• Joey The Tooth’s Top 20 Redraft Defensive Line Rankings

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    Redraft season is here! It is time for some rankings, so here are my top 20 redraft defensive linemen.


    The defensive line is one of the hardest positions to draft. It is quite top-heavy, and if you miss out on those elite-level targets, what is the next strategy? Do you reach and make sure you land a tier-two defensive lineman, or do you more or less punt the position and look for value later in the draft. Either way, the position can dictate your IDP drafts. Here are my top 20 redraft defensive line rankings.

    Top 20 Defensive Linemen

    1. Myles Garrett - Cleveland Browns

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    Outside of Myles Garrett's unfortunate behavior at times, the man is an absolute beast on the field. He has played in a career 51 games and has 42.5 sacks. Even better, over his last 24 games, Garrett has come up with 22 sacks. Tack on a career with 42 tackles for loss and 83 QB hits, and you can see why he is routinely in the backfield. At only 26 years old, Garrett is a lock at #1.

    2. Nick Bosa - San Francisco 49ers

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    Now I know that Nick Bosa is coming off of an ACL injury, so putting him at #2 in my redraft defensive line rankings may seem like a stretch. After Garrett though, there are a plethora of guys who could come in at #2 and I feel that Bosa is the most polished.

    As a rookie, he ranked in the top 10 in many pass-rushing categories. Bosa's playoff run was also dominant in 2019. He looks healthy in camp so far, so I feel that he is ready to make an instant impact once again.

    3. Danielle Hunter - Minnesota Vikings

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    Danielle Hunter had surgery last season to repair a herniated disc in his neck. Because of this, he is sliding down rankings and draft boards. I'm keeping Hunter right here in my top three. He posted consecutive seasons with 70+ tackles and 14.5 sacks. Am I worried about Hunter's injury? Sure, but with the volatility of the position, his potential upside is too much to ignore.

    4. Joey Bosa - Los Angeles Chargers

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    I have heard some concerns about Joey Bosa as well. Some say he had a down season, he is injury prone, or he does not have any help on his line. Whatever the reason, I'm still in. Bosa only played 12 games last season and still had 39 tackles and 7.5 sacks with 27 QB hits. The QB hits were only four off of his career-high.

    Bosa is an elite defensive end, no matter how you put it, and he is cemented in the top five of my redraft defensive line rankings.

    5. Aaron Donald - Los Angeles Rams

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    What is there to say about Aaron Donald that is not said every year? There is always the narrative that he should not win defensive player of the year, but that is always incorrect. Until he slows down, he will likely win it again. From the interior, Donald was third in the league in QB pressures and second in the league in sacks.

    He has not had less than 24 QB hits since his rookie season, all while missing only two tackles. Donald will eat again this year, and probably for more to come.

    6. Brian Burns - Carolina Panthers

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    Brian Burns may be one of the most underrated and under-the-radar pass rushers. Burns was ninth in the league in pressures and tied for 14th in the league in sacks. Tack on the fact that he has a terrific tackle floor, 58 in 2020, and you have yourself a very successful IDP player. Burns' situation has not changed on defense, and I expect similar numbers from his 2020 season in 2021.

    7. Chase Young - Washington Football Team

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    For dynasty, Chase Young is higher in my rankings, but for redraft, this is where I believe he belongs. He has limitless potential and could easily finish in the top five, though his 2020 numbers need to be improved upon to do this. Young had 44 tackles and 7.5 sacks as a rookie in 15 games, though he only had 24 pressures, which ranks tied for 49th in the NFL.

    I fully expect Young to make a year two leap, though I need to see it before he is higher on my redraft defensive line rankings.

    8. Montez Sweat - Washington Football Team

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    I was very tempted to rank Montez Sweat ahead of Chase Young this year, though I think we have seen him reach his ceiling and Young has yet to reach his. Sweat finished both his seasons in the NFL with 45 or more tackles and 7 or more sacks. Sweat and Young will counteract each other often this season.

    The interior of the line will steal some of their sacks, though both should still produce top 10 defensive line numbers.

    9. Josh Allen - Jacksonville Jaguars

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    Josh Allen is a buy-low candidate this season, and I even wrote an article on it. Allen has been written off by so many after a down 2020 season, but unrightfully so. His pressures and QB hits were on pace to almost achieve what he did his rookie season, even with battling injuries all season.

    Allen was phenomenal his rookie year and that talent does not just disappear after one year. He is still one of the more talented pass rushers in the NFL and is a top 10 in my redraft defensive line rankings.

    10. Maxx Crosby - Las Vegas Raiders

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    Maxx Crosby is another underrated edge rusher in the NFL. Many are worried because his sack numbers dipped down to seven and his tackle numbers dropped ever so slightly. What many do not realize is that he actually accumulated more pressures than he did his rookie season.

    This year, the Raiders added Yannick Ngakoue to the defensive line, which should alleviate some pressure off of Crosby. I think we should see a sneaky spike in Crosby's production.

    11. DeForest Buckner - Indianapolis Colts
    12. Chris Jones - Kansas City Chiefs
    13. Sam Hubbard - Cincinnati Bengals
    14. Cameron Jordan - New Orleans Saints
    15. Leonard Williams - New York Giants
    16. Trey Hendrickson - Cincinnati Bengals
    17. Romeo Okwara - Detroit Lions
    18. Stephon Tuitt - Pittsburgh Steelers
    19. Jaelen Phillips - Miami Dolphins
    20. Demarcus Lawrence - Dallas Cowboys

    Summary

    My redraft defensive line rankings differ greatly from my dynasty rankings, so do not be confused. Many of these guys could rotate, though I believe that the top 10 should be quite in line here. Be sure to check out my top 25 linebackers for redraft, and my top 20 defensive back rankings.


    Thank you for reading! Follow me on Twitter at @JoeyTheToothIDP, and check out all of my IDP, Devy, and Offensive work on my IDP Guys author page. Stay up to date with the latest breaking news in fantasy football with The IDPGuys! Be sure to order our rookie draft magazines, which we load with fantastic player profiles and landing spot analysis. 

    Joseph Haggan

    I am the proud father to an amazing young girl and husband to an unbelievable wife. Senior writer for IDPGuys, as well as projections creator and co-founder of our elite IDP Scoring Tool.
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