PTF 2007 DEFENSIVE END POWER RANKINGS
One starting LE, one starting RE — with side-specific NOVR and known lineup overrides applied.
HOW THE RANKINGS WORK
Defensive end is ranked as a two-starter room: one left end and one right end.
Team DE Score = 50% starting LE NOVR + 50% starting RE NOVR.
Known lineup override: Tennessee. I almost posted the article, when I noticed that Jason Taylor is officially listed as an LE, but the Titans are starting him at RE without formally changing his roster position. Therefore Tennessee is scored with Jevon Kearse at LE (97) and Jason Taylor at RE (94). Michael Montgomery is not treated as the starting RE.
For all other teams, the current listed LE/RE alignment is used unless another real lineup override is identified.
League-average team DE score: 83.94
League median team DE score: 84.00
For the youth section, young = age 25 or younger.
THE FULL LEAGUE DE POWER RANKING
1. Bills — 97 — LE John Abraham 99 | RE Adalius Thomas 95
T2. Lions — 95.5 — LE Kalimba Edwards 98 | RE James Hall 93
T2. Titans — 95.5 — LE Jevon Kearse 97 | RE Jason Taylor 94
4. Eagles — 95 — LE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila 94 | RE Derrick Burgess 96
5. Chiefs — 93.5 — LE Ty Warren 93 | RE Courtney Brown 94
T6. Bears — 92.5 — LE Dwight Freeney 98 | RE Brett Keisel 87
T6. Browns — 92.5 — LE Aaron Schobel 96 | RE Bryan Thomas 89
8. Chargers — 92 — LE Mario Williams 86 | RE Kyle Vanden Bosch 98
9. Ravens — 91 — LE LaMarr Woodley 85 | RE Shawne Merriman 97
10. Packers — 90.5 — LE Aaron Kampman 96 | RE Dewayne White 85
11. Panthers — 89.5 — LE DeMarcus Ware 95 | RE Dennis Johnson 84
12. Rams — 88.5 — LE Carlos Hall 83 | RE Grant Wistrom 94
T13. Jaguars — 87.5 — LE Raheem Orr 97 | RE DeLawrence Grant 78
T13. Cowboys — 87.5 — LE Jimmy Kennedy 93 | RE Earl Cochran 82
15. 49ers — 87 — LE Rob Ninkovich 80 | RE Andre Carter 94
16. Colts — 84.5 — LE Kenny King 81 | RE Raheem Brock 88
17. Patriots — 83.5 — LE Richard Seymour 96 | RE Sam Williams 71
T18. Bengals — 83 — LE Justin Smith 96 | RE Terrell Suggs 70
T18. Saints — 83 — LE Charles Grant 96 | RE Chris Canty 70
T18. Dolphins — 83 — LE Adewale Ogunleye 83 | RE Reggie Hayward 83
21. Jets — 81.5 — LE Greg Peterson 72 | RE Shaun Ellis 91
22. Giants — 80 — LE Brian Robison 84 | RE Jason Hatcher 76
23. Cardinals — 79.5 — LE Will Smith 68 | RE Darren Howard 91
24. Raiders — 78 — LE Shurron Pierson 76 | RE Montae Reagor 80
25. Steelers — 77 — LE Juqua Parker 93 | RE Darrion Scott 61
26. Broncos — 76.5 — LE Matt Walters 86 | RE Victor Adeyanju 67
27. Buccaneers — 75 — LE Michael Haynes 87 | RE Roderick Green 63
T28. Vikings — 74 — LE Eric Moore 59 | RE Alex Brown 89
T28. Texans — 74 — LE Antwan Odom 73 | RE Jason Babin 75
30. Redskins — 72.5 — LE Jeremy Mincey 76 | RE Ryan LaCasse 69
31. Falcons — 69 — LE Joe Cohen 75 | RE Erasmus James 63
32. Seahawks — 57 — LE Ray Edwards 59 | RE Claude Harriott 55
Buffalo remains #1 with John Abraham 99 and Adalius Thomas 95, producing a 97.0 room score.
The major correction is Tennessee. With Jason Taylor actually starting at RE, the Titans are not a 97/53 room at all. They are Jevon Kearse 97 and Jason Taylor 94, a 95.5 tandem that ties Detroit for #2 in PTF.
Philadelphia follows at 95.0, then Kansas City at 93.5. Baltimore is now #9 rather than #8, but the Woodley/Merriman combination remains one of the league's best young edge situations.
This also shows why actual lineup usage matters. A roster-position-only method can dramatically underrate a team when a coach starts a player on the opposite side without formally changing his listed position.
THE ELITE DE TANDEMS
1. Bills — 97 — John Abraham 99 / Adalius Thomas 95
2. Lions — 95.5 — Kalimba Edwards 98 / James Hall 93
3. Titans — 95.5 — Jevon Kearse 97 / Jason Taylor 94
4. Eagles — 95 — Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila 94 / Derrick Burgess 96
5. Chiefs — 93.5 — Ty Warren 93 / Courtney Brown 94
6. Bears — 92.5 — Dwight Freeney 98 / Brett Keisel 87
7. Browns — 92.5 — Aaron Schobel 96 / Bryan Thomas 89
8. Chargers — 92 — Mario Williams 86 / Kyle Vanden Bosch 98
9. Ravens — 91 — LaMarr Woodley 85 / Shawne Merriman 97
10. Packers — 90.5 — Aaron Kampman 96 / Dewayne White 85
11. Panthers — 89.5 — DeMarcus Ware 95 / Dennis Johnson 84
12. Rams — 88.5 — Carlos Hall 83 / Grant Wistrom 94
Buffalo is still the league standard, but Detroit and Tennessee now share the second tier at 95.5. Philadelphia is only half a point behind them, and Kansas City rounds out the 93+ group.
Tennessee's correction is especially important because Kearse/Taylor is not merely a good pair — it is one of the three best starting DE rooms in the league.
TOP LEFT ENDS
1. John Abraham, Bills — NOVR 99 — Age 29 — 256 lbs
2. Dwight Freeney, Bears — NOVR 98 — Age 27 — 268 lbs
3. Kalimba Edwards, Lions — NOVR 98 — Age 28 — 264 lbs
4. Raheem Orr, Jaguars — NOVR 97 — Age 26 — 260 lbs
5. Jevon Kearse, Titans — NOVR 97 — Age 31 — 265 lbs
6. Aaron Kampman, Packers — NOVR 96 — Age 28 — 286 lbs
7. Justin Smith, Bengals — NOVR 96 — Age 28 — 270 lbs
8. Richard Seymour, Patriots — NOVR 96 — Age 28 — 310 lbs
9. Charles Grant, Saints — NOVR 96 — Age 29 — 282 lbs
10. Aaron Schobel, Browns — NOVR 96 — Age 30 — 262 lbs
11. DeMarcus Ware, Panthers — NOVR 95 — Age 24 — 258 lbs
12. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Eagles — NOVR 94 — Age 30 — 255 lbs
13. Jason Taylor, Titans — NOVR 94 — Age 33 — 255 lbs
14. Jimmy Kennedy, Cowboys — NOVR 93 — Age 25 — 323 lbs
15. Ty Warren, Chiefs — NOVR 93 — Age 27 — 300 lbs
John Abraham leads the entire left-end pool at 99. Dwight Freeney and Kalimba Edwards are right behind at 98, while Jevon Kearse and Raheem Orr form the 97 tier.
Lineup note: Jason Taylor remains in this official LE list because the GRD/Fit The System reference lists him at LE. Tennessee, however, is actually starting him at RE. For the Titans' team-room score he is therefore evaluated with the RE-side NOVR instead. He would be a 94 NOVR RE.
TOP RIGHT ENDS
1. Kyle Vanden Bosch, Chargers — NOVR 98 — Age 29 — 278 lbs
2. Shawne Merriman, Ravens — NOVR 97 — Age 24 — 261 lbs
3. Derrick Burgess, Eagles — NOVR 96 — Age 29 — 266 lbs
4. Adalius Thomas, Bills — NOVR 95 — Age 30 — 270 lbs
5. Simeon Rice, Unassigned — NOVR 95 — Age 33 — 268 lbs
6. Andre Carter, 49ers — NOVR 94 — Age 28 — 265 lbs
7. Courtney Brown, Chiefs — NOVR 94 — Age 29 — 285 lbs
8. Grant Wistrom, Rams — NOVR 94 — Age 31 — 272 lbs
9. James Hall, Lions — NOVR 93 — Age 30 — 280 lbs
10. Shaun Ellis, Jets — NOVR 91 — Age 30 — 285 lbs
11. Darren Howard, Cardinals — NOVR 91 — Age 31 — 275 lbs
12. Alex Brown, Vikings — NOVR 89 — Age 28 — 262 lbs
13. Bryan Thomas, Browns — NOVR 89 — Age 28 — 266 lbs
14. Raheem Brock, Colts — NOVR 88 — Age 29 — 274 lbs
15. Trevor Pryce, Chargers — NOVR 88 — Age 32 — 295 lbs
Kyle Vanden Bosch owns the top RE score at 98, with Shawne Merriman at 97 and Derrick Burgess at 96. Simeon Rice is the highest-rated unassigned right end at 95.
THE NEXT GENERATION — BEST ROSTERED DEs AGE 25 OR YOUNGER
1. Shawne Merriman, Ravens — RE — NOVR 97 — Age 24 — 261 lbs
2. DeMarcus Ware, Panthers — LE — NOVR 95 — Age 24 — 258 lbs
3. Jimmy Kennedy, Cowboys — LE — NOVR 93 — Age 25 — 323 lbs
4. Mario Williams, Chargers — LE — NOVR 86 — Age 22 — 300 lbs
5. LaMarr Woodley, Ravens — LE — NOVR 85 — Age 23 — 265 lbs
6. Brian Robison, Giants — LE — NOVR 84 — Age 24 — 259 lbs
7. Rob Ninkovich, 49ers — LE — NOVR 80 — Age 23 — 260 lbs
8. Jeremy Mincey, Redskins — LE — NOVR 76 — Age 24 — 280 lbs
9. Jason Hatcher, Giants — RE — NOVR 76 — Age 25 — 299 lbs
10. Shurron Pierson, Raiders — LE — NOVR 76 — Age 25 — 250 lbs
11. Joe Cohen, Falcons — LE — NOVR 75 — Age 23 — 310 lbs
12. Trent Cole, Jets — RE — NOVR 73 — Age 22 — 270 lbs
13. Jeff Charleston, Lions — RE — NOVR 73 — Age 24 — 265 lbs
14. Justin Tuck, Giants — LE — NOVR 73 — Age 24 — 265 lbs
15. Victor Abiamiri, Raiders — LE — NOVR 72 — Age 21 — 267 lbs
16. Greg Peterson, Jets — LE — NOVR 72 — Age 23 — 286 lbs
17. Jay Richardson, Cowboys — LE — NOVR 72 — Age 23 — 280 lbs
18. Jovan Haye, Panthers — RE — NOVR 71 — Age 23 — 277 lbs
19. Turk McBride, Packers — LE — NOVR 70 — Age 22 — 278 lbs
20. Chris Canty, Saints — RE — NOVR 70 — Age 24 — 320 lbs
Merriman and DeMarcus Ware headline the young class at 97 and 95. Jimmy Kennedy is already 93 at age 25, while Mario Williams brings an 86 at only 22.
BEST YOUNG DE SITUATIONS
Ravens
LaMarr Woodley is 23/85 and Shawne Merriman is 24/97. Baltimore is the rare team with two age-24-or-younger starting ends and still owns a top-10 room.
Chargers
Mario Williams is only 22 and already 86 at LE, while Kyle Vanden Bosch supplies elite 98-level production on the right. San Diego is #8 now and has a very obvious long-term cornerstone.
Panthers
DeMarcus Ware is only 24 and already 95. Dennis Johnson is older and lower at 84, but Carolina already owns one elite young building block.
Cowboys
Jimmy Kennedy is 25/93 at LE. Dallas is not as strong on the right, but a 93-rated young starter gives the room a strong foundation.
Giants
Brian Robison is 24/84 and Jason Hatcher is 25/76. The current room is only 80.0, but both starters are still 25 or younger.
BALANCE MATTERS
Largest side-to-side gaps:
1. Steelers — gap 32 — LE 93 / RE 61 — room 77
2. Vikings — gap 30 — LE 59 / RE 89 — room 74
3. Bengals — gap 26 — LE 96 / RE 70 — room 83
4. Saints — gap 26 — LE 96 / RE 70 — room 83
5. Patriots — gap 25 — LE 96 / RE 71 — room 83.5
6. Buccaneers — gap 24 — LE 87 / RE 63 — room 75
7. Cardinals — gap 23 — LE 68 / RE 91 — room 79.5
8. Jaguars — gap 19 — LE 97 / RE 78 — room 87.5
With Jason Taylor correctly treated as Tennessee's starting RE, the Titans disappear completely from the imbalance list. Pittsburgh now has the league's largest starter gap at 32 points, followed by Minnesota at 30.
DIVISION-BY-DIVISION BREAKDOWN
AFC EAST
1. Bills — 97 — League 1 — LE John Abraham 99 | RE Adalius Thomas 95
2. Patriots — 83.5 — League 17 — LE Richard Seymour 96 | RE Sam Williams 71
3. Dolphins — 83 — League T18 — LE Adewale Ogunleye 83 | RE Reggie Hayward 83
4. Jets — 81.5 — League 21 — LE Greg Peterson 72 | RE Shaun Ellis 91
Buffalo owns the league's #1 room at 97.0 and gives the division an elite ceiling. Miami is perfectly balanced at 83/83, while New England and the Jets are more one-sided.
AFC NORTH
1. Browns — 92.5 — League T6 — LE Aaron Schobel 96 | RE Bryan Thomas 89
2. Ravens — 91 — League 9 — LE LaMarr Woodley 85 | RE Shawne Merriman 97
3. Bengals — 83 — League T18 — LE Justin Smith 96 | RE Terrell Suggs 70
4. Steelers — 77 — League 25 — LE Juqua Parker 93 | RE Darrion Scott 61
Baltimore and Cleveland both sit in the top nine. The Ravens have the young Woodley/Merriman pair, while Cleveland is driven by Aaron Schobel and Bryan Thomas. Cincinnati and Pittsburgh trail because of weaker opposite-side starters.
AFC SOUTH
1. Titans — 95.5 — League T2 — LE Jevon Kearse 97 | RE Jason Taylor 94
2. Jaguars — 87.5 — League T13 — LE Raheem Orr 97 | RE DeLawrence Grant 78
3. Colts — 84.5 — League 16 — LE Kenny King 81 | RE Raheem Brock 88
4. Texans — 74 — League T28 — LE Antwan Odom 73 | RE Jason Babin 75
The correction completely changes this division. Tennessee now has Jevon Kearse 97 at LE and Jason Taylor 94 starting at RE, giving the Titans a 95.5 score and a tie for #2 in the entire league. Jacksonville is still strong, while Indianapolis and Houston trail.
AFC WEST
1. Chiefs — 93.5 — League 5 — LE Ty Warren 93 | RE Courtney Brown 94
2. Chargers — 92 — League 8 — LE Mario Williams 86 | RE Kyle Vanden Bosch 98
3. Raiders — 78 — League 24 — LE Shurron Pierson 76 | RE Montae Reagor 80
4. Broncos — 76.5 — League 26 — LE Matt Walters 86 | RE Victor Adeyanju 67
Kansas City and San Diego both rank in the top eight. The Chiefs are exceptionally balanced at 93/94, while the Chargers lean on Kyle Vanden Bosch's 98 with 22-year-old Mario Williams developing on the left.
NFC EAST
1. Eagles — 95 — League 4 — LE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila 94 | RE Derrick Burgess 96
2. Cowboys — 87.5 — League T13 — LE Jimmy Kennedy 93 | RE Earl Cochran 82
3. Giants — 80 — League 22 — LE Brian Robison 84 | RE Jason Hatcher 76
4. Redskins — 72.5 — League 30 — LE Jeremy Mincey 76 | RE Ryan LaCasse 69
Philadelphia owns the division with a 95.0 pair and remains a top-four league room. Dallas is solid, while the Giants and Washington sit closer to the middle and bottom of the table.
NFC NORTH
1. Lions — 95.5 — League T2 — LE Kalimba Edwards 98 | RE James Hall 93
2. Bears — 92.5 — League T6 — LE Dwight Freeney 98 | RE Brett Keisel 87
3. Packers — 90.5 — League 10 — LE Aaron Kampman 96 | RE Dewayne White 85
4. Vikings — 74 — League T28 — LE Eric Moore 59 | RE Alex Brown 89
This remains the strongest DE division. Detroit, Chicago and Green Bay all rank in the top ten, and Detroit's 98/93 pair is tied for the second-best room in PTF.
NFC SOUTH
1. Panthers — 89.5 — League 11 — LE DeMarcus Ware 95 | RE Dennis Johnson 84
2. Saints — 83 — League T18 — LE Charles Grant 96 | RE Chris Canty 70
3. Buccaneers — 75 — League 27 — LE Michael Haynes 87 | RE Roderick Green 63
4. Falcons — 69 — League 31 — LE Joe Cohen 75 | RE Erasmus James 63
Carolina is the only top-12 room in the division. New Orleans has an elite Charles Grant at 96 but a 70 opposite him, while Tampa Bay and Atlanta have larger overall weaknesses.
NFC WEST
1. Rams — 88.5 — League 12 — LE Carlos Hall 83 | RE Grant Wistrom 94
2. 49ers — 87 — League 15 — LE Rob Ninkovich 80 | RE Andre Carter 94
3. Cardinals — 79.5 — League 23 — LE Will Smith 68 | RE Darren Howard 91
4. Seahawks — 57 — League 32 — LE Ray Edwards 59 | RE Claude Harriott 55
The Rams and 49ers are respectable, but Arizona is heavily tilted toward Darren Howard and Seattle has the lowest starting DE pair in the league.
DIVISION STRENGTH RANKING
1. NFC NORTH — 88.12
2. AFC EAST — 86.25
3. AFC NORTH — 85.88
4. AFC SOUTH — 85.38
5. AFC WEST — 85.00
6. NFC EAST — 83.75
7. NFC SOUTH — 79.12
8. NFC WEST — 78.00
The NFC North remains #1 at 88.13. The AFC East is second at 86.25, and the AFC North stays narrowly ahead of the now-surging AFC South.
Tennessee's corrected 95.5 raises the AFC South from 80.25 to 85.38, moving it from sixth to fourth among the eight divisions.
UNASSIGNED DEs WORTH WATCHING
1. Simeon Rice — RE — NOVR 95 — Age 33 — 268 lbs
2. Patrick Kerney — LE — NOVR 91 — Age 31 — 273 lbs
3. Michael Strahan — RE — NOVR 87 — Age 36 — 275 lbs
4. Tony Brackens — RE — NOVR 87 — Age 33 — 267 lbs
5. La'Roi Glover — RE — NOVR 86 — Age 33 — 285 lbs
6. Mike Rucker — RE — NOVR 86 — Age 32 — 275 lbs
7. Greg Ellis — RE — NOVR 84 — Age 32 — 271 lbs
8. Ellis Wyms — RE — NOVR 83 — Age 28 — 279 lbs
9. Eric Hicks — RE — NOVR 83 — Age 31 — 280 lbs
10. Chike Okeafor — RE — NOVR 81 — Age 31 — 265 lbs
11. Marcellus Wiley — RE — NOVR 81 — Age 33 — 275 lbs
12. Tom Burke — RE — NOVR 80 — Age 31 — 275 lbs
13. DeQuincy Scott — LE — NOVR 77 — Age 29 — 260 lbs
14. Kemp Rasmussen — LE — NOVR 72 — Age 28 — 265 lbs
15. Kenny Mixon — LE — NOVR 72 — Age 32 — 271 lbs
Simeon Rice is the obvious headliner at RE 95. Patrick Kerney is the best available LE at 91. For teams with a large side-to-side gap, these players can change the room score immediately.
GM TAKEAWAYS
1. Buffalo still owns the best DE room in PTF. John Abraham 99 and Adalius Thomas 95 combine elite top-end talent with excellent balance.
2. Tennessee was badly underrated by the first version. Jason Taylor is officially listed at LE but actually starts at RE. Using the real lineup gives Tennessee a 95.5 score, tied for #2 in the league.
3. Detroit and Philadelphia remain elite. Detroit also scores 95.5, while Philadelphia's 94/96 pair is only half a point behind.
4. Baltimore still has the best young starting DE duo. Woodley and Merriman average only 23.5 years old while already producing a 91.0 room score.
5. Side-specific ratings matter, but so does actual deployment. LE uses Left_OVR and RE uses regular NOVR. If a coach starts an officially listed LE on the right side, the player should be evaluated as the RE he is actually playing.
6. We should treat lineup overrides as real data. If another team is doing what Tennessee does with Jason Taylor, that should override the roster-position reference in future revisions.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Tennessee correction changes more than one line in the ranking. It changes the basic lesson of the article.
A roster file tells us what a player's official position is, but it does not always tell us where the coach actually starts him. Jason Taylor is the perfect example: officially an LE, actually starting at RE, and therefore part of Tennessee's real Kearse/Taylor edge pairing.
Once that is accounted for, Tennessee jumps from what looked like a badly one-sided 75.0 room to a 95.5 room tied for #2 in PTF.
The underlying rating rule remains the same: Left_OVR for the left side, regular NOVR for the right side. The improvement is that the side is now determined by actual lineup usage whenever we have reliable evidence of it.
Buffalo still holds #1, but the elite tier is now Bills, Lions, Titans and Eagles — four teams with genuinely outstanding starting DE pairs.
ONE IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT DE NOVR
Across the full 197-DE side-adjusted NOVR pool:
- 28 DEs are 90+
- 16 DEs are 95+
- 1 DE is 99
- Average NOVR: 68.59
- Median NOVR: 64
Because LE and RE use different side-specific ratings, these numbers represent the player's value at the position he is actually listed to play, rather than a generic DE score.
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