The NFL’s best interior D-linemen

From Aaron Donald to J.J. Watt to Calais Campbell, SI.com ranks the best interior linemen in the NFL.

Doug Farrar | Jun 22, 2016

The NFL’s best interior D-linemen /

As this year’s edition of SI’s position-by-position rankings begins, one thing has become clear: The lines between positions are blurrier than ever. That dominant outside cornerback of a decade ago? That same player now has to split time at outside corner and in the slot, and maybe fill in at safety. The top receiver he used to battle along the sidelines? He may now line up in the slot 40% of the time. How about that tweener defensive lineman who was stuck on special teams in 2005? He has a home in today’s defensive fronts now that teams have developed hybrid roles to take advantage of his strengths. Those adaptations make the NFL far more positionally diverse than ever before.

The first group in the spotlight this year personifies this trend. The league’s best interior defenders would have spent most of their time as defensive tackles just a few years ago, but these days it’s rare that a defensive tackle isn’t tasked to do more than one thing or attack more than one gap. Below, we’ve combined 3–4 ends and 4–3 tackles into one elite tier of NFL interior linemen, and let their versatility take care of the rest. But first, a quick look at two players that didn’t quite make the list, but still deserve recognition.

Just missed the cut

Derek Wolfe, Broncos: It remains to be seen how much Wolfe was helped by Malik Jackson, and the Broncos will find out now that Jackson is in Jacksonville. But Wolfe has rare strength and endurance, and he possesses everything it takes to be the linchpin of Denver’s interior line for years to come.

The next big thing

Leonard Williams, Jets: Williams was taken sixth overall in the 2015 draft by the Jets after showcasing his amazing gap versatility at USC, and he has already made an impact in the NFL. Over time, as he learns how to defeat savvier professional blockers with more technique, he could be the successor to J.J. Watt as a multi-gap force.

And now, onto our rankings.

Published Jun 22, 2016

DOUG FARRAR

SI.com contributing NFL writer and Seattle resident Doug Farrar started writing about football locally in 2002, and became Football Outsiders' West Coast NFL guy in 2006. He was fascinated by FO's idea to combine Bill James with Dr. Z, and wrote for the site for six years. He wrote a game-tape column called "Cover-2" for a number of years, and contributed to six editions of "Pro Football Prospectus" and the "Football Outsiders Almanac." In 2009, Doug was invited to join Yahoo Sports' NFL team, and covered Senior Bowls, scouting combines, Super Bowls, and all sorts of other things for Yahoo Sports and the Shutdown Corner blog through June, 2013. Doug received the proverbial offer he couldn't refuse from SI.com in 2013, and that was that. Doug has also written for the Seattle Times, the Washington Post, the New York Sun, FOX Sports, ESPN.com, and ESPN The Magazine. He also makes regular appearances on several local and national radio shows, and has hosted several podcasts over the years. He counts Dan Jenkins, Thomas Boswell, Frank Deford, Ralph Wiley, Peter King, and Bill Simmons as the writers who made him want to do this for a living. In his rare off-time, Doug can be found reading, hiking, working out, searching for new Hendrix, Who, and MC5 bootlegs, and wondering if the Mariners will ever be good again.