• The NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year was at his best again in 2024: Myles Garrett led the league in PFF pass-rush grade (92.8), total pressures (83), pass-rush win percentage (23.1%) and pressure rate (18.2%).
• A model of consistency: Garrett earned his sixth straight 90.0-plus PFF pass-rushing grade 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.
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PFF's award winners are selected through a voting process exclusive to 28 senior analysts, contributors and members of the PFF staff, ensuring the decisions reflect the insights and expertise of those deeply involved in the game.
This year’s Best Pass-Rusher is Myles Garrett, who earned 24 votes to claim the honor. The runner-up was Aidan Hutchinson with three votes, while Micah Parsons rounded out the top three with one vote.
To view all 2024 award winners, click here.
Myles Garrett just turned 29 in December, but he has already built up a Hall-of-Fame resume as a five-time All-Pro and the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He was his usual dominant self in 2024, finishing the year as the league’s top pass-rusher for the third straight season.
Garrett led the league in PFF pass-rush grade (92.8), total pressures (83), pass-rush win percentage (23.1%) and pressure rate (18.2%), leaving little debate for PFF’s “Best Pass-Rusher” award this season.
This pass-rushing dominance holds even more weight when considering that Cleveland traded Za'Darius Smith, the team’s second-best pass-rusher, to Detroit halfway through the season. Only T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers was chipped more often than Garrett this year, making his incredibly high win rate that much more impressive.
The former No. 1 overall pick out of Texas A&M has been in a tier of his own since entering the league, earning a 90.1 PFF pass-rush grade or higher in each of the past six seasons. His production this year was especially noteworthy: The Cleveland Browns’ three wins tied for the fewest in the NFL this season, resulting in Garrett having his fewest pass-rushing opportunities since 2019 (a year in which he played just 10 games).
| Year | PFF Pass-Rush Grade | Pass-Rush Snaps | Total Pressures |
| 2024 | 92.8 | 477 | 83 |
| 2023 | 94.7 | 522 | 89 |
| 2022 | 93.5 | 490 | 73 |
| 2021 | 92.7 | 543 | 78 |
| 2020 | 90.1 | 568 | 63 |
| 2019 | 91.6 | 324 | 49 |
Pass-rushing metrics aside, Garrett reached two historic milestones this season. His sack of Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow in Week 16 made him the youngest player in NFL history to notch 100 career sacks, just a week before his 29th birthday. With two more sacks against the Dolphins in Week 17, Garrett became the only player in NFL history to record 14-plus sacks in four consecutive seasons.
Myles Garrett this season:
— Ryan Smith (@PFF_RyanSmith) January 8, 2025
– 92.8 pass-rush grade (1st)
– 83 pressures (T-1st)
– win percentage of 23.1% (1st)
– pressure rate of 18.2% (1st)
*Youngest player in NFL history to reach 100 sacks
*Only player in NFL history to record 14+ sacks in 4 consecutive seasons#DawgPound pic.twitter.com/sW2a8FPafB
Two other standout pass-rushers deserve recognition alongside Garrett this season: Aidan Hutchinson and Trey Hendrickson. Hutchinson was having a season for the ages prior to a season-ending injury in Week 6. He racked up 72 pass-rush wins — the most ever recorded by any defensive player in the PFF era over the first six weeks of a season. Incredibly, this was accomplished in just five games, as Detroit had a bye in Week 5.
Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks and tied Garrett for the league lead with 83 pressures, his fourth straight year with 70-plus pressures. The former third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic struggled in his first few years with the Saints but has been one of the most underrated players in the NFL since joining the Bengals in 2021.
Garrett, the Browns’ franchise cornerstone, has made it clear he loves the organization but, at the same time, acknowledged he doesn’t want to be part of another rebuild. Cleveland holds the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and could select a potential franchise quarterback, something we saw the Washington Commanders do this season with Jayden Daniels, which immediately turned them into a contender.
Whether Garrett will remain in Cleveland or be traded to another team before next season is unclear. What we do know is that he is still at the top of his game — and on the shortlist for best player in the NFL.
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