With the upcoming season quickly approaching, I’m going to be taking a look at the landscape of the NFL, position by position, over the course of the next several weeks. We’ll be talking about the who’s who of the NFL in our own little version of the NFL Network’s “Top 100 Players” bit they do every year. Up next, we have the defensive lines!
THE TOP 10 NFL DEFENSIVE LINES FOR 2019
10. Buffalo Bills: Trent Murphy, Star Lotulelei, Jordan Phillips – As a unit, this defensive line didn’t grade well at all in 2018, but I still see a lot of potential here. There’s some talent here. Plus, I love the fact that the Bills drafted Ed Oliver. He should help get this unit back to being one of the NFL’s best.
9. Tennessee Titans: Brent Urban, DaQuan Jones, Jurrell Casey – Jones didn’t play too well in 2018, but he has the talent to pan out in the NFL. This ranking is more about Casey being perennially one of the most underrated players in the NFL. DT for DT, he’s on the Mount Rushmore of NFL defensive linemen. Plus, Urban’s having a great offseason so far. This is going to be a multiple defense – it’s currently a 3-4 in name only. So, if you have Cameron Wake and Harold Landry at the line, that only improves this unit. It should yet again be one of the league’s most underrated.
8. Detroit Lions: Trey Flowers, Damon Harrison, Romeo Okwara – Matt Patricia wanted to get better in the trenches, and hot dam – he has done just that on the defensive side of the ball. Flowers and Harrison are among the NFL’s best, but you factor in gamers like A’Shawn Robinson and Da’Shawn Hand, PLUS the addition of Mike Daniels…B R O T H E R, you’ve got the breakout defensive line of 2019.
7. Chicago Bears: Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Jonathan Bullard – The Bears had the best defense in football in terms of points allowed. Likewise, they had the best run defense in the NFL in 2018. That’s a huge testament to the play of Hicks. As long as he’s in Chicago, this unit should thrive.
6. Los Angeles Rams: Michael Brockers, Greg Gaines, Aaron Donald – I mean, I’m pretty sure you could literally just line up Aaron Donald at the defensive line and this would still be a top 10 unit, no? Need I say more?
5. Carolina Panthers: Mario Addison, Gerald McCoy, Kawann Short, Bruce Irvin– I don’t know how much McCoy has left in the tank, but you have to factor Dontari Poe into the equation here. That’s a ton of talent along the defense line. Plus, they drafted Brian Burns, who figures to get This could be a real strength of this Panthers team.
4. Minnesota Vikings: Danielle Hunter, Shamar Stephen, Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen – Joseph is one of the best run stuffers in the league. Likewise, Hunter is one of the league’s most productive pass rushers. This defensive line has become a staple of Vikings football in recent seasons.
3. Los Angeles Chargers: Joey Bosa, Justin Jones, Brandon Mebane, Melvin Ingram – The Chargers were one of the best defenses in the league that no one seemed to be talking about. They were a top 10 unit in terms of points allowed per game, and had a defensive line that could stuff the run AND get after quarterbacks. There may not be a better pass rush duo in the league than Bosa and Ingram. This is a line that’s going to wreak havoc in 2019.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Yannick Ngakoue, Abry Jones, Marcell Dareus, Calais Campbell – Adding Josh Allen to this line by nothing other than sheer fortune in the 2019 NFL Draft is just sick. Also, factor in Taven Bryan. This is a deep defensive line with some of the highest graded players at their positions in the entire NFL. Absolutely filled to the brim with talent.
1. Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Graham, Malik Jackson, Fletcher Cox, Derek Barnett – Cox has a legitimate argument as the best defensive tackle in all of football. Graham is one of the best edge rushers in the league. Together, with Jackson, Barnett, and the underrated Treyvon Hester, this is the best unit in the entire NFL.
OTHER 2019 NFL TOP 10S
Linebackers
Offensive Lines
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Tight Ends
Wide Receivers
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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