Top five pass rushes in the NFL right now

This is a category very near and dear to my heart. People believe the total number of sacks are the only thing you should look at, but a lot of that can be attributed to different blitz packages and a lot of opposing coaches won’t allow that pass rush to get home by getting the ball out quickly or keeping more guys in protection.

The Patriots, for example, are second in the league with 32 sacks so far, but I would credit the scheme more here with that cover-zero blitz New England loves to run and confuse young quarterbacks with. When you look at a basic four-man rush, I think they are not quite in the top five.

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#1 San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers v Arizona Cardinals

Instead, I am going with San Francisco 49ers for another number one spot here. It took the Niners forever to actually get that pass rush going after investing four straight first-round picks and another big contract into their defensive line. It has finally paid off for a defense that is tied for third with 30 sacks and ranks second in total defense as well as points allowed.

Nick Bosa is the clear favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year with the way he has come into the league as a grown man and dominated games, but this group is really deep. The most money has gone to Dee Ford, who was top three in total pressures last year and was traded for in the offseason. On the inside, they have DeForest Buckner, who is one of the quietest superstars we have in the NFL.

Then there’s Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas, who were labeled as busts just last year, but have given them inside-out versatility and good pressure. They also have lesser-known guys such as Ronald Blair, D.J. Jones and Sheldon Day making an impact. Overall there are six defenders with multiple sacks due to the way they collapse the pocket and all the games they run upfront.

#2 Carolina Panthers

Second is the team that actually leads the league in sacks (34) – the Carolina Panthers. San Francisco’s D-line might be the best, but the deepest might go to this team. Even without a disruptive force like Kawann Short, the interior of that front is incredible with Gerald McCoy, Dontari Poe, and Vernon Butler, who are all above two sacks right now.

Off the edge, they have Mario Addison leading the way with six QB-takedowns and another contender for Defensive Rookie of the Year in Brian Burns, who I loved coming out of the draft because of his burst and bend around the corner. Rotating in at those spots they have lesser-known guys, such as Marquis Haynes, Christan Miller, and Efe Obada, who have all provided pressure for them.

Outside of Shaq Thompson on a few occasions, Carolina rarely blitzes their linebackers and they have still been a nightmare for any quarterback because of the way they can cover in the zone behind that pass rush. The Panthers love those T-E twists, who they even run on both sides at times and get some free at high frequency.

#3 Pittsburgh Steelers

Next up is a team that has lost almost 90 percent of their offensive production and has not really done anything special on that side of the ball, but somehow they stand at .500 only a game out of a Wildcard spot. The Pittsburg Steelers defense has quietly been really good after being atrocious for large stretches of 2018.

I still don’t like their personnel on the back-end outside of Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has been playing at an All-Pro type level, but that front has been kicking ass. After somewhat of a down-year for Cam Heyward last season, he has come back to being one of the best power-rushers on the inside and he proved that by pushing Quenton Nelson back into Jacoby Brissett’s leg and taking him out of the game.

I thought Stephon Tuitt overtook Cam last year in terms of the best down-lineman on that team, but together they are now at eight sacks on the season. The best player on that entire team to me however might be T.J. Watt, who right now is Pro Football Focus’ highest graded edge defender. Being in a contract year has also pushed Bud Dupree to new heights, who hadn’t been playing up to his first-round potential. At this point you might as well count the Steelers’ nickelback Mike Hilton as part of their pass rush with how much they blitz him.

#4 Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are tied with San Francisco with 30 sacks and while are not looked at in that way anymore, this is still one of the most ferocious front fours in the league. Two years ago we all called them Sacksonville and a lot of analysts said they were the best defense in the league.

What most people don’t seem to understand is that they are still mostly the same group. Of course, they just traded away one of the two best corners in the league in Jalen Ramsey, so the entire unit won’t be quite the same, but the talent on that defensive line might be even better. Calais Campbell is still a force to be reckoned with, Jannick Ngakoue has developed into one of the top young guys coming off the edge and Dawuane Smoot even has four sacks off the bench.

Josh Allen has been remarkable as a rookie, giving them the ability to kick Calais back inside and having two speedsters off either side, like they did when rotating Dante Fowler in. The guy they really need to take another step is Taven Bryan who they drafted last year to replace Malik Jackson eventually, but he is more of a flash-player with tremendous potential at this point.

#5 New Orleans Saints

At number five I went with a team that is mostly known for their stars on offense but actually have won games primarily with their defense. The New Orleans Saints have always been looked more at as an explosive team, but they have actually turned into a ground-and-pound offense with a suffocating defense for the most.

Their defensive front is up there with the very best due to their ability to stop the run but also get after the passer. They have “only” registered 24 sacks on the season, but they have held three teams to under ten points and made the Bears look like absolute garbage on offense until the last few minutes when the game was pretty much out of reach.

Since that opening schedule of Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff and Russell Wilson, the only quarterback to go above 250 yards against them actually was Mitchell Trubisky, who danced around 100 until about six minutes left in the game. Cam Jordan has been an All-Pro type player for a while now, Marcus Davenport is really coming along in his second year and Trey Hendrickson is a nice rotational piece with inside flexibility.

Next up: Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, and Los Angeles Rams