2021 IDP Redraft Rankings – Defensive Linemen

Tier 11. Myles Garrett DE – CLE (13), +1 vs. ECR 
From a performance perspective, Garrett has been of the league’s premiere pass rushers since joining the Browns in 2017 and has lived up to the high expectations that come with being selected first overall. He’s been extremely consistent in terms of per game production throughout his career and he shouldn’t have issues generating 55+ total tackles and 13-15 sacks in 2021.

Tier 22. Chase Young DE – WAS (9), +3 vs. ECR 
Young’s stat totals of 31/12/7.5 don’t really indicate how good he was in his rookie season. He became an instant leader of the defense and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ fifth best edge defender. Washington is expected to have one of the best defenses which will make it very difficult for offenses to scheme against Young. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends the year as fantasy’s top defensive lineman.

3. Aaron Donald DT – LAR (11), -2 vs. ECR 
There’s little doubt at this point that Donald is the game’s premier pass rusher and most disruptive force. That being said, I can’t fully get behind him being the first fantasy defensive lineman off the board in drafts. Given his typical alignments, he gets double and even tripled teamed more than perhaps any other player in the league which has slightly repressed his tackle and, to a lesser degree, his sack upside in recent years. He’s still lands squarely in the bonafide DL1 stud tier for me, however.

4. Joey Bosa DE – LAC (7), -1 vs. ECR 
Bosa missed several games last year due to injury which makes his absolute production on paper in 2020 seem a bit underwhelming. But when you look deeper, there are signals that 2021 could be Bosa’s best year yet if he stays healthy. He received the highest PFF grade of his career last year and amazingly led all DLs in QB Hurries + QB Knockdowns with 37 despite missing a handful of games. He’ll be a player I target as my DL1 in many drafts this year as he has the most untapped production upside of any player in this draft range.

5. Danielle Hunter DE – MIN (7), -1 vs. ECR (AVOID)
Hunter’s 2020 campaign was a complete wash as he missed the entire season due to a herniated disk in his neck that required surgery. His upside is tantalizing (30 total sacks across 2018 and 2019) but the injury definitely gives me some concern along with the fact the Vikings lack any serious pass-rushing threat opposite him.

6. Brian Burns DE – CAR (13), +2 vs. ECR (TARGET)
Burns was a player I “pounded the table” for leading up to the start of the 2020 season. He produced 7.5 sacks in his rookie season on limited snaps so there was definitely room for optimism heading into 2020; it was just a matter if the team would give him the snap volume needed to be a DL2 and beyond producer. Well, they did as he logged over 750 snaps which translated to a 34/28/8 line . He still hasn’t hit his ceiling yet heading into his third season and can easily reach double digit sacks, especially if the team doesn’t rely on him in pass coverage as much as they did a year ago.

7. Nick Bosa DE – SF (6), -1 vs. ECR (TARGET)
An injury-riddled 2020 season may cause some to forget about Bosa’s 2019 rookie campaign in which he generated 49 total tackles and 9 sacks to win DROY honors. Those are incredibly impressive numbers for a rookie DL. Given his pedigree, there’s no concerns that performance was a fluke. He’s still recovering from ACL surgery but is expected to be ready for the start of camp and is someone worth targeting, especially if you can get him as your DL2. He’s my favorite “long shot” to finish as 2021’s top fantasy d-lineman.

8. DeForest Buckner DT – IND (14), -1 vs. ECR 
Since entering the league in 2016, Bucker has been one of the game’s premier run-defending interior linemen. He elevated himself into the DL1 tier conversation with a 12-sack 2018 season and has averaged 8.5 sacks/season the last two years to reinforce that belief. There’s some concern that the loss of Denico Autry and Justin Houston will allow teams to focus more attention on Buckner which could hurt his pass-rushing stats but Kemoko Turay has proven an effective pass-rusher in limited snaps and could draw more defensive focus than many expect. The addition of 21st overall pick Kwity Paye should also help keep offenses honest.

9. Cameron Jordan DE – NO (6), +0 vs. ECR 
Although 51 total tackles and 7.5 sacks are noteworthy numbers for most lineman, that was actually one of the lowest outputs from Jordan since is rookie season back in 2011. Edge rushers have a lower margin of error when it comes to sacks especially so you may chalk this up to bad luck. But he’s also 33 years old, so I’m factoring that in and bumping him down a few spots in my year-over-year rankings.

Tier 310. Jason Pierre-Paul DE – TB (9), +3 vs. ECR 
JPP has remained a model of consistency despite a firework accident that caused him to lose fingers on one of his hands. He lacks elite upside at this stage of his career, but he annually sees some of the highest snap counts of any qualified defensive end and is good for a couple additional coverage sacks playing on an elite defense. So I expect him to continue producing at a solid DL2+ level as long as he maintains that qualification in your league.

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