List of the most famous (American) football defensive ends in the history of the sport, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. There have been many legendary defensive ends in the NFL and NCAA, and you'll find all of them on this list below. Some of these men are considered to be the best defensive ends to ever play the game, and if you're looking for a specific football player you can look for them by using the "search" function on this list. These amazing defensive ends may currently be active while others have been retired for quite sometime. This list of the top defensive ends in American football includes all the greats from both the NFL and college football.
You can rank all of these items, from Reggie White to Alan Page.
This list answers the questions, "Who is the greatest defensive end of all time?" and "Who are the best defensive ends of all time?"1
Reggie White
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States of America
Age: Died at 43 (1961-2004)
Teams: Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Volunteers football, Memphis Showboats
Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional... more on Wikipedia2
Julius Peppers
Defensive endBirthplace: Wilson, North Carolina
Age: 40
Teams: North Carolina Tar Heels football, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers
Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is a former American football defensive end. He... more on Wikipedia3
J. J. Watt
Defensive endBirthplace: Waukesha, Wisconsin
Age: 31
Teams: Houston Texans, Wisconsin Badgers football, Central Michigan Chippewas football
Justin James "J. J." Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the... more on Wikipedia4
Dwight Freeney
Outside Linebacker, Defensive endBirthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America
Age: 40
Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Syracuse Orange football, San Diego Chargers
Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 19, 1980) is a former American football defensive end who... more on Wikipedia5
Lee Roy Selmon
Defensive endBirthplace: Eufaula, Oklahoma
Age: Dec. at 57 (1954-2011)
Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oklahoma Sooners football
Lee Roy Selmon (October 20, 1954 – September 4, 2011) was an American football player and... more on Wikipedia6
Michael Strahan
Defensive endBirthplace: Houston, Texas, United States of America
Age: 48
Teams: Texas Southern Tigers football, New York Giants
Michael Anthony Strahan (; born November 21, 1971) is an American former football defensive... more on Wikipedia7
Alan Page
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Canton, Ohio, USA
Age: 75
Teams: Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings
Alan Cedric Page (born August 7, 1945) is a retired jurist and former professional American... more on Wikipedia8
Jared Allen
Defensive endBirthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States of America
Age: 38
Teams: Idaho State Bengals football, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings
Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is a professional curler, and former professional... more on Wikipedia9
Doug Atkins
Defensive endBirthplace: Humboldt, Tennessee, United States of America
Age: 85
Douglas Leon Atkins (May 8, 1930 – December 30, 2015) was an American football defensive end... more on Wikipedia10
Jim Marshall
Defensive endBirthplace: Danville, Kentucky
Age: 82
James Lawrence Marshall (born December 30, 1937) is a former American football player who was... more on Wikipedia11
Randy White
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Pittsburgh, USA, Pennsylvania
Age: 67
Teams: Maryland Terrapins football, Dallas Cowboys
Randall Lee White (born January 15, 1953) is a former American football defensive tackle. He... more on Wikipedia12
Harry Carson
Defensive end, LinebackerBirthplace: Florence, South Carolina, United States of America
Age: 66
Harry Donald Carson (born November 26, 1953) is a former American football inside linebacker... more on Wikipedia13
DeMarcus Ware
Defensive end, LinebackerBirthplace: Auburn, Alabama
Age: 38
Teams: Troy Trojans football, Dallas Cowboys
DeMarcus Omar Ware (born July 31, 1982) is a former American football outside linebacker and... more on Wikipedia14
Jack Youngblood
Defensive endBirthplace: Jacksonville, Florida
Age: 70
Teams: Los Angeles Rams
Herbert Jackson Youngblood III (born January 26, 1950) is an American former professional... more on Wikipedia15
Doug Martin
Defensive endBirthplace: Fairfield, California
Age: 63
Teams: Minnesota Vikings
Douglas Martin or Doug Martin may refer to: Douglas J. Martin (1927–2010), New Zealander... more on Wikipedia16
Gino Marchetti
Defensive endBirthplace: Smithers, West Virginia
Age: 94
Gino John Marchetti (January 2, 1926 – April 29, 2019) was a professional American football... more on Wikipedia17
Willie Davis
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Lisbon, Louisiana, United States of America
Age: 86
Willie D. Davis (born July 24, 1934) is a former American football defensive end for the... more on Wikipedia18
Carl Eller
Defensive end, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Age: 78
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings
Carl Eller (born January 25, 1942) is a former professional American football player in the... more on Wikipedia19
Warren Sapp
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Orlando, Florida, United States of America
Age: 47
Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, Miami Hurricanes football
Warren Carlos Sapp (born December 19, 1972) is a former American football defensive tackle. A... more on Wikipedia20
Bobby Bell
Defensive end, LinebackerBirthplace: Shelby, North Carolina, United States of America
Age: 80
Bobby Lee Bell Sr (born June 17, 1940) is a former professional American football linebacker... more on Wikipedia21
Charles Haley
Defensive end, LinebackerBirthplace: Gladys, Virginia, Virginia
Age: 56
Charles Lewis Haley (born January 6, 1964) is a former American football linebacker and... more on Wikipedia22
John Randle
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Mumford, Texas
Age: 52
Teams: Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings
John Anthony Randle (born December 12, 1967) is a former American football defensive tackle... more on Wikipedia23
Chris Doleman
Defensive end, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana
Age: 59
Christopher John Doleman (born October 16, 1961) is a former American football defensive end... more on Wikipedia24
Fred Dean
Defensive end, LinebackerBirthplace: Arcadia, Louisiana
Age: 68
Frederick Rudolph Dean (born February 24, 1952) is a former American football player in the... more on Wikipedia25
Richard Dent
Defensive endBirthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
Age: 55
Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Tennessee State Tigers football, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles
Richard Lamar Dent (born December 13, 1960) is a former American football defensive end, who... more on Wikipedia