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ESPN Survey Ranks Seahawks' Leonard Williams as Top Defensive Tackle
ESPN compiled votes from more than 70 league executives, coaches and scouts to rank the top defensive tackles ahead of 2026 training camps. Seattle Seahawks veteran Leonard Williams placed first after recording 7.0 sacks and earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2025.
Jul 10, 9:21 AM·1m read1 source
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ESPN's annual survey of league executives, coaches and scouts ranked Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks as the top defensive tackle for 2026, up from sixth place last year. The ranking marks the seventh edition of the annual project and comes as NFL training camps approach in July 2026. More than 70 voters submitted ballots for at least one position.
Results combined the number of top-10 votes, composite averages and follow-up interviews with film study. The survey asked respondents to identify the best players at the position right now rather than project future performance. Williams, 32, rose from sixth place in the prior year's ranking.
He recorded 7.0 sacks and a 38.0 percent run-stop win rate during the 2025 season while earning second-team All-Pro honors. At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, he posted 120 run-stop wins when double-teamed over the past three seasons, tied for the most in the NFL, and led interior linemen with 24 tackles on pass plays.
"He was the most important player on that Super Bowl team," an NFL coordinator told ESPN.
Another NFC defensive coach said Williams could line up across multiple positions and beat any blocker. Williams had never previously cracked the top five in the project's history, which began in 2020. His improved production came in Seattle coach Mike Macdonald's defense.
