Top Three Defensive Players of All Time

Aaron Donald’s giant new deal put him in the neighborhood of quarterbacks rather than his defensive peers. It also prompted talk of his place among the greatest defensive players in NFL history. Here are the thoughts among members of NFL Media.

Who are the Top 3 defensive players of all time?

Judy Battista:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Reggie White

3. Aaron Donald

Willie McGinest:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Bruce Smith

3. Aaron Donald

Jeffri Chadiha:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Reggie White

3. Deion Sanders

Marc Ross:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Reggie White

3. Joe Greene

Brian Baldinger:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Reggie White

3. Bruce Smith

Chad Reuter:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Reggie White

3. Dick Butkus

DeAngelo Hall:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Reggie White

3. Ray Lewis

Adam Rank:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Reggie White

3. Bruce Smith

Maurice Jones-Drew:

1. Deion Sanders

2. Aaron Donald

3. Lawrence Taylor

James Jones:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Deion Sanders

3. Reggie White

The player that prompted this discussion appeared on only three lists. Aaron Donald was second on one list and third on two lists. The player that appeared on all ten lists is, of course, Lawrence Taylor. He was first on nine of the ten lists. Contrarian Maurice Jones-Drew had Taylor at #3. There’s that UCLA education. 

After having won a Super Bowl, Donald has spent the offseason hinting at retirement. His big new deal insures that his incredible career will include at least one more year. Donald has been brilliant since his first NFL snap. Remarkably, he’s gotten better with each season. Eight years. Eight Pro Bowls. 7x 1st-team All-Pro. 3x Defensive Player of the Year. He’d have some MVPs if not for the position that he plays. Donald’s career has been ridiculous. Despite all of that, only three of ten from NFL Media have him as one of the three best defensive players in the league’s history. Sometimes it can take a few years after a player’s career to properly appreciate that career. 

A breakdown of the above opinions:

Lawrence Taylor: 10 (9 firsts)

Reggie White: 8

Bruce Smith: 3

Aaron Donald: 3

Deion Sanders: 3 (1 first)

Joe Greene: 1

Dick Butkus: 1

Ray Lewis: 1

In my opinion, there are two defensive players that have wrecked offenses more consistently than any other players in league history. 

Lawrence Taylor

Aaron Donald

Nearly all of the great defensive players of my lifetime seemed to have an occasional quiet game. Taylor and Donald never seemed to have quiet games. They are #1 and #2 on my list. #3? There are a lot of contenders. 

Alan Page

Deacon Jones

Dick Butkus

Joe Schmidt

Gino Marchetti

Bob Lilly

Joe Greene

Jack Ham

Mike Haynes

Deion Sanders

Reggie White

Bruce Smith

Rod Woodson

Ed Reed

I’d love to put Alan Page on my three-player list. If I followed my Minnesota Vikings passion, he’d be on the list. I’d love to put Rod Woodson, Ed Reed, or Mike Haynes for some defensive back representation. Reed, in particular, might be my pick some days. It was so much fun watching him play football. Today isn’t one of those days. Today, my pick is Gino Marchetti. 

My Top 3 Defensive Players of All Time:

1. Lawrence Taylor

2. Aaron Donald

3. Gino Marchetti

J.J. Watt has to be mentioned in this discussion. He was having a run of dominant seasons much like the run that Donald has going. Like Donald, Watt collected three Defensive Player of the Year awards. Injuries derailed Watt’s dominant run and he hasn’t been the same since. If one were to pick the Top 3 defensive players of all time based on their best 4-5 years, the list is probably Taylor, Donald, and J.J. Watt.