Many know the feeling of being outnumbered. In a school project or on a business assignment, the tyranny of the majority dictates what should be done. And it's incredibly frustrating to go through. This is the everyday life of a defensive lineman in the NFL. Even the most aggressive of offenses will always have more blockers than people to block.
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It's hard to quantify exactly how terrible the odds are of even registering a tackle as a defensive tackle or defensive end. Getting past one to two guards and tackles still leaves the halfbacks to block afterward. And yet, despite these overwhelming numbers, there are defensive linemen that pick up sacks, force fumbles, and tackle runners for losses. Madden NFL 22 recognizes this and rewards these rare gems who thrive despite their circumstances with superstar status and high ratings.
10 Chris Jones – Left End – 90
In only five years, Chris Jones has amassed 40.5 sacks with the Chiefs to go along with a whopping nine forced fumbles. Long considered to be underrated by his fans, it's nice to see Madden recognize him as a top-ten talent.
Kansas City has been blessed with several offensive weapons in Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and more, but even great offenses need a defense to hold down the other side of the ball. Chris Jones has been doing more than his fair share in that department.
9 Calais Campbell – Right End – 90
Calais Campbell has had one heck of a career. He's had thirteen years with three different teams and brought a ferocity to each of them. Now with the Ravens, Baltimore fans are hoping he'll make a Hall of Fame push over these next few seasons.
His 92 sacks going into the season already put him in the top fifty of all time. He's also remarkably gifted at tackling runners who try to cut to the outside with his surprising strength and speed.
8 Michael Pierce – Defensive Tackle – 91
It's been a while since the world has seen Michael Thomas. After a four-year stint with the Ravens, he ended up in Minnesota, but he opted out of last season due to COVID-19.
Thomas is almost a ghost on paper. He's recorded 3.5 sacks in five years and never forced a fumble. But he places enormous pressure on opposing quarterbacks and forces them outside of the pocket for his teammates to take care of.
7 DeForest Buckner – Defensive Tackle – 92
DeForest Buckner has only played five years in the NFL, but his name is feared as though he's already in the Hall of Fame. He's never recorded less than 58 combined tackles in any of his five seasons.
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And he may just be getting warmed up. In each of the last two seasons, he has forced two fumbles. His sack totals are nothing to ignore either. As a defensive tackle, he is lethal against pocket quarterbacks.
6 Cameron Heyward – Right End – 92
Statistically, Cameron Jordan isn't the flashiest guy on paper. In ten years, he's only had double-digit sacks once in a season, six forced fumbles total, and one lone interception.
Analysts only understand his value when they see his total tackles. His combined total tackles have been 45 or more in seven of his seasons, making him one of the most impossible guys to get behind in football. Offenses want nothing to do with running left when Jordan is in position.
5 Cameron Jordan – Left End – 93
In his ten-year NFL career, Cameron Jordan has, incredibly, never missed a single game. He's also been making the best offensive linemen in the game look foolish, getting Pro Bowl nominations six times.
Terrifyingly, Jordan is actually improving with age, as his last four years have all led to Pro Bowl nods. In half of his years, he's posted double-digit sack counts, making him one of the biggest headaches for his opponents in the NFC South.
4 J.J. Watt – Left End – 94
As much as the Madden series needs to change the way the game is played, J.J. Watt changed the way offenses have to block. In his first five years, he never missed a single game and won Defensive Player of the Year three times.
In the five years since then, Watt has only played more than eight games twice. It will be difficult to see Watt in a Cardinals jersey next year, but the Arizona faithful will be hoping he's got more in the tank after a solid year in 2020.
3 Fletcher Cox – Defensive Tackle – 94
Defensive tackles are much less likely to get through to quarterbacks and running backs because they have to contend with the center, both guards, and potentially a halfback in order to hit anything valuable. Fletcher Cox has made a career of overcoming all of these blockers.
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In his nine-year career with the Eagles, he has never played less than fourteen games in a season, the model of health and consistency. The guy can do it all, the folks at Madden might want to think about giving him every X-Factor ability in the game.
2 Myles Garrett – Right End – 98
Even when dealing with his now-infamous suspension, Myles Garrett has posted double-digit sacks for the last three years. Plenty of defensive ends are improving, but if Garrett actually takes any steps forward, he might be a league MVP candidate.
Garrett isn't just a sack master, either. He's been known to pull down an interception or two and knock the ball loose. Running plays are almost always designed to go to the right side when offenses line up against Garrett.
1 Aaron Donald – Right End – 99
Anybody who watched the Super Bowl this last year saw exactly how difficult it was for the game's best quarterbacks to escape the clutches of elite defenders on the line. And Aaron Donald, for a long time now, has been considered the best in the business.
He's been in seven straight Pro Bowls and he's only played for seven years. After winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, he's won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, three times in the last four years. He's a problem for every center in the game, and it isn't uncommon for the guard and left tackle to block him for a double-team, leaving the rest of his teammates in one-on-one situations.
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