Predicting the 2020s All-Decade Team - Defense

The NFL’s All-Decade team is one of the most prestigious honors the league offers. Every 10 years, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee releases their list of the decade’s best players.

Now that we are a few years into the 2020s, I teamed up with fellow PSF writer Uday Vashisth to make our predictions for who will make up the next All-Decade team. This is the second and final installment of the team, covering the defense, special teams, and head coaches. Be sure to read our previous article covering the offense.

We’ll follow the outline used by the last two All-Decade teams for the most part. Obviously, there’s no way of truly knowing who will make the team, so although we’ll try to use sound reasoning, much of this list will be guesswork.

An important note: the different All-Decade teams feature slightly different positional terminology, especially regarding defensive ends and outside linebackers. For our purposes, we’ll be selecting six edge rushers and four off-ball linebackers. There are still twenty-two players on this defensive roster, matching the total of past All-Decade teams.

Edge Rusher - TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa, Chase Young, Will Anderson Jr, Kayvon Thibodeaux

This was a fascinating position to choose for, and we decided to prioritize youth. TJ Watt and Myles Garrett are the best two edge rushers in football right now: leaving them off this list would feel wrong. Nick Bosa is arguably third-best in the league today, and at only 24-years-old, Bosa will surely continue his elite play. We also included Bosa’s college teammate Chase Young, banking on the talent that Young showed during his rookie season. Giants rookie Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. have yet to play a snap in the NFL, but based on their college tape, they’re outstanding prospects who will dominate the pros for years to come.

Defensive Tackle - Aaron Donald, Chris Jones, Jeffery Simmons, Jordan Davis

Despite being drafted halfway through the 2010s, Aaron Donald was so outstanding that he made the last All-Decade team. It would be foolish to underestimate Donald, the best player in the NFL, and leave him off of this list as well. Kansas City’s Chris Jones has put together some incredibly high-quality seasons, and we predict he’ll continue that stretch. Jeffery Simmons is the brightest young star at the defensive tackle position, an absolute stud who was an easy pick for this team. For the fourth spot, we decided on rookie Jordan Davis, who has an unbelievably high ceiling due to his immense size and excellent athleticism.

Linebacker - Darius Leonard, Fred Warner, Roquan Smith, Micah Parsons

The linebacker position is full of really high-end players. Darius Leonard is a turnover machine who perfected the peanut punch. Fred Warner is an incredible cover linebacker, among the best in the NFL. Roquan Smith is only 25-years-old and is already in the conversation for top-five in the league. And of course, Micah Parsons is the versatile Defensive Rookie of the Year who exploded onto the scene last year playing edge and off-ball. The future of the linebacker position is very bright, thanks to these four players and many more.

Cornerback - Jaire Alexander, Jalen Ramsey, AJ Terrell, Derek Stingley Jr

Jalen Ramsey and Jaire Alexander are the two best cornerbacks in the NFL, and neither of them have shown signs of declining any time soon. It’s easy to imagine a world where those two continue to lock down receivers for the rest of the decade. AJ Terrell had a fantastic breakout season last year, and he’s the lone bright spot on that otherwise dismal Falcons defense. However, he’s the real deal, and we predict he’ll have many years of success in the 2020s. Third overall pick Derek Stingley Jr., is included due to his ceiling. He was absolutely electric his first year at LSU, and while there have been some questions since then, we think he’s an excellent fit for the Texans defense and will blossom into a stud. It was a tough call between Stingley and fellow rookie Sauce Gardner, but Stingley barely edged him out.

Safety - Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jevon Holland, Kyle Hamilton, Budda Baker

Safety is a difficult position to predict. There’s no clear consensus on who the best safety in the NFL is, so we really leaned into youth at this position. Budda Baker and Minkah Fitzpatrick are 26 and 25 years old respectively, and they’re the elder statesmen in this group. Jevon Holland was a monster at Oregon and he had a really solid rookie season for Miami. We expect him to make a huge impact very soon. Kyle Hamilton was at one point considered a top-five prospect in this class, and even though he was drafted later than many people initially thought he would be, his talent is undeniable. Joining a team like the Ravens, who are so good at developing defensive talent, is perfect. The sky's the limit for Hamilton.

Kicker - Justin Tucker, Evan McPherson

Punter - Michael Dickson, Matt Araiza

Kick Returner - Jamal Agnew, Deonte Harris

Punt Returner - Jakeem Grant, Tyreek Hill

Head Coach - Sean McDermott, Kyle Shanahan

The All-Decade team coaches seem to have one thing in common: lots of team success. The 2010s coaches were Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll, while in the 2000s it was Belichick and Tony Dungy. This league has been taken over by youthful head coaches, so it’s no surprise that we selected two. Sean McDermott seems poised to take Buffalo to new heights and turn them into a perennial Super Bowl contender in the Josh Allen era. Kyle Shanahan has an NFC Championship appearance in this decade already, and with a talented young QB set to take over, the 49ers might enjoy years and years of winning.

Predicting the 2020s All-Decade Team - Defense

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