Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranked the top 32 interior defenders entering the 2025 NFL season, and a trio of former Clemson Tigers made the list – including two in the top 10.
Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants landed at No. 2 in the ranking, behind only Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lawrence is fresh off his third straight Pro Bowl selection last season after also earning Pro Bowl honors in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He became the first New York Giants player to be voted to three straight Pro Bowls since safety Landon Collins from 2016-18.
Lawrence saw his 2024 season end early with an elbow injury on Nov. 28 against the Dallas Cowboys. But in his 12 games this past season, the 2019 first-round pick (17th overall) posted a career-high 9.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss while also recording 44 total tackles, 16 quarterback hits, a forced fumble and one pass defended.
“Lawrence logged only 550 snaps in 2024 due to some missed time, but he recorded an 89.0-plus PFF overall grade (89.9) for the third season in a row,” PFF’s Trevor Sikkema wrote. “His 1.07 PFF WAR over the past three years sits behind only Chris Jones at the position.”
Christian Wilkins also cracked the top 10, coming in at No. 10 in PFF’s ranking.
A 2019 first-round pick (13th overall), Wilkins spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins and amassed 353 tackles, 20.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss over 81 career games (77 starts) during his time in Miami.
After his outstanding tenure with the Dolphins, Wilkins agreed to a massive four-year, $110 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2024 season, making him the second-highest paid defensive tackle in the league. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder recorded 17 tackles (two for loss), two sacks and six quarterback hits over five games with the Raiders last season before suffering a broken foot. He was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for a Jones fracture.
“Wilkins was Las Vegas’ high-priced free-agent addition along the defensive line last offseason, but he played just 246 snaps in 2024. Still, his 0.68 PFF WAR over the past three years ranks 11th best among interior defenders,” Sikkema wrote.
“Wilkins has earned PFF run-defense grades above 78.0 in three of his past four seasons.”
Another Clemson pro, D.J. Reader, claimed a spot on the list as the No. 22 interior defender in the league.
The 30-year-old veteran is entering his second year with the Detroit Lions in 2025 after signing a two-year deal with team last offseason. During his first year in Detroit, Reader started all 15 games he played in, tallying 23 total tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, eight quarterback hits and one pass defended.
After being drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft, Reader spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Texans before playing four years with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2020-23. Over his career with the Texans, Bengals and Lions, Reader has posted 300 total tackles, 27 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks to go with 52 quarterback hits, nine passes defended, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble across 120 games (111 starts).
“Reader is known for being a boulder in the middle of a defensive front,” Sikkema wrote. “He garnered PFF run-defense grades above 70.0 for three straight seasons prior to 2024. But in his first year in Detroit, his low numbers mirrored those of his first season in Cincinnati four seasons ago. Perhaps a second year in the system is all he needs to get back to form.”