona Ford were nearly unblockable, posting pass-rush win rates of 31.6% and 33.3%, respectively.
In total, six players recorded pass-rush win rates above 10.5%, while eight defenders finished with three or more pressures each.
Risers & Fallers
- Most Improved: New Orleans Saints
- Biggest Faller: New York Jets & Indianapolis Colts
Season Highlights
Best defensive line & best pass-rush unit: Cleveland Browns
To no one’s surprise, the Cleveland Browns finished the 2025 season as the NFL’s top defensive line. While their grip on the top spot loosened down the stretch following the loss of defensive interior Maliek Collins and a late-season focus on helping Myles Garrett chase the sack record, the unit showed some vulnerability against the run.
Despite those late-season run-defense struggles, Garrett set the sack record and the Browns defensive line remained strong across key metrics, including overall grade, Wins Above Replacement and pass-rushing grade.
Garrett led all defensive players in PFF overall grade (93.0) and PFF pass-rush grade (93.3) despite facing constant attention from opposing offenses.
Over the last two weeks, Myles Garrett was either doubled or chipped 74% on of his pass rush snaps.
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) January 7, 2026
His season-long average is 57%, which leads all edge rushers.
This season marked the emergence of edge defenders Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire as strong run defenders, a breakout year from Maliek Collins as an interior pass-rushing force and the development of rookie Mason Graham from the unit’s lowest-graded player to its second-highest graded defender in PFF overall grade (73.8).
Best run-defense unit: Los Angeles Rams
History repeated itself as the Browns lost the top-graded run-defense unit in the final week of the season for the second year in a row.
The Rams were a force all season, led by edge defender Byron Young, who paced the unit in run stops (30), including five for loss or no gain. His running mate, Jared Verse, led the team in tackles for loss or no gain (nine) while ranking third in run stops (24).
Interior defender Poona Ford was a disruptive presence inside, recording 26 run stops and five tackles for loss or no gain, as was Kobie Turner, who added 17 run stops and five for loss or no gain.
This group has proven difficult to block and run against, a trait that bodes well for the Rams’ pursuit of a second Super Bowl title in four years.