Next Gen Stats 2025 All-Pro Team: Myles Garrett, Texans duo lead defense; plus, special teamers

Garrett set the single-season sack record, and we cannot overlook the difficulty of those sacks. He was chip blocked or double teamed on 186 pass rushes, the most by any edge rusher since at least 2018. He recorded a league-high 32 pressures and eight of his sacks when facing extra help. That sack total not only paced all edge rushers in the last eight seasons but exceeded all defensive tackles, who regularly face double teams, as well.

Anderson’s 85 pressures this season, second-most in the league, exceeded his prior career-high by 21. He earned his spot here with his work as a drive killer: His 48 pressures on third downs were the most by any player since at least 2018 and equated to an astounding 27.7% pressure rate. He generated a league-leading 23 of those pressures in less than 2.5 seconds.

Simmons ran the table in the pass rush categories this season, leading all defensive tackles with 60 pressures, a 13.9% pressure rate, 26 quick pressures and 18 pressures against double teams. He recorded a Week 4 sack of C.J. Stroud in 2.09 seconds, the fastest sack by any player this season. Simmons also amassed 14 run stuffs for loss or no gain, the fifth-most among interior defensive linemen.

Quinnen Williams and Leonard Williams each earned heavy consideration, but Quinnen played like a man possessed after joining the Cowboys before the trade deadline, swinging the metrics in his favor. He totaled 29 pressures in just seven games with the Cowboys, posting a 16.3% pressure rate that led all defensive tackles from Week 11 onward. He stuffed rushers at or behind the line of scrimmage on 8.1% of his run defense snaps, the highest rate of any player with 150+ such snaps since 2019.

They say the best middle linebackers are involved in every play, and Campbell came as close as one can to achieving that feat this season. He made a tackle on 27.7% of his snaps in run defense, the highest mark in the NFL (min. 200 run snaps) and second-highest by any player in the last 10 seasons. He missed just 10 of his 176 tackle opportunities (5.7%). The average linebacker missed tackles at an 11.6% rate, more than twice Campbell’s.

Wilson emerged as a centerpiece of Brian Flores’ defense in 2025. The Vikings allowed 4.5 yards per play when Wilson was on the field, compared with 6.5 when he was off the field, the largest split of any defender with 100+ snaps on and off. Wilson’s 22.5% pressure rate was the highest by any player with 150+ pass rushes since 2022, his 4.4 yards per target allowed in coverage were the fewest among linebackers and his 20 run stuffs were the third-most in the NFL.

Mitchell gave receivers fits all season long, but he improved as 2025 progressed. His 41.7% completion percentage allowed tied for the lowest mark in the NFL (min. 40 targets), including a stunning 31.4% completion percentage and no touchdowns after becoming the full-time boundary corner in Week 10. Receivers recorded just nine receptions on 41 downfield targets against Mitchell, and his seven games allowing fewer than 10 yards tied for the most among cornerbacks.

After he was targeted on 14.3% of his coverage snaps in his first All-Pro campaign last season, Stingley’s target rate decreased to 11.9% (fifth-lowest among corners with 250+ coverage snaps) in 2025. He allowed a 37.9% completion rate in zone coverage, the lowest by any defender in at least the last eight seasons. Coupled with his three interceptions, Stingley held quarterbacks to an 11.2 passer rating when targeting him in zone.

Surtain won’t win a second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award this season, but he was actually stickier in coverage in 2025 than he was last season, forcing a 41.3% tight-window rate (third-highest in NFL) compared with 24.1%. Quarterbacks didn’t test Surtain down the field (3.6% target rate on passes of 10+ air yards, second-lowest among cornerbacks), but he punished them when they tried. He faced 19 downfield targets, allowing just three receptions for 53 yards while recording six passes defensed. His 15.8% completion percentage allowed on such targets was the lowest in the NFL.

Hamilton’s impact was most felt in the time he missed, as the Ravens defense allowed -0.06 EPA per play when he was on the field compared with +0.24 without him, the third-largest gap of any defender (min. 100 snaps on and off). Hamilton led all DBs with 61 tackles when playing up in the box, missing just four tackles (6.2%) in those situations. He also played tight coverage, with QBs targeting him on just 8.6% of his coverage snaps, lower than any cornerback.

Like Hamilton, James played more than 300 snaps in the box and more than 400 aligned as a defensive back. He was masterful in both roles. James allowed just 3.8 yards per target in coverage when aligned at DB, the fewest of any player with 25+ targets by nearly one full yard. As a pass rusher, James’ 16 pressures tied for the second-most among defensive backs, and his eight tackles for loss or no gain in the run game were tied for seventh-most.

Brandon Aubrey paced the position for most of the season before faltering late. Cam Little's record-setting distance made him an enticing option, as well, but Reichard’s full body of work outperformed the competition. Reichard hit 94.3% of his attempts despite a high degree of difficulty (74.6% expected FG%); his +19.7% FG probability over expected was the highest in the last decade by any kicker with 30+ attempts. And he was no slouch on distance, either, converting the seventh-longest kick of the season at 62 yards.

Dickson was a quiet contributor to Seattle’s overall excellence, using his combination of leg strength, accuracy and creativity to help give the 'Hawks a special teams edge. The veteran punter ranked highly in average air distance (59.6 yards, fifth), hang time (4.64 seconds, sixth) and rate of punts outside the numbers (57.7%, fifth). He kicked only one punt directly out of bounds and pinned opponents inside the 10-yard line on five of his nine punts from past midfield.

Davis led the league in kickoff return average (30.4 yards), recording the third-best yards over expected (+8.8) in a single season since 2018 (min. 20 kickoff returns). The second-year running back also brought one back to the house in 2025 -- a 97-yarder against the Texans in Week 12.

Dike set the all-time rookie record for all-purpose yards with 2,427 and was at his best in the punt game. His 17.3 yards per return were the most by any player with 10+ returns in at least 10 seasons, and his +190 yards over expected were the second-most in that span. The rookie was explosive, scoring two touchdowns on 23 returns.