THE TAKE
Will Anderson is the 2nd best defensive player in football.
BOLDNESS
65/100
GRADE
88/100
PLAYERS / TEAMS
Will Anderson
GRADING CRITERIA
TRUE IF
Will Anderson finishes the 2025 NFL season ranked 2nd among all defensive players by consensus defensive player rankings (e.g., Pro Football Focus overall defensive grades, AP All-Pro voting, or DPOY voting placing him as the clear 2nd best) behind only one other defender.
FALSE IF
he is ranked 3rd or lower by at least two of these major consensus metrics.
bold callvaguehot take
OUTCOME
CONFIRMED TRUEWill Anderson Jr. finished the 2025 NFL season as the clear #2 defensive player by every major consensus metric. He finished 2nd in AP DPOY voting with 177 points behind only the unanimous winner Myles Garrett (500 points), was named a First-Team All-Pro edge rusher behind only Garrett, and ranked as the 2nd-highest graded defensive player on PFF's Top 101 list. By all three resolution criteria, Anderson was unambiguously the 2nd-best defensive player in football.