The 50 greatest defensive NFL players of all time

The Chuck Bednarik Award is given to the man deemed College Defensive Player of the Year. It's fitting. Bednarik retired as the greatest middle linebacker in history, and the eight-time Pro Bowler won a pair of championships. "Concrete Charlie," one of the most durable players of the 1950s, featured on both sides of the ball throughout the first half of that decade. 

New England Patriots head coach and former New York Giants assistant Bill Belichick once referred to Big Blue's Harry Carson as "the best all-around linebacker he'd ever coached," per E.M. Swift of Sports Illustrated. Carson wasn't the biggest name from those Wrecking Crew teams, but he received nine Pro Bowl nods during his career. He captained the New York defense for a decade. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got plenty wrong during the franchise's infancy. Selecting defensive end Lee Roy Selmon with the team's first-ever draft pick in 1976 worked out rather well. Selmon made every Pro Bowl team between 1979 and 1984, and he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Second team All-1980s Team. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the NFL Players Association named Selmon NFC Defensive Lineman of the Year on four occasions. He won Defensive Player of the Year in 1979.  

One of the greatest 3-4 defensive ends of all time, Howie Long spent over a decade as a mainstay for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Between 1983 and 1993, Long earned trips to eight Pro Bowl games, and he was a first-team All-Pro twice. The one-time Super Bowl champion pass-rusher was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 1980s.

Nobody could question Jack Youngblood's toughness and dedication to the cause. The defensive end featured for the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV  with a broken leg, and he played in 201 consecutive games, according to the Los Angeles Times. One of the league's all-time great pass-rushers was named to Pro Bowl squads every year between 1973 and 1979, and he was a five-time first-team All-Pro. 

John Randle, who played up front for the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks during his Hall of Fame career, remains in the top 10 all time in sacks with 137.5. The seven-time Pro Bowler and six-time first-team All-Pro led the NFL in sacks in 1997. Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Randle, a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, recorded multi-sack games 35 times.

Standing at 6-foot-7, Ted Hendricks, known as "The Mad Stork," possessed quite an advantage in battles with overmatched offensive linemen. Hendricks tallied 26 interceptions during his career, and he blocked 25 combined extra points and field goals, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The eight-time Pro Bowler was a four-time first-team All-Pro between 1971 and 1982, and he retired a four-time Super Bowl champion. 

As ESPN's Jeff Legwold wrote in November 2015, wide receiver Steve Smith referred to former Denver Broncos defensive back Champ Bailey as the best corner he ever faced. Bailey, a shutdown corner by any definition of the term, made 12 Pro Bowl teams between 2000 and 2012, and he was a three-time first-team All-Pro. He led the NFL in interceptions with 10 in 2006.  

A trade between the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers changed the career and life of defensive lineman Willie Davis. From 1961 through 1968, Davis was an integral part of Green Bay sides that won five NFL championships and a pair of Super Bowl titles. He recovered 22 fumbles throughout the 1960s, and he was a five-time first-team All-Pro that decade. 

In 2017, both ESPN's Jeff Legwold and Elliot Harrison of NFL.com argued former linebacker and defensive end DeMarcus Ware should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer come 2022. Ware, who sits eighth all time in sacks as of August 2018, made nine Pro Bowl teams between 2006 and 2015, and he was a four-time first-team All-Pro. According to Legwold, Wade Phillips  once said he's "a better coach just for having been around" Ware, who twice led the NFL in sacks. 

Former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was a throwback who reminded fans of players who featured for that dominant 1985 Chicago defense. The Defensive Rookie of the Year for 2000 won 2005 Defensive Player of the Year, and Urlacher was a four-time first-team All-Pro named to eight Pro Bowl rosters between 2000 and 2011. According to Ty Schalter of Bleacher Report, Urlacher retired as the holder of multiple franchise records for a linebacker. 

As ESPN's Josh Weinfuss wrote, defensive back Aeneas Williams was a student of the game who sought advice from multiple all-time greats. It worked. Williams was a three-time first-team All-Pro named to eight Pro Bowl teams between 1994 and 2003, and he tallied 46 of 55 career interceptions playing on some lousy Arizona Cardinals rosters. He is a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s.

Passionate fans of the Washington Redskins may claim Darrell Green is the greatest cornerback in history. Green spent 20 — yes, 20 — seasons in the NFL, all with the Redskins, and he won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the franchise. The seven-time Pro Bowler recorded at least one interception in 19 consecutive seasons. He was a four-time All-Pro. 

When in his prime and fully healthy, Cortez Kennedy may have been the most dominant interior lineman in league history. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kennedy became the third player on a losing team to win the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year Award when he did so in 1992. The eight-time Pro Bowler was a first-team All-Pro from 1992 through 1994.  

The finest defensive player to ever wear the uniform of the Miami Dolphins, Jason Taylor retired as the franchise leader in career sacks, and he is seventh all-time in QB takedowns as of the summer of 2018. The six-time Pro Bowler was a three-time All-Pro between 2000 and 2006, and the member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s currently holds the NFL record for career fumble returns for touchdowns, per Pro-Football-Reference. 

Beginning in 1984, defensive end Richard Dent accumulated at least 10.5 sacks in eight of 10 seasons. Dent was a four-time All-Pro, and he's tied with John Randle for ninth in career sacks ahead of the 2018 regular season. Per NFL.com, he was only the fifth defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP honors after the Chicago Bears routed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. 

Any conversations about the greatest cornerbacks in NFL history must include Darrelle Revis. Revis, arguably the top player to ever feature for the New York Jets, repeatedly shut down Hall-of-Fame receivers, and he was the best in the business for at least half a decade. The owner of Revis Island terrified quarterbacks, who learned to not test him. He should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

Say whatever you will about the moment between defensive end Michael Strahan and Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre that resulted in Strahan setting a new record for single-season sacks in January 2002. A record is a record. Strahan, who retired after the New York Giants defeated the 18-0 New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, twice led the NFL in QB takedowns, and he's sixth all time in career sacks. A four-time first-team All-Pro and one-time Defensive Player of the Year, Strahan earned seven total Pro Bowl berths. 

Warren Sapp was the type of defensive tackle coordinators dream of: a three-down player who excelled against the run and the pass. The seven-time Pro Bowler was a first-team All-Pro in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002. A Hall of Famer, Sapp is a member of the NFL All-Decade Teams for the 1990s and 2000s. 

One cannot write the history of the NFL without mentioning Ray Nitschke. The top defensive player of those Green Bay Packers teams that dominated pro football in the 1960s, Nitschke earned All-NFL honors on seven occasions, from 1962 through 1969, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was named MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game. 

At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, Buck Buchanan was a unique athlete among other defensive linemen. Buchanan was freakishly athletic for his size, and he was durable enough to play in 166 straight games, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A first-team All-Pro each season from 1966 through 1969, he played in the AFL All-Star Game or Pro Bowl every year from 1964 through 1971. 

In 1976, cornerback Mike Haynes tallied eight interceptions in his rookie season. From there, he notched at least one pick in every campaign up through 1988. The two-time first-team All-Pro earned Pro Bowl nods nine times, from 1976 through 1986. He was also a talented punt returner early in his career. 

The 1992 Defensive Player of the Year, linebacker Junior Seau was a standout defensive player for over a decade of his 20-year career. Seau made every Pro Bowl team from 1991 through 2002, and he was a six-time first-team All-Pro over that period. An emotional on-the-field leader, Seau was posthumously elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. 

Kevin Greene entertained and delighted fans whether he was competing on a football field or taking part in professional wrestling angles and matches. As a player, Greene was an all-time great pass-rusher, and he sits third in career sacks before the start of the 2018 campaign. He twice led the NFL in sacks, and he tallied double-digit sacks in 10 of his 15 seasons. 

When the Dallas Cowboys moved Randy White from linebacker to right defensive tackle, White became a Hall of Fame mainstay for an all-time great defensive line. From 1978 through 1985, White was a first-team All-Pro seven times. He was the co-MVP of Super Bowl XII, and he won 1978 NFC Defensive Player of the Year. Starting in 1977, he made nine straight Pro Bowls. 

Gino Marchetti retired after the 1966 season as the greatest defensive end to ever play the position up to that point. Marchetti made every Pro Bowl squad between 1954 and 1964, and he was a seven-time first-team All-Pro over that period. He won a pair of championships with the Baltimore Colts. 

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Ham produced silly numbers for a player at the position from any era. He retired with 32 interceptions and 21 fumble recoveries. One of the leaders of the famous "Steel Curtain" defense, Ham won four titles with the Steelers. He was a six-time first-team All-Pro, and he made every Pro Bowl team from 1973 through 1980. 

Dick "Night Train" Lane had one of the coolest nicknames in NFL history. He was also an all-time great defensive back and a punishing tackler. Lane led the NFL in interceptions twice, and the three-time first-team All-Pro earned seven Pro Bowl nods from 1964 through 1962. His 68 career interceptions is good for fourth-most in league history. 

Those who rate longevity and top-tier production spread over a lengthy period of time may see Merlin Olsen as the greatest defensive tackle of all time. The 1962 Rookie of the Year was voted to the Pro Bowl his debut season, and he then made every Pro Bowl roster through the 1975 campaign. He was a five-time first-team All-Pro. 

Only four players have more career sacks than Chris Doleman ahead of September 2018. Doleman, who led the league in sacks in 1989, was the NFC Defensive Player of the Year for the 1992 season. The eight-time Pro Bowler had 11-plus sacks in eight of 15 campaigns. 

Emlen Tunnell was the undisputed greatest cornerback of his time. He had the all-time career record for interceptions (79) when he retired after the 1961 campaign, and he remains second in that category. The nine-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro was the first African American elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Mike Singletary fell to the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and the Chicago Bears found quite a gift in the linebacker. Singletary was voted to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1983 through 1992, and he was a seven-time first-team All-Pro over that period. The Hall of Famer and one-time Super Bowl champion won Defensive Player of the Year in 1985 and 1988. 

Derrick Thomas played 11 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he earned a reputation for being an all-time great pass-rusher and one of the greatest players in franchise history. Thomas made the first of nine straight Pro Bowls after tallying 10 sacks as Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1989. He led the league in QB takedowns the following year. Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Thomas was fourth all time in sacks among linebackers when he tragically lost his life following an automobile accident that occurred in January 2000. 

A candidate for greatest defensive tackle in history, Alan Page was a key figure for the "Purple People Eaters" that helped the Minnesota Vikings win four conference titles and one NFL championship. Page was voted to nine straight Pro Bowl games beginning in 1968, and he was a six-time first-team All-Pro. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Page unofficially recorded 173 sacks. That would put him third all time behind only Reggie White and Bruce Smith. 

In 1964, Washington Redskins rookie safety Paul Krause tallied a league-best 12 interceptions. By the end of the 1979 campaign, Krause had 81 career picks, more than any player before or since he last played a down in the league. No current player is remotely close to matching that record. 

For a piece published by ESPN in March 2007, Merril Hoge named Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel Blount his pick for greatest defensive player in NFL history. The five-time Pro Bowler known for his bump-and-run coverage won four Super Bowl rings, and it's been said that he was responsible for the "Mel Blount Rule," as explained by Bryan Deardo of 247Sports. The NFL favoring wide receivers and passing attacks over defensive backs didn't stop Blount from earning Pro Bowl nods in 1979 and 1981. 

Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers is an ageless wonder on the verge of beginning his 17th NFL season. Other than during the 2002 campaign, Peppers has finished every season with at least seven sacks, and he is only six sacks from moving up to third all time in that category. The nine-time Pro Bowler is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

For roughly a decade, Jack Lambert was the best and toughest middle linebacker in the game. A member of the "Steel Curtain" defense, Lambert won four Super Bowl titles with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 1974 Defensive Rookie of the Year was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, and he was voted to nine straight Pro Bowls. 

Ronnie Lott could do it all in the secondary. Lott twice led the NFL in interceptions, and he was known for delivering punishing hits on targets. He was voted to 10 Pro Bowl teams between 1981 and 1991, and the four-time Super Bowl champion was an eight-time All-Pro. Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tom Landry once said Lott "may dominate the secondary better than anyone I’ve seen."

As explained by RJ Ochoa of Inside the Star, NFL Films once claimed Bob Lilly was the "unblockable, unstoppable force of The Doomsday Defense." Known as Mr. Cowboy, Lilly spent all 14 of his pro seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. An all-time great defensive lineman, Lilly played in 196 consecutive regular-season games, per the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was an 11-time Pro Bowler and seven-time first-team All-Pro. 

A lock for the Hall of Fame, Ed Reed was the league's top safety of the 2000s. As Elliot Harrison of NFL.com wrote, Reed became the first safety in NFL history to lead the league in interceptions on three occasions. The one-time Super Bowl champion and 2004 Defensive Player of the Year was voted to nine Pro Bowls. A day in Canton is all that's missing from his resume. 

Thanks to his intimidating nature and rough style of play, "Mean" Joe Greene was the perfect defensive tackle for a unit known as the "Steel Curtain." A four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969. He went on to win Defensive Player of the Year twice, and he was voted to 10 Pro Bowls during his 13-year career. 

Ray Lewis retired the greatest linebacker of the 2000s and the top player from a historically dominant defense that guided the Baltimore Ravens to victory in Super Bowl XXXV. The MVP from that championship game, Lewis became the second player in history to win that award and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The seven-time first-team All-Pro, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Super Bowl champion was the first player to accumulate 40 sacks and 30 interceptions in a career.

No player in history has more interception returns for touchdowns than former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson, who notched 12 of those scores during his career. The 11-time Pro Bowler and six-time first-team All-Pro is third in all-time career interceptions. Woodson was named to the 1990s All-Decade Team and NFL's 75th Anniversary Team. 

As unbelievable as it may be for some, Deion Sanders was more substance than flash when in his prime (pun intended). The greatest shutdown corner in history, Sanders won 1994 Defensive Player of the Year honors, and he was voted to eight Pro Bowls. Per the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Sanders retired second all time in career interception return yards and tied for second for most picks returned for scores. He won two Super Bowls during his career. 

Along with having a Hall of Fame name for a football player, Dick Butkus was a feared tackler and the greatest middle linebacker in NFL history. Butkus was named to the Pro Bowl every season from 1965 through 1972, and he notched 22 interceptions and 27 fumble recoveries in his nine seasons. In 2010, Nate Davis of USA Today wrote Butkus was the "gold standard by which other middle linebackers are measured."

As ESPN's Len Pasquarelli wrote in 2007, Deacon Jones is credited with creating the term "sack." He hit enough quarterbacks to earn the right to name the play. A defensive end well ahead of his time, Jones was the greatest pass-rusher in history when he retired after the 1974 season. The only reason the eight-time Pro Bowler doesn't hold the single-season record in this category is because the league didn't record the sack as an official statistic until long after Jones called time on his career. 

Reggie White, "the Minister of Defense," retired the league's all-time leader in sacks, but some either forget or fail to realize he could play anywhere up front. The versatile lineman was elected to 13 consecutive Pro Bowls, and the 13-time All-Pro was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He'd probably still be the NFL's all-time leader in sacks had he not spent two years in the United States Football League early in his career. 

Defensive end Bruce Smith is the only player in NFL history to accumulate 200 career sacks. His record may stand forever, as no current defensive starter is relatively close behind him. Smith finished 13 of his 19 seasons in the league with at least 10 sacks. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, that is also a record for the 11-time Pro Bowler. 

Just about every list of the greatest defensive players in NFL history ends with Lawrence Taylor, who struck fear in the hearts of offensive coordinators, head coaches and quarterbacks more than anyone else who has played pro football. The 1981 Defensive Rookie of the Year won Defensive Player of the Year honors his first two seasons, and the two-time Super Bowl champion earned that award a third time in 1986. He won NFL MVP that same year. Taylor was unstoppable when healthy and in his prime; just ask those who tried to scheme against him.