- Aidan Hutchinson made a case for being the league’s most dominant defender: Despite a season-ending injury in 2024, a return to form for Hutchinson should be expected in 2025 with no reason to expect anything less for years to come.
- Don’t underestimate the value of reliable veterans: Age can often cause some players to get overlooked in dynasty drafts, but balancing roster builds with youth and consistent veterans is key to competing every season.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes
Version 1.0 of the IDP dynasty rankings follows the Super Bowl as fantasy platforms switch over to 2025 league settings and the offseason officially begins.
PFF-preferred IDP-scoring:
| POSITION | SOLO TKLs | ASSISTS | SACKS | TFLs | QB HITS | PBUs |
| DL | 2.5 | 1.25 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| LB | 1.5 | 0.75 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| DB | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
- A full list of each season’s IDP scorers dating back to 2022 and production against expected data can be found here.
- Age is a factor in dynasty leagues. This list is designed to create the best long-term dynasty roster.
- This list assumes true position (DT, EDGE LB, CB, S) for players (e.g., outside linebackers are considered “edge defenders” to reflect real NFL value).
- This is version 1.0 — these rankings will change throughout the offseason, so be sure to check the rankings page for updates and to sort by position.
TIER 1
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 1 | ED1 | Aidan Hutchinson | Lions | 24.5 |
| 2 | ED2 | Micah Parsons | Cowboys | 25.7 |
| 3 | ED3 | Nick Bosa | 49ers | 27.3 |
| 4 | ED4 | Will Anderson Jr. | Texans | 23.4 |
| 5 | ED5 | Jared Verse | Rams | 24.3 |
The top tier consists of five edge defenders – the most valuable position under this scoring system – all of whom are in their athletic primes and operating at an elite level on the field. Aidan Hutchinson leads the way despite playing just five games in 2024 and coming off an injury. There was no more dominant player on the defensive side of the ball this past season than Hutchinson, even if IDP managers were robbed of getting to see that across an entire season. Hutchinson was already delivering elite underlying metrics in 2023 to help provide confidence that 2024 was no fluke, and he was well on pace to comfortably win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. Since entering the league in 2022, Hutchinson owns a 92.3 pass-rush grade, a 19.9% win rate and a 15.8% pressure rate – all of which are top-10 marks across all positions (min. 500 pass-rush snaps) over that span. In 2024, Hutchinson led his position (min. 100 snaps) in all of those metrics, and it wasn’t particularly close, as his 38.3% win rate was over 15 percentage points higher than the next closest player, and his 25.0% pressure rate was nearly seven percentage points higher. Expect Hutchinson to be ready to go come the start of 2025 and pick up right where he left off as one of the most dominant players in the league at just 25 years old.
Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa are no strangers to this top tier, and both are still operating in their prime. There aren’t many who offer the high level of consistency where they’re a threat to crack double-digit sacks every season for years to come. Both players were top-five in points per game for their position this past season, and there’s no reason to believe that they can’t live up to that potential as long-term assets in dynasty where they wouldn’t be worth a top-five IDP pick.
Will Anderson Jr. and Jared Verse are the two most recent defensive Rookie of the Year winners and offer the ideal combination of youth and high-end pass-rush metrics to have IDP managers believing in them being able to turn that combo into elite production for years to come. Anderson outperformed his expected sack total this past season after finishing 78th percentile in expected sacks, though he still delivered high-end pass-rush metrics in Year 2 while playing an ideal workload. Verse, meanwhile, underperformed in the sack column based on his 96th percentile expected sack mark, which is a very promising indicator that the rookie will not only positively regress in 2025 but maintain that high-level play for many more years in the NFL.
TIER 2
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 6 | ED6 | Maxx Crosby | Raiders | 27.5 |
| 7 | ED7 | Myles Garrett | Browns | 29.1 |
| 8 | ED8 | T.J. Watt | Steelers | 30.3 |
| 9 | LB1 | Roquan Smith | Ravens | 27.8 |
| 10 | LB2 | Fred Warner | 49ers | 28.2 |
| 11 | LB3 | Zaire Franklin | Colts | 28.6 |
| 12 | ED9 | Alex Highsmith | Steelers | 27.5 |
| 13 | ED10 | Greg Rousseau | Bills | 24.9 |
| 14 | DI1 | Jalen Carter | Eagles | 23.9 |
Maxx Crosby, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt have been the most productive and reliable starting options for the position in recent years, and while there isn’t much reason to believe they won’t keep that going in 2025, they’re at least reaching a point where an age-related decline might not be too far off beyond this season. That doesn’t stop them from being top-10 assets in dynasty since even a decline for them isn’t nearly as detrimental to their IDP production as it would be for others.
This is where the first linebackers start to fit in as well, led by Roquan Smith, who is locked into a full-time starting job for seemingly the foreseeable future. Smith has also ranked among the top 97th percentile in tackles versus expected in each of the past four seasons, making him the only linebacker to do so, which highlights how consistently valuable he’s been as an IDP. That shouldn’t change too much over the next few seasons.
Alex Highsmith has quietly been among the best players at his position in recent seasons, though doesn’t get the same level of love as others that he’s been on par with, or even surpassing in terms of production and pass-rush metrics. These rankings put him in that conversation with the elite after one of the best years of his career. Highsmith delivered 15.8 points per game, which was good for seventh-best at his position while also ranking seventh in both PFF grade (89.5) and pass-rush grade (89.7) in 2024. This marks the second straight year that Highsmith ranked among the top 12 at his position in those PFF grades, creating more confidence in him as a player deserving of being valued as a high-end IDP asset.
Jalen Carter is the clear top interior defensive lineman according to these rankings as he’s established himself as one of the top overall players in the NFL at his position through just two seasons in the league. Carter’s pass-rush metrics have been among the top 10 at his position since entering the league, and arguably still has some untapped potential where he not only maintains that level of play but comes into more production, specifically in the sack column, as a result. Carter ranked in the top 96th percentile in expected sacks in each of his two NFL seasons, and at just 23 years old there’s a lot of mileage to get out of his elite potential for IDP.
TIER 3
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 15 | LB4 | Jack Campbell | Lions | 24.5 |
| 16 | LB5 | Edgerrin Cooper | Packers | 23.2 |
| 17 | ED11 | Brian Burns | Giants | 26.8 |
| 18 | ED12 | Josh Hines-Allen | Jaguars | 27.6 |
| 19 | ED13 | Jonathan Greenard | Vikings | 27.7 |
| 20 | ED14 | Laiatu Latu | Colts | 24.1 |
| 21 | LB6 | Quay Walker | Packers | 24.8 |
| 22 | ED15 | Travon Walker | Jaguars | 24.2 |
| 23 | ED16 | Trey Hendrickson | Bengals | 30.2 |
| 24 | ED17 | Danielle Hunter | Texans | 30.3 |
Jack Campbell and Edgerrin Cooper have emerged as two of the bright young stars at the linebacker position and have been incredibly productive when given the opportunity so far in their careers. Campbell saw an increased snap share in 2024 with Alex Anzalone sidelined and delivered a 95th percentile mark in tackles versus expected while earning a top-10 PFF grade for the position (77.4). Meanwhile, Cooper was held to a secondary linebacker role in Green Bay’s defense for the entire year, though his level of play should earn him a larger role in 2025. Cooper finished fourth among linebackers in PFF grade (84.0) as a rookie while posting an 84th percentile mark in tackles versus expected – very promising stuff for a linebacker heading into Year 2.
Laiatu Latu had a relatively quiet rookie season, especially when compared with the impact made by fellow first-round pick Jared Verse, but Latu’s season relative to most rookie defensive linemen did not disappoint and highlighted a lot of the potential he could deliver on coming out of college. Latu finished 74th percentile in expected sacks in 2024, doing so with the second-lowest per-game snap share (54%) of anyone else in that range. Latu’s elite college production profile should not be ignored after a season where the Colts eased him into the NFL as a rookie, and after holding his own in the opportunities he was given, an expected larger role in the years ahead should allow him to live up to expectations, and worth taking a shot on among the top-20 at his position in dynasty.
Trey Hendrickson and Danielle Hunter round out this tier, and though they’re older than the ideal age range we’re typically targeting in dynasty, there’s a certain level of production that can’t be ignored if IDP managers want a competitive roster while still balancing a build with long-term assets. Hendrickson has now posted back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks, while Hunter has delivered at least 10.5 sacks in each of his past three seasons. The combination of production and encouraging pass-rush metrics keeps these veterans locked into our IDP lineups and keeps them valuable even in dynasty formats.
TIER 4
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 25 | LB7 | Zack Baun | FA | 28.1 |
| 26 | LB8 | Foyesade Oluokun | Jaguars | 29.5 |
| 27 | LB9 | Daiyan Henley | Chargers | 25.2 |
| 28 | ED18 | Nik Bonitto | Broncos | 25.4 |
| 29 | ED19 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | Giants | 24.2 |
| 30 | DI2 | Quinnen Williams | Jets | 27.2 |
| 31 | DI3 | Dexter Lawrence | Giants | 27.3 |
| 32 | LB10 | Terrel Bernard | Bills | 25.8 |
| 33 | LB11 | T.J. Edwards | Bears | 28.5 |
| 34 | S1 | Brian Branch | Lions | 23.3 |
| 35 | S2 | Kyle Hamilton | Ravens | 23.9 |
| 36 | DI4 | Zach Allen | Broncos | 27.5 |
| 37 | ED20 | Chop Robinson | Dolphins | 22.1 |
| 38 | ED21 | Jaelan Phillips | Dolphins | 25.7 |
Zack Baun, the first pending free agent in the rankings, has a strong shot to move up these rankings post-free agency, assuming he lands an encouraging contract on a team where he’d be utilized as a full-time starter. While that feels likely at this point after finishing the season as the top-graded linebacker both overall and in coverage, it’s not a guarantee, so for now, he awaits his fate in Tier 4 until his situation becomes clearer.
Several other linebackers in this tier are safer options to target right now, and all seemingly safe to start with their respective teams for at least another season. The state of the linebacker position can be extraordinarily fickle in the NFL and for IDP, meaning that any multi-year contracts or young players with draft capital who showcased potential can move up or down dynasty rankings quite dramatically each offseason as things reset almost every year at this position. For now, the likes of Terrel Bernard and Daiyan Henley are the young names that improved their stock this season as they took over the LB1 roles on their teams, while stable veterans like T.J. Edwards and Foyesade Oluokun, while having down years, are still in a good position to be reliable IDP starters.
The first safeties make an appearance here, though, it’s still difficult to rationalize spending up at such a deep position, but for those wanting to grab a long-term safety with elite potential, this is about the range where that can be considered. There’s value in having consistent high-end producers at an unstable position where that can be hard to find, and Brian Branch and Kyle Hamilton stand out as the best bets to continue in those roles for multiple seasons, it just comes at a higher cost than most may be comfortable spending on a defensive back.
Chop Robinson’s rookie year was arguably more impressive than even Laiatu Latu considering how he stepped up in the absence of Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, however, it’s the expected return of both those players in 2025 that is likely going to limit Robinson’s role for at least next season. That being said, Robinson played well enough to finish 78th percentile in expected sacks and the second-best pass-rush grade (78.7) among rookie defensive linemen. Robinson is also likely to remain a designated pass rusher until he develops more of an every-down skillset, which isn’t the worst thing, but it does limit him as a weekly IDP option, so for now he’s a low-end ED2 for dynasty purposes.
TIER 5
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 39 | ED22 | Dallas Turner | Vikings | 22.0 |
| 40 | ED23 | Yaya Diaby | Buccaneers | 25.7 |
| 41 | DI5 | Kobie Turner | Rams | 25.8 |
| 42 | DI6 | Calijah Kancey | Buccaneers | 24.0 |
| 43 | S3 | Antoine Winfield Jr. | Buccaneers | 26.5 |
| 44 | S4 | Tyler Nubin | Giants | 23.7 |
| 45 | LB12 | Bobby Okereke | Giants | 28.5 |
| 46 | LB13 | Logan Wilson | Bengals | 28.6 |
| 47 | LB14 | Kaden Elliss | Falcons | 29.6 |
| 48 | S5 | Jordan Battle | Bengals | 24.2 |
| 49 | ED24 | Andrew Van Ginkel | Vikings | 29.6 |
| 50 | ED25 | George Karlaftis | Chiefs | 23.9 |
| 51 | DI7 | DeForest Buckner | Colts | 30.9 |
| 52 | DI8 | Jeffery Simmons | Titans | 27.5 |
| 53 | DI9 | Derrick Brown | Panthers | 26.8 |
| 54 | DI10 | Nnamdi Madubuike | Ravens | 27.2 |
| 55 | LB15 | Patrick Queen | Steelers | 25.5 |
| 56 | LB16 | Nakobe Dean | Eagles | 24.2 |
Tampa Bay’s youth leads the top of this fifth tier, with both Yaya Diaby and Calijah Kancey representing two very different buy-sell candidates this offseason, though even for Kancey, who was listed as someone to trade away for profit, can still be considered a top option in dynasty. Diaby underperformed in the sack column this year, but his underlying metrics offer more optimism for him long-term. While Kancey outperformed his expected sack totals this year, his underlying metrics aren’t nearly as promising, though he’s still young enough as a first-round talent to be optimistic about in dynasty.
IDP managers will notice that the linebacker position is just not an overly attractive group for dynasty purposes, outside of Nakobe Dean, who would have likely been higher in these rankings if not for another injury sustained in the playoffs that will keep him out of 2025. The linebackers in this range are mostly made up of safe options, which is a perfectly viable strategy to bank on for addressing this position in dynasty drafts. NFL teams value experience seemingly more than anything else at the position, and players like Bobby Okereke, Logan Wilson, Patrick Queen, and now even Kaden Elliss have established themselves as trustworthy starters in the league, and that value can carry over to IDP as they are set for every-down roles. The same can be said for a lot of the linebackers later in these ranks, though some being pending free agents pushes them down the list, and they’ll have a chance to move back up once the free agency dust has settled.
There are some reliable veteran defensive linemen in the latter half of this tier as well, where, again, their age isn’t the most ideal for dynasty, but being able to get a locked-in IDP starter at such a valuable position, where consistent production is so difficult to find, there’s an argument that these could be some of the most valuable picks considering where they’ll likely be drafted at this stage in their careers and their contributions to IDP lineups. Someone like DeForest Buckner is the perfect example, as he’ll be 31 by the start of the 2025 season, so he won’t be as highly drafted as he would in redraft, but he’s finished as a top-five IDP scorer at his position, either overall or in points per game, in each of the past three seasons.
TIER 6
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 57 | LB17 | Ernest Jones | FA | 25.2 |
| 58 | DI11 | Byron Murphy II | Seahawks | 22.4 |
| 59 | S6 | Javon Bullard | Packers | 22.4 |
| 60 | S7 | Derwin James Jr. | Chargers | 28.5 |
| 61 | S8 | Brandon Jones | Broncos | 26.9 |
| 62 | ED26 | Harold Landry III | Titans | 28.7 |
| 63 | LB18 | Blake Cashman | Vikings | 28.8 |
| 64 | LB19 | Nick Bolton | FA | 24.9 |
| 65 | ED27 | Will McDonald IV | Jets | 25.7 |
| 66 | S9 | Budda Baker | Cardinals | 29.1 |
| 67 | S10 | Xavier McKinney | Packers | 25.5 |
| 68 | ED28 | Odafe Oweh | Ravens | 26.2 |
| 69 | ED29 | Josh Sweat | FA | 27.9 |
| 70 | DI12 | Chris Jones | Chiefs | 30.6 |
| 71 | DI13 | Christian Wilkins | Raiders | 29.2 |
| 72 | DI14 | Ed Oliver | Bills | 27.2 |
| 73 | DI15 | Zach Sieler | Dolphins | 29.4 |
| 74 | LB20 | Jamien Sherwood | FA | 25.1 |
| 75 | S11 | Jaquan Brisker | Bears | 25.8 |
| 76 | S12 | Grant Delpit | Browns | 26.4 |
| 77 | S13 | Jessie Bates III | Falcons | 28.3 |
| 78 | S14 | Kyle Dugger | Patriots | 28.9 |
| 79 | LB21 | Ivan Pace Jr. | Vikings | 24.2 |
| 80 | LB22 | Junior Colson | Chargers | 22.2 |
TIER 7
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 81 | CB1 | Devon Witherspoon | Seahawks | 24.2 |
| 82 | ED30 | Rashan Gary | Packers | 27.2 |
| 83 | ED31 | Jonathon Cooper | Broncos | 27.1 |
| 84 | ED32 | Tuli Tuipulotu | Chargers | 22.4 |
| 85 | ED33 | Khalil Mack | FA | 34.0 |
| 86 | S15 | Talanoa Hufanga | FA | 26.0 |
| 87 | S16 | Josh Metellus | Vikings | 27.1 |
| 88 | S17 | Julian Love | Seahawks | 26.9 |
| 89 | S18 | Quentin Lake | Rams | 26.0 |
| 90 | LB23 | Robert Spillane | FA | 29.2 |
| 91 | LB24 | Germaine Pratt | Bengals | 28.7 |
| 92 | LB25 | Henry To'oTo'o | Texans | 24.1 |
| 93 | LB26 | Azeez Al-Shaair | Texans | 27.5 |
| 94 | ED34 | Chase Young | FA | 25.8 |
| 95 | ED35 | Keion White | Patriots | 26.1 |
| 96 | ED36 | Nick Herbig | Steelers | 23.2 |
| 97 | ED37 | Jermaine Johnson | Jets | 26.1 |
| 98 | DI16 | Milton Williams | FA | 25.9 |
| 99 | CB2 | Tykee Smith | Buccaneers | 24.0 |
| 100 | CB3 | Mike Sainristil | Commanders | 24.4 |
| 101 | CB4 | Cooper DeJean | Eagles | 22.0 |
| 102 | S19 | Kamren Kinchens | Rams | 22.4 |
| 103 | S20 | Nick Cross | Colts | 23.4 |
| 104 | S21 | Kerby Joseph | Lions | 24.2 |
| 105 | DI17 | Cameron Heyward | Steelers | 35.9 |
| 106 | DI18 | Leonard Williams | Seahawks | 30.7 |
| 107 | ED38 | Byron Young | Rams | 26.9 |
| 108 | ED39 | Carl Granderson | Saints | 28.2 |
| 109 | ED40 | Nolan Smith | Eagles | 24.1 |
| 110 | LB27 | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | Browns | 25.3 |
| 111 | LB28 | Payton Wilson | Steelers | 24.8 |
TIER 8
| RANK | POSITION | PLAYER | 2025 TEAM | AGE |
| 112 | LB29 | Jordyn Brooks | Dolphins | 27.3 |
| 113 | LB30 | Devin Lloyd | Jaguars | 26.4 |
| 114 | LB31 | Tremaine Edmunds | Bears | 26.8 |
| 115 | LB32 | Alex Singleton | Broncos | 31.2 |
| 116 | LB33 | Dre Greenlaw | FA | 27.7 |
| 117 | ED41 | Joey Bosa | Chargers | 29.6 |
| 118 | ED42 | Montez Sweat | Bears | 28.4 |
| 119 | LB34 | Bobby Wagner | FA | 34.6 |
| 120 | LB35 | Lavonte David | FA | 35.1 |
| 121 | ED43 | Kwity Paye | Colts | 26.2 |
| 122 | ED44 | Malcolm Koonce | FA | 26.7 |
| 123 | S22 | Cole Bishop | Bills | 22.3 |
| 124 | S23 | Kevin Byard | Bears | 31.5 |
| 125 | S24 | Jalen Thompson | Cardinals | 26.6 |
| 126 | S25 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | Steelers | 28.2 |
| 127 | S26 | DeShon Elliott | Steelers | 27.8 |
| 128 | S27 | Reed Blankenship | Eagles | 26.0 |
| 129 | S28 | Jalen Pitre | Texans | 25.7 |
| 130 | CB5 | Riley Moss | Broncos | 24.9 |
| 131 | CB6 | Deommodore Lenoir | 49ers | 25.4 |
| 132 | CB7 | Keisean Nixon | Packers | 27.6 |
| 133 | CB8 | Andru Phillips | Giants | 23.2 |
| 134 | CB9 | Kenny Moore II | Colts | 31.1 |
| 135 | CB10 | Taron Johnson | Bills | 28.6 |
| 136 | CB11 | Dax Hill | Bengals | 24.4 |
| 137 | CB12 | Kyler Gordon | Bears | 25.2 |
| 138 | CB13 | Alontae Taylor | Saints | 26.2 |
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