- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1952–1966
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
GOAT Rank · 24
Greatest American Football Defensive ends of all time
This ranking is led by Gino Marchetti, Julius Peppers and Deacon Jones. GOAT Rank currently ranks 24 eligible American Football defensive ends using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Gino Marchetti ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 91.3.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2002–2018
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 94.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1961–1974
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1958–1969
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 96.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1953–1969
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1983–1997
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1985–1999
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1984–2000
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 87.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1951–1964
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1964–1979
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1971–1984
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2002–2017
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2004–2015
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1985–2003
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1968–1983
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1948–1958
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1974–1989
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 92.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1968–1981
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1993–2007
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1975–1985
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 76.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2011–2022
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1976–1984
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1981–1993
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1997–2011
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Gino Marchetti | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1952–1966 | 91.3 |
| 11 | Julius Peppers | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2002–2018 | 90.9 |
| 13 | Deacon Jones | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1961–1974 | 90.4 |
| 28 | Willie Davis | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1958–1969 | 89.6 |
| 41 | Doug Atkins | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1953–1969 | 89.0 |
| 47 | Richard Dent | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1983–1997 | 88.9 |
| 51 | Chris Doleman | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1985–1999 | 88.8 |
| 59 | Reggie White | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1984–2000 | 88.5 |
| 72 | Andy Robustelli | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1951–1964 | 88.3 |
| 80 | Carl Eller | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1964–1979 | 88.1 |
| 103 | Jack Youngblood | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1971–1984 | 87.7 |
| 108 | Dwight Freeney | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2002–2017 | 87.6 |
| 109 | Jared Allen | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2004–2015 | 87.6 |
| 115 | Bruce Smith | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1985–2003 | 87.5 |
| 152 | Elvin Bethea | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1983 | 86.7 |
| 171 | Len Ford | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1958 | 86.4 |
| 172 | Ed "Too Tall" Jones | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1974–1989 | 86.3 |
| 187 | Claude Humphrey | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1981 | 86.1 |
| 189 | Michael Strahan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1993–2007 | 86.0 |
| 225 | Fred Dean | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1975–1985 | 85.4 |
| 226 | J.J. Watt | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2011–2022 | 85.3 |
| 237 | Lee Roy Selmon | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1976–1984 | 85.1 |
| 270 | Howie Long | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1981–1993 | 84.1 |
| 272 | Jason Taylor | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1997–2011 | 84.0 |
Compare the leaders
Gino Marchetti vs Julius PeppersRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.
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