- 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 end of all time
This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.
#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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Gino Marchetti | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1952–1966 | 91.3 |
| 12 | Julius Peppers | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2002–2018 | 90.9 |
| 14 | Deacon Jones | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1961–1974 | 90.4 |
| 29 | Willie Davis | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1958–1969 | 89.6 |
| 42 | Doug Atkins | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1953–1969 | 89 |
| 48 | Richard Dent | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1983–1997 | 88.9 |
| 53 | Chris Doleman | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1985–1999 | 88.8 |
| 61 | Reggie White | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1984–2000 | 88.5 |
| 75 | Andy Robustelli | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1951–1964 | 88.3 |
| 83 | Carl Eller | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1964–1979 | 88.1 |
| 106 | Jack Youngblood | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1971–1984 | 87.7 |
| 111 | Dwight Freeney | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2002–2017 | 87.6 |
| 112 | Jared Allen | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2004–2015 | 87.6 |
| 118 | Bruce Smith | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1985–2003 | 87.5 |
| 157 | Elvin Bethea | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1983 | 86.7 |
| 176 | Len Ford | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1948–1958 | 86.4 |
| 177 | Ed "Too Tall" Jones | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1974–1989 | 86.3 |
| 192 | Claude Humphrey | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1981 | 86.1 |
| 194 | Michael Strahan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1993–2007 | 86 |
| 230 | Fred Dean | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1975–1985 | 85.4 |
| 231 | J.J. Watt | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2011–2022 | 85.3 |
| 242 | Lee Roy Selmon | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1976–1984 | 85.1 |
| 275 | Howie Long | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1981–1993 | 84.1 |
| 277 | Jason Taylor | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1997–2011 | 84 |
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?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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