Steelers have the top defensive line group in the NFL according to PFF

As the 2025 NFL offseason progresses into the summer months, there will constantly be a barrage of lists and rankings from various outlets. While some fans will have preferred places where they look for particular rankings, others will just avoid the information altogether.

After previously reporting on the members of the Pittsburgh Steelers who landed in the top 32 players at various positions according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), now it is time to look at several position groups as a whole and where they rank across the NFL. I know there are many who like to criticize PFF rankings, with me being one of them, it doesn’t mean that their information is always incorrect. While they used rankings for some of their reasoning when looking at players within the position groups, team scores from 2024 were not their ultimate deciding factor and instead it was the opinion of the various authors depending on which position group was being covered.

Whenever I cover various things from PFF, I often give the disclaimer reminding people that their grades are merely an opinion. One thing PFF should be commended on is that they collect an immense amount of data, particularly looking at each player on every snap, in order to form their opinion. But more data doesn’t automatically deliver a correct opinion. Regardless, it is still a great point of discussion to see where the Pittsburgh Steelers rank and the various positional groups.

Next up, let’s look at PFF’s rankings of all defensive line groups (including interior defensive linemen and outside linebackers when looking at a 3-4 defense) where the Steelers are the cream of the crop.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Led by edge defender T.J. Watt and interior defender Cameron Heyward, the Steelers’ defensive line continues to be the best in the NFL. Two Pittsburgh players were among the 30 highest-graded interior defenders, and three ranked in the top 20 among edge defenders last season.

Heyward’s 90.1 PFF overall grade ranked second at his position, while Watt’s 91.7 mark was the third highest among edge defenders. The Steelers even selected interior defender Derrick Harmon with their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, further bolstering an elite unit.

When having arguably one of the best players at the two position groups that make up what PFF classifies as the “defensive line,“ it’s easy to be the top squad. But when looking at the entire supporting cast, this was a no-brainer to put the Steelers at the top of the list with the only real competition coming from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Both T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith rank in the top eight of edge rushers from last season. Even reserve Nick Herbig isranked in the top 20 as well. Cam Hayward had the second best overall PFF grade of an interior defensive lineman last season and Keeanu Benton was in the top 30. Add in a first round draft pick to round out the unit in Derrick Harmon and the Steelers have a chance to be something extra special with their defensive front in 2025.

Not only do the Steelers have a strong unit, the AFC North is a tough division when it comes to the defensive line as three of the four teams landed in the top 10. The Cleveland Browns were ranked seventh mostly in part to Myles Garrett and the potential of top five draft pick Mason Graham. The Baltimore Ravens came in at the 10th spot as they always seem to be solid upfront on defense.

When it comes to defense in the AFC North, a team that seems to be lacking across the board is the Cincinnati Bengals. With this being what many believe to be their strongest position group on the defensive side of the ball, the Bengals rank 25th as both of their potential starting edge defenders are having contract disputes in Trey Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart.

Other position groups covered:

Receivers