2025 NFL defensive line rankings ahead of Week 18: The Cleveland Browns remain the league’s best unit
- The Lions did not lose because of their pass rush in Week 17: Detroit’s defensive line posted an 82.6 PFF pass-rush grade and a dominant 39.3% pressure rate, generating five sacks and three quarterback hits while consistently disrupting rookie quarterback Max Brosmer.
- Despite losing Breakout Player of the Year candidate Maliek Collins to injury in Week 13, the Browns’ defensive line is still on track to finish the 2025 season as the NFL’s best overall unit: Led by presumptive Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, Cleveland’s front has been one of the few consistent bright spots during an otherwise difficult season.
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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. 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 17 of the 2025 season.
| Rk. | Previous Rk. | Team | PFF WAR | PFF Grade | Top-graded player | Move |
| 1 | 1 | Cleveland Browns | 1.250 | 88.2 | Myles Garrett | 0 |
| 2 | 2 | Houston Texans | 1.057 | 81.2 | Will Anderson Jr. | 0 |
| 3 | 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 0.961 | 76.7 | Cameron Heyward | 0 |
| 4 | 5 | Los Angeles Rams | 0.783 | 85.4 | Byron Young | +1 |
| 5 | 6 | Denver Broncos | 0.776 | 70.1 | Nik Bonitto | +1 |
| 6 | 4 | Detroit Lions | 0.749 | 79.5 | Aidan Hutchinson | -2 |
| 7 | 9 | Dallas Cowboys | 0.712 | 74.9 | Quinnen Williams | +2 |
| 8 | 7 | Philadelphia Eagles | 0.696 | 72.5 | Joshua Uche | -1 |
| 9 | 11 | Seattle Seahawks | 0.681 | 74.2 | DeMarcus Lawrence | +2 |
| 10 | 10 | Minnesota Vikings | 0.674 | 68.6 | Jonathan Greenard | 0 |
| 11 | 12 | New York Giants | 0.652 | 66.8 | Dexter Lawrence | +1 |
| 12 | 8 | Green Bay Packers | 0.640 | 65.9 | Micah Parsons | -4 |
| 13 | 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0.529 | 62.8 | Vita Vea | 0 |
| 14 | 15 | Atlanta Falcons | 0.508 | 65.3 | David Onyemata | +1 |
| 15 | 14 | Buffalo Bills | 0.483 | 66.0 | Greg Rousseau | -1 |
| 16 | 18 | Tennessee Titans | 0.465 | 69.5 | Jeffery Simmons | +2 |
| 17 | 16 | New England Patriots | 0.436 | 63.7 | Cory Durden | -1 |
| 18 | 19 | Indianapolis Colts | 0.359 | 63.8 | Laiatu Latu | +1 |
| 19 | 21 | Los Angeles Chargers | 0.357 | 67.4 | Khalil Mack | +2 |
| 20 | 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | 0.323 | 59.4 | George Karlaftis | -3 |
| 21 | 23 | New Orleans Saints | 0.313 | 59.4 | Chase Young | +2 |
| 22 | 20 | Las Vegas Raiders | 0.297 | 53.9 | Maxx Crosby | -2 |
| 23 | 22 | Washington Commanders | 0.258 | 55.2 | Dorance Armstrong | -1 |
| 24 | 25 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 0.255 | 60.6 | Josh Hines-Allen | +1 |
| 25 | 26 | New York Jets | 0.235 | 65.7 | Jowon Briggs | +1 |
| 26 | 27 | Carolina Panthers | 0.228 | 59.1 | Derrick Brown | +1 |
| 27 | 28 | San Francisco 49ers | 0.215 | 51.6 | Bryce Huff | +1 |
| 28 | 24 | Arizona Cardinals | 0.210 | 51.7 | Josh Sweat | -4 |
| 29 | 29 | Chicago Bears | 0.175 | 51.4 | Montez Sweat | 0 |
| 30 | 31 | Cincinnati Bengals | 0.140 | 56.8 | Trey Hendrickson | +1 |
| 31 | 30 | Baltimore Ravens | 0.115 | 60.4 | Travis Jones | -1 |
| 32 | 32 | Miami Dolphins | -0.050 | 49.7 | Zach Sieler | 0 |
Week 17 Highlights
Best defensive line & best run-defense unit: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ defensive line did its part in the Week 17 win over the Washington Commanders. The unit combined for an impressive 89.4 PFF overall grade and an 89.9 PFF run-defense grade, and it was led by Quinnen Williams’ 91.2 run-defense grade.
Williams recorded four run stops, including two tackles for loss or no gain, while interior defender Kenny Clark complemented the effort by earning an 80.3 run-defense grade and a 41.7% positive grade rate.
Edge defender Jadeveon Clowney has consistently been one of the NFL’s top run defenders for several seasons and again showed that ability, earning an 80.3 run-defense grade highlighted by a 4-yard tackle for loss.
Best pass-rush unit: Detroit Lions
The Lions did not lose because of their pass rush in Week 17. Detroit’s defensive line posted an 82.6 PFF pass-rush grade and a dominant 39.3% pressure rate, generating five sacks and three quarterback hits while consistently disrupting rookie quarterback Max Brosmer.
Edge defender Aidan Hutchinson once again led the way, earning an 88.7 PFF grade with two sacks and an elite 29.6% pass-rush win rate. Al-Quadin Muhammad added two sacks of his own and paced the team with a 23.1% pressure rate, capping off a relentless performance up front.
Risers and fallers
- Most improved: Dallas Cowboys
- Biggest faller: Washington Commanders
Season Highlights
Best defensive line, best pass-rush unit & best run-defense unit: Cleveland Browns
Despite losing Breakout Player of the Year candidate Maliek Collins to injury in Week 13, the Browns’ defensive line is still on track to finish the 2025 season as the NFL’s best overall unit. Led by presumptive Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, Cleveland’s front has been one of the few consistent bright spots during an otherwise difficult season.
Garrett leads the NFL with a 92.7 PFF overall grade and a 92.9 pass-rushing grade, while his 82.7 run-defense grade ranks eighth among all defenders and third among edge rushers. To fully capture how dominant Garrett has been, he sits just half a sack shy of breaking the single-season sack record despite facing the highest rate of chips and double teams of any edge defender in the league.
Edge defender Alex Wright was rewarded with a midseason contract extension, and his play has justified the investment. Wright has posted an 80.6 PFF overall grade while excelling against the run, recording a minuscule 6.1% downgrade rate and just three missed tackles on the season in run defense.
Isaiah McGuire has also been a reliable presence on the edge, earning a 73.0 run-defense grade, while rookie defensive tackle Mason Graham has surged after a slow start. Since Week 7, Graham owns a 74.6 PFF overall grade, second-best on the Browns and 14th among all NFL interior defensive linemen.
