The real 2025 NFL season is fast approaching, which means it’s almost time to get a full look at football’s best talent. We’ve had all offseason to watch teams collect and swap and challenge players through spring workouts, summer training camp and now preseason contests. The only thing left is for the true games to begin, pitting all 32 clubs against each other in a battle for glory.
Which players deserve your attention the most in 2025? Which veterans stand out at their respective positions, promising to elevate their team’s title hopes and/or reshape the story of the season?
We surveyed five of our NFL writers — Cody Benjamin, Jordan Dajani, Jared Dubin, Garrett Podell and Tyler Sullivan — to identify the 10 best players at every single position going into the new year.
First up: the defense, where there was near-unanimous consensus on the best edge rushers but plenty of differing opinions regarding the most reliable cornerbacks in the league. Check out how we voted on each of the most notable defensive spots, with players sorted by a composite of total number of votes and order of preference:
IDL
1. Dexter Lawrence (Giants)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 2
“Sexy Dexy” had a career-high nine sacks in 2024 despite missing five games. He’s the total, supersized package.
2. Chris Jones (Chiefs)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 2
A future Hall of Famer and three-time champion, Jones has logged at least 20 quarterback hits in six of his last seven NFL seasons.
3. Cameron Heyward (Steelers)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 6
He may be aging (36), but Heyward is an iron man for Mike Tomlin’s defense, with 211 career games played in Pittsburgh.
4. Nnamdi Madubuike (Ravens)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 10
Eyeing a third straight Pro Bowl nod in 2025, Madubuike is a true pocket infiltrator, with 23 tackles for loss in his last two years.
5. Jalen Carter (Eagles)
Highest rank: 3 | Lowest rank: 8
The most tenacious member of Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning defensive front, Carter is still just 24 and entering his prime.
6. Leonard Williams (Seahawks)
Highest rank: 5 | Lowest rank: Unranked
After approaching a career high in sacks at age 30, the former New York standout has now proven reliable for three different teams.
7. Vita Vea (Buccaneers)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Few big men clog lanes like Vea, who had a personal-best seven sacks at the heart of Todd Bowles’ front in 2024.
8. Zach Allen (Broncos)
Highest rank: 7 | Lowest rank: Unranked
An underrated reason for Denver’s rise as a terrorizing defense: this man, who racked up 40 quarterback hits in his Broncos debut.
9. DeForest Buckner (Colts)
Highest rank: 5 | Lowest rank: Unranked
He may not be the pocket wrecker he once was, but Buckner’s experience makes him the sturdiest part of Indianapolis’ line.
10. Jeffery Simmons (Titans)
Highest rank: 3 | Lowest rank: Unranked
A bit more polarizing, perhaps in part due to streakier sack production, Simmons is still particularly nasty at his best.
Also received top 10 votes: Quinnen Williams (3), Derrick Brown (1), Milton Williams (1), Poona Ford (1), Braden Fiske (1)
EDGE
1. Myles Garrett (Browns)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 2
It’s been eight whole years since Garrett, the most physically imposing rusher in the game, had fewer than 10 sacks in a season.
2. Micah Parsons (Cowboys)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 3
The rangiest and most fun-loving of the bunch, Parsons isn’t so friendly to quarterbacks, with 52.5 sacks in 63 career games.
3. T.J. Watt (Steelers)
Highest rank: 2 | Lowest rank: 3
It’s kind of stunning the Steelers star didn’t get a top vote; he’s the NFL’s premier strip-sack artist, with 33 career forced fumbles.
4. Maxx Crosby (Raiders)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 5
A perfect embodiment of Raiders grit, Crosby’s relentlessness has produced almost 30 quarterback hits per year since 2021.
5. Aidan Hutchinson (Lions)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 6
Before a leg injury cost him 12 games in 2024, the Michigan man was on track for career marks as the face of Detroit’s defense.
6. Nick Bosa (49ers)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 7
It’s not necessarily a coincidence San Francisco has reached two Super Bowls since his burly presence arrived in 2019.
7. Will Anderson Jr. (Texans)
Highest rank: 7 | Lowest rank: 9
Two years in, Anderson is meeting expectations as a former top-three pick, helping headline DeMeco Ryans’ feisty front.
8. Trey Hendrickson (Bengals)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 10
He may be known for his contract squabbles, but on the field, Hendrickson is a machine, fresh off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons.
9. Jared Verse (Rams)
Highest rank: 7 | Lowest rank: 10
His sheer strength didn’t just earn him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors but was also on full display under the brightest lights.
10. Danielle Hunter (Texans)
Highest rank: 8 | Lowest rank: 10
Anderson’s elder counterpart in Houston, Hunter is a physical freak, clearing 12.5 sacks five times during his All-Pro career.
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Jared Dubin
LB
1. Fred Warner (49ers)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 1
There’s no competition here: Warner has barely taken a play off as the high-octane heart of San Francisco’s contending defense.
2. Roquan Smith (Ravens)
Highest rank: 2 | Lowest rank: 3
Can you believe this man just turned 28? He’s been a projectile missile since arriving with the Chicago Bears back in 2018.
3. Zack Baun (Eagles)
Highest rank: 2 | Lowest rank: 3
The out-of-nowhere breakout of 2024, Baun went from edge rushing reserve to violent do-it-all weapon in his Philadelphia debut.
4. Nick Bolton (Chiefs)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 9
His reputation might be slightly inflated by Kansas City’s dynastic run, but he’s still a tackle machine for Steve Spagnuolo’s unit.
5. Frankie Luvu (Commanders)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 9
Just entering his prime at 28, Luvu’s greatest strength is as an extra rusher, charging through the line to get after the quarterback.
6. Quincy Williams (Jets)
Highest rank: 5 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Behind the power of big men like Quinnen Williams, he excels at weaving into the backfield, with 41 tackles for loss since 2022.
7. Dre Greenlaw (Broncos)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: Unranked
A former 49ers tone-setter, Greenlaw is primed to bring added physicality to an already stingy Broncos defense.
8. Lavonte David (Buccaneers)
Highest rank: 7 | Lowest rank: Unranked
His athleticism may have a limit at 35, but there’s a reason the Bucs keep welcoming him back, along with his savvy experience.
9. Tremaine Edmunds (Bears)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Edmunds has arguably been more tantalizing than spectacular since his Buffalo Bills days, hence the big disparity in votes.
10. DeMarion Overshown (Cowboys)
Highest rank: 7 | Lowest rank: Unranked
In between two ACL tears, the tough Overshown looked like a complete defender as Micah Parsons’ counterpart in Dallas.
Also received top 10 votes: Bobby Wagner (3), Jack Campbell (3), T.J. Edwards (2), Edgerrin Cooper (1)
CB
1. Patrick Surtain II (Broncos)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 2
Steady is the name of the game at corner, and Surtain has been just that, showcasing both reliable ball skills and run support.
2. Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 2
If Surtain is sturdy, then Stingley is splashy, breaking on passes with ridiculous speed to collect 12 picks in the last two years alone.
3. Sauce Gardner (Jets)
Highest rank: 3 | Lowest rank: 4
Maybe the most confident of the bunch, Gardner is coming off a slower year but remains a standard-setter for pass breakups.
4. Trent McDuffie (Chiefs)
Highest rank: 3 | Lowest rank: 6
A versatile chess piece for Steve Spagnuolo, McDuffie’s strength is staying around the ball in a variety of ways, including on blitzes.
5. Christian Gonzalez (Patriots)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 7
A breakout second season has Gonzalez, a gifted athlete coming out of Oregon, positioned to lead Mike Vrabel’s new-look defense.
6. Denzel Ward (Browns)
Highest rank: 3 | Lowest rank: 10
Solid for an otherwise poor team, Ward has gone seven straight seasons with at least 10 pass deflections to start his NFL career.
7. Jaylon Johnson (Bears)
Highest rank: 5 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Two years after securing four picks as the lead playmaker of Chicago’s defense, he could be due for a jump under Dennis Allen.
8. Marlon Humphrey (Ravens)
Highest rank: 9 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Humphrey has missed extensive time in two of his last four seasons, but he’s also coming off a career-high six picks for Baltimore.
9. Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks)
Highest rank: 6 | Lowest rank: Unranked
He may have just one pick after two seasons, but Witherspoon is a go-getter for Seattle, including as a willing run defender.
10. Quinyon Mitchell (Eagles)
Highest rank: 9 | Lowest rank: Unranked
A candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Mitchell’s calm yet physical outside presence was a quiet key to the Eagles’ title run.
Also receiving top 10 votes: Jaycee Horn (2), D.J. Reed (2), DaRon Bland (1), A.J. Terrell (1), Jalen Ramsey (1)
S
1. Kyle Hamilton (Ravens)
Highest rank: 1 | Lowest rank: 1
Less a safety than an all-around ball magnet, Hamilton has proven capable of manning just about any position with force and range.
2. Brian Branch (Lions)
Highest rank: 2 | Lowest rank: 3
He may not be the biggest or fastest, but Branch ensures you feel the Lions’ defense with scrappy sideline-to-sideline attitude.
3. Xavier McKinney (Packers)
Highest rank: 2 | Lowest rank: 6
Injuries occasionally marred his ball skills with the New York Giants, but he was an absolute pick machine in his Packers debut.
4. Kerby Joseph (Lions)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 7
Joseph is the current chief at snagging passes, giving the Lions a bona fide center field ballhawk with 17 picks in three years.
5. Derwin James (Chargers)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: 8
His name may be a touch bigger than his resume, but James remains a towering presence at the back end of L.A.’s secondary.
6. Antoine Winfield Jr. (Buccaneers)
Highest rank: 5 | Lowest rank: 9
Durability has been a concern the last few years, but he does everything well as a wrecking ball for Todd Bowles’ backfield.
7. Jessie Bates III (Falcons)
Highest rank: 3 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Few safeties are as natural in pass coverage; he’s up over 60 pass breakups dating back to his start with the Cincinnati Bengals.
8. C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Texans)
Highest rank: 6 | Lowest rank: Unranked
If chirpy attitude and fearless ball-hawking is your thing, this is your man. His energy helped the Eagles reach two Super Bowls.
9. Budda Baker (Cardinals)
Highest rank: 4 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Close to a decade into his run in Arizona, Baker still manages a heavy workload, racking up a whopping 164 tackles in 2024.
10. Minkah Fitzpatrick (Dolphins)
Highest rank: 7 | Lowest rank: Unranked
Reunited with Miami via trade with the Steelers, Fitzpatrick was one of the game’s best pick artists not too long ago.
Also received top 10 votes: Julian Love (3), Brandon Jones (1), Justin Reid (1), Reed Blankenship (1)