Being able to rush the passer is a must for teams that want to win. Let's power rank the top pass rushers for the 2025 NFL Season. Teams who want to sustain success in the NFL have to have a legitimate franchise QB, the ability to protect the QB, and the ability to get to the QB.
A competent pass rush is simply mandatory in today's NFL, and the contracts for the top rushers in the league are reflective of that. Fortunately for many teams, that may have one or two high-end rushers.
Let's power rank the 10 best ahead of the 2025 NFL Season.
NFL Power Rankings: Who are the best pass-rushers in the league?
10. George Karlaftis, Kansas City Chiefs
George Karlaftis really had a breakout year with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024, as he racked up eight sacks, nine tackles for loss, but had 28 QB hits. You'd have to imagine that the Chiefs are trying to work out an extension with their stud defensive end as we speak.
9. Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks
Leonard Williams has been a mainstay along NFL defensive lines for a decade now. He's been on the Seattle Seahawks over the last year and change and racked up 11 sacks and 28 QB hits. Maybe not the first person you'd think of when mentioning the best pass-rushers in the NFL, Leonard absolutely belongs on this list.
8. Zach Allen, Denver Broncos
Zach Allen did not have the raw sack total in 2024, but he led the entire NFL with a whopping 40 QB hits, and the 40 QB hit mark is simply something we do not see with regularity in the NFL. Allen absolutely needs his flowers as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
7. Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans
Danielle Hunter signed with the Houston Texans last offseason and had yet another elite year rushing the passer, forming a stellar rushing duo alongside young-gun Will Anderson Jr. Hunter has been in the NFL since 2015 and is just .5 sacks away from 100 for his career.
6. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers
A five-time Pro Bowler, Nick Bosa has actually seen his sack total drop since winning the Defensive Player of the Year back in 2022. Despite the dip in sack production, Bosa is still an elite player at rushing the passer and is six in our power rankings.
5. Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos
With 13.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 24 QB hits in 2024, Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos lived in the backfield and really emerged as an elite pass rusher for the team. Denver led the NFL in sacks, and Bonitto led the Broncos in that category.
He also added two defensive touchdowns.
4. TJ Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
Not producing an insanely-ridiculous stat line like in previous seasons, TJ Watt still finished with 11.5 sacks and 27 QB hits for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024. Watt is absolutely on his way to the NFL Hall of Fame when he decides to hang it up. He's still among the very best at what he does in the NFL.
3. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
In just 13 games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, Micah Parsons racked up 12 sacks and 23 QB hits. For some of the top pass-rushers in the league, that would be a great output for a full 17-game season. Parsons is likely going to be getting a massive contract extension from the Cowboys at some point.
2. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Myles Garrett led the NFL with 22 tackles for loss in 2024 and has finished with double-digit sacks in each year since 2018, his second in the NFL. In total, Garrett has 102.5 career sacks and 200 QB hits.
1. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Trey Hendrickson may have been the Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 had the Cincinnati Bengals not fielded one of the worst units in the league. He led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, which is the exact total he had in the 2023 NFL Season. Hendrickson and the Bengals seem to still be figuring out a potential long-term extension. He's made the Pro Bowl in each year of his Bengals tenure.