We dive into the annals of NFL history to find the top five performances by rookie pass rushers and their career accomplishments to date.
We hear all the time that defensive linemen tend to take some time to develop, and most will say year three is the year of the player’s “big leap”. I say that because we had four defensive edge pass rushers taken in the first round, and three went between picks one and five.
Travon Walker, Aidan Hutchinson, and Kayvon Thibodeaux are three pass rushers who come into the 2022 NFL season with high expectations and hopes from their respective fan bases.
Which rookies had the best pass rush seasons in NFL history?
So, I figured what better time to put together a list of the top five rookie performances from the league’s pass rushers in NFL history.
When I dove into this, I was a little surprised to see several rookies have produced double-digit sack seasons in their rookie years. In fact, since 1982, per statmuse.com, 25 players recorded 10.5 sacks or more in their rookie season.
Now keep in mind as we go through this ranking, pass rushers don’t only come from the defensive line, linebackers, such as Von Miller (hint hint) are known throughout the league as one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in the game today.
So for a list that ranks the top 5, it would be simple to just pick the top 5 sack producers, right? That would be too easy, so I took it a step further.
Yes, an edge defender’s primary goal is to take down the quarterback but what about run defense or pressuring the quarterback, that could lead to incompletions or better yet, interceptions. What about tackles for loss?
The tricky thing here is stats like quarterback hits weren’t tracked as an official stat until 2006, or what about quarterback pressure rate? This is a relatively new stat as well, that we didn’t hear 20 years ago.
Stats for pass rushers have certainly changed over the years. I suppose I could have watched every game of every one of these players that’s available online and tracked pressures versus snaps and, oh never mind.
Who has time for all that?
So with that, here are my top five all-time rookie seasons by an edge defender.
Best NFL rookie pass rush season no. 5: Von Miller, Denver Broncos
Von Miller was drafted in 2011 by the Denver Broncos and was the number two overall selection. He would be a menace his rookie year and showed exactly why he was drafted as high as he was.
Miller produced the fewest sacks among this list of rookie pass rushers, with 11.5 sacks in 15 games.
Miller was a terror to quarterbacks, as well as ball carriers in general. He produced 64 total tackles on the year, which included an incredible 19 tackles for loss (TFL), and harassed quarterbacks with 29 hits on the opposing team’s signal-caller.
Miller was named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, Pro Bowl, and was named to the AP second-team All-Pro roster.
During Miller’s rookie season, the Denver Broncos finished the year with an 8-8 record; however, the team was on the rise and Miller would help elevate the Broncos’ defense to one of the best in the league.
Miller would go on to play in two Super Bowls, one with the Denver Broncos, where he was named the game’s MVP, and another just last season with the LA Rams, producing two sacks and arguably could have won a second Super Bowl MVP.
Miller has produced eight Pro Bowl seasons in his illustrious career, with a career sack total of 115.5, placing him 22nd on the all-time sack leaders and the leading active sack artist, so barring injury, Miller will likely find himself in the top 20 very soon.
Von Miller will be taking his pass-rushing talents in 2022 to his third team, signing a free agent deal to lead the Buffalo Bills defense, where he hopes to lead a third team to the Super Bowl, which would make him only the second player in the league history to accomplish that feat.
Currently, the only player to pull this off was Matt Millen, with the Raiders, San Francisco, and lastly with Washington.
Best rookie NFL pass rusher season no. 4: Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis Colts
Dwight Freeney was drafted in 2002 by the Indianapolis Colts with the 11th overall selection. He would go on to produce 13 sacks his rookie year in 16 games.
He had the fewest tackles of anyone on this list with 46 total tackles; however, what separates him was his ability to force fumbles.
During his rookie year, he forced nine fumbles, leading the league in this category and setting a rookie record that still stands today. Freeney also recorded 20 tackles for loss, which was also tops in the league.
Dwight Freeney was named to the AP All-Pro at the end of his rookie season, as well as runner-up to Julius Peppers for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Additionally, Freeney was voted to five AP All-Pro rosters and seven Pro Bowl teams. He also led the NFL in sacks in 2004, when he tallied a total of 16 sacks.
Probably his greatest accomplishment was being named to the NFL’s 2000’s All-Decade Team.
Freeney would go on to record 125.5 sacks in his career, placing him 18th on the All-Time list among all pass rushers. Equally as impressive, is his 11 sacks in post-season play, placing him in a five-way tie for fifth all-time.
He also was an integral part of an Indianapolis defense in 2010 that would capture a Super Bowl title.
Dwight Freeney retired in 2017 and will be eligible for the Hall of Fame after this year, in my book, he’s a Hall of Famer, question is, how long will he have to wait?
Other first-time eligible players in 2023 he’ll be competing with are Darrelle Revis, James Harrison, and Joe Thomas, all worthy players for the Hall of Fame.
Best rookie NFL pass rush season no. 3: Jevon Kearse, Tennessee Titans
This one might be the most controversial, as I think a lot of folks feel that Jevon Kearse had the greatest rookie season for a pass rusher in league history.
I would not agree and maybe I can convince the doubters when we get to my top two but that third on this list of phenomenal pass rushers is still pretty solid.
Jevon Kearse was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in 1999, with the 16th overall pick. He would go on to record the most sacks for a rookie in NFL history, with 14.5 sacks.
This record still stands today, and though threatened in 2021, may not be broken anytime soon.
He also forced eight fumbles throughout the season, and Jevon Kearse earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, as well as being named to the AP All-Pro.
Kearse was a big reason why the Tennessee Titans advanced to the Super Bowl his rookie year and he totaled three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a safety in four playoff games.
Kearse finished his career after the 2009 season and recorded 74 career sacks. His career numbers don’t compare with many of the league’s pass rushers throughout history, due partially to injuries.
Kearse missed the majority of his 2002 season and was a top ten finalist for NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2003.
In the three seasons following Kearse’s lost 2002, he tallied 25.5 sacks but would produce only 11.5 over the final four years of his career.
His career may not be there with some of the other all-time great pass rushers but there is no question he produced one of the best rookie seasons the NFL has ever seen.
Best rookie NFL pass rush season no. 2: Reggie White, Philadelphia Eagles
Reggie White, The Minister of Defense, maybe the greatest pass rusher of all time, depending on who you ask.
His stellar career started with a bang in his rookie year with the NFL. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1985 supplemental draft with the fourth overall pick; however, he spent the first two years of his professional career in the USFL, playing for the Memphis Showboats.
During his two seasons in Memphis, White recorded 23.5 sacks.
White’s rookie season would end with 13 sacks on the year and an eye-popping 100 tackles, which is unheard of for defensive linemen, who typically don’t produce that many tackles since they are down in the trenches.
The Philadelphia Eagles finished the season with a 7 – 9 record and despite the huge numbers from White, he was not voted the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and no All-Pro or Pro Bowl nods either.
What makes Reggie White’s rookie season that much more impressive is the fact he only started 12 games and played in 13 total, yet he was tied for the third-highest sack total by a rookie in league history and no one can touch him for total tackles.
Given that White’s rookie year was in 1985, defensive stats back then were primarily sacks, tackles, and interceptions. Because of that, it’s harder to measure him against pass rushers in the 2000s.
You didn’t hear about tackles for loss or pressure rate, none of the stats you hear about today with advanced analytics.
Reggie White would finish his career with 198 sacks, second in league history, behind only Bruce Smith’s 200.
White was voted to an incredible 13 Pro Bowls, was a seven-time first-team All-Pro, and six second-team All-Pros.
He’s a two-time Defensive Player of the year and a top-10 finalist in seven different seasons.
Best rookie NFL pass rush season no. 1: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
While putting this list together, I didn’t have too much trouble with the fourth and fifth spots in this top five; however, these top three could go in any order. You can put any of the three in the one spot and you’ll get little argument from me.
The only reason I didn’t put Reggie White in this number one spot was his two seasons in the USFL, coming out of college. I believe this gave him a bit of an edge over other rookies coming into the NFL straight out of college.
That said, Micah Parsons is my number one pass-rushing rookie.
Micah Parsons was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2021 with the 12th pick of the draft. All he did in year one was being voted Defensive Rookie of the Year, was second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, made first-team All-Pro, and a spot on the NFC Pro Bowl roster.
Parsons tallied 13 sacks and 84 tackles in 16 games. The 13 sacks are good enough to land him tied for third all-time for rookies in NFL history.
It wasn’t just the sack numbers though, Parsons was all over the field in 2020, harassing not just quarterbacks but ball carries in general.
He recorded 20 tackles for loss, which ties him with Dwight Freeney with the most among these pass rushers. He also had 30 quarterback hits, making life difficult for opposing signal callers, sending them home very sore after facing him and the Cowboys’ defense.
The future is very bright for this young player, as he prepares for his second season in the league in 2022. Only time will tell just how good Parsons will be and the path his career goes.
It’s been a long time since the Dallas Cowboys have been in the Super Bowl but here are some numbers for you.
The four guys I’ve ranked behind Parsons, all have been to a Super Bowl and only Jevon Kearse was unable to win one.
Those four combined for a whopping seven Super Bowls between them. I think that bodes well for Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys.