2024 Pre-Season Rank #7, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #4, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #7, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #8, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #10.  Peak Period: 2011-12/2014-16.

As it stands right now, Von Miller already has a Hall of Fame resume and might have the goods to get in on the first ballot. 

A Defensive Rookie of the Year, Super Bowl winner, and Super Bowl MVP for the Denver Broncos, Miller has all the statistical requirements the Hall looks for and the name recognition that fits the word "Fame.”   Over the last three seasons, Miller served as a pass-rushing specialist for the Buffalo Bills, and he is continuing his career in 2025 with the up-and-coming Washington Commanders.

Miller enters 2025 with 129.5 Sacks, only three behind Leslie O’Neal and the legendary Lawrence Taylor for 14th place all-time, and is the current active leader, and is sixth all-time in Tackles for Loss, notably tied with Hall of Famers Julius Peppers and Jared Allen.   Five more TFLs will get him fifth place, just ahead of first-ballot lock, Aaron Donald.  Considering what his specific role is, catching Taylor for Sacks and Donald for Tackles for Loss is doable.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #11: 2023 Pre-Season Rank #15, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #24, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #68, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #102.  Peak Period: 2019-23.

Watching T.J. Watt rocket through this rank reminds us of how his older brother, J.J., did the same thing.

A Pittsburgh Steeler for all of his eight seasons, Watt has been the game’s top pass-rusher through most of it, winning three Sack Titles (2020, 2021 & 2023), two Tackles For Loss Titles (2020 & 2021), and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.  Watt has been so dominant that he was the runner-up for the DPOY twice (in 2020 & 2023), third in 2019, and fourth last year.  He also led the NFL in Forced Fumbles twice (2019 & 2024) and last season joined the 100-Sack club.

Watt is Canton-bound, and the only sad thing is that his bust can’t be beside J.J..

2024 Pre-Season Rank #12, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #14, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #19, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #26, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #29.  Peak Period: 2015-19.

Oakland.  Chicago.  Los Angeles.

Everywhere Khalil Mack goes, Khalil Mack dominates.

The Outside Linebacker made history last season as the first player to secure three Pro Bowls on three different teams, when he added Pro Bowl number nine in year three with the Chargers.  The celebrated pass-rusher has 107.5 career Sacks, a Defensive Player of the Year Award (2016 with the Raiders), the longevity, the consistency, and the dominance that the PFHOF would want.

He may not dominate the defensive headlines like he used to, but Mack remains the “Mack.”

2024 Pe-Season Rank #17, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #34, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #53, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #99, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #144.  Peak Period: 2020-24

What would the Cleveland Browns be without Myles Garrett over the last seven years?

In the off-season, Garrett asked for a trade, frustrated by the constant turmoil and failure of the organization to build around him, but he signed a contract extension with a fat contract to stay, and you can’t blame Cleveland for breaking the bank to keep him.

Garrett has been a First Team All-Pro four of the last five seasons, and the Defensive End won the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, while finishing third last season.  Breaking 100 Sacks last year, Garrett always seems to have a nose for wherever the ball is.  He is also on a seven-year streak of at least 10 Sacks and 18 Tackles for Loss.

Garrett’s elite period rivals many Hall of Fame Defensive Ends, and he is only 30.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #19, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #19, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #26 2021 Pre-Season Rank #28, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #36. Peak Period: 2014-18

Longevity, talent, and class.

39-year-old Calais Campbell remains a solid Defensive End in the National Football League, and in 2025, he returns to the team he played for from 2008 to 2016, the Arizona Cardinals.

“The Mayor of Sacksonville” went to six Pro Bowls in a seven-year period (2014-20), which includes his last two in his first run in Arizona, all three of his seasons as a Jacksonville Jaguar, and his first in Baltimore.  Campbell, who won the 2019 Walter Payton Man of the Year and the 2023 Alan Page Award, was also honored with a 2010s All-Decade Selection.

Campbell also has a statistical Hall of Fame resume with 110.5 Sacks and 187 Tackles for Loss, making him the active leader in that stat.  The Hall of Fame loves character guys, but they don’t get a pass unless they show what their goods are on the gridiron.  Calais Campbell did just that.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #21, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #27, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #25, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #36, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #42.  Peak Period: 2017-21

Cameron Jordan is one of the many players on this list whose second half seems to eclipse his first, and isn't that a stunning statement considering that he was a 2010s All-Decade Player?  He had a six-year Pro Bowl streak snapped in 2022, but has eight in total, and a healthy number of career Sacks (121.5) and Tackles for Loss (160).  His Hall of Fame case is also bolstered by his association with only one team, the New Orleans Saints, where he has been a leader on and off the field for over a decade. However, with the state of New Orleans heading into 2025, he deserves better than that sinking ship.

As for the Hall, he has a solid resume, but bigger names in similar roles could overshadow him.  How many times have we seen that before?

2024 Pre-Season Rank #15, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #58, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #100. Peak Period 2020-24.

When you think of the recent success of the Kansas City Chiefs, you immediately think of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the offense, but you have to stop the ball, and in the 2020s, very few could do it at the level of Chris Jones.

Versatile, consistent, and quick like a cat, Jones does it all.  The defensive stud of Kansas City’s five Super Bowl appearances, Jones combines the power of a pass rusher and the speed of a run-blocker to make a perfect defensive beast.  The pundits agree that Jones begins this year on a three-year streak of First Team All-Pro Selections with six straight Pro Bowls.  The scary thing for opposing offenses is that Jones seems to be constantly improving.

Would KC have won their last three Super Bowls without Jones?  Not a chance.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #28, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #33, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #38, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #75, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #87.  Peak Period: 2017-21

In the first six seasons of Cameron Heyward's career, there was no mention of him ever sniffing the Hall of Fame. The next six years would change everything, as Heyward’s production increased, and he strung together a six-year Pro Bowl streak (2017-22) that included three First Team All-Pros.  Heyward was not just a consummate disruptor; he was an all-around role model who won the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Last season at the age of 35, Heyward added his seventh Pro Bowl, but because his role is not purely as a pass-rusher, his 88.5 Sacks and 133 Tackles for Loss do not jump off the page, though, of course, we suspect (or hope), the Hall of Fame voters know this.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #52,  2023: Pre-Season Rank #83. Peak Period: 2019-23

The explosive Nick Bosa is one of a handful of players who won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year (2019) and later the AP Defensive Player of the Year (2022), a combination of trophies that can pave the way to a bronze bust.

The cornerstone of a defense that has been to two Super Bowls, Bosa’s five-year peak is impacted by an injury that held him to two Games in 2020.   When he is healthy, Bosa is among the best pass-rushers in football, though it is a position that needs constant attention for the Hall, as his stature has shrunk over the last 24 months.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #57, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #87, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #102 2021 Pre-Season Rank #102, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #90.  Peak Period: 2018-19/2022-24

We said a couple of years ago that “Hunter is a pick for a lot of people to have a breakout defensive campaign, and he is coming off of back-to-back Pro Bowl and 14.5 Sack years”.  That didn’t happen, as he missed the entire 2020 season with a neck injury and was not great in 2021.  Healthy in 2022, Hunter responded with two straight Pro Bowl years and is coming off his highest Sack number (16) and a league-leading 23 Tackles for Loss.

After eight years in Minnesota, Hunter is now in his second year as a Houston Texan, and if he can build off of his last two years, Hunter could quietly make a Hall of Fame run.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #79, 2023: Pre-Season Rank #102. Peak Period: 2021-24*

The biggest surprise of the 2025 off-season is that Micah Parsons was traded from the Dallas Cowboys, as he was a top-ten player in only his fourth season. 

So, what do we do next?

Parsons joins Green Bay and immediately elevates them as an NFC Championship contender. If that proves to be true, Parsons’ Hall of Fame case immediately skyrockets from a place that was already elevated, and based on what we have already seen from Parsons, it should.

The 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year went to the Pro Bowl in all four years of his pro career, and collected at least 12 Sacks each season, as well as finishing in the top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting in his first three years. 

What he does in 2025 and beyond will skyrocket Parsons in this list and the Hall of Fame stratosphere, and we will wager it will be incredible.

*Parsons has only played four seasons.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #45, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #57, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #67, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #69, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #68.  Peak Period 2011-15.

In 2014, Houston led the NFL with 22 Sacks and went to four straight Pro Bowls, ending in 2015. That run with the Kansas City Chiefs seems like a long time ago, as he has been average since, and unless he has another Pro Bowl-worthy year, he likely won’t make it to Canton.  

This will be especially hard as he is currently a free agent, but he is still a free agent with over 100 Sacks (112), and that club sees multiple new members annually.  If his career is over, this is the body of work we have to judge him on, and as it stands now, the only Hall he will enter is the Kansas City Chiefs Hall.  That would still be an amazing accomplishment.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #58, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #74, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #76, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #93, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #128.  Peak Period: 2018-22

DeForest Buckner played his first four seasons with San Francisco. In his first year in Indianapolis (2020), he set a personal best of 16 in Approximate Value and earned his inaugural First Team All-Pro. Throw in a 2021 and 2023 Pro Bowl, and you have a player who is trending well, but still has a lot to do to gain serious Hall of Fame traction.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #71, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #51, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #60, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #82, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #97.  Peak Period: 2017-21

The 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year could not add much to his Hall of Fame after 2021, as in 2022, he missed most of the season due to a groin injury.  When he returned, he hampered the Chargers in their playoff game against Jacksonville when he took his helmet off in frustration over a Jags Touchdown.  The penalty helped the Jags win the game, and Bosa was the bonehead of the week.  After a pair of seasons where he was under the radar, he now joins the Buffalo Bills, with the hope of rejuvenating his career.   This year is pivotal for his Hall of Fame chances.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #85.  Peak Period: 2020-24

If you are a Raiders fan, what is not to love about Maxx Crosby?

Hell, even if you don’t love the silver and black, how can’t you respect him?

Crosby broke out in his third year, and his tenacious nose for the line of scrimmage has been infamous throughout Nevada.   A Pro Bowl Selection for the last four seasons, Crosby twice led the NFL in Tackles For Loss (2022 & 2023), with top-six Defensive Player of the Year voting occurring in both years.   The Raiders' future in the next few years begins and ends with Crosby.

2024: Pre-Season Rank: #127.  Peak Period 2019-23.

Trey Hendrickson came into his own in his last season in New Orleans (2020) with a 13.5 Sack/12 TFL year, but once he joined the Cincinnati Bengals, he became a defensive juggernaut.

The Bengals were defensively an issue in 2024, but Trey Hendrickson was carrying the squad, performing so well that he led the NFL in Sacks (17.5) and was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.  Henrickson has been a Pro Bowler all four of his Cincinnati years, and based on the off-field negotiations in 2025, the Bengals are hoping that he can lead the Southern Ohio to the promised land.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #80, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #75, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #112. Peak Period: 2018-22

Matt Judon’s four-year streak of Pro Bowl appearances ended in 2022, when the then-New England Patriot suffered a torn bicep.  Judon had four Sacks in four Games in 2023 and 15 the year before, but if he returns to double-digit Sacks in 2025, it will be his fourth team, the Miami Dolphins.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #87, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #111, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #132, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #131, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #133.  Peak Period: 2017-19/2022-23

DeMarcus Lawrence has had two two-year Pro Bowl runs in his career with the Dallas Cowboys, and the versatile Defensive End stays under the national radar despite playing for America’s Team.  Lawrence would have to elevate his play to make a Hall of Fame run, or in a lesser field, the Cowboys Ring of Honor.   He will have to have a "second life" in Seattle for any serious Hall of Fame run.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #92,2023 Pre-Season Rank #89, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #87, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #89, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #85. Peak Period:  2015-19.

More of a Swiss-Army Knife type of player than a pure pass rusher, Clowney went to three straight Pro Bowls (2016-18) with the Houston Texans, though he has not been to one since.

Clowney has been more of a role player, bouncing from various teams but still providing value.  The Hall of Fame dream is likely over, but it is a solid career that still should provide more moments this year as a Carolina Panther.  A ten-sack season (he had 9.5 twice, including last year) is still within reach if he finds a team in 2025.

2023 Pre-Season Rank #86, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #90, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #95, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #122.  Peak Period: 2011-15

We noted before that JPP hasn’t been to the Pro Bowl since 2012, and his best days seem like a generation ago.  Perhaps he aimed to prove us wrong as he was healthy in 2020, returned to the Pro Bowl (his third), and won his second Super Bowl, but he enters his year (again) as a Free Agent, and his career might be over.