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Breaking down the best NFL players by their position, including quarterbacks, wide receivers, and linebackers.

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<p>When it comes to striking fear into an opposing offense, having a great defensive end can be a game changer. A lightning quick defensive end can cause chaos for offense by interrupting a quarterback's rhythm by rushing and hitting him. A great defensive end is double teamed most of the time, allowing for his counterpart to blow up an offense's scheme. A great defensive end isn't measured by stats, though having a lot of sacks certainly doesn't hurt his claim to being one of the greatest of all time. </p><p>There are a lot of familiar faces on the list of greatest defensive ends of all time. Famous defensive ends like Reggie White, Michael Strahan and Jack Youngblood are some of the toughest and menacing players in the league. White and Strahan were considered the best defensive ends of their generation. Strahan currently holds the single season record for sacks in a season. Youngblood cemented his status as the toughest player in the NFL when he played in Super Bowl XIV with a broken leg.</p>Selecting who the greatest defensive end of all time isn't easy, especially since most of these defensive ends either are in or will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But you can vote for who you feel is the best-ever on this Ultimate List.

Best Defensive Ends of All Time | List of Top 10 NFL DE Players

The Greatest Defensive Ends of All Time

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Reggie White

Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the University of Tennessee, and was recognized as an All-American. After playing two professional seasons for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL), he was selected in the first round of the 1984 Supplemental Draft, and then played for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and Carolina Panthers, becoming one of the most awarded players in NFL history.
The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, 13-time Pro Bowl, and 13-time All-Pro selection holds second place all-time among career sack leaders with 198 (behind Bruce Smith's 200 career sacks) and was selected to the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, and the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team. During his professional career, he was also known for his Christian ministry as an ordained Evangelical minister, leading to his nickname, "the Minister of Defense". White is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bruce Smith

Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is a former American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was a member of the Buffalo Bills teams that played in four consecutive Super Bowls as AFC champions.  The holder of the NFL career record for quarterback sacks with 200, Smith was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility. Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Joe Greene

Charles Edward Greene (born September 5, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1981. A recipient of two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, five first-team All-Pro selections, and ten Pro Bowl appearances, Greene is widely considered to be the one of the greatest defensive linemen to play in the NFL. He was noted for his leadership, fierce competitiveness, and intimidating style of play for which he earned his nickname.
Born and raised in Temple, Texas, Greene attended North Texas State University (now University of North Texas), where he earned consensus All-America honors as a senior playing for the North Texas State Mean Green football team. He was drafted by the Steelers fourth overall in the 1969 NFL Draft and made an immediate impact with the team, as he was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year. Greene is credited with providing the foundation upon which Steelers coach Chuck Noll turned the dismal franchise into a sports dynasty. He was the centerpiece of the "Steel Curtain" defense that led Pittsburgh to four Super Bowl championships in a six-year span.
Throughout his career, Greene was one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL, able to overpower opposing offensive linemen with ease and disrupt blocking. Former teammate Andy Russell called Greene "unquestionably the NFL's best player in the seventies." He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, and his number 75 jersey is one of only two retired by the Steelers. Greene is also well known for his appearance in the "Hey Kid, Catch!" Coca-Cola commercial, which aired during Super Bowl XIV and solidified his reputation as a "tough football player who's a nice guy."

Deacon Jones

David D. "Deacon" Jones (December 9, 1938 – June 3, 2013) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Jones specialized in quarterback "sacks" stats, a term which he coined. Nicknamed "the Secretary of Defense", Jones is considered one of the greatest defensive players ever.  The Los Angeles Times called Jones "most valuable Ram of all time," and former Rams head coach George Allen called him the "greatest defensive end of modern football".

J. J. Watt

Justin James "J.J." Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Wisconsin, and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Watt received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons. Although primarily a defensive end, he occasionally shifts to defensive tackle in some situations. He has also taken snaps on offense, catching three touchdown passes during the 2014 season. In 2014, Watt became the first player in NFL history to record two 20+ sack seasons in a career. He holds the Texans' franchise records for both sacks and forced fumbles. In 2017, Sports Illustrated named Watt its Sportsperson of the Year.

Julius Peppers

Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is a former American football defensive end. He played college football at North Carolina, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016.
Peppers was named to the Pro Bowl nine times, and both the first and second All-Pro teams three times each. In his rookie season, he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2002, where he recorded 12 sacks, five forced fumbles, and an interception, all while playing in only 12 games. He was also named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.

Howie Long

Howard Matthew Moses Long (born January 6, 1960) is an American former National Football League (NFL) defensive end, actor, and current sports analyst. He played in the NFL for 13 seasons and spent his entire career with the Raiders franchise, in Oakland during his rookie campaign in 1981 and in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1993. During his tenure as a player, Long was named to eight Pro Bowls and helped the Los Angeles Raiders win a championship in Super Bowl XVIII in 1984. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
After retiring, Long pursued a career in acting and broadcasting. He currently serves as a studio analyst for Fox Sports' NFL coverage.

Ed Jones

Ed Lee Jones (born October 21, 1950), commonly known as Ed "Too Tall" Jones, is a retired American football player who played 15 seasons (1974–1978, 1980–1989) in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. In 1979, he briefly left football to attempt a career in professional boxing.

Michael Strahan

Michael Anthony Strahan (; born November 21, 1971) is an American former football defensive end who spent his entire 15-year career with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). Strahan set a record for the most sacks in a season in 2001, and helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLII over the New England Patriots in his final season in 2007. After retiring from the NFL, Strahan became a media personality. Strahan was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and  co-host of ABC's Strahan and Sara. He was previously on the syndicated daytime talk show Live! with Kelly and Michael with co-host Kelly Ripa from 2012 to 2016, where he was a two-time Daytime Emmy Award winner. In 2014, he became a regular contributor on morning show Good Morning America, and in 2016 the network announced that Strahan would be leaving Live! to join GMA on a full-time basis.

Jack Youngblood

Herbert Jackson Youngblood III (born January 26, 1950) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons during the 1970s and 1980s. He was a five-time consensus All-Pro and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Before playing professionally, Youngblood played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. He is considered among the best players Florida ever produced—a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and one of only six Florida Gators to be named to the Gator Football Ring of Honor.
After retiring as a player in 1985, Youngblood worked in the Rams' front office until 1991. He also worked in the front office of the Sacramento Surge of the World League (WLAF) from 1992 to 1993, and the administration of the Canadian Football League's Sacramento Gold Miners from 1993 to 1994. He was a vice-president, then president, of the Orlando Predators from 1995 until 1999. From 1999 through 2002, he served as the NFL's liaison for the Arena Football League.Youngblood has made forays into broadcasting (both radio and television), acting, and business, and has written an autobiography. He was a popular spokesperson for various products, and he has been consistently involved in charity work, starting in college, continuing throughout his NFL career, and remaining so today. Currently, Youngblood serves on the NFLPA Mackey-White Traumatic Brain Injury Committee.In 2014, Youngblood opened the Jack Youngblood Center for NeuroEnhancement in Orlando, Florida, which purports to treat the symptoms of traumatic brain injury and offer care to patients in effort to restore normal brain function. Youngblood has stated, "The bonus with this therapy is that the time invested is minimal, while the results are extraordinary."

Richard Dent

Richard Lamar Dent (born December 13, 1960) is a former American football defensive end, who played primarily for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He was the MVP of Super Bowl XX. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Merlin Olsen

Merlin Jay Olsen (; September 15, 1940 – March 11, 2010) was an American football player, announcer, and actor.  He played his entire 15-year professional football career in National Football League (NFL) as a defensive tackle with the Los Angeles Rams.  He was selected to the Pro Bowl a record 14 straight times, missing selection only in the last year of his career. This record of 14 seasons selected to play in the Pro Bowl, consecutive or otherwise, is shared with current New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, former offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, former tight end Tony Gonzalez, and former quarterback Peyton Manning. A recipient of the 1961 Outland Trophy as the best lineman in college football, Olsen is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame. As an actor, he portrayed farmer Jonathan Garvey on Little House on the Prairie. After leaving that series, he starred in his own NBC drama, Father Murphy.

Jason Taylor

Jason Paul Taylor (born September 1, 1974) is a former American football defensive end and outside linebacker who spent the majority of his career with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Over the course of his 15-year career, Taylor played for the Dolphins on three separate occasions (1997–2007, 2009 and 2011), and also played a season each for the Washington Redskins (2008) and New York Jets (2010). Taylor has the fourth most forced fumbles of all time with 47, and is tied for the NFL record for fumble recoveries (with Jim Marshall) with 29. He is seventh on the all-time career sack list with 139.5 sacks and is the all-time leader in fumble return touchdowns with six, and interceptions returned for touchdowns by a defensive lineman with three, while his 246 fumble return yards are the fourth-highest total in NFL history. With nine career touchdowns scored, he is also the all-time leader in that category for defensive linemen. He officially announced his retirement on December 28, 2011.
Taylor was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the Akron Zips of the University of Akron before being drafted in the third round, thirteenth pick (73rd overall), in the 1997 NFL Draft by Miami.
A six-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time first- or second-team All-Pro, Taylor was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, was named the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2007, and was selected to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility.

Charles Haley

Charles Lewis Haley (born January 6, 1964) is a former  American football linebacker and defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers (1986–1991, 1998–1999) and the Dallas Cowboys (1992–1996).
A versatile defensive player, Haley began his career as a specialty outside linebacker, eventually progressing to pass-rusher and finally full-fledged defensive end. He is the first five-time Super Bowl champion and is second only to Tom Brady who has six Super Bowl titles. He won two Super Bowls with the 49ers (XXIII, XXIV) and three with the Cowboys (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX); he was a starter in all five championship games. Haley was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Dwight Freeney

Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 19, 1980) is a former American football defensive end who played 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse, where he earned unanimous All-American honors, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. With the Colts, Freeney won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears, and made seven Pro Bowls. He also played for the San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.

DeMarcus Ware

DeMarcus Omar Ware (born July 31, 1982) is a former American football outside linebacker and defensive end. He played college football at Troy and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. After spending nine seasons with the Cowboys, Ware departed in 2013 as the franchise's all-time leader in quarterback sacks with 117. Ware then played three seasons for the Denver Broncos, with whom he won Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers. After the 2016 season with the Broncos, he announced his retirement from the NFL. In 2017, he signed a one-day contract with Dallas to retire as a Cowboy. In 2018, the Broncos hired Ware as a pass-rush consultant.

Bubba Smith

Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith (February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011) was an American professional football player, who starred as a defensive end in both college and the NFL before becoming an actor following his retirement from the sport. 
Smith first came into prominence at Michigan State University, where he twice earned All-American honors on the Spartans football team. He had a major role in a 10–10 tie with Notre Dame in 1966 that was billed as "The Game of the Century." He is one of only three players to have his jersey number retired by the program. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.The first selection of the 1967 NFL Draft, Smith played nine years in the National Football League (NFL) with the Baltimore Colts (1967–1971), Oakland Raiders (1973–1974), and Houston Oilers (1975–1976). He was the Colts' starting left defensive end for five seasons, playing in Super Bowls III and V. He was named to two Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro in 1971. He had tremendous quickness despite being 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 meters) tall and weighing 265 pounds, (120.20 kilograms), a combination which usually earned him a double-team.During his acting career, Smith specialized in comedic roles in film, television, and television advertising. For about a decade following his retirement from football, he appeared in various commercials for Miller Lite. His best-known role was as Moses Hightower in the first six Police Academy movies.Smith was posthumously diagnosed with CTE, a neurological condition generally related to concussion and sub-concussive head trauma.

Jared Allen

Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a professional curler, and former professional American football defensive end. After playing college football for Idaho State University, he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft.
After four years with the Chiefs, Allen was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for three draft picks, including a first-rounder. He spent six years with the Vikings before joining the Chicago Bears as a free agent in 2014. During the 2015 season, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers, with whom he played in his only career Super Bowl. A five-time Pro Bowl and four-time All-Pro selection, Allen tallied 136 quarterback sacks during his 12-year career.

Gino Marchetti

Gino John Marchetti (January 2, 1926 – April 29, 2019) was a professional American football player in the National Football League. A defensive end, he played in 1952 for the Dallas Texans and from 1953 to 1966 for the Baltimore Colts.

L. C. Greenwood

L. C. Henderson Greenwood (September 8, 1946 – September 29, 2013) was an American football defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).

Lyle Alzado

Lyle Martin Alzado (April 3, 1949 – May 14, 1992) was an American professional All Pro football defensive end of the National Football League (NFL), famous for his intense and intimidating style of play.Alzado played 15 seasons, splitting his time among the Denver Broncos, the Cleveland Browns, and finally the Los Angeles Raiders with whom he won a championship in Super Bowl XVIII.

Carl Eller

Carl Eller (born January 25, 1942) is a former professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL) who played from 1964 through 1979. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and attended the University of Minnesota. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Jim Marshall

James Lawrence Marshall (born December 30, 1937) is a former American football player who was a defensive end for the Cleveland Browns (1960) and the Minnesota Vikings (1961–1979). At the time of his retirement, he owned the career records for most consecutive starts (270) and games played (282). The Vikings retired his No. 70. He is famous for his "wrong-way run" with the Vikings, in which he recovered a fumble and returned it 66 yards in the wrong direction and into his own end zone, resulting in a safety.
He was born in Wilsonville, in Boyle County, Kentucky, near Parksville and now resides in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

Doug Atkins

Douglas Leon Atkins (May 8, 1930 – December 30, 2015) was an American football defensive end who played for the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, and New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Tennessee under legendary head coach Robert Neyland. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Atkins was a fierce defender who was known for using his immense size and agility to his advantage. At 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 m), Atkins often batted passes down at the line of scrimmage and used his skills as a high jump champion to leapfrog blockers and get to the quarterback. Atkins was one of the first great exclusively defensive players in professional football and, along with fellow Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti, revolutionized the defensive end position.

Fred Dryer

John Frederick Dryer (born July 6, 1946) is an American actor, radio host, and former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). 
He played for 13 years in the NFL, in 176 games starting in 1969, and recorded 104 career sacks with the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams. He is the only NFL player to score two safeties in one game.
Following his retirement from football, Dryer had a successful career as a film and television actor, notably starring in the series Hunter. His height of 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and physique are useful for his action roles.

When it comes to striking fear into an opposing offense, having a great defensive end can be a game changer. A lightning quick defensive end can cause chaos ...