Two Packers make top 10 of interior defensive line rankings

With the NFL season around the corner, here is a quick preview of the top interior defensive linemen in football.

This is one of the most talented positions that I ranked this year, due to the fact that interior defensive linemen have become incredibly versatile in recent seasons.

Names such as Aaron Donald have not only been able to punish runners, but have been able to get to the quarterback increasingly well in recent seasons. Frankly, if it weren’t for the Eagles’ incredible interior pass rush during the Super Bowl, I doubt they would have been able to thwart Tom Brady‘s attempt at a sixth Super Bowl victory.

Teams have also shown that they value interior linemen more and more in recent seasons (mainly for the reasons I listed above). Fletcher Cox cashed in a few years ago on a huge contract, and I think there is a chance that Aaron Donald’s new deal will significantly top that. By giving these enormous contracts to interior defensive linemen, teams are showing just how much they value this position.

I believe the increasing talent among interior defensive linemen is leading to bigger contracts for interior offensive linemen as well. Just look at the recent contract the Dallas Cowboys gave to Zack Martin as evidence of this.

The reason why Jerry Jones gave Martin that deal was not simply because of the fact that he is the best interior offensive lineman in the game. It is also because Martin has to face names like Fletcher Cox, Damon Harrison, and Da’Ron Payne six times every year.

The teams that do not recognize the significance of these interior defensive linemen they are facing (cough, cough Seattle), due to the lack of action they have done to stop them, will strongly regret it in the future.