Lawrence Taylor
Ray Lewis
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Dead even across the measured categories. Our all-time ranking places Lawrence Taylor at #4 and Ray Lewis at #12.
Head-to-head FAQ
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The case for Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor is the defensive player most often credited with changing the game itself. As an outside linebacker for the New York Giants, his explosive edge rushing forced offenses to redesign protections and elevated the left tackle into a premium position charged with blocking his blind-side attacks. He recorded 132.5 official sacks, though the statistic was not tracked for his 1981 rookie year, and won three Defensive Player of the Year awards. In 1986 he became one of only two defensive players ever named NFL MVP, a season in which he tallied 20.5 sacks and dragged the Giants to a title. He won two Super Bowls and made ten Pro Bowls. Ferocious, instinctive, and relentless, he set the template for the modern pass-rushing edge defender.
The case for Ray Lewis
For seventeen seasons Ray Lewis was the emotional and tactical heart of the Baltimore Ravens defense, a middle linebacker who married ferocious hitting with brilliant diagnosis of plays. He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and anchored one of the greatest defenses ever, the 2000 Ravens, whom he led to a Super Bowl XXXV title while earning game MVP honors. He captured a second ring in his final season in Super Bowl XLVII. Lewis intercepted 31 passes and amassed well over 2,000 tackles, an exceptional figure that reflects both his longevity and his sideline-to-sideline range. As a field general who set the defense and inspired teammates, he redefined what a middle linebacker could mean to a franchise.