Drafted: Round 1 (No. 31 overall), 2011.

The 2011 draft might go down as one of the great defensive classes in recent memory, featuring the likes of J.J. Watt, Von Miller, Patrick Peterson and many others, and the first round was littered with some fantastic talents on offense, too. But it’s hard not to argue that Heyward should have gone much, much higher than 31st overall, and he’s still operating at an extremely high level at age 36.

Five interior defensive linemen were drafted before Heyward, who took a little while to exert his dominance. But once he did, there have been few comparable defensive linemen on his plateau. After missing more than half the 2016 season with hamstring and pectoral injuries, he bounced back in 2017 by being named first-team All-Pro — the first of his four placements on that team. 

He was again slowed by a groin injury in 2023, and Heyward’s career appeared to be on the downslope. But he came back as good as ever in 2024, racking up eight sacks and a stunning 11 batted passes. His longevity and production are major hallmarks in what has been a brilliant career so far.