Jacksonville Jaguars’ defensive end Josh Hines-Allen was left on the outside looking in at Jeremy Fowler’s top 10 pass rusher rankings.
Each year, Fowler goes position by position, putting together a list of the 10 players from each unit. However, what makes these rankings unique is that a total of 70 NFL execs, coaches, and scouts were the voters. Other elements, such as research, interviews, and film analysis by Matt Bowen, factor in as well.
With all of that taken into account, Hines-Allen ended up in the Honorable Mentions category, along with Trey Hendrickson and Jared Verse.
“Not elite but consistently very good, with a quality power-rush game,” an NFC scout told Fowler.
In terms of getting after the quarterback, Hines-Allen was among the best last season. He totaled 95 pressures last season, which was the second-most among his position group, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson.
However, my guess is that the NFC scout who commented on Hines-Allen’s game and said he’s “not elite” was referring to his sack production specifically.
After a huge 17.5-sack season in 2023, Hines-Allen has recorded 8.0 sacks in each of the last two years. In 2025, those eight sacks ranked tied for 25th across the NFL.
For Hines-Allen to make the jump into next year’s top 10, more sacks in 2026 are likely to be a prerequisite, especially if he continues to generate that many pressures.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars Josh Hines-Allen outside of top DE rankings; Scout weighs in
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire | USA TODAY Network
