John Kosko

Keeping top team goals in mind, John Kosko pairs ideal 2026 NFL Draft prospects with each NFC team.

A data-driven breakdown of where Sam Darnold and Drake Maye thrive — and where each quarterback could be vulnerable — as the Seahawks and Patriots clash in Super Bowl 60.

Here, we identify five teams that are best positioned for the future — whether through cap flexibility, young core talent, quarterback stability or a combination of all three.

Here, we rank all 32 NFL teams by their level of quarterback need entering the 2026 offseason. These rankings are informed by on-field performance, with free agency and the draft serving as realistic solutions throughout.

To no one’s surprise, the Cleveland Browns finished the 2025 season as the NFL’s top defensive line.

The Browns boast the NFL’s best defensive line in 2025, anchored by Defensive Player of the Year favorite Myles Garrett, who leads the league with a 92.7 overall grade while ranking among the top edge defenders against both the run and the pass. Even after losing Maliek Collins to injury, Cleveland’s depth — highlighted by Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire and a surging rookie Mason Graham — has kept the unit dominant from top to bottom.

Cooper DeJean continues to separate himself at the top of the coverage metrics, pairing a league-leading advanced coverage grade with elite playmaking production, including 18 pass stops and 12 forced incompletions. Meanwhile, Jamel Dean remains the model of consistency, allowing a catch on just 45.5% of targets with a 46.9 passer rating allowed.

Elite defensive lines can change the course of a game by applying pressure, forcing hurried throws and creating turnovers while also stifling run plays to control the tempo. This season, we will closely monitor NFL defensive line play. Unlike our offensive line rankings, which in some cases consider previous-season rankings, these rankings will be based purely on 2025 play.

These rankings utilize PFF All-Coverage charting and data to rank the cornerbacks, providing insights into PFF coverage grades and our Successful Coverage Over Expected (SCOE) metric, which measures how well each coverage defender performed above expectations on non-targeted coverage snaps.

Myles Garrett continues to anchor one of the NFL’s most dominant defensive lines as he chases the single-season sack record, even while injuries to Maliek Collins and Alex Wright threaten to chip away at the unit’s early-season momentum. Garrett’s pursuit of history, combined with career-best years from his supporting cast before the injuries, has defined Cleveland’s defensive identity throughout 2025.

Cooper DeJean continues to hold the top spot after another strong outing, allowing just three catches for 29 yards and pushing his total to 22 combined forced incompletions and pass stops. Jamel Dean returned from injury and immediately resumed his high-level play, giving up only one catch on four targets and maintaining a league-best 41.5% completion rate when targeted.

The Browns' defensive line ranks first in every major PFF metric through 12 weeks of the 2025 season. They own the league’s top overall grade, pass-rush grade and run-defense grade, and they also lead all defensive lines in PFF WAR. On the field, the dominance shows up just as clearly: they have the most sacks and the most defensive stops of any unit in the NFL.

After spending three weeks in second place behind Sauce Gardner, Cooper DeJean has reclaimed the top spot in advanced coverage grade for the first time since Week 8.

The Eagles defensive line is starting to peak in mid-November, with Moro Ojomo and Jordan Davis anchoring a unit that produced five batted passes and 16 total pressures in a dominant Week 11 showing. Meanwhile, the Browns continue to set the league’s standard up front, powered by Myles Garrett’s 10 sacks over his last three games and a defensive line in which every regular contributor holds an overall grade of 66.1 or better.

Sauce Gardner held onto the top advanced coverage grade in Week 11 even through the Colts’ bye, while Jamel Dean continued a career year highlighted by elite efficiency numbers. Together, they headline this week’s look at the NFL’s most dominant cornerbacks through the lens of PFF’s advanced coverage metrics.

The Browns remain atop the defensive line rankings after Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season.

Sauce Gardner reclaims his spot at the top of the PFF cornerback rankings, with Cooper DeJean and DJ Turner following closely.

The Browns remain atop the defensive line rankings after Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season.

Cooper DeJean and Sauce Gardner remain atop PFF's cornerback rankings ahead of Week 9.