Top 10 Defensive NFL Players of All Time

The National Football League (NFL) is a basket of gifted, elite defensive players. The debate about the greatest defensive player cannot be more contentious, since the variety of defensive talent at multiple positions seemingly makes it impossible to identify the greatest. The best defensive fronts of all time exhibited a range of strengths and capabilities that made their achievements to become deeply etched in the memories of fans over the years. 

10. Aaron Donald (Defensive Tackle)

Donald played only a mere 10 seasons in the NFL but wrote history as one of the greatest defensive player on record. He owns three Defensive Player of the Year awards, placing him on the on the same podium-level with J.J Watt and Lawrence Taylor on most occasions in NFL history. He has made the Pro Bowl in entirety for all the 10 seasons he participated in the NFL. Donald’s track record encompasses a career finish with 111 sacks, the most for a defensive tackle after his first 10 seasons in NFL history and 11 most by any player. He also made 178 tackles for loss, the most by any player after his first 10 seasons.  For a defensive tackle, his 260 quarterback hits are the second most. Donald recorded eight First Team All-Pro selections in 10 seasons. For seven consecutive seasons, he was voted in among the top-five finisher in NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Part of his record also entails a Super Bowl championship with the Los Angeles Rams, six sacks, and 17 quarterback hits in games that were played in the post-season. 

Aaron Donald//Getty Images

9. Deion Sanders (Cornerback)

One of the most electrifying players in NFL history and perhaps the greatest cornerback to ever play the game, Deion “Prime Time” Sanders was a true game-changer in an era with numerous stars at the wide receiver position. Sanders was a shutdown corner who quarterbacks avoided like a plague. He finished his career with 53 interceptions and 1,331 interception return yards, the second most for a player at the time of his retirement. Sanders was the first player to have two 90-yard interception returns for touchdowns in the same season (1994). He finished tied for second position for most interceptions returned for a touchdown in a career, having achieved nine and for a season having acquired three in 1994. The 1994 Defensive player of the year earned eight Pro Bowls and six first-team All-Pro selections. Sanders was probably the best player on two Super Bowl defenses and was a member of the 1990s All-Decade Team. 

Deion Sanders//Getty Images

8. Joe Greene (Defensive Tackle)

Joe Greene//Getty Images

“Mean” Joe Greene is contestably the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history. Anchoring the Pittsburgh Steelers defense known as the (Steel Curtain), he struck fear into the opposition while playing like a man possessed with his incredible will and talent, helping the Steelers win four Super Bowls in the 1970’s. In his 13 seasons with the Steelers from 1969-1981, Greene was selected to ten Pro Bowls and received All-Pro honors eight times. On top of that he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1972 and 1974 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.

7. Ray Lewis (Linebacker)  

Ray Lewis//Getty Images

The face of the Baltimore Ravens, Lewis is the first and only player in NFL history with 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in a career. His record further includes 50 career takeaways (31 interceptions, 19 fumble recoveries, ranking second among linebackers since the AFL-NFL merger. A two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year in (2000 and 2003), Lewis was the leader of the 2000 Ravens defense. It considered one of the greatest defensive units in NFL history, having posted league records in a 16-game season for fewest rushing yards (970), shutouts (4), and points allowed (165). He captured Super Bowl XXXV MVP honors that season, the first of two Super Bowl titles he won in Baltimore and the other one coming in his final career game at Super Bowl XLVII. The 2018 Pro Football Hall of Famer is the NFL's all-time leader in combined tackles with 2,059 (tackles started being recorded in 1987), leading the league three times and is second in solo tackles with 1,568 (started being recorded in 1994). Lewis is one of just 15 players to be selected to at least 12 Pro Bowls. Debatably, the greatest inside linebacker in NFL history, Lewis is just one of five linebackers to be selected as a first-team All-Pro seven times, and his 10 total All-Pro selections are a record for an inside linebacker.

6. Ronnie Lott (Cornerback/Safety)

Ronnie Lott//Getty Images

Considered the hardest hitter among defensive backs in NFL history, Ronnie Lott could literary change a game with one thunderous collision. Lott began his career as a cornerback and later switched to safety, where he was able to roam the field and deliver those bone jarring hits with much more regularity. In his 15-year NFL career, Ronnie Lott played for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, his 10-year tenure as the leader of the San Francisco 49ers defense stands out the most, with four Super Bowl victories to showcase. Ronnie re-defined the safety position, finishing his career with 1,146 tackles and 63 interceptions, leading the league in interceptions twice. In 20 playoff games (all starts), Lott had nine interceptions, 89 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two touchdowns. A member of the NFL’s 100th anniversary team, Lott was a 10-time Pro Bowl selection, eight first team All-Pro selection and was named on the1980s and 1990s All-Decade teams. His stellar career culminated in an induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.   

5. Deacon Jones (Defensive End)

Deacon Jones//Getty Images

David "Deacon" Jones is the greatest pure pass rusher to have ever lived. Jones led the awesome defensive line of the Los Angeles Rams, known as "The Fearsome Foursome”. The two time NFL Defensive player of the year 1967 and 1968 collected 179.5 sacks over his career, which ranks third all time. Jones has the most 15-sack seasons all time with six and 20-sack season with three in NFL history. He is the only player to lead the league in sacks more than twice, and he was the season sack champion five times (1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969), and the only player in league history to lead the league in sacks for three consecutive seasons (1967-1969). In his 14 years in the NFL, he received five first-team All-Pro honors and eight Pro Bowls, while also earning a selection on the 1960s All-Decade Team. He became so masterful of the headslap move that the NFL eventually banned it.  Deacon Jones changed the game of football and was rightfully inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.  

4. Bob Lilly (Defensive end/Defensive Tackle)

Bob Lilly//Getty Images

Nicknamed “Mr. Cowboy,” Bob Lilly was built like a brick house. The six foot-five inches and 260 pounder played defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys from 1961 to 1974. Lilly was the driving force along the interior line of the defense known as the "The Doomsday Defense". Durability was a trademark of his, as in all his 211 career games, he only missed one game, playing 196 consecutive games in the process. The first ever Dallas Cowboys draft pick was a seven-time All-Pro first-teamer and an 11-time Pro Bowler. The 1980 Pro football hall of famer helped the Cowboys win their first of five Super Bowls, taking home co-MVP honors in Super Bowl VI. Lilly was the first Cowboy player to be inducted into the Dallas Cowboy Ring of Honor.

3. Dick Butkus (Middle Linebacker)

Dick Butkus//Getty Images

Dick Butkus played nine seasons with the Chicago Bears and was the epitome of the aggressive, gritty, hard-nosed middle linebacker. The back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year in 1969 and 1970 was considered one of the most feared players in the league and possibly the greatest hitter of all time. Once Deacon Jones claimed, “Butkus wasn’t trying to put you in the hospital; he was trying to put you in a funeral”. The 1979 Pro Football Hall of Famer was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times and was also an eight-time All-Pro selection. Unfortunately, Butkus’ career was cut short by knee injuries, and he was out of football by the age of 31.

2. Reggie White (Defensive End/Defensive Tackle)

Reggie White//Getty Images

Reggie white was simply a force to reckon with, given his tenacious pass rush from the defensive end position, earning him the moniker the "Minister of Defense". In his 15-year NFL career, Reggie White played for three teams: The Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers. The two-time NFL defensive player of the year ended his career with 198.5 sacks, which ranks second all-time to Bruce Smith, and finished with 12 double-digit sack seasons, including nine straight to start his career, which is an NFL record. White earned eight first-team All-Pro selections and made 13 Pro Bowls in a row, from 1986 to 1998. He led the NFL in sacks twice and owns the NFL record with most sacks per game in NFL history (0.85) among players who have played at least 100 games. White is one of only two players in NFL history to have four consecutive seasons of 13-plus sacks, the other being T.J. Watt. The Pro football hall of famer made the 1980s and 1990s All-Decade teams and his greatness is showcased by his Defensive Player of the year triumph at the age of 37 in the 1998 season.