- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1961–1974
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
GOAT Rank · 15
Greatest American Football Defensive tackle 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
- 1967–1981
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1975–1988
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2014–2023
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1995–2007
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1990–2003
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1963–1975
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1962–1976
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1957–1969
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 94.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1980–1994
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1969–1981
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1990–2000
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1968–1981
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1950–1961
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1958–1970
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Bob Lilly | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1961–1974 | 90.1 |
| 20 | Alan Page | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1967–1981 | 90 |
| 35 | Randy White | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1975–1988 | 89.3 |
| 38 | Aaron Donald | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2014–2023 | 89.1 |
| 72 | Warren Sapp | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1995–2007 | 88.3 |
| 84 | John Randle | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2003 | 88.1 |
| 94 | Buck Buchanan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1963–1975 | 87.9 |
| 108 | Merlin Olsen | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1962–1976 | 87.7 |
| 136 | Henry Jordan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1957–1969 | 87.1 |
| 170 | Steve McMichael | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1980–1994 | 86.4 |
| 190 | Joe Greene | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1969–1981 | 86.1 |
| 206 | Cortez Kennedy | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2000 | 85.8 |
| 207 | Curley Culp | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1981 | 85.7 |
| 229 | Art Donovan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1950–1961 | 85.4 |
| 247 | Alex Karras | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1958–1970 | 84.9 |
Compare the leaders
Bob Lilly vs Alan PageRead 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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