Bills' All-Time Top 10 Defensive Tackles: Ed Oliver lands amongst elite company

When evaluating NFL defensive linemen, the defensive ends tend to receive all the glory.

For most fans, it's all about how many sacks you get throughout a season or career. Sacks can be a major factor in wins and losses, and few will argue that, but defensive lines should be built from the inside out. How many times have we seen the Buffalo Bills of present-day struggle to stop the run, or get consistent pressure on the quarterback? It's largely due to ineffective play in the middle of the defensive line.

When Bruce Smith records three sacks in a game, no one talks about how Jeff Wright or Fred Smerlas locked up two offensive linemen and pushed the pocket up the middle. Defensive tackles can make everyone's job easier or harder. They occupy blocks and space that make it easier for the edge guys to get around the corner, or the linebackers to pursue sideline to sideline without hindrance.

Let's get to it and break down the Bills' All-Time Top 10 defensive tackles.

Former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Sam Adams puts pressure on New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde. / MPS-Imagn Images

10. Ed Oliver

9. Jeff Wright

8. Marcel Dareus

7. Jim Dunaway

6. Sam Adams

Marcell Dareus celebrates / JAMIE GERMANO/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Ranking defensive tackles was the hardest of any position, given the different styles of play throughout the years. Some are expected to occupy space and absorb blockers, others' primary asset was to get after the quarterback. Among this group, there are a variety of talents.

Oliver's story is still being written, but his career has been up and down and has not fully met his potential or matched his draft status. Wright was an integral part of a dominant Bills defensive front during the Super Bowl years. His 31.5 sacks rank 16th in team history. Dareus was a force in the middle of the Bills' defensive line, producing 35 sacks during his time with the Bills and consistently shutting down rushing lanes.

defensive tackle Jim Dunaway / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Dunaway played with the Bills during the AFL glory days, and he was instrumental during those times. The Bills' defense led the team to back-to-back AFL titles, and Dunaway was a mainstay. Few defensive tackles shut down rushing lanes as well as Sam Adams, who was a massive human being who completely shut down opposing running attacks.

5. Pat Williams

4. Ted Washington

3. Fred Smerlas

Manny Rubio-Imagn Images

Williams and Washington were of the Adams mold, large human beings who dominated blockers and allowed the defensive ends and linebackers to make plays. You couldn't run against those guys on your best day. Smerlas was a five-time Pro Bowl player and earned a first-team All-Pro in 1982 and a second-team All-Pro in 1983.

2. Kyle Williams

defensive tackle Kyle Williams / Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Williams wasn't a highly touted draft pick, selected in the fifth round, 134th overall, in the 2006 draft. Wiliams became a six-time Pro Bowl player for the Bills and earned second-team All-Pro in 2010. He ranks eighth in team history with 48.5 sacks and second among all Bills defensive tackles.

1. Tom Sestak

No defensive tackle in Bills' history combined the ability to take on blocks, shut down rushing lanes, and get to the opposing quarterback better than Sestak. He ranks sixth in team history with 52 sacks and first among defensive tackles. He earned four Pro Bowls and four All-Pros, including three first-team honors. Sestak accomplished all this in just seven seasons in the league. He is a two-time AFL champion and a member of the Bills Wall of Fame.