If you ask any Pittsburgh Steelers fan, they will tell you there is no defensive player in the NFL better than Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt. Watt has one Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt and holds the single-season sack record with Michael Strahan.
But unfortunately, the NFL is absolutely loaded with defensive stars, especially edge defenders so when it comes to comparing them, it can be a little subjective.
Pro Football Focus did their ranking of the 50 best players and for their ranking leaned on their grading system as something of a level playing field.
For Watt, this means he landed at No. 14 and was the seventh-ranked defensive player on the list. Here’s what they had to say about Watt:
Some players generate more pressure than T.J. Watt or beat their blocker with greater frequency, but nobody has a better knack for making a big play at the right time. Watt led the league in sacks despite ranking 25th in pass-rush win rate, and we have enough evidence by now to see it is a repeatable skill. On top of the sacks, Watt also notched four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, an interception and a defensive touchdown. There may not be a better playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.
Cleveland Browns edge defender Myles Garrett was the top defensive player and No. 2 ranked player on the list. This will be much to the chagrin of Steelers fans.
