NFL’s best players ever at every defensive position — Is Lawrence Taylor the GOAT edge rusher? Ronnie Lott or Ed Reed at safety?
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Quarterback Tom Brady was retired during the 2022 NFL offseason for just 40 days before opting to return for a 23rd season that could (maybe?) be his last, tight end Rob Gronkowski recently decided to hang up his cleats and defensive tackle Aaron Donald inked a massive contract extension this summer to make him the game’s highest-paid non-QB after considering retirement himself. It all got us thinking about where these legends of the game stack up all time at their respective positions.
We asked 50 experts, reporters and analysts to name the NFL’s greatest player of all time at every position. The goal was to narrow the field to just one GOAT at quarterback, wide receiver, edge rusher, cornerback and even kicker. We already named the best ever at every offensive position, and now we’re continuing on with seven defense and special-teams positions.
After we tallied the ballots and crowned each defensive/special-teams position’s best player of all time, our voters weighed in and explained their decisions. Plus, Jeff Legwold broke down why each GOAT was chosen, and ESPN Stats & Information dove into the numbers to pick out key stats to know. Let’s start with edge rusher.
Jump to:
EDGE | DT | LB | CB | S
K/P | KR/ST
See: GOAT at every offensive position
Voting results: Taylor earned 40 of 50 votes (80%)
Career: New York Giants (1981-1993)
Hall of Fame: 1999
Pro Bowl selections: 10
Career stats: 184 games, 142 sacks, 9 interceptions
Why he’s the GOAT edge rusher: Taylor announced himself to the league as a rookie in 1981 with 133 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 8 pass knockdowns, 2 forced fumbles and an interception and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. There are many around the league who say Taylor changed the way people thought pass-rushers could be used in a defense. Taylor’s best season came in 1986, when he led the league in sacks (20.5), won MVP and earned his third Defensive Player of the Year…
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Source : espn
