List of the most famous (American) football defensive linemans in the history of the sport, listed by popularity with photos of the players when available. There have been many legendary defensive linemans 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 linemans 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 linemans may currently be active while others have been retired for quite sometime. This list of the top defensive linemans in American football includes all the greats from both the NFL and college football.
List items include Jimmy Johnson, Charles Haley and many more.
This list answers the questions, "Who is the greatest defensive lineman of all time?" and "Who are the best defensive linemans of all time?"1
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 Wikipedia2
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 Wikipedia3
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 Wikipedia4
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 Wikipedia5
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 Wikipedia6
Buck Buchanan
Defensive tackle, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Gainesville, Alabama
Age: Died at 52 (1940-1992)
Junious "Buck" Buchanan (September 10, 1940 – July 16, 1992) was a professional American... more on Wikipedia7
Harvey Martin
Defensive end, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Dallas, Texas, United States of America
Age: Dec. at 51 (1950-2001)
Teams: Dallas Cowboys
Harvey Banks Martin (November 16, 1950 – December 24, 2001) was an American football defensive... more on Wikipedia8
Vince Wilfork
Defensive linemanBirthplace: Boynton Beach, Florida
Age: 38
Teams: New England Patriots, Miami Hurricanes football
Vincent Lamar Wilfork (born November 4, 1981) is a former American football nose tackle who... more on Wikipedia9
Manny Fernandez
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Oakland, California
Age: 69
Manuel Jose Fernandez (born July 3, 1946) is a former American football player of who played... more on Wikipedia10
Richard Seymour
Defensive tackleBirthplace: Gadsden, South Carolina
Age: 40
Teams: Oakland Raiders, Georgia Bulldogs football team, New England Patriots
Richard Vershaun Seymour (born October 6, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle... more on Wikipedia11
Jim Jeffcoat
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Long Branch, New Jersey
Age: 59
James Wilson Jeffcoat, Jr. (born April 1, 1961) is a former American football defensive end in... more on Wikipedia12
Jacob Green
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Pasadena, Texas
Age: 63
Jacob Carl Green (born January 21, 1957) is a former American football defensive end. He... more on Wikipedia13
Courtney Brown
Defensive linemanBirthplace: Charleston, South Carolina
Age: 42
Teams: Denver Broncos, Penn State Nittany Lions football, Cleveland Browns
Courtney Lanair Brown (born February 14, 1978) is a former American college and professional... more on Wikipedia14
Joe Klecko
Defensive tackle, LinemanBirthplace: Chester, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Age: 66
Joe Klecko (born October 15, 1953 in Chester, Pennsylvania) is a former American football... more on Wikipedia15
Mark Gastineau
Defensive end, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Ardmore, Oklahoma
Age: 63
Teams: Arizona State Sun Devils football, New York Jets
Marcus Dell Gastineau (born November 20, 1956) is an American former football player who was a... more on Wikipedia16
Jamal Reynolds
Defensive end, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Augusta, Georgia
Age: 41
Idris Jamal Reynolds (born February 20, 1979) is an American former college and professional... more on Wikipedia17
Otis Sistrunk
Defensive end, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Columbus, Georgia
Age: 74
Otis Sistrunk (born September 18, 1946 in Columbus, Georgia) is a former professional football... more on Wikipedia18
Fred Smerlas
Tackle, Nose tackleBirthplace: Waltham, Massachusetts
Age: 63
Frederic Charles Smerlas (born April 8, 1957) is a former American football defensive lineman... more on Wikipedia19
Bill Willis
Defensive tackle, LinemanBirthplace: Columbus, Ohio
Age: Died at 86 (1921-2007)
William Karnet Willis (October 5, 1921 – November 27, 2007) was an American football defensive... more on Wikipedia20
Ray Childress
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Memphis, Tennessee
Age: 57
Raymond Clay Childress, Jr. (born October 20, 1962) is a former American football defensive... more on Wikipedia21
Willie McGinest
Defensive end, LinebackerBirthplace: Long Beach, California, United States of America
Age: 48
Teams: USC Trojans football, New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns
William Lee McGinest, Jr. (born December 11, 1971) is a former American football linebacker... more on Wikipedia22
Henry Melton
Defensive tackleBirthplace: Cedar Hill, Texas
Age: 33
Teams: Chicago Bears
Henry James Melton (born October 11, 1986) is a former American football defensive end. He... more on Wikipedia23
Clyde Simmons
Defensive end, Defensive linemanBirthplace: Lane, South Carolina
Age: 56
Clyde Simmons Jr. (born August 4, 1964) is a former American football defensive end in the... more on Wikipedia24
Bubba Smith
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Orange, Texas, United States of America
Age: Dec. at 66 (1945-2011)
Teams: Baltimore Colts, Houston Oilers, Michigan State Spartans football, Oakland Raiders
Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith (February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011) was an American professional... more on Wikipedia25
Marty Lyons
Defensive tackle, Defensive endBirthplace: Takoma Park, Maryland, United States of America
Age: 63
Teams: New York Jets
Martin Anthony Lyons (born January 15, 1957) is a former American college and professional... more on Wikipedia
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