Best NFL pass rushers 2025: Ranking the 10 best NFL edge rushers right now

Yahoo

4 hours ago

In the National Football League, the most important position is quarterback. So often in a passing league, it's the ability to generate pressure on the quarterback that can make the difference between winning and losing. It's why edge rushers are now starting to make $40 million per season. Here, we're examining the best NFL pass rushers heading into the 2025 season.
Let's dive into our list of the best NFL edge rushers right now. Regarding the NFL stats used, pressures are from Pro Football Reference and we're using ESPN pass-rush win rate from the 2024 season.
1. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
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Myles Garrett is the best pass rusher in the NFL. After seemingly wanting the Cleveland Browns to trade him to a contender this offseason, Garrett instead took a contract extension that made him the first $40 million defensive player in NFL history. He's worth it. A six-time All-Pro selection, Garrett became the fourth-fastest player to reach 100 career sacks and the first to do it before turning 29 years old. The 6-foot-4 edge rusher has 102.5 sacks in 117 career games, a sack per game pace (.876) that's even better than Bruce Smith (-.717) and Reggie White (.853).
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Myles Garrett stats (2024): 44 pressures, 28 QB hits, 22 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 22% pass-rush win rate
Related: Best NFL corners 2025, ranking the best NFL cornerbacks right now
2. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys bet on Micah Parsons' athleticism in the 2022 NFL Draft, landing him with the 12th overall pick. While he hasn't won NFL Defensive Player of the Year to this point in his career, he's been a top-four candidate just about every season. An ankle sprain cost him multiple games in 2024, but he still recorded the third-most pressures and he led the NFL in hurries (21). Through his first four seasons, Parsons is averaging 0.833 sacks per game, higher than Lawrence Taylor (0.77) and Michael Strahan (0.655).
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Micah Parsons stats (2024): 46 pressures, 23 QB hits, 12 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 23% pass-rush win rate in 13 games
Related: NFL defense rankings 2025, evaluating all 32 defenses
3. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
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Some of the best pass rushers in the NFL were taken outside the top 25 picks in the NFL Draft and T.J. Watt is among them. Snagged with the 30th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, Watt has six All-Pro selections and seven Pro Bowl nods in eight seasons. An injury-plagued 2022 campaign is also the only reason he doesn't have seven consecutive seasons with 11-plus sacks. Not only is Watt outstanding and bringing down the quarterback, but he's already tied Reggie White (33) and surpassed Jared Allen (32) in career forced fumbles. Putting Watt's strip-sack ability into perspective, he is currently averaging nearly as many forced fumbles per game (.27) as Robert Mathis, the all-time leader in forced fumbles (54, 0.28 per game). Watt is also averaging more (0.893) than Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons.
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T.J. Watt stats (2024): 31 pressures, 27 QB hits, 19 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 19% pass-rush win rate
Read More: NFL power rankings 2025, evaluating all 32 teams
4. Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
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If Aidan Hutchinson hadn't suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in Week 6, the Detroit Lions edge rusher probably would have won Defensive Player of the Year. He recorded more sacks (7.5) and QB hits (17) than T.J. Watt (16 QB hits and 6.5 sacks) and Myles Garrett (15 QB hits and 7.0 sacks) in their first nine games last year. As for his career success to this point, Hutchinson boasts more sacks in his first 39 games (28.5) than Watt did in his first career 39 games (27.5 sacks). What makes Hutchinson's short stint of dominance last year even more impressive is that it came without a lot of pass-rushing help opposite him. He's a great DPOY pick in 2025.
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Aidan Hutchinson stats (2024): 27 pressures, 17 QB hits, 7 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks in 5 games
Related: Highest-paid NFL players 2025, highest-paid edge rushers in NFL
5. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
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Injuries have limited San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa over the years, but he's undeniably one of the best NFL pass rushers when healthy. While Bosa's sack totals over the last two seasons (19.5 in 31 games) nearly match the numbers from his DPOY campaign in 2023 (18.5 in 16 games), he remains a force to be reckoned with off the edge. Bosa does sacrifice sufficient run defense because he tends to overpursue, but his presence on the field also creates sack opportunities for his teammates. With more help opposite him in 2025, there's a strong likelihood of Bosa recording 12-plus sacks for the first time since 2022.
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Nick Bosa stats (2024): 37 pressures, 24 QB hits, 15 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 22% pass-rush win rate in 14 games
Read More: Best NFL coaches 2025
6. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
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An unfortunate theme of last season was that some of the best NFL edge rushers suffered significant injuries that kept them out multiple weeks or limited them on the field. The Las Vegas Raiders suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 and then aggravated it in Week 14, requiring season-ending surgery. It explains the dip in production, especially since he still played 96.5 percent of the Raiders' defensive snaps while injured. Prior to his injury-marred year, Crosby led the NFL in tackles for loss (45) from 2022-'23. If we were ranking edge rushers based more on all-around play, Crosby would be ahead of Bosa thanks to his superior play vs the run.
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Maxx Crosby stats (2024): 35 pressures, 20 QB hits, 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 20% pass-rush win rate in 12 games
Read More: Best NFL wide receivers 2025, ranking 10 best NFL receivers right now
7. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
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Trey Hendrickson is easily one of the best NFL pass rushers right now. While he brings very little in the way of defending the run, the Cincinnati Bengals edge defender is elite at the thing he's paid for. In addition to his league-leading 17.5 sacks and 54 pressures last season, Hendrickson recorded the third-most quarterback knockdowns (17) and the second-most hurries (18). Once a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Hendrickson is also an example of how the New Orleans Saints' salary-cap maneuvers helped lead to an All-Pro talent walking out the door. After netting just 6.5 sacks in his first three seasons, Hendrickson has averaged 14 sacks per season over the last five years. If he stays healthy, he'll join the 100-sack club in the 2026 season.
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Trey Hendrickson stats (2024): 54 pressures, 36 QB hits, 19 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, 24% pass-rush win rate
Read More: Best NFL running backs 2025, ranking 10 best running backs in NFL
8. Will Anderson Jr, Houston Texans
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The Houston Texans heard plenty of skepticism during the 2023 FL Draft when they traded a package featuring two first-round picks, the 33rd overall pick and a third-round pick to move up to No. 3 for Will Anderson Jr. Needless to say, the move worked out brilliantly. Anderson Jr. won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2023, netting 22 QB hits with 7 sacks. He followed that up with his first double-digit sack season in 2024, even while missing 3 games and playing through an ankle injury. Anderson is an ascending talent who might only be a year or two away from earning second-team All-Pro honors.
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Will Anderson stats (2024): 29 pressures, 19 QB hits, 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 22% pass-rush win rate in 14 games
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9. Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
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The Los Angeles Rams wasted little time when they were on the clock with the 19th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft before selecting Jared Verse. He was the third edge rusher off the board – behind Laiatu Latu (15th overall) and Dallas Turner (17th overall) – and he quickly made those other franchises look foolish. Verse posted the sixth-best ESPN Run Stop Win rate (32 percent) among all edge rushers during his rookie season, all the while generating the eighth-most hurries (15). After what he showed in the playoffs, Verse feels destined for double-digit sacks this season and might be close to reaching DPOY-caliber play.
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Jared Verse stats (2024): 33 pressures, 18 QB hits, 11 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 18% pass-rush win rate
Also Read: NFL offense rankings 2025, ranking all 32 offenses
10. Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans
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The Houston Texans have two of the best edge rushers in the NFL, so it's no surprise that they finished top five in sacks (49) last season. Danielle Hunter's lone issue in his pro career has been his inability to stay healthy. However, he's played all 17 games in three consecutive years with 67 quarterback hits, 52 tackles for loss, 39 sacks and 6 forced fumbles to show for it. Hunter led the NFL in pass-rush win rate (26 percent) in 2024, which helped him finish seventh in sacks (12). Between his tremendous pass-rushing productivity and his effort against the run, it's no surprise Houston gave him a one-year, $35.6 million extension in March.
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Danielle Hunter stats (2024): 34 pressures, 23 QB hits, 17 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 26% pass-rush win rate
Read More: Best NFL tight ends 2025, ranking 10 best NFL tight ends right now
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