Bow before your gods of football.

Behold the Pyramid of Right Defensive Ends – the greatest who ever played the game.

The rules of the pyramid are simple. There is one spot at the very top, four spots on the second level, and five spots on the third. If you are on the second level, you are tied for second place; same goes for the third.

Players on each level are ordered chronologically.

THE RIGHT DEFENSIVE ENDS

#1

Bruce Smith (1985-2003)

(“The Sack Man”)
Virginia Tech
1985 Draft Pick #1 (Round 1)
Buffalo Bills (1985-99)
Washington Redskins (2000-03)
11x Pro Bowl
8x All Pro #1
2x All Pro #2
2x Forced Fumbles Co-leader
2x Defensive Player of the Year
1980s All Decade Team
1990s All Decade Team
279 Career Reg. Games
200 Career Reg. Sacks
43 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
1,224 Career Reg. Combined Tackles

#2

Doug Atkins | Lee Roy Selmon | Chris Doleman | Jason Taylor

Doug Atkins (1953-69)
University of Tennessee
1953 Draft Pick #11 (Round 1)
Cleveland Browns (1953-54)
Chicago Bears (1955-66)
New Orleans Saints (1967-69)
2x NFL Champion
8x Pro Bowl
1x All Pro #1
5x All Pro #2
1960s All Decade Team
205 Career Reg. Games
94.5 Career Reg. Sacks
—

Lee Roy Selmon (1976-84)
University of Oklahoma
1976 Draft Pick #1 (Round 1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6x Pro Bowl
3x All Pro #1
2x All Pro #2
1x Defensive Player of the Year
1980s All Decade Team
121 Career Reg. Games
78.5 Career Reg. Sacks
28 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
—

Chris Doleman (1985-99)
University of Pittsburgh
1985 Draft Pick #4 (Round 1)
Minnesota Vikings (1985-93, 1999)
Atlanta Falcons (1994-95)
San Francisco 49ers (1996-98)
8x Pro Bowl
2x All Pro #1
2x All Pro #2
1x Sacks Leader
2x Forced Fumbles Leader
1990s All Decade Team
232 Career Reg. Games
150.5 Career Reg. Sacks
44 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
24 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries
3 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns
—

Jason Taylor (1997-2011)
University of Akron
1997 Draft Pick #73 (Round 3)
Miami Dolphins (1997-2007, 2009, 2011)
Washington Redskins (2008)
New York Jets (2010)
6x Pro Bowl
3x All Pro #1
1x All Pro #2
1x Sacks Leader
1x Forced Fumbles Leader
1x Defensive Player of the Year
2000s All Decade Team
233 Career Reg. Games
139.5 Career Reg. Sacks
46 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
29 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries
9 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns

#3

Andy Robustelli | Elvin Bethea | Richard Dent | Dwight Freeney | Jared Allen

Andy Robustelli (1951-64)
Arnold College
1951 Draft Pick 288 (Round 19)
Los Angeles Rams (1951-55)
New York Giants (1956-64)
2x NFL Champion
7x Pro Bowl
6x All Pro #1
4x All Pro #2
175 Career Reg. Games
22 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries
4 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns
—

Elvin Bethea (1968-83)
North Carolina A&T University
1968 Draft Pick #77 (Round 3)
Houston Oilers
8x Pro Bowl
2x All Pro #2
210 Career Reg. Games
105 Career Reg. Sacks
—

Richard Dent (1983-97)
Tennessee State University
1983 Draft Pick #203 (Round 8)
Chicago Bears (1983-93, 1995)
San Francisco 49ers (1994)
Indianapolis Colts (1996)
Philadelphia Eagles (1997)
2x Super Bowl Champion
1x Super Bowl MVP
4x Pro Bowl
1x All Pro #1
3x All Pro #2
1x Sacks Leader
2x Forced Fumbles Leader
203 Career Reg. Games
137.5 Career Reg. Sacks
37 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
2 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns
—

Dwight Freeney (2002-17)
Syracuse University
2002 Draft Pick #11 (Round 1)
Indianapolis Colts (2002-12)
San Diego Chargers (2013-14)
Arizona Cardinals (2015)
Atlanta Falcons (2016)
Seattle Seahawks (2017)
Detroit Lions (2017)
1x Super Bowl Champion
7x Pro Bowl
3x All Pro #1
1x All Pro #2
1x Sacks Leader
1x Forced Fumbles Leader
2000s All Decade Team
218 Career Reg. Games
125.5 Career Reg. Sacks
47 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
—

Jared Allen (2004-15)
Idaho State University
2004 Draft Pick #126 (Round 4)
Minnesota Vikings (2004-13)
Chicago Bears (2014-15)
Carolina Panthers (2015)
5x Pro Bowl
4x All Pro #1
2x Sacks Leader
187 Career Reg. Games
136 Career Reg. Sacks
32 Career Reg. Forced Fumbles
19 Career Reg. Fumble Recoveries
4 Career Reg. Safeties
2 Career Reg. Defensive Touchdowns