1. Houston Texans
Houston finished last season third in total defense, third against the pass and in the top 10 against the run. While J.J. Watt is the obvious face of this unit, there are Pro Bowl caliber players at nearly all levels.
In addition to Watt’s 17.5 sacks, former first-round pick Whitney Mercilus added 12 sacks. That represented the most total sacks by a tandem in the entire league.
If Jadeveon Clowney can somehow build off what was a rebound sophomore campaign, the Texans’ front seven will be the best in the business.
The secondary here starts and ends at the boundaries where corners Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson have formed quite the impressive group of cover guys. The three helped Houston yield an 82.8 quarterback rating a season ago.
All this seems to be an indication that Houston will trot out the top overall defense in the NFL this upcoming season.