5 Elite Defenders Ready to Dethrone Broncos' Patrick Surtain II and Win 1st DPOY

Lawrence Taylor, J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald are the only individuals in NFL history to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards. That's it. That's the list. Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II thinks he can be the fourth to do so.

"There's always something out there to do better," Surtain said before hosting a free camp for kids on Saturday, per The Athletic's Nick Kosmider. "Why not get another one?"

As talented as Surtain is, and though he plays for a top-notch defense, the odds aren't in his favor to repeat. It's time to look at those with the ability and previous performance to dethrone the defensive back in 2025.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt, San Francisco 49ers' Nick Bosa and Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett already had their turns. They'll be in the conversation once again, because they deserve to be. But since Bill Goldberg—a former NFL defender himself—will likely wrestle his final match next month, his old catchphrase seems appropriate right now, "Who's next?!"

Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions

AP Photo/Matt Patterson

The Detroit Lions' Aidan Hutchinson was on an absolute tear and possibly well on his way to being the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year had his not been leg-whipped into an offensive lineman during the Week 6 play and broke both bones in his lower leg, which required surgery to heel properly.

Through five games, Hutchinson was a human wrecking ball, with 7.5 sacks, seven more tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits. He led all edge-defenders with a 94.9 overall grade, albeit in a limited sample size, according to Pro Football Focus' Zoltan Buday.

The injury isn't a huge a concern at this point, because Hutchinson could have possibly played had the Lions reached last season's Super Bowl. (Spoiler alert: They didn't.) He's also been "fully cleared" by medical personnel.

"It feels like I'm back to being myself again," Hutchinson told reporters in May. "I'm really looking forward to the season. I think this is the most excited I've been for OTAs in my life. This is the biggest hiatus I've had without playing ball, so I'm pumped."

A fully healthy Hutchinson for the entire 2025 season may see him claim some personal hardware. Patrick Surtain II won Defensive Player of the Year in his fourth season. Coincidentally, Hutchinson is now entering his fourth after being the second overall draft pick in 2022.

Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

AP Photo

Micah Parsons is already among the league's best defenders. He hasn't won his first Defensive Player of the Year Award, though he's been deserving.

After the 2023 season when Myles Garrett ascended to top-tier status, Parsons understood the lay of the land and that he needed to improve before receiving the same recognition.

"I feel like I had a great year," Parsons tweeted, "but I'm not a sore loser, either. I just gotta work harder."

In truth, the 2021 12th overall draft pick has been exceptional from the moment he became a professional. Through four seasons, Parsons has amassed 52.5 sacks, with no fewer than 12 during any single campaign. He also has 63 tackles for loss and 112 quarterback hits.

Parsons is the most difficult pass-rusher in the NFL to contain because of his explosiveness and capability of playing multiple positions along the defensive front seven—which the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff plans to take full advantage of under the direction of new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

"We had a meeting—him and I had about a half-hour meeting yesterday on that very subject, just him and I in my office," Eberflus told the Doomsday Podcast. "And for him, you have to move this guy around. Now, what's great about our current roster is that we have other rushers now that can rush. So to pay attention to one particular rusher is going to be more difficult than if you just had one on one side. That's going to be a good thing, too."

Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants

AP Photo/David Richard

When someone in the South mentions NASCAR, it has a completely different connotation to those who follow the New York Giants football team.

The Giants made their NASCAR package—four defensive ends on the field at the same time to rush the quarterback on obvious passing downs—famous during their turn toward capturing Super Bowl XLVI.

The current iteration of Big Blue has the potential to do something similar, with one big difference. 340-pound nose tackle Dexter Lawrence can serve as the group's pace car while getting similar results.

The Giants have lacked an identity under the supervision of head coach Brian Daboll. After selecting Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter with this year's third overall draft pick, the plan seems clear. New York's defensive front shall dictate the team's direction.

The group is stacked with Lawrence, Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux. All four on the field at the same time should have offensive lines worried about protecting their quarterbacks for anything more than two seconds.

Interestingly, Lawrence is the catalyst among this talented group, because he's such a rare talent. Massive interior defensive linemen aren't supposed to be capable of consistently harassing quarterbacks. They're supposed to be space-eaters who let everyone else get the glory. Keep in mind, Lawrence managed nine sacks in 12 games played in 2024 and only 550 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

With the talent now around the 27-year-old making it harder to double-team him, the Giants' three-time Pro Bowl nose tackle could easily accumulate double-digit sacks for the first time.

Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

In a world once dominated by Aaron Donald, the Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Carter is the closest thing to the retired three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

As mentioned earlier, Dexter Lawrence is something entirely different at 340 pounds. The Kansas City Chiefs' Chris Jones is the pacesetter among defensive tackles, though he turns 31 later this summer.

"I know who's good and I know who everybody loves," Carter told reporters this spring. "Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones. All of them. I see it."

Carter is on the precipice of overtaking both. His explosiveness and movement skills for a 314-pound athlete are rare. They've been evident since before he even became a starter for an elite Georgia Bulldogs defense. Those traits have translated, and they'll be on full display this fall when Carter transitions to the focal point of the Eagles defensive front.

With Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat and Milton Williams now gone from the Eagles' lineup, Carter should be showcased as Philadelphia's defensive centerpiece. He has the capabilities to dominate and exceed the 10.5 combined sacks he registered during his first two seasons.

"This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be the best at what I do, try to be the best," Carter told reporters. "I'm not there yet. I still got a lot of people in front of me that's obviously been in the league a couple years, got years of experience on me. But I'm just going to keep grinding every day."

Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens

AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis

The Las Vegas Raiders' Maxx Crosby is a name that should probably be on this list, but the last spot is reserved for a dark-horse candidate. The Denver Broncos' Nik Bonitto, Los Angeles Rams' Jared Verse and the Houston Texans' Will Anderson Jr. were also considered, but we went a different direction.

An interesting possibility is a defensive back dethroning another defensive back for the honor, considering only eight have ever won the award since it debuted for the 1969 season.

The Baltimore Ravens' Kyle Hamilton isn't a typical safety, though. He's a 6'4", 220-pound tone-setter, capable of being highly effective in the box, covering the slot or playing the deep third. To understand how talented and multifaceted he is, PFF's Zoltan Buday noted, "He was also the most complete safety in the league [in 2024] as the only player at the position to earn at least an 88.0 PFF grade in coverage, run defense and pass rushing."

Last season, the Ravens defense had a horrific start to the season. However, the unit went from 28th in EPA allowed per dropback to first after Hamilton moved to the back line, according to ESPN's Seth Walder.

While it's an astounding turnaround with Hamilton serving as the catalyst, he's a natural strong safety. The Ravens made sure they found the perfect complementary piece to keep Hamilton where he should be, with this year's first-round selection of Georgia's Malaki Starks.

With Starks holding up his end of the bargain, Hamilton can resume being the best safety in the game on one of the NFL's top squads.