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Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is the NFL's best defender. One can easily argue he's the NFL's best overall player. He's the kind of wrecking ball that hasn't been seen since the late, great Reggie White roamed the field.

The NFL, though, remains in a constant state of competition with numerous players aiming to be considered the best of the best.

It won't be an easy task to dethrone Watt. Former NFL quarterback and current television analyst Joe Theismann summed it up nicely, per the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson:

J.J. reminds me of guys like [Lawrence Taylor], like Reggie White, like Kevin Greene. What J.J. has accomplished is even more special in this day and age where they do everything they can to give the advantage to the offense. To be able to shine as a pass-rushing defensive lineman, you have to be exceptional. J.J. is very special, obviously. There’s no one else like him anywhere.

Only a select group of players own the type of talent to even enter the conversation about the NFL's best defender. There are, however, a crop of young players coming into their own who are ready to displace some of the league's defensive stalwarts.

Bleacher Report has identified five of the up-and-comers—listed in reverse order from least to most likely—ready to take the next step in their careers, become elite defenders and potentially push Watt for defensive supremacy.