1. Myles Garrett

Myles Garrett has been named an All-Pro player three times, been voted to three Pro Bowls and notched more than 10 or more sacks in each of the last four seasons. Garrett has yet to be named Defensive Player of the Year. The former No. 1 overall pick has actually never even received a vote. The 26-year-old took the opportunity in Week 1 to remind everyone he’s one of the best pass-rushers in the game. Not only did he rack up two sacks, but he was also among the league’s best by pretty much any other metric. Garrett is a freakish athlete who was third in the league in sacks with 16.0 last season. In addition, Garrett garnered 17 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, 78 quarterback pressures, and forced one fumble. He’s the anchor to the Browns defense and he’s only going to get better. 

2. Micah Parsons 

The Cowboys took a gifted linebacker in last year’s draft and eventually discovered they had one of the league’s best pass rushers. He recorded 84 tackles (64 solo), 20 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 3 pass breakups, and 30 quarterback hits in 16 games. In addition to his Pro Bowl selection, Parsons was a first-team All-Pro and he was the only rookie to make first-team honors. He will be in the running for many years to come. Entering his second season with the Cowboys, there’s a lot of room for improvement for Parsons and it’s gonna get scary for the league in years to come.

3. Aaron Donald 

In 2021-2022, Donald ranked tied for seventh in sacks with 12.5, fourth in tackles for a loss with 18, and fourth in forced fumbles with 4, all while taking on multiple 320-plus-pound dudes and keeping them at bay with a single arm. In 127 career games, he has 226 QBs hits, 441 tackles (285 solo), 150 tackles for a loss, and 98.0 sacks — as a defensive tackle.There is a reason Donald has won the DPOY in three of the last four seasons. Expect him to be always in the DPOY conversation as long as he’s playing.

4. Nick Bosa

Another player rising on the NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds is Nick Bosa. He bounced back last season and was ranked fourth in quarterback pressures (68) and in sacks (15.5), all after recovering from a torn ACL. The competition is tough with early DPOY candidates like Watt, Aaron Donald, Micah Parsons, and Myles Garrett, but Bosa is playing for an elite San Francisco defense. Being the lead star player on that kind of defense will certainly give him enough votes to win the award.

5. T.J Watt

T.J. Watt led the league in sacks with 22.5 last season tying Michael Strahan‘s single-season record. What’s more impressive is that he did all of these in just 15 games. Watt also did a lot more damage outside sacks. He tied for the lead in tackles for loss at 21 and had 39 quarterback hits. Watt also collected 52 pressures and forced five fumbles. Entering his sixth season we should expect one of the best edge rushers in the league to put up a monstrous campaign again this year for the Steelers. Winning back-to-back DPOY awards is definitely on his list And that would put him alongside his brother J.J. Watt, who is one of the previous award winners of Defensive Player of the Year honors. However since he is potentially injured for the next six weeks he had to be put down at No. 5. But the possibility of him being the DPOY race when he comes back is not outlandish.