Teams: Kansas City Chiefs (1963-1975)

Accolades: Super Bowl 4 champion, 6-time AFL All-Star, 6-time First-Team All-AFL, 2-time Pro Bowler

The 1960s Chiefs were known for head coach Hank Stram’s color, but the team’s heart was Buchanan. The No. 1 pick in the 1963 AFL Draft was a planet-eater, standing at 6-foot-7, 270 pounds — an enormous stature for any era, but especially during that time — as he ripped the hearts out of interior offensive lines without mercy. It’s no wonder the Chiefs became the first-ever then-AFL team to win the Super Bowl with cornerstones like Buchanan in the fold.

Teams: Seattle Seahawks (1990-2000)

Accolades: Defensive Player of the Year (1992), 8-time Pro Bowler, 3-time First-Team All-Pro

Cortez didn’t have the raw sacks numbers that some of his other peers — 58 in 11 years is hardly impressive — but that doesn’t diminish his remarkable career. If anything, the 306-pound mammoth of a human being deserves credit for constantly fighting and defeating double and triple-teams that set the table for the rest of his Seahawks teammates. Such a responsibility arguably makes him the most outstanding all-around defensive tackle ever.

At least voters saw Kennedy for what he was. The now-Hall of Famer made the Pro Bowl in nearly every season of his career and is one of the only pure defensive tackles ever to win Defensive Player of the Year.

Teams: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1995-2003), Las Vegas Raiders (2004-2007)

Accolades: Super Bowl 37 champion, Defensive Player of the Year (1999), 7-time Pro Bowler, 4-time First-Team All-Pro

Sapp was a pioneer whose impact still reverberates. He was the anchor of the Buccaneers’ now standard Cover-2 defense, which needed a dynamic interior force that could keep guards off linebackers and terrorize quarterbacks as a pass-rusher. Fellow Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks and defensive line partner Simeon Rice owe parts of their respective success to Sapp usually taking most of the attention of opposing offenses.

Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1990-2000), Seattle Seahawks (2001-2003)

Accolades: 7-time Pro Bowler, 6-time First-Team All-Pro, sacks leader (1997)

One of the best undrafted free agents ever, Randle channeled that “overlooked” chip on his shoulder into a Hall of Fame career. At his absolute peak, Randle recorded eight consecutive double-digit sack seasons for the Vikings (he finished with 137 total for his career) and never missed a game during his Minnesota playing days. Randle’s myth is also helped by his being a legendary trash-talker, a man who meticulously researched the people who would likely be blocking him to get a mental edge. His diabolical scheming behind the scenes usually worked.

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1975-1988)

Accolades: Super Bowl 12 champion, Super Bowl 12 co-MVP, 9-time Pro Bowler, 7-time First-Team All-Pro

Where Page is the only defensive tackle to ever win NFL regular-season MVP, White is the only defensive tackle to ever win Super Bowl MVP. The honor was merely a worthy cherry on top of one of the more decorated resumes in league history — this from someone who started their career as a linebacker before successfully transitioning to the focal point of the line of scrimmage. White was transcendent for most of his career, commanding and subsequently destroying double teams as one of the faces of a Cowboys team that quietly embraced its villainous role in the NFL.

Teams: Los Angeles Rams (1962-1976)

Accolades: 14-time Pro Bowler, 5-time First-Team All-Pro

Beyond his having one of the coolest football names I could imagine, Olsen was a consistent wrecking ball for the Rams. The running mate alongside Deacon Jones, Olsen often proved to be every bit as feisty and powerful, qualifying for the Pro Bowl in 14 of his 15 seasons. He wasn’t the face of the Rams, but the future actor shined in both the football and cinematic limelight nonetheless.

Teams: Dallas Cowboys (1971-1964)

Accolades: Super Bowl 6 champion, 11-time Pro Bowler, 7-time First-Team All-Pro

The Cowboys have so many exceptional players in their history. So many icons at so many different positions. But only Lilly was ever named “Mr. Cowboy.” And for good reason.

Lilly was the first pillar of the franchise, a humble giant of a man who steamrolled offensive lines and set an excellent example for his teammates. He translated that well-rounded mentality into a play style that saw him be equally disruptive as a run defender and pass-rusher. From an old-school perspective, he might be the greatest Cowboy of all time.

Teams: Minnesota Vikings (1967-1978), Chicago Bears (1978-1981)

Accolades: MVP (1971), 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, 9-time Pro Bowler, 5-time First-Team All-Pro

Page was not your bog-standard defensive tackle. Once it was clear he had otherworldly athletic ability, the Vikings let the superb defender freelance, often lining up wherever he wanted on the line of scrimmage if it meant he sensed a mismatch. Page singlehandedly changed how coaches viewed defensive tackles, as they started harnessing them more like weapons rather than roster stand-ins.

To this day, Page remains the only defensive tackle ever to win MVP. Given the priority and attention placed on quarterbacks in the modern NFL, it’s hard to see anyone ever joining Page in that extremely exclusive club.

Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers (1969-1981)

Accolades: 4-time Super Bowl champion, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year (1969), 10-time Pro Bowler, 5-time First-Team All-Pro

The “Steel Curtain” Steelers would’ve been nothing without their iconic anchor. Greene was fittingly the first-ever selection of head coach Chuck Noll, the No. 4 overall pick of the 1969 NFL Draft, and he more than lived up to the billing over the course of his illustrious career. Greene both made his teammates better and dominated his individual matchups for over a decade. Any glowing marks on his resume almost feel perfunctory, way-too-obvious conclusions and honors for one of the best defenders ever to grace a football field.

Teams: Los Angeles Rams (2014-2023)

Accolades: Super Bowl 56 champion, 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year (2014), 10-time Pro Bowler, 8-time First-Team All-Pro

Donald is not only the finest defensive tackle of all time, but he’s also in the conversation for the best defender ever. That’s how transcendent the Ram was during his decade in the NFL. No one had a reasonable answer for a man who often resembled an enraged bull running over a helpless matador on the many occasions he broke through the line of scrimmage. Donald was so extraordinary that it’s hard to argue he ever had a peak because it really lasted for the duration of his career. You knew you were watching greatness the entire time you saw that No. 99, too.

Ultimately, despite likely having more in the tank, Donald made the right decision to retire on top in his early 30s. He would’ve achieved so much more had he chosen to continue humiliating guards and centers for several more years.