2026 NFL Top-10 Pass Rushers: Why Myles Garrett Will Become NFL’s All-Time Sack King

Sorry to spoil the list for you, but following a year in which a player broke the NFL’s single-season record for sacks, you can’t name any other player as the league’s top pass rusher. So, who is the NFL’s best pass rusher after Myles Garrett? There are a lot of names worth considering for the No. 2 spot. Micah Parsons has been one of the league’s most consistent pass rushers since he entered the league in 2021. However, he’s coming off an ACL tear. Ascending players like Will Anderson Jr. and Aidan Hutchinson should also be considered, along with veterans like T.J. Watt. As we continue to rank the top 10 players at key positions ahead of the 2026 season, here are our top 10 pass rushers entering the year. Eric D. Williams: The Defensive Rookie of the Year two seasons ago and a Pro Bowler in his first two seasons in the league, Verse is adapting to new surroundings in Cleveland after being included as part of the blockbuster trade this offseason. Verse’s former team, the Los Angeles Rams, traded him for reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, making him the centerpiece of the package. While Verse has been among the league leaders in pressure rate since entering the league in 2024, he still only has 12 sacks in two seasons. Verse must become a more consistent closer to be considered among the elite pass rushers in the league. For now, though, he’s in the top 10 as the Browns hope he can be a cornerstone moving forward. Ralph Vacchiano: The 31-year-old Steelers star is coming off one of his least-productive NFL seasons, and one in which Watt missed three late-season games due to a partially collapsed lung. And it’s possible, after nine NFL seasons, that a decline has begun. But given Watt’s Hall of Fame-worthy track record, it’s hard to bet on that. His seven sacks in 14 games last season were definitely a downturn, and so was his pass-rush win rate of 11.7%. But he’s still had double-digit sacks in six of his nine seasons and can still be dangerous when he’s fully healthy. Watt could also be in line for a boost in the new, aggressive scheme of new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who plans to move Watt around more than he’s been moved in recent seasons. That could be enough to give Watt the jolt he needs to stay in the top 10 for another season or two before he heads to Canton. Greg Auman: The Broncos had 68 sacks last season — 11 more than any other NFL team — and Bonitto led the way with 14 sacks, six more than his closest teammate. The 26-year-old had 13.5 the year before and made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons. Denver rewarded him before last season with a four-year, $106 million contract, and he helped the Broncos earn the AFC’s top seed with a 14-3 record. A 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots stung – it matched the fewest points allowed in a playoff loss in 28 years – and Denver will lean on Bonitto and the defense just as much in 2026 as they seek a trip to the Super Bowl. Vacchiano: In the midst of a miserable season for the Giants, the seven-year veteran re-established himself as a star with a career-high 16.5 sacks and a pass rush win-rate of 16% that ranked him just outside the top 10. Considering it was a down year for Burns’ defensive line mates — defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence had just a half sack and edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux played in only 10 games — his explosion was even more surprising. This year, Burns might have to share the wealth, with Thibodeaux plus young stars Abdul Carter and Arvell Reese (whom the Giants took in the last two first rounds) all figuring to be a part of New York’s pass rush. But that’s the only thing standing in his way. He showed he’s still got the speed and explosiveness that made him so dangerous during his years in Carolina. He hasn’t slowed down at all at age 28 and should be a centerpiece of new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson’s scheme. Arthur: The 31-year-old Hunter may be the most underappreciated, dominant pass rusher of this era. He’s recorded double-digit sacks in seven of his 10 NFL seasons, but has never been a first-team All-Pro selection. The former third-round pick is playing some of his best ball late in his career, too. He’s had at least 10.5 sacks in four consecutive years, including 15 last season (third in the NFL), which earned him a second-team All-Pro nod and a one-year, $40 million extension this spring. He also forms one half of the league’s best edge rushing tandem with Will Anderson Jr. Henry McKenna: Last season, Hutchinson recorded career highs in sacks (14.5), QB hits (35) and pressures (90). That pressure total is the highest in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, and is often the most coveted statistic when you speak to pass rushers. Hutchinson has long been an ascending pass rusher since arriving in the NFL as the 2nd overall pick in the 2022 draft. But he has officially arrived as one of the NFL’s elite pass-rushers and defensive playmakers. He’s a defensive coordinator’s dream and an offensive coordinator’s nightmare. Williams: After the Baltimore Ravens rescinded a massive trade for his services due to a failed physical. Crosby returned to the Las Vegas Raiders recommitted to ushering in sustainable winning for this once-proud franchise. Even though he turns 29 years old later in August, Crosby remains one of the most feared and productive pass rushers in the league. A five-time Pro Bowler, Crosby has posted double-digit sacks in three of the last four seasons, totaling 44.5 sacks since 2022. McKenna: The Packers will do everything they can to get Parsons to the top of this list in 2026. The franchise traded a massive haul before last season to acquire Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys before Green Bay awarded Parsons with a massive deal. He then posted 12.5 sacks before suffering his season-ending knee injury. At some point in the first half of the season, Parsons will return. And even if he’s off to a slow start, he should be among the league’s most dangerous playmakers by the time the postseason rolls around. Arthur: Anderson will be a staple in the conversation for best edge rusher over the next several years. The 2023 No. 2 overall pick is already a complete player — he had 48 pressures on just third downs alone in 2025, the most by any player in a single season in at least eight years (!). His 20 tackles for loss tied for fourth among edge defenders, which shows that he wreaks at an elite level against both the pass and the run. Anderson’s sack, TFL, forced fumble and pass breakup numbers have improved in each of his three seasons as well. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting last year. Just 24 years old, Anderson is a young superstar who is still getting better at an exponential rate. Bucky Brooks: The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is a destructive force off the edge, exhibiting an array of power and finesse maneuvers that keep blockers guessing in their stances. Garrett’s dominance and consistency as a sack artist, despite previously playing for a team that is routinely in “catch-up” mode, speak to his efficiency and effectiveness in hounding quarterbacks in less-than-ideal circumstances. With the single-season sack record in hand (23) and at least 10 sacks in eight of his nine seasons, the future Hall of Fame inductee is a lock to take down Bruce Smith’s career mark (200) before he hangs up the cleats.