• Jared Verse's spectacular rookie season continues: The Rams' newcomer moved up nine spots after adding two sacks on Thursday night.
• Alex Highsmith returns to the list: Highsmith led the league with 11 total pressures (a career-high) in Week 8, two of which resulted in sacks.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
We know that quarterback is the most important position on the field, but a great pass rush is the ultimate equalizer. Pressure disrupts timing, rhythm and accuracy, something only the elite quarterbacks can consistently overcome.
Last season, 15 of the top 16 teams in pass-rushing grade had a winning record. The New York Jets (7-10) certainly had a playoff-caliber defense, but their season was derailed after losing quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the opener.
Each week, after every NFL game is graded and reviewed, PFF will check in on the top pass rushers of the 2024 season. These rankings will drastically change over the first few weeks, as one sack, hit or pressure can dramatically alter a player's grade when the sample size is small. But as snap counts rise, the grades will stabilize, and we'll get a clearer picture of the league's best pass rushers.
Here are the top 32 pass-rushers for the 2024 season after Week 7. For more grades and statistics on the league's best pass-rushers, check out PFF Premium Stats.
Editor's note: Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions: 95.0 pass-rush grade
Lions Pro Bowl Edge Aidan Hutchinson will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured tibia and fibula in the team’s dominant 47-9 victory over Dallas in Week 6. As a result, he will no longer be ranked in this piece.
Hutchinson was in a league of his own, racking up 72 pass-rush wins – the most ever recorded by any defensive player in the PFF era over the first six weeks of the season. Incredibly, this was accomplished in just five games, as Detroit had a bye in Week 5.
Hutchinson was the clear favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, and it’s a devastating loss for a Lions team that has a legitimate chance to make their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
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