- What could have been for Aidan Hutchinson: The Lions' star edge defender played just enough snaps to qualify as PFF's highest-graded player at the position despite having his season cut short by a severe leg injury after five games.
- The Myles Garrett-T.J. Watt battle rages on: Garrett and Watt finished as PFF's second- and third-highest-graded edge defenders in 2024.
- 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: 5 minutes
The Philadephia Eagles‘ win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 put a bow on the 2024 NFL season — and PFF's grades. Here were the top 10 edge defenders across the regular season and postseason.
1. Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions (94.9)
Despite a severe leg injury cutting his season short after just five games, Hutchinson still managed to play just enough snaps to qualify for this list. While it’s a very small sample size, Hutchinson was on pace for a historic 2024 season, putting up a 95.0 PFF pass-rush grade while averaging nine pressures per game. His 45 pressures this season tied for 37th among 132 edge defenders — many of whom played full seasons.
2. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns (92.3)
Garrett followed up his 2023 Defensive Player of the Year-winning season with another stellar performance as arguably the game’s best edge defender. His 83 pressures tied for the third most in the NFL this season, and the two players ahead of him added to their numbers through the playoffs. Garrett’s 92.8 PFF pass-rush grade ranked second, and he recorded 14 sacks on the year.
Myles Garrett: Career PFF Grades
3. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers (91.7)
Watt was the only edge defender to earn a 90.0-plus PFF grade both as a pass-rusher (90.1) and a run defender (90.3) in 2024, the latter of which led the position. In addition to his 12 sacks, he also produced 39 run stops and led all edge defenders with six forced fumbles. This past season was the fourth time in his career that he garnered a 90.0-plus PFF overall grade. J.J. Watt did so five times.
4. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers (91.0)
Despite missing three games due to injury, Bosa continued to be a menace to quarterbacks, racking up 69 pressures on 420 pass-rush snaps. Bosa has reached 10 sacks in every year of his career except the 2020 season, which he missed almost entirely due to injury. He earned an 89.3 PFF pass-rush grade in 2024, making it the first time he didn’t hit 90.0 since the aforementioned 2020 season.
5. Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers (90.2)
Mack is by far the oldest player on this list, having just turned 34 a couple of weeks ago, but age is just a number for the future Hall of Famer. Most players at the position have either hung up their cleats or significantly fallen off by 34, but Mack put together another 90.0 PFF overall grade in 2024, the seventh of his career. He was particularly stout against the run, as his 87.7 PFF grade trailed only T.J. Watt. The pending free agent was also a nuisance to quarterbacks in the passing game, with no edge defender batting more passes at the line than his six.
6. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys (90.0)
Like Nick Bosa, Micah Parsons missed time due to injury but was still one of the game's most dominant pass-rushers when on the field. Parsons racked up 70 pressures on 427 pass-rushing snaps while converting 14 into sacks for a 91.6 PFF pass-rush grade, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson and Myles Garrett. Parsons has been such an incredible pass-rusher since entering the league that all of these stats minus his pass-rushing snaps are somehow career lows.
Highest-Graded Edge Defenders in 2024
7. Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams (89.3)
Despite not recording huge sack totals (six entering the playoffs and none in his final eight regular-season games), Verse was still one of the league's most dominant pass-rushers — as a rookie. His 77 pressures in the regular season were the fourth most. However, he kicked his performance into overdrive in the postseason, adding 12 pressures to lead the league with 89. Verse was just as good in run defense, tying for third in run stops (41) and earning an 81.0 PFF run-defense grade. All of that culminated in Verse being named 2024’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
8. Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh Steelers (89.1)
Highsmith is more than just T.J. Watt’s sidekick. He has developed into one of the NFL's top edge players. Despite being hampered by injuries for much of the 2024 season, Highsmith still managed to put up an outstanding 89.1 PFF overall grade while setting a career high with an 89.4 PFF pass-rush grade. He’s also sure-handed as a tackler, as his 75.1 PFF tackling grade is the best on this list and ranked ninth overall after he missed only three tackles all season.
9. Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans (88.8)
The Texans raised some eyebrows in 2023 after selecting C.J. Stroud second overall and then immediately jumping back to the third overall pick to draft Will Anderson Jr., giving up a haul in the process. Early returns have suggested the gamble has been worth it, though, as Anderson followed up his Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign with another stellar showing in 2024, finishing second in the league with 16 sacks while posting an 81.1 PFF run-defense grade.
10. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals (88.1)
While the Bengals’ defense struggled mightily in 2024, Hendrickson was not part of the problem. He led the NFL with 18 sacks, while his 83 pressures tied for the most in the regular season. His 16 quarterback hits tied for fourth, culminating into an elite 90.4 PFF pass-rush grade. There have been rumors that Hendrickson could either be moved or extended this offseason. After a career year, many teams should be interested in acquiring his services.
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