# AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year

The AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to the defensive player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have had the most outstanding season. It has been awarded since 1971. The winner is decided by votes from a panel of 50 AP sportswriters. Since 2011, the award has been presented at the annual NFL Honors ceremony the day before the Super Bowl, along with other AP awards, such as the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, and AP NFL Rookie of the Year award. The most recent winner of the AP Defensive Player of the Year award is cornerback Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos.
Lawrence Taylor, J. J. Watt, and Aaron Donald are the only three-time winners of the award. Joe Greene, Ray Lewis, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, and Reggie White have each won it twice. Taylor is the only player to win the award as a rookie, doing so in 1981. In 2008, James Harrison became the only undrafted free agent to win the award. White is the only player to win the award with two different teams, winning in 1987 with the Philadelphia Eagles and again with the Green Bay Packers in 1998. J. J. Watt is the only player to win the award unanimously, receiving 50 out of 50 first place votes in 2014. He was also a near-unanimous winner in 2012 as he earned 49 out of 50 votes.
As of the end of the 2024 NFL season, linebackers have won the award seventeen times, more than any other position. A defensive end has won fifteen times, followed by ten defensive tackles, seven cornerbacks, and five safeties. Only two winners of the AP Defensive Player of the Year award have also won the AP's Most Valuable Player award for the same season: defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971 for the Minnesota Vikings and linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986 for the New York Giants.

## Winners

| Season | Player | Position | Team |
| 1971 | Alan Page | Defensive tackle | Minnesota Vikings |
| 1972 | Joe Greene | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1973 | Dick Anderson | Safety | Miami Dolphins |
| 1974 | Joe Greene (2) | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1975 | Mel Blount | Cornerback | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1976 | Jack Lambert | Linebacker | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1977 | Harvey Martin | Defensive end | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1978 | Randy Gradishar | Linebacker | Denver Broncos |
| 1979 | Lee Roy Selmon | Defensive end | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1980 | Lester Hayes | Cornerback | Oakland Raiders |
| 1981 | Lawrence Taylor | Linebacker | New York Giants |
| 1982 | Lawrence Taylor (2) | Linebacker | New York Giants |
| 1983 | Doug Betters | Defensive end | Miami Dolphins |
| 1984 | Kenny Easley | Safety | Seattle Seahawks |
| 1985 | Mike Singletary | Linebacker | Chicago Bears |
| 1986 | Lawrence Taylor (3) | Linebacker | New York Giants |
| 1987 | Reggie White | Defensive end | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1988 | Mike Singletary (2) | Linebacker | Chicago Bears |
| 1989 | Keith Millard | Defensive tackle | Minnesota Vikings |
| 1990 | Bruce Smith | Defensive end | Buffalo Bills |
| 1991 | Pat Swilling | Linebacker | New Orleans Saints |
| 1992 | Cortez Kennedy | Defensive tackle | Seattle Seahawks |
| 1993 | Rod Woodson | Cornerback | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1994 | Deion Sanders | Cornerback | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1995 | Bryce Paup | Linebacker | Buffalo Bills |
| 1996 | Bruce Smith (2) | Defensive end | Buffalo Bills |
| 1997 | Dana Stubblefield | Defensive tackle | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1998 | Reggie White (2) | Defensive end | Green Bay Packers |
| 1999 | Warren Sapp | Defensive tackle | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2000 | Ray Lewis | Linebacker | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2001 | Michael Strahan | Defensive end | New York Giants |
| 2002 | Derrick Brooks | Linebacker | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 2003 | Ray Lewis (2) | Linebacker | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2004 | Ed Reed | Safety | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2005 | Brian Urlacher | Linebacker | Chicago Bears |
| 2006 | Jason Taylor | Defensive end | Miami Dolphins |
| 2007 | Bob Sanders | Safety | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2008 | James Harrison | Linebacker | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2009 | Charles Woodson | Cornerback | Green Bay Packers |
| 2010 | Troy Polamalu | Safety | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2011 | Terrell Suggs | Linebacker | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2012 | J. J. Watt | Defensive end | Houston Texans |
| 2013 | Luke Kuechly | Linebacker | Carolina Panthers |
| 2014 | J. J. Watt (2) | Defensive end | Houston Texans |
| 2015 | J. J. Watt (3) | Defensive end | Houston Texans |
| 2016 | Khalil Mack | Defensive end | Oakland Raiders |
| 2017 | Aaron Donald | Defensive tackle | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2018 | Aaron Donald (2) | Defensive tackle | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2019 | Stephon Gilmore | Cornerback | New England Patriots |
| 2020 | Aaron Donald (3) | Defensive tackle | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2021 | T. J. Watt | Linebacker | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 2022 | Nick Bosa | Defensive end | San Francisco 49ers |
| 2023 | Myles Garrett | Defensive end | Cleveland Browns |
| 2024 | Patrick Surtain II | Cornerback | Denver Broncos |

## Multiple-time winners

| Player | Awards | Position | Team | Seasons |
| Lawrence Taylor | 3 | Linebacker | New York Giants | 1981, 1982, 1986 |
| J. J. Watt | 3 | Defensive end | Houston Texans | 2012, 2014, 2015 |
| Aaron Donald | 3 | Defensive tackle | Los Angeles Rams | 2017, 2018, 2020 |
| Joe Greene | 2 | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1972, 1974 |
| Mike Singletary | 2 | Linebacker | Chicago Bears | 1985, 1988 |
| Bruce Smith | 2 | Defensive end | Buffalo Bills | 1990, 1996 |
| Reggie White | 2 | Defensive end | Philadelphia Eagles Green Bay Packers | 1987, 1998 |
| Ray Lewis | 2 | Linebacker | Baltimore Ravens | 2000, 2003 |