2025 NFL defensive line rankings ahead of Week 11: The Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles are on the rise

• Browns remain the gold standard: Fresh off their Week 9 bye, the Browns returned looking refreshed and dominant up front, finishing Week 10 with the fifth-best overall defensive line grade and a top-three pass-rush grade. Myles Garrett continues to anchor the NFL’s most balanced front, leading all defensive linemen in overall grade (91.8 ). His 92.2 pass-rush grade ranks third at the position, and his 84.8 run-defense grade sits second.

• Pittsburgh fielded the most complete defensive line of Week 10: The group posted a 78.6 run-defense grade, the top mark among all defensive lines. They paired it with a 79.4 pass-rush grade, second only to Denver for the week.

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.

This season, we will closely monitor NFL defensive line play throughout the season. Unlike our offensive line rankings, which in some cases consider previous-season rankings, these rankings will be based purely on 2025 play.

Here are the highlights for the top defensive lines after Week 10 of the 2025 season.

RankLast WeekTeamPFF Grade
(Unit)Top-graded PlayerMovePFF WARPFF WAR Rank11Cleveland Browns90.1Myles Garrett00.5107125Pittsburgh Steelers83.0Cameron Heyward+30.4532232Los Angeles Rams80.4Jared Verse-10.3137746Houston Texans80.2Will Anderson Jr.+20.4100353Detroit Lions77.7Aidan Hutchinson-20.27741164Green Bay Packers76.3Micah Parsons-20.33805711Philadelphia Eagles73.0Joshua Uche+40.24211688Seattle Seahawks72.4Byron Murphy II00.29728910Buffalo Bills70.1Ed Oliver+10.271212107Indianapolis Colts70.1Laiatu Latu-30.256114119New York Giants68.6Brian Burns-20.332461216Denver Broncos68.0Nik Bonitto+40.357741314Minnesota Vikings67.1Jalen Redmond+10.289691412Washington Commanders66.8Dorance Armstrong-20.2418181515Tennessee Titans66.5Jeffery Simmons00.1971221619Carolina Panthers65.8Derrick Brown+30.2806101713New England Patriots65.8Cory Durden-40.2004201818New York Jets64.9Jowon Briggs00.1668271922Tampa Bay Buccaneers63.9Anthony Nelson+30.2687132017Los Angeles Chargers63.8Teair Tart-30.1855252121Dallas Cowboys63.2Dante Fowler Jr.00.2420172220Atlanta Falcons62.8Jalon Walker-20.2426152325Kansas City Chiefs58.9George Karlaftis+20.1889242427New Orleans Saints58.9Chase Young+30.1707262526Arizona Cardinals58.6Josh Sweat+10.2042192624Jacksonville Jaguars58.4Josh Hines-Allen-20.1369292728Las Vegas Raiders57.1Maxx Crosby+10.1973212829Chicago Bears56.6Montez Sweat+10.1498282923San Francisco 49ers56.3Bryce Huff-60.1947233030Baltimore Ravens55.8Travis Jones00.1242303131Cincinnati Bengals51.5Trey Hendrickson00.0947323232Miami Dolphins50.5Bradley Chubb00.101831

Week 10 Highlights

Best defensive line overall & best run-defense unit: Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh fielded the most complete defensive line of Week 10, becoming the only front to earn 75.0-plus grades in both run defense and pass rush. The group posted a 78.6 run-defense grade, the top mark among all defensive lines. They paired it with a 79.4 pass-rush grade, second only to Denver.

On 29 snaps against the run, the Steelers produced 10 defensive stops and four tackles for loss or no gain, while their 1.17 average depth of tackle ranked fourth among defensive lines in Week 10. It was a true ensemble performance: Yahya Black led the way with a dominant 91.0 PFF grade, and five other linemen — Cameron Heyward (89.5), Alex Highsmith (79.3), Keeanu Benton (78.5), Nick Herbig (76.2) and Derrick Harmon (72.7) — all cleared 70.0 while playing at least 24 snaps.

Best pass-rush unit: Denver Broncos

Denver turned in the week’s most overwhelming pass-rush performance, finishing with an 87.2 PFF pass-rush grade — the only defensive line to clear 73.0 in Week 10. Across 35 opposing dropbacks, the Broncos generated 17 total pressures for a 48.6% pressure rate (fifth among defensive lines), piling up six sacks and three quarterback hits while reaching the quarterback in an average of 2.23 seconds, the second-fastest mark of the week.

Zach Allen (91.0) and Nik Bonitto (90.1) set the tone once again, each recording two sacks and combining for 15 pressures — seven from Allen, eight from Bonitto — with both clearing a 25% win rate.

Most pressures: Seattle Seahawks (27)

Seattle claims this week’s volume superlative by sheer opportunity and execution. The Seahawks led all teams with 54 pass-rush opportunities — five more than any other defense — and converted that workload into 27 total pressures, good for a 50% pressure rate that ranked third among all defensive lines in Week 10.

It was a full-rotation effort: Uchenna Nwosu led the group with six pressures, while Byron Murphy II, Derick Hall and Leonard Williams each added five, and Boye Mafe chipped in four.

Most Run Stops: Carolina Panthers (16)

Carolina’s defensive line set the tone against the run in Week 10, piling up 21 solo tackles and a league-high 16 run stops — six more than any other front. They paired that with four tackles for loss, consistently winning early and forcing offenses off schedule.

D.J. Wonnum led the unit with a 73.6 run-defense grade and four stops of his own, while Derrick Brown matched him with four stops and added a strong 69.8 run-defense grade.

Risers and fallers

Season Highlights

Best defensive line, best run-defense unit & best pass-rush unit: Cleveland Browns

Fresh off their Week 9 bye, the Browns returned looking refreshed and dominant up front, finishing Week 10 with the fifth-best overall defensive line grade and a top-three pass-rush grade.

Myles Garrett continues to anchor the NFL’s most balanced front, leading all defensive linemen in overall grade (91.8 ). His 92.2 pass-rush grade ranks third at the position, and his 84.8 run-defense grade sits second.

But the strength of this unit goes far beyond its superstar. Alex Wright (88.8), Maliek Collins (80.8), Adin Huntington (74.3) and Cameron Thomas (74.1) are each grading at starter-quality levels, and nine of the Browns’ 11 defensive linemen hold overall grades above 65.0.

Even more impressive: eight of those players have cleared the 70.0 threshold.