Pro Football Focus has Cameron Heyward graded as not just the highest defensive lineman, but the highest defender in all of football right now, just edging out Dallas’ Demarcus Lawrence, Los Angeles’ Aaron Donald, and Las Vegas’ Maxx Crosby.
The stat lines might fool you, though. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 11th-year veteran only has one sack on the season in five games, and just one hit (or two, if you go by Pro Football Reference), but he’s still been a very effective pass rusher with 19 total pressures and five batted passes, leading all linemen, and his run defense has been top-notch with 12 stops on the season to date.