- 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 tackles of all time
This ranking is led by Bob Lilly, Alan Page and Randy White. GOAT Rank currently ranks 15 eligible American Football defensive tackles using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Bob Lilly ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 90.1.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Bob Lilly | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1961–1974 | 90.1 |
| 19 | Alan Page | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1967–1981 | 90.0 |
| 34 | Randy White | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1975–1988 | 89.3 |
| 37 | Aaron Donald | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2014–2023 | 89.1 |
| 69 | Warren Sapp | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1995–2007 | 88.3 |
| 81 | John Randle | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2003 | 88.1 |
| 91 | Buck Buchanan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1963–1975 | 87.9 |
| 105 | Merlin Olsen | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1962–1976 | 87.7 |
| 131 | Henry Jordan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1957–1969 | 87.1 |
| 165 | Steve McMichael | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1980–1994 | 86.4 |
| 185 | Joe Greene | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1969–1981 | 86.1 |
| 201 | Cortez Kennedy | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2000 | 85.8 |
| 202 | Curley Culp | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1981 | 85.7 |
| 224 | Art Donovan | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1950–1961 | 85.4 |
| 242 | 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?
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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