The NFL landscape is as fascinating as we've ever seen heading into the 2026 season.
The NFC was supposed to prove itself to be the inferior of the two conferences last season, but it was anything but. The NFC not only boasts the Super Bowl champion from the past two seasons (and three of the last five), but it looks absolutely loaded once again in 2026.
We've already taken a deep dive into all of the teams in the NFC, but what if we were to rank each team by its best defensive player heading into the upcoming season? This is a conference that boasts some of the best in the league at every level of the defense.
Our latest NFL Power Rankings are going to do exactly that -- rank every NFC team based on their biggest individual star on the defensive side of the ball.
NFL Power Rankings: Every NFC team ranked worst to best by their top defensive player
16. Minnesota Vikings: Andrew Van Ginkel, linebacker/edge rusher
The Minnesota Vikings said goodbye to a host of prominent defensive players this offseason, including Harrison Smith, Jonathan Greenard, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave. It was a bit of a rough offseason for the Vikings in terms of their defensive personnel, but Andrew Van Ginkel remains one of the more underrated impact players on the defensive side of the ball across the entire NFL.
Van Ginkel emerged under Brian Flores while the two were together in Miami, and he has continued to grow as a player in Minnesota. He earned 2nd-team All-Pro honors in the 2024 season but was limited to just 12 games this past season. Even with that, he still set a career-high with 10 batted passes.
He's a disruptive, versatile player who has to be accounted for on every snap.
15. Washington Commanders: Odafe Oweh, edge rusher
The Baltimore Ravens threw in the towel on Odafe Oweh last season, saying goodbye to their former first-round pick in a mid-season trade dump with the Los Angeles Chargers. Jim Harbaugh got the better of his brother John in that deal, because Oweh really blossomed under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
When he was traded by the Ravens, Oweh had no sacks in five games. When he got to the Chargers, he became a pass rushing machine, racking up 7.5 sacks in 12 games along with 13 QB hits. He showed that potential in 2024 when he racked up 10 sacks and 23 QB hits with the Ravens, so the Commanders paid up.
He got a four-year deal from Washington worth $100 million, proving that the Commanders believe his best days are yet to come.
14. Arizona Cardinals: Budda Baker, defensive back
The Arizona Cardinals might not have much, but they have Budda Baker.
You can use whatever descriptors you want: Tough, physical, versatile, instinctive, consistent -- he's got it all.
Baker is one of the most decorated players on this list as an 8-time Pro Bowl selection and 4-time All-Pro selection. In 9 NFL seasons, Baker has racked up over 1,000 tackles and is one of the toughest players in the league.
The Cardinals gave Baker a 3-year contract extension worth $54 million back in 2024 and he's one of the most important players for that franchise, especially as they get set for a huge rebuilding year.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Antoine Winfield Jr., safety
After an injury-plagued 2024 season (only 9 games played), Antoine Winfield Jr. bounced back in a big way this past season. The most noteworthy stat he posted was 17 games played, but he earned Pro Bowl honors after racking up 93 total tackles, 8 passes defensed, 2 interceptions, 4 tackles for loss, and 4 QB hits.
The Buccaneers know they have one of the most valuable defensive weapons in the game, and a player who they would probably consider the heart and soul of their defensive unit.
We saw Winfield playing a lot more of the centerfield position as a deep safety last season, but the Bucs get him involved at all three levels. And that's where he's best -- making plays at every level and being a dynamic chess piece.
12. Atlanta Falcons: Jessie Bates III, safety
Falcons safety Jessie Bates has only been selected to one Pro Bowl in his NFL career, but he's made it to three All-Pro teams (all 2nd-team selections).
He's clearly one of the most underrated defensive backs in the league, and just an outrageous model of consistency. In 8 NFL seasons overall, Bates has at least 3 interceptions every single year except one -- the 2021 season -- where he had just one pick.
Over the last 3 seasons, Bates is averaging easily over 100 tackles per year and has 13 total interceptions, and 8 forced fumbles. He's always making plays on the ball, and is one of the best in the league at creating turnovers.
11. Dallas Cowboys: Quinnen Williams, defensive lineman
The Dallas Cowboys made the blockbuster trade getting rid of Micah Parsons last year, and used some of their newfound NFL Draft capital flexibility to swing another blockbuster deal with the New York Jets for Quinnen Williams.
Williams is perhaps not the dominant force he looked like in the 2023 season when he was a 1st-team All-Pro selection, but he's one of the best interior defensive linemen in the entire NFL. He's made it to four straight Pro Bowls and is considered the highest graded interior defensive lineman against the run in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Cowboys need Williams to give them dominant play on the interior defensive line, especially with so many young guys thye are counting on to develop off the edge. He is going to be the thermostat for this entire Dallas defensive rebuild.
10. Chicago Bears: Montez Sweat, edge rusher
The Bears may not have done enough this offseason to truly upgrade their pass rush to the point it needs to be at for a team with such hopes of contending, but they'll be expecting Montez Sweat to do his part once again.
The 2025 season was not Sweat's first double-digit sack season, but it was his first double-digit sack season with just one team. He did it back in 2023 when he was traded to the Bears from Washington, racking up 6.5 sacks in Washington, 6 in Chicago, and earning his first Pro Bowl nod.
This past season, Sweat proved himself as one of the top pass rushers in the NFC. He not only had 10 sacks for the Bears, but he also tied his career-high with 3 forced fumbles and had 5 batted passes. He's an impact player on that Chicago defensive front.
9. New Orleans Saints: Chase Young, defensive end/edge rusher
More NFL teams had to be kicking themselves for not taking a shot on Chase Young in the 2024 offseason when they had the chance. The New Orleans Saints made the smart move to take a shot on Young's talent, and it paid off in a big way.
Not just for the Saints, but for Young as well.
He racked up a career-high 21 QB hits during his first year in New Orleans, and the Saints rewarded him by signing him to a 3-year contract worth $51 million in total money and $33 million in guarantees. He proved them right for making that move this past season by notching a career-best 10 sacks, and he also added 30 pressures.
He had the 9th-best pass rush grade in the entire NFL last year, according to PFF.
8. Seattle Seahawks: Devon Witherspoon, cornerback
It feels almost wrong or blasphemous to have the Seattle Seahawks' representative in the middle of a list like this, but this is a testament to just how good of a team the Seahawks have, and how good of a coordinator Mike Macdonald is.
That's not to say Devon Witherspoon isn't a great player in his own right. He's the 8th-best defensive star in the NFC, at least according to this list. But the Seahawks get weekly contributions from everyone on that side of the ball.
Witherspoon is their best player, no doubt. He actually had the highest grade of any cornerback from Pro Football Focus last season and had the 2nd-highest coverage grade in the league. Even though he has just two career interceptions, Witherspoon clearly impacts the game in so many different ways and might have been the best player on the field during the Seahawks' Super Bowl win vs. New England.
7. Carolina Panthers: Jaycee Horn, cornerback
There was maybe some concern early on in his career about whether or not Jaycee Horn was going to live up to his lofty NFL Draft status, especially considering he was taken before Pat Surtain II in the 2021 Draft, but he's really come around.
The Panthers know they have one of the best in the league with Horn locking down his side of the field. He's as dynamic as they come in terms of size, speed, and ball skills. Quarterbacks were almost better off throwing it in the dirt last year than throwing it Horn's direction. He had a career-high five interceptions, showing off those elite ball skills, and allowed just 48.4 percent of passes into his coverage to be completed.
The one area of his game that has to get cleaned up is missing tackles, because he was credited with 14 of those last season. If he can do that, he might jump into the top 3 of a list like this next year.
6. Philadelphia Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, cornerback
It was a difficult decision to pick Quinyon Mitchell as the Eagles' representative on this list over Jalen Carter, but I think it's absolutely justified.
First off, Mitchell allowed just 44.3 percent of passes thrown his direction last year to be completed. His QB rating allowed was just 63.7. Even without any interceptions through his first two NFL seasons, you can see the elite ball skills from Mitchell, who has 29 passes broken up.
Considering teams don't love throwing his direction, that amount of production on the ball is just outrageous. Mitchell was a 1st-team All-Pro selection last season, which has to land him on a list like this. Even though Jalen Carter is also a special talent, the Eagles have a guy who knows how to lock it down against any receiver he faces.
5. New York Giants: Brian Burns, edge rusher
At the age of 27, Brian Burns unlocked new levels to his game during the 2025 season. It's a shame the Giants weren't good enough for him to earn the proper recognition he deserved, even though he was named a 2nd-team All Pro selection.
Burns finished the 2025 season with a whopping 16.5 sacks and 31 total quarterback hits. Those numbers were the best he's posted in his NFL career, as was the fact that he added 41 total QB pressures. He's simply become one of the most consistent and dominant forces off the edge in the league.
This guy is one of the most feared pressure players in the NFL right now, and he is seemingly just getting better and better every year.
4. Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, defensive end
Aidan Hutchinson is a special talent off the edge in today's NFL.
The fact that he had 17 QB hits and 7.5 sacks in just five games during the 2024 season before going down with a devastating injury tells you all you need to know about him. Every single game, this guy is making a ridiculous impact.
But the way he played after coming back from that scary injury is even more impressive. He had 14.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles last year, 35 QB hits, and 49 total pressures. He reminded everyone that he's one of the most dominant pass rushers in the entire NFL, and if that was just his first year coming off of injury?
Watch out. This guy played over 1,000 snaps coming off of his gruesome 2024 injury and daunting recovery. He's a machine.
3. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, edge rusher
Even though he's coming off of a season-ending injury (an unfortunate theme near the top of this list), everybody knows that Nick Bosa is an annual contender for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
He's had a couple of injury-impacted seasons in a row, but when Bosa is on the field, he's the player offenses have to focus on week in and week out. There is a reason why the 49ers ranked dead last in the NFL in sacks last season without him.
He's the straw that stirs the drink for that defense, but it does feel like his time atop lists like this is ticking. Entering his age-29 season, the 49ers need him to not only stay on the field, but get back to form consistently and put them back in the top of that Super Bowl conversation. He has that type of ability to impact games, especially late.
2. Green Bay Packers: Micah Parsons, edge rusher
The Green Bay Packers paid a king's ransom to get Micah Parsons away from the Dallas Cowboys, and he proved to be worth every bit of it.
Not only did they give up prime NFL Draft real estate to give Parsons, but he was handed a humongous four-year, $188 million deal. And Parsons lived up to the hype. Despite getting hurt late in the season against Denver, Parsons racked up 12.5 sacks in 14 games and was named a 1st-team All-Pro.
He was so good last season that he finished 3rd in the NFL in Defensive Player of the Year voting despite the injury. Parsons has been one of the league's most dominant defenders since he got to the NFL back in 2021.
1. Los Angeles Rams: Myles Garrett, defensive end
Myles Garrett is the most dominant defensive player of the last decade in the NFL. He's coming off of his second Defensive Player of the Year award in the last three seasons, and he put up video-game type numbers to get it.
Garrett set the NFL sack record with 23 sacks last season, but also finished with a career-high 33 tackles for loss. That was 16 more tackles for loss than he had during his last DPoY season in 2023.
Garrett has been traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a blockbuster deal, giving the Rams the reigning MVP -- Matthew Stafford -- and DPoY on the same roster for the first time in league history. Over the last two seasons, Garrett has a whopping 97 total pressures and is still just 30 years old.
He might be the piece that pushes the Rams over the top.