During the 2021 NFL season, fans of the Steelers and the NFL alike were all blessed with a season for the ages from superstar edge-rusher T.J. Watt, as he tied the single-season sacks record of 22.5 set by Giants’ Hall Of Famer Michael Strahan. He parlayed this historic season into his first, and arguably, second-or-third, AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, as he beat out future Hall Of Famer Aaron Donald and rookie phenom Micah Parsons.
However, according to NFL.com writer Nick Shook, Watt wasn’t even the number one “disruptor” or pass-rusher on the site’s ongoing “Next Gen Stats” series, where they use a variety of different criteria to formulate “their” list of the best in categories like deep passers, explosive runners, etc.