| Chuck Bednarik Award | |
| Description: | College defensive player of the year |
| Presenter: | Maxwell Football Club |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 1995 |
| Holder: | CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado |
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player of the year in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional American football player. Voters for the Maxwell College Awards are NCAA head college football coaches, members of the Maxwell Football Club, and sportswriters and sportscasters from across the country. The Maxwell Club is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the presentations are held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Club members are given voting privileges for the award.
| Year | Player | Position | School | Draft | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | LB | Northwestern (2) | Undrafted | |||
| 1996 | ||||||
| 1997 | CB | 4th | [1] | |||
| 1998 | LB | 85th | ||||
| 1999 | LB | 2nd | ||||
| 2000 | LB | 11th | ||||
| 2001 | DE | 2nd | ||||
| 2002 | LB | 40th | ||||
| 2003 | LB | 37th | ||||
| 2004 | LB | 17th | ||||
| 2005 | LB | Penn State (3) | 34th | [2] | ||
| 2006 | ||||||
| 2007 | LB | Penn State (4) | 74th | |||
| 2008 | LB | 38th | ||||
| 2009 | DT | 2nd | ||||
| 2010 | CB | 5th | [3] | |||
| 2011 | CB | LSU (2) | 69th | [4] | ||
| 2012 | LB | 38th | [5] | |||
| 2013 | DT | 13th | [6] | |||
| 2014 | LB | 250th | [7] | |||
| 2015 | LB | 246th | [8] | |||
| 2016 | DT | 17th | [9] | |||
| 2017 | CB | Alabama (2) | 11th | [10] | ||
| 2018 | LB | 7th | [11] | |||
| 2019 | DE | 2nd | [12] | |||
| 2020 | LB | 16th | [13] | |||
| 2021 | DT | Georgia (2) | 13th | |||
| 2022 | LB | Alabama (3) | 3rd | [14] | ||
| 2023 | Payton Wilson | LB | NC State | 98th | ||
| 2024 | Travis Hunter | CB/WR | Colorado | [15] |