1	Jeffery Simmons Tennessee Titans DT
Points: 110 \| Highest rank: 1 \| Lowest rank: 1 \| Simmons was the unanimous No. 1 here, a testament to a tremendous 2025 season that included 11 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback hits. He earned his first career first-team All-Pro nod.
2	Jalen Carter Philadelphia Eagles DT
Points: 81 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Carter's 2025 was a whirlwind and not in a good way: ejected moments before the first snap of the season for spitting on/at Dak Prescott, issues with both shoulders and, overall, a career-low three sacks in 11 games. The talent is as good as anyone's, though.
3	Quinnen Williams Dallas Cowboys DT
Points: 81 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 6 \| Williams produced a career-low 2.5 sacks in 2025, split between the Jets and the Cowboys, but other pass rush numbers -- 51 pressures, 13.4% pressure rate -- were right in line with his previous three dominant seasons.
4	Leonard Williams Seattle Seahawks DE
Points: 68 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 9 \| Williams has been an absolute steal for the Seahawks, who have had no shortage of them as part of their run to Super Bowl champs. Acquired from the Giants for a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder, Williams has played at an All-Pro level the last two seasons.
5	Chris Jones Kansas City Chiefs DE
Points: 60 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: 7 \| Does Jones take some plays off? Sure. Did he miss out on All-Pro teams for the first time since 2019? Yes. But when he's engaged, he's still among the most disruptive interior forces. He should have more help around him this year, too.
6	Byron Murphy II Seattle Seahawks DT
Points: 56 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 10 \| Murphy skyrocketed up these rankings after seven sacks (plus two more in the playoffs) in 2025. The Seahawks combining two elite interior defensive linemen with a plethora of edge rushers was a huge reason they won the Super Bowl.
7	Dexter Lawrence Cincinnati Bengals DT
Points: 52 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: 9 \| After a "down" year following his excellent 2022-24 stretch, Lawrence has hefty expectations on his shoulders. The Bengals have desperately needed a stud interior defender, so much so that they traded the No. 10 overall pick straight up for Lawrence. Can he deliver?
8	Derrick Brown Carolina Panthers DT
Points: 23 \| Highest rank: 5 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Brown returned in impressive fashion after missing basically all of 2024, posting a career-high five sacks. The Panthers have invested heavily along the defensive line to give him some help. Is another breakout year on the way?
9	Zach Allen Denver Broncos DE
Points: 22 \| Highest rank: 6 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Allen has quietly been an All-Pro selection each of the last two years, including a first-teamer in 2025. A stud against the run and the pass, he has played in all but one game since joining Denver in 2023.
10	Cameron Heyward Pittsburgh Steelers DE
Points: 19 \| Highest rank: 5 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Heyward is 37, but he has shown no signs of slowing down. He was PFF's No. 1 interior defender (and a second-team All-Pro) in 2025. Pairing him with a healthy Derrick Harmon is an exciting prospect for Pittsburgh.

1	Myles Garrett Los Angeles Rams DE
Points: 110 \| Highest rank: 1 \| Lowest rank: 1 \| Garrett is our unanimous top edge defender, and it's easy to see why. He just broke the NFL record with 23 sacks, he has been the Defensive Player of the Year twice in the last three years, and now he's joining a loaded Rams defense.
2	Micah Parsons Green Bay Packers DE
Points: 94 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 4 \| Parsons is expected to miss at least a few weeks to start the season after tearing his ACL last year. When he returns, watch out: His 19.4% pass rush rate was third in the NFL, and he finished with 12.5 sacks despite having a limited role early and missing the last three games of the year.
3	Will Anderson Jr. Houston Texans DE
Points: 89 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 4 \| If Garrett didn't exist, Anderson would have been the Defensive Player of the Year last year: 12 sacks, league bests in pressure rate (21%) and quarterback hurries (70) and outstanding run defense. The scary thing? He's only getting better.
4	Aidan Hutchinson Detroit Lions DE
Points: 69 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: 8 \| Hutchinson's 2025 included 14.5 sacks, 64 pressures and a 17.5% pressure rate. Not bad for a guy coming off a gruesome broken leg. His 100 pressures were the most in the NFL.
5	Maxx Crosby Las Vegas Raiders DE
Points: 64 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: 8 \| Crosby excels as a run defender and pass rusher, has a motor that never stops and basically never leaves the field. His competitive edge is exactly what you want from a face of the franchise.
6	Danielle Hunter Houston Texans DE
Points: 61 \| Highest rank: 4 \| Lowest rank: 7 \| Often overshadowed by Anderson, Hunter is an absolute beast in his own right with 43.5 sacks over the past three seasons, more than anyone other than Garrett. He is a terror with his length, violence and speed.
7	Nik Bonitto Denver Broncos LB
Points: 29 \| Highest rank: 7 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Only Garrett had a higher pressure rate than Bonitto's 19.4% last season, and Bonitto's 14 sacks ranked in the top five. He has combined immense speed/quickness with some impressive technical development. His 2.3 average seconds to pressure was better than anyone else in this top 10.
8	Nick Bosa San Francisco 49ers DE
Points: 22 \| Highest rank: 7 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Bosa (ACL) played in just three games last year. Still, this is a player who had 18.5 sacks in 2022 and 10.5 more in 2023. He had the fifth-highest pressure rate in the NFL in 2024. Can he get back to that version of himself?
9	Jared Verse Cleveland Browns LB
Points: 18 \| Highest rank: 7 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Sent to Cleveland in the Garrett trade, Verse has the second-most pressures in the NFL (158) since he entered the league two years ago. He needs to turn more of that pressure into sacks.
10	T.J. Watt Pittsburgh Steelers OLB
Points: 12 \| Highest rank: 6 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Watt turns 32 in October and isn't what he was at his superstar peak, but his penchant for game-changing plays remains. His 36 career forced fumbles are tied for the most of any active player.

1	Fred Warner San Francisco 49ers MLB
Points: 110 \| Highest rank: 1 \| Lowest rank: 1 \| Warner has been the standard for the position for the past half-decade or so, having earned first-team All-Pro honors four of the last six seasons. He's coming back from a nasty ankle injury, but all systems should be go.
2	Jack Campbell Detroit Lions LB
Points: 82 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 8 \| Campbell earned first-team All-Pro honors last year. He's been a constant in the middle of a Detroit defense that seems to be dealing with injuries every week, and he had a career-high five sacks last year.
3	Carson Schwesinger Cleveland Browns LB
Points: 78 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 9 \| The 2025 Defensive Rookie of the Year had 156(!) total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions. Talk about filling up the stat sheet!
4	Roquan Smith Baltimore Ravens ILB
Points: 68 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Smith missed All-Pro teams for the first time since 2019, but he was once again a tackling machine. He's not quite as fast or rangy as he was a few years ago, but he is still among the game's elite.
5	Zack Baun Philadelphia Eagles LB
Points: 55 \| Highest rank: 4 \| Lowest rank: 9 \| In 2024, the Eagles signed Baun as a nondescript free agent and transformed him from a depth-piece pass rusher to a franchise middle linebacker in one of the best cheap signings and position changes in recent memory. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2024 and a Pro Bowler in 2025.
6	Devin Lloyd Carolina Panthers LB
Points: 45 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Lloyd picked a good time to break out. In a contract year after three up-and-down seasons, he had five interceptions, including a 99-yard pick-six of Patrick Mahomes. The Panthers are hoping he plays like his 2025 self for years to come.
7	Edgerrin Cooper Green Bay Packers LB
Points: 43 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Watching Cooper hawk down opposing ball carriers is a thrill. He's super explosive, and he packs a punch once he reaches his target. Only 24, he'll be expected to step up with Quay Walker gone.
8	Jordyn Brooks Miami Dolphins LB
Points: 40 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Brooks broke out into a first-team All-Pro performer last year, leading the NFL with 183 tackles. He has always been super active, taking down anyone with the ball, but his all-around game leveled up in 2025.
9	Azeez Al-Shaair Houston Texans LB
Points: 24 \| Highest rank: 5 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| There are many other stars on Houston's defense, but Al-Shaair turning into a Pro Bowler as a 28-year-old was a huge boost for the unit as a whole. He absolutely wallops anyone with the ball.
10	Ernest Jones Seattle Seahawks LB
Points: 23 \| Highest rank: 4 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Jones' unusual career path includes him winning a Super Bowl with the Rams, being traded to the Titans despite seeming to be a franchise cornerstone, being traded again just a few months later to the Seahawks and then winning another Super Bowl. He is a perfect fit for Mike Macdonald and has proved to be yet another great find for Seattle.

1	Patrick Surtain II Denver Broncos CB
Points: 105 \| Highest rank: 1 \| Lowest rank: 3 \| Surtain pulled in seven of 11 first-place votes to top the podium in our voters' eyes (Derek Stingley Jr. received three first-place votes, and Devon Witherspoon received one). Surtain, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, is as good as it gets in terms of pure coverage.
2	Derek Stingley Jr. Houston Texans CB
Points: 101 \| Highest rank: 1 \| Lowest rank: 3 \| Want coverage nearly on the level of Surtain, plus a little bit more ballhawking and aggression? Stingley, with 14 interceptions in the past three years, is your guy. Can he get beaten deep every once in a while when he's too aggressive? Sure. But he is excellent in all aspects.
3	Devon Witherspoon Seattle Seahawks CB
Points: 81 \| Highest rank: 1 \| Lowest rank: 6 \| Witherspoon is an absolute missile coming up and playing the run or blitzing, and in the Super Bowl, he had a sack and three pressures on Drake Maye. His tone-setting moving forward shouldn't overshadow his talent in coverage, though. He is a dogged defender everywhere he goes.
4	Christian Gonzalez New England Patriots CB
Points: 77 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: 7 \| Gonzalez is a smooth operator with elite top-end speed and terrific length to boot. After an injury-derailed rookie year, he was a second-team All-Pro in 2024 and a Pro Bowler last year. He defended an NFL-high seven passes last postseason.
5	Quinyon Mitchell Philadelphia Eagles CB
Points: 71 \| Highest rank: 4 \| Lowest rank: 5 \| Mitchell has been among the elite shutdown corners since he entered the league in 2024, and he earned a first-team All-Pro nod last year. He somehow has zero interceptions in 32 regular-season games but four interceptions in five playoff games.
6	Trent McDuffie Los Angeles Rams CB
Points: 47 \| Highest rank: 6 \| Lowest rank: 8 \| The Myles Garrett acquisition now overshadows the Rams' earlier blockbuster deal, but bringing in McDuffie should be a boon for a team that simply didn't have enough cornerback talent last year. McDuffie can play inside and outside and is a two-time All-Pro.
7	Sauce Gardner Indianapolis Colts CB
Points: 44 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: 10 \| Like many of the Colts' top players last year, Gardner suffered a midseason injury that contributed to Indianapolis losing its final seven games. He's still a tremendous cover player, but adding ball production (three picks in four years) would help him make another leap.
8	Denzel Ward Cleveland Browns CB
Points: 29 \| Highest rank: 6 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Ward continues to do solid work in Cleveland and has now played in at least 15 games each of the last two years after doing it just once in his first six years. He's a five-time Pro Bowl selection.
T9	Kamari Lassiter Houston Texans CB
Points: 14 \| Highest rank: 6 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| For those keeping track at home, Houston has two top-10 EDGEs, a top-10 linebacker and two top-10 cornerbacks. Lassiter is super physical and has already recorded 7 picks and 27 passes defended in two years. He's a perfect stylistic fit in Houston.
T9	Joey Porter Jr. Pittsburgh Steelers CB
Points: 14 \| Highest rank: 6 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Porter's advanced numbers were excellent last year, and while he gets flagged too often for his physical play, there's no doubt the arrow is pointing up in a major way.

1	Kyle Hamilton Baltimore Ravens SAF
Points: 110 \| Highest rank: 1 \| Lowest rank: 1 \| To say Hamilton does "a little bit of everything" vastly undersells how good he is at doing everything. He can (and does) play nickel corner, outside corner, deep safety, box safety and linebacker. He even sneaks up onto the line of scrimmage sometimes. He'll be a joy to watch in Jesse Minter's system.
2	Derwin James Los Angeles Chargers FS
Points: 96 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 4 \| Speaking of Minter, James reached new heights with Minter as his defensive coordinator. A second-team All-Pro each of the past two years, James finally reached his full potential as a do-everything athletic freak.
3	Nick Emmanwori Seattle Seahawks SAF
Points: 61 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Emmanwori is a fascinating evaluation. Multiple voters didn't have him on their ballot at all, yet he still finished third overall. He's a big nickel, a thumper coming downhill and a tremendous athlete. Questions about his coverage may have deterred some voters, but Mike Macdonald knows how to hide them.
4	Cooper DeJean Philadelphia Eagles CB
Points: 60 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: 9 \| DeJean has basically played -- and excelled at -- slot corner, but this year, he could play more traditional safety. Regardless, he is a terrific player in coverage and against the run. His versatility is impressive.
5	Antoine Winfield Jr. Tampa Bay Buccaneers SAF
Points: 53 \| Highest rank: 4 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Winfield continues to be a stalwart in Tampa Bay, and he responded from an injury-derailed 2024 with yet another Pro Bowl season in 2025. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and could very well get back to that level this year.
6	Brian Branch Detroit Lions CB
Points: 51 \| Highest rank: 2 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Branch can play everywhere and brings major attitude to the Detroit defense, which Dan Campbell must love. He's coming off a torn Achilles, though, and could miss several months, which likely weighed heavily on the minds of voters who didn't put him in their top 10.
7	Xavier McKinney Green Bay Packers SAF
Points: 50 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: 10 \| McKinney was one of just four safeties to appear on every ballot. He had just two interceptions last year after eight in 2024, but he is among the best air patrollers in the NFL. PFF also had him as the seventh-best run defender at the position.
8	Jessie Bates III Atlanta Falcons FS
Points: 46 \| Highest rank: 3 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Bates has picked off at least three passes in seven of his eight NFL seasons and is regarded as one of the brightest players in the NFL, regardless of position. Safeties No. 3 through No. 8 were separated by just 15 points, showing the logjam of top players at the position behind Hamilton and James.
9	Caleb Downs Dallas Cowboys SAF
Points: 21 \| Highest rank: 5 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Downs was the lone defensive rookie to make a top 10 and one of just two rookies (Jeremiyah Love was the other) to do so at any position. He'll immediately help Dallas' leaky secondary.
10	Kerby Joseph Detroit Lions SAF
Points: 19 \| Highest rank: 4 \| Lowest rank: Unranked \| Joseph picked off an NFL-best nine passes in 2024 and had three more in six games in 2025 before a knee injury ended his season. It's a chronic issue for Joseph, which in part explains the wide range of votes received (or not).

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CBS Sports' top 10 players at every defensive position