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Former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata trying to make a play during an NFL game against the Buffalo Bills.
A surprising result.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler polled a panel of scouts, coaches, and league executives to try to find the top 10 players at every position. On Thursday, July 9, Fowler revealed the top 10 rankings at the defensive tackle position.
While a member of the New York Jets didn’t crack the top-10, David Onyemata was in the “also receiving votes” category. For context, there was a top 10, three honorable mentions, and five players who also received votes. Onyemata was a part of that final group.
This offseason, the Jets signed Onyemata to a one-year $10.5 million contract that included $9.65 million guaranteed.
Onyemata Is Going Under the Radar
The former Manitoba product is 33 years of age, and he will turn 34 during the 2026 season.
Last year with the Falcons, he started all 17 games and appeared in 57% of the defensive snaps. With those opportunities, he had one sack, seven tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and 62 total tackles.
On the surface, those numbers aren’t overwhelmingly impressive. Yet it still caught the eye of people inside the league.
According to Pro Football Focus, Onyemata finished with a 78.2 overall grade, a 67.1 pass rush grade, and a 74.2 run defense grade.
Those grades ranked No. 8, No. 40, and No. 8 among 134 qualifying interior defensive linemen last season for PFF.
He was an overall elite player, and his superpower was stopping the run.
Last year, the Jets allowed the fourth most rushing yards of any team in the league (2,371), per ESPN.
This is a classic square peg, square hole situation. Welcome to the team, Onyemata.
He has been flying under the radar because the Jets’ defensive tackle room is loaded on paper.
While he had a down year with his pass production, he only finished with one sack. When you look at his career, that seems to be an outlier. That was the lowest sack total he has had since his rookie year back in 2016, when he finished with zero.
Onyemata has never been a dynamic pass rusher (career high 6.5 sacks in 2020), but he has had a floor. He has averaged 3.75 sacks per season from 2017 through 2024. That isn’t nothing, but that is something.
Several Former Jets Crack the List
While no current Jets cracked the top 10 defensive tackle list, it did feature several familiar faces.
Seattle Seahawks star Leonard Williams was crowned the No. 1 defensive tackle in the NFL. Williams was the No. 6 overall pick in the first round by the Jets in the 2015 NFL draft.
“He was the most important player on that Super Bowl team,” an anonymous NFL coordinator told ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler. “He’s the total package.”
“Williams’ 120 run-stop wins when double-teamed over the past three seasons are tied for the most in the NFL. His 24 tackles on pass plays in 2025 were six more than any other interior linemen,” Fowler revealed.
Another former Jet, Quinnen Williams, was ranked the No. 6 best DT in the NFL in these same rankings.
“The Jets will knock you down — the same thing happened to Leonard Williams — but I expect Quinnen to be better in Dallas, be rejuvenated a bit,” an anonymous NFL coordinator told Fowler.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
