If you’re still judging the best defenders in football by looking at the sack column on a Tuesday morning, I’ve got some bad news. You’re basically missing the forest for the trees. Sacks are great—don’t get me wrong—but they’re often the result of "right place, right time" luck or a coverage sack where the quarterback held the ball for six seconds.
Pass rushing is about violence, twitch, and winning the rep before the ball even leaves the hand.
The 2025 regular season just wrapped up, and the NFL pass rush rankings look a lot different if you actually watch the film versus just scrolling through a box score. We’ve seen some absolutely legendary stuff this year. Myles Garrett didn't just break the single-season sack record with 23; he did it while being the most double-teamed human being on the planet.
The Absolute Kings of the 2025 Season
When we talk about the best, we have to start with the "Big Three." These are the guys who offensive coordinators lose sleep over. They don't just beat their man; they destroy the entire offensive game plan.
1. Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns)
Honestly, what Garrett did this year shouldn't be legal. He finished with a 93.3 PFF pass-rush grade, leading the league for what feels like the hundredth time. But the number that really melts your brain is his 24.6% pass-rush win rate. Basically, one out of every four times he rushes the passer, he beats his blocker. That’s despite being double-teamed or "chipped" (hit by a running back or tight end on the way out) on nearly 70% of his snaps.
He broke the Michael Strahan/T.J. Watt record with 23 sacks in Week 18. It wasn't cheap, either. Most of those were high-quality wins where he just made an NFL tackle look like a high schooler.
2. Will Anderson Jr. (Houston Texans)
If you haven't been watching the Texans, you're missing out. Anderson is a freak. He actually had a higher win rate than Garrett this year, topping the charts at 26.2%. He’s a "drive killer." According to Next Gen Stats, he led the NFL with 48 pressures on third downs. That is the definition of "clutch." He isn't just racking up stats against bad teams; he’s taking over the game when it matters most.
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3. Aidan Hutchinson (Detroit Lions)
Remember when everyone was worried about his leg injury in 2024? Yeah, he’s fine. Hutchinson came back and logged 100 total pressures this season. 100! Only a handful of players have ever hit that mark since we started tracking pressures. He’s like a relentless motor that never shuts off. You might block him for 3.5 seconds, but at 3.6, he’s hitting your quarterback.
The Efficiency Trap: Win Rate vs. Sacks
This is where the nfl pass rush rankings get controversial. Fans love sacks. Coaches love win rates. Why? Because sacks are "noisy."
Take a guy like T.J. Watt. T.J. is incredible—a future Hall of Famer. But his win rate (16.9% this year) often trails guys like Micah Parsons or Maxx Crosby. Does that mean he’s worse? Not necessarily. It means he’s a finisher. Some guys are great at winning the rep but the QB gets the ball out. Other guys win less often, but when they do, they get the guy on the ground.
- Elite Win Rate (The "Pressure" Tier): Micah Parsons, Will Anderson Jr., Myles Garrett.
- The "Volume" Kings: Aidan Hutchinson (100 pressures), Josh Hines-Allen (95 pressures).
- The Interior Disruptors: Chris Jones and Jeffery Simmons.
Jeffery Simmons was a monster for the Titans this year. He led all defensive tackles with 60 pressures. For a 300-pounder to move like that is just... not normal. He even recorded a sack in 2.09 seconds against C.J. Stroud. That’s faster than most people can blink.
The Rookies Making Everyone Look Silly
We have to talk about Abdul Carter. The Giants took him third overall, and he basically lived in the opponent's backfield. He finished the year with 66 pressures, which is a tier above any other rookie. From Week 13 to Week 18, his PFF grade was 90.1. That’s identical to Myles Garrett over that same stretch.
If you’re a Giants fan, you’ve finally got a reason to smile on Sundays. Pairing him with Brian Burns has turned that defensive front into a nightmare.
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Team-Wide Dominance: Who Has the Best Unit?
It’s not always about the individual. Sometimes, a team just has "dudes" everywhere.
The Denver Broncos were the surprise of the year. They didn't have a 15-sack superstar, but they had depth. Nik Bonitto emerged as a legit threat (84.5 grade), and Zach Allen led all interior linemen in pressures at various points in the season. They ended up with 68 team sacks.
The Houston Texans are the other big one. Having Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter on opposite sides is basically cheating. You can't double both of them. If you slide the protection to Anderson, Hunter (who had 83 pressures) is going to eat your left tackle for lunch.
Why the "Pressure Rate" is King in 2026
If you want to sound smart at the sports bar, talk about pressure rate. A pressure is a sack, a hit, or a hurry.
A sack happens once or twice a game if you’re lucky. A pressure happens 10 times a game. Pressures force interceptions. They force "throw-aways." They ruin the timing of those fancy Kyle Shanahan-style offenses.
Look at the Vikings' Dallas Turner. He might not have the sack numbers of the veterans yet, but his pressure rate is in the top 20. Brian Flores’ defense is designed to create chaos, and Turner is the chaos-agent.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Pass Rushing
The biggest misconception is that a "quiet" game for an edge rusher means he played poorly.
Sometimes, a pass rusher is winning his reps in 2.5 seconds, but the opposing QB is throwing the ball in 2.2 seconds. In that scenario, the pass rusher did his job perfectly, but the stat sheet says "0 sacks, 0 tackles."
This is why we look at the nfl pass rush rankings through the lens of Film Grade and Win Rate. You have to see how often the player is actually beating the person in front of them.
- Double-Teams: If a guy is getting doubled 50% of the time, his teammates should be getting sacks.
- Chipping: Watch the tight ends. If they are hitting the edge rusher on every play, it slows down the rush by a full second.
- The "Sack-Arrive": This is a new-age stat. How quickly does the defender get to the QB's "launch point"?
Actionable Insights for the Post-Season
If you’re betting on the playoffs or just trying to figure out who’s going to win the Super Bowl, look at the trenches.
- Watch the Texans' 3rd Down Defense: Will Anderson Jr. is the best 3rd-down pass rusher in the league right now. If a game comes down to one stop, my money is on Houston.
- Don't Sleep on the Rams: Byron Young and Jared Verse are a young, violent duo. They combined for over 140 pressures this year. They are the engine that keeps that Rams defense afloat.
- Monitor Injury Reports for Interior Linemen: It's easier to replace an Edge rusher than an elite 3-technique. If a guy like Chris Jones or Dexter Lawrence is hobbled, the entire pass-rush scheme falls apart because the QB can just step up in the pocket.
To really stay ahead of the curve, stop looking at "Sacks" on the ESPN app. Start looking for "Pass Rush Win Rate" and "Total Pressures" on sites like PFF or Next Gen Stats. That’s where the real truth lives.
Go watch some film of Myles Garrett’s Week 18 performance. It’s a masterclass in hand usage and leverage that shows exactly why he's the undisputed #1. Then, keep an eye on Abdul Carter next season—he’s the next Micah Parsons, and the transition is happening faster than anyone expected.