The interior defensive line is one of the most important position groups in the modern NFL. Not only can a good group of defensive tackles plug up lanes in the run game, but it can also disrupt passing attacks with an explosive pass rush up the middle.
There are currently 14 defensive tackles in the NFL averaging more than $20 million a year. It’s a valuable position that has seen the market value drastically increase in recent years.
Using PFSN’s DT+ metric, here are the 10 best performances from an NFL defensive tackle since the 2019 season.
10) Cameron Heyward, 2024 (91.11)
Cameron Heyward’s 2024 performance was so strong that it earned him the No. 2 spot on PFSN’s Top 100 NFL Players list. The fact that he played as well as he did is one thing. It’s another thing to be playing at an All-Pro level at 36 years old.
After missing six games in 2023 due to injury, Heyward bounced back by playing all 17 games in 2024. He finished the season with eight sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, 71 total tackles, and a whopping 11 pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. He earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro recognition for his efforts.
9) J.J. Watt, 2022 (91.74)
The 2022 season ended up being J.J. Watt’s last season in an NFL career that was legendary despite his injury problems. As a member of the Arizona Cardinals, he put together one last stellar season to go out on a high note.
Watt finished the year with 12.5 sacks, marking his most since 2018. He hit the quarterback 25 times with 18 tackles for a loss and 39 total tackles. To top it all off, in the final game of his career, he ended up with two sacks against the San Francisco 49ers.
8) Zach Allen, 2024 (92.66)
As of this writing, Zach Allen ranks 18th in the NFL in annual average defensive tackle salary. That stands out as incredible value, especially considering he led our database in DT+ grading in 2024.
Allen finished last season with 8.5 sacks, a safety, 40 quarterback hits, 61 total tackles, and 15 tackles for a loss. Though he got shut out of Pro Bowl recognition, he earned a second-team All-Pro nomination. Going into 2025, it will be interesting to see how Allen builds off of his career year in 2024.
Zach Allen is the best interior defensive lineman the Broncos have had since Malik Jackson in 2015. pic.twitter.com/gPut89p8B9
— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) February 23, 2025
7) Quinnen Williams, 2023 (93.17)
As a Pro Bowler each of the last three seasons, Quinnen Williams has firmly solidified himself as one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL. As of this writing, his best career performance came in 2023, when he placed second in the league in DT+ grading.
Williams finished the 2023 season with 5.5 sacks up the middle. He also added 11 tackles for a loss, a safety, 20 quarterback hits, an interception, and a career-high 62 total tackles. Though the New York Jets fell short of expectations that year, it certainly wasn’t any fault of Williams’.
6) Cameron Heyward, 2021 (93.69)
Heyward performed incredibly well in 2024, but it’s his 2021 campaign that remains his highest-graded season to date. In what was his eleventh season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he finished as a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.
Heyward’s 89 total tackles remain a career-high total to this day. He also finished the year with ten sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, and 17 quarterback hits. His ability to break up passes at the line of scrimmage also showed up in 2021; he tied for the team lead with nine pass deflections.
5) Calais Campbell, 2019 (93.71)
As of this writing, Calais Campbell remains an impact defender at 38 years old. Though he returned to where his career started by signing with Arizona this offseason, it’s with the Jacksonville Jaguars that he performed at his peak. The 2019 season was his last with the team, and he went out on a high note.
Campbell ended 2019 with 6.5 sacks, which is the lowest total he had during his three seasons with the Jaguars. He earned Pro Bowl recognition for adding 25 quarterback hits, 56 combined tackles, and 10 tackles for a loss in 16 games.
4) Aaron Donald, 2023 (97.34)
Aaron Donald finished his illustrious career in dominant fashion in 2023. His last year in the NFL saw him end up as a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler. Realistically, he probably had a few more years of elite play in him. But with how successful his career was, he had nothing left to prove.
Donald tallied eight sacks up the middle, adding 16 tackles for a loss and 23 quarterback hits. His 90.9 PFF grade ranked second among defensive tackles in 2023, ensuring he finished with grades above 90 in all ten seasons he played.
3) Aaron Donald, 2020 (98.60)
The 2020 season marked Donald’s third career Defensive Player of the Year award, as well as his third award in four seasons. With an Approximate Value of 23, he led the entire NFL in individual value.
Donald played in all 16 games, notching 13.5 sacks in the process. He also finished the 2020 season with 45 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 28 quarterback hits, and four forced fumbles. The Los Angeles Rams’ addition of Leonard Floyd as a pass-rushing threat off the edge provided some more opportunities for Donald to dominate in the trenches.
2) Aaron Donald, 2019 (98.88)
In the six seasons that PFSN has tracked DT+ grades, Donald has graded as the top defensive tackle in four of them. That’s particularly impressive when you consider he retired after the 2023 season, meaning he’s led the league in four of the eligible five seasons he played.
Things started hot for Donald in 2019, the first year of tracking. He led the NFL with 20 tackles for a loss, adding 12.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits in the process. As was par for the course in his career, he was a Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro. He also finished fifth in DPOY voting.
Aaron Donald could Sack you with your own Guard. pic.twitter.com/Q7EgiApnGY
— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) March 15, 2024
1) Aaron Donald, 2021 (99.78)
Donald remains the only defensive tackle in the NFL since 2019 to finish the regular season with an A+ grade by PFSN’s DT+ metric. He did it four times. If that doesn’t speak to how dominant a player he was, I don’t know what will.
With a near-perfect score of 99.78, Donald ended the year with 12.5 sacks. He ranked third in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. He also contributed 25 quarterback hits, 19 tackles for a loss, four forced fumbles, and a career-high 84 tackles in the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning season in 2021.
