Kendricks is one of the games best coverage linebackers, able to consistently squeeze throwing lanes and make plays on the ball once its in the air. March 2, 2023 3:21 pm ET. One of the best off-ball linebackers of his generation, David is still playing at an extremely high level and may benefit from, Okereke stepped up in a major way in the absence of fellow off-ball linebacker, The 2022 season was Tranquills first as a full-time starter following. Ranking the best linebackers before the 2022 NFL season Better luck with his health led to a respectable 63.8 overall grade and 72.6 pass-rush grade in 2021. Projected contract: Two years, $15 million ($7.5M per year, $10M total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 86 Hes aggressive, has a quick trigger and finds the ball carrier. Still, its an interesting group because of Ernest Jones, especially after his very good Super Bowl performance as he came back from an injury-plagued season. Josey Jewell and Jonas Griffith should be the starters, with free agent signing Alex Singleton looking for snaps, as well. Although Wagner might be on the downswing of a great career, this unit could push for a top-five spot by the season's end if he rebounds after a poor 2021. Nakobe Dean was widely considered to be a potential first-round pick before the 2022 NFL Draft. Overall, White has had an incredible start to his career, as he's picked up All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl bid and a Super Bowl ring in just three years. The Ravens are still looking for that breakout year from Patrick Queen after two subpar seasons. Edwards has shown that as much as linebacker is one of the most athletic-traits-driven positions in football, prospects with marginal physical tools can still become solid NFL starters. According to PFF, T.J. Edwards was the 10 th-ranked linebacker in 2021 but is still unproven and only has started 30 games in the NFL. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. Losing Kyle Van Noy, the highest-graded coverage linebacker in 2021, will hurt. Some may think Wagner is too high on this list, and while he took a small step backwards in 2021, he's still one of the best linebackers in the NFL. He rarely leaves the field, having never played less than 90% of defensive snaps when healthy in a season, and is a lock for triple-digit tackles as a result. NFL Draft 2022: Best Available Players For Day 2 Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate. He packs a punch as a downhill player, as he can light up offensive linemen with ease. Lloyd, who earned a 90.0-plus grade at Utah in 2021, does look set to start. He is a truly freakish athlete and will be 25 years old throughout his entire sixth NFL season in 2023 after being selected No. 5 overall pick recorded 128 combined tackles, a career-high 18 QB hits in 2021 and earned his first Pro Bowl selection this past season. February 24, 2023 7:45 am CT. A couple of New Orleans Saints standouts were recognized on the list of the top 101 NFL players of the 2022 season from Pro Football Focus analyst Sam Monson. Bolton, then a rookie, produced one of the highest individual grades for a linebacker. Projected contract: Two years, $18 million ($9M per year, $11.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 55 These athletes are called upon to be run-stuffing defensive linemen on some downs, and hybrid cornerbacks on others. The 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference football season, part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season, was the 70th season of college football played for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). PFF predicts Bears sign three top-50 NFL free agents A new defensive coordinator and scheme will help him, though. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. In 2019 and 2021 with the Ravens, he graded out to 80.0 and 74.8, respectively. David Long, meanwhile, was playing at a solid level before an injury forced him to miss most of the second half of the 2021 season. He even hit 107 combined tackles in 2020 despite playing in just 11 games! Turn on this feature to cross off players during your draft. his sure hands also need to be highlighted," PFF's Zoltn Buday wrote. Honorable mentions: Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Logan Wilson, Shaq Thompson, Alexander Johnson, Deion JonesJeremiah Owusu-Koramoah,Zach Cunningham, Anthony Walker, C.J. Something to note is that 3-4 pass-rushers will not appear on this list. 2021 Snaps: 783 NFL Linebacker Rankings for 2022 - AthlonSports.com Eichenberg was a PFF first-team All-American this past season and is the most valuable returning linebacker according to PFF's wins above average metric. He's a Hall of Famer, no doubt, but the reason he's so high on this list is because he's not done just yet. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Edwards was one of just four linebackers to earn grades above 75.0 in run defense and coverage, generating 11 quarterback pressures on just 26 pass-rush snaps, as well. Campbells ranking could justifiably be at the very top of this list or somewhere in the 30s, based on his career so far. Friday Round-Up: Seahawks' Ryan Neal, Geno Smith Named To PFF Top-101 The following tiers reflect which players are in the best situations to produce they're ranked based on the likelihood of doing so every single week. He also frequently lines up at safety, defensive line and nickel corner, and if he had his way . In his recent post on linebackers, PFF's Sam Monson ranked Nick Bolton No. 1 on our list. PFF predicts Bears will sign three top-50 free agents originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago. Now its just a matter of how nice itll be. That could be a problem for folks expecting the same numbers. Alabama linebacker Christian Harris is the last player in PFF's top 100, with a plus 60 overall, pass rush, and run defense grade but just above 50 for his coverage grade. 2021 Snaps:444 PFF ranks 49ers Fred Warner as the top linebacker in the NFL The Georgia product was named second-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021, and recorded a career-high 163 combined tackles last year -- which ranked fifth among all linebackers. PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. The Titans ask a lot of their off-ball linebackers, and Long can do it all. For the purposes of these rankings, we are looking only at true off-ball linebackers, as 3-4 outside linebackers though designated as linebackers are in truth edge rushers. PFF ranks Ravens linebackers No. 17 - Baltimore Beatdown Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. The 2022 season was Long's first as a full-time starter at middle linebacker, but he's made the most of opportunities in the past. Here's why that is important: PFF's Fantasy Football Expected Points tool is primarily used for identifying potential over and undervalued players. We have already seen that play from Smith in Chicago, but the decline of the defense around him and perhaps more importantly directly in front of him has led to a decline in his play. NFL's top 10 linebackers in 2022 - sportskeeda.com Unfortunately, he took a bit of a step back from his All-Pro and Pro Bowls ways. That's still a very good grade, but there should be concerns about his age and a potential decline going forward. , who draws all the attention at the offensive line, opening up room for the linebackers for clean tackle opportunities. Parsons actually finished No. Muma was one of the most productive defenders in all of college football in 2021, generating 68 total defensive stops, three picks and 21 pressures for the Cowboys. 2022 (146 FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets) Yards per route run: 25th; PFF receiving grade: 12th; YAC: 7th; 2021 (133 FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets) Yards per route run: 94th; PFF receiving grade: 111th . San Francisco 49ers in PFF top 101 players of 2022 Projected contract: Four years, $40 million ($10M per year, $22.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 63 A couple of former Clemson stars made this ranking of the NFL's top wide receivers from the 2022 regular season. Lloyd can take on blocks, blitz and cover tight ends at a high level, which is why he earned a 90.2 grade this year with above-average grades in every facet. Hightower will be 32 years old in Week 1 of 2022, but there's an argument that taking the 2020 season off has his body refreshed and revitalized. Parsons was the No. 2021 PFF grade: 84.3 (2nd of 89). However, he earned an additional $500,000 in incentives along with a trip to the Super Bowl, so it couldve been worse, all things considered. What a find he was for the Packers last year. Titans' David Long called a 'young ascending' LB in PFF's rankings From Week 9 of 2020 through Jewells injury in Week 2 of this season, his 79.8 overall grade ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers and his 79.5 coverage grade ranked fifth. The 12th. for the folks who say Micah Parsons is an edgethere were four games where he played basically edge only because of injuries, and the rest of the games he was predominantly an off-ball linebackerMicah Parsons is a linebacker who can play edge defender pic.twitter.com/rcjJlM00MS. Roquan Smith has had an up-and-down NFL career so far, and the team will be hoping he can bounce back from a 47.1 grade last season. Across the three years prior to joining Green Bay, Campbell hadnt earned a grade higher than 56.6 in any season. 2 in the NFL, only trailing Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers. Pro Football Focus's top linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft only kind of, sort of plays linebacker. He was arguably the best player on the best college defense of all time but slipped into the third round of the draft with some potential medical red flags. Zach Cunningham, if nothing else, stops the run. He may be coming off one of his worst statistical seasons in recent memory, but he also missed five games with injury. Here are the top free agents at linebacker, taken from PFF's free agency rankings. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. You dont want to line him up against an opposing receiving weapon in a one-on-one, but he demonstrated better recognition of route patterns and improved as a zone coverage backer. Still, in a league that continues to throw more and more, Bentley remains best-suited as an early-down run defender who can generate the occasional quarterback pressure. Give him the freedom to play fast, and he'll excel. 16 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft as the second-youngest player in the overall class. NFL 2022 Draft Positional Rankings: Linebackers By Jacob Wayne | Mar 30, 2022, 1:34pm #1: Devin Lloyd - Utah #2: Nakobe Dean - Georgia #3: Chad Muma - Wyoming #4: Leo Chenal - Wisconsin #5: Christian Harris - Alabama #6: Brian Asamoah - Oklahoma #7: Brandon Smith - Penn State #8: Channing Tindall - Georgia #9: Damone Clark - LSU After sitting out in 2020, C.J. With that said, an elite linebacker does make a defense better there just arent that many of them in the league at this moment. is likely another surprise player based on where he tends to go in drafts, but dont let the age fool you. The 2022 season was Tranquills first as a full-time starter following Kyzir Whites departure, and his 105 tackles were more than his first three seasons combined. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia . There are a lot of unknowns in this group due to inexperience. Oluokun leads the way for a very underwhelming free-agent class at off-ball linebacker, though his timing of reaching unrestricted free agency could work out nicely in his favor. Long plays a downhill, attacking brand of football that helps him blow up a lot of plays but also makes him particularly susceptible to over-committing on play-action passes and missing tackles when he takes a poor pursuit angle. Linebacker Rankings: 2022 Regular Season, Updated: 9/1/2022 Want Custom Fantasy Scoring? Tranquill is coming off a career year in L.A. Login or Register Projections: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF | DL | LB | DB No linebacker recorded more coverage snaps than Warner in all of 2021. That 42.0 mark was his first time dropping below 70.0 since 2015. 6 in the NFL in sacks and No. Meanwhile, TJ Watt led the league in sacks (22.5) and was the Defensive Player of the Year. 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. With the new league year just around the corner, it's time for all 32 NFL teams to turn their attention to NFL free agency in a bid to improve their rosters for a new campaign. He missed just two tackles in coverage and allowed only four explosive receptions. This is a precarious spot for the Packers to be in, even with 2021 All-Pro DeVondre Campbell back for another season in the same defense he broke out with. 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings and Tiers Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53) reacts to a play in the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium. He had a career year, helping turn around the Eagles' defense with the second-best grade among off-ball linebackers (84.4). Clemson junior Trenton Simpson Simpson had a solid role as a freshman in 2020, totaling 28 tackles with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, in addition to a forced fumble. Here are PFF's top 32 linebackers ahead of the 2021 NFL season. at The 2022 season was Longs first as a full-time starter at middle linebacker, but hes made the most of opportunities in the past. However, both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins didn't get a whole lot of love and are lower on the list. Edmunds made huge strides in coverage in 2022, a major weakness in his game through his first four seasons. He pairs with the solid Matt Milano, who posted the second-best season grade of his career (67.0) in 2021. Like the Chiefs, the Bengals also went into last season with a lot of unknowns surrounding the linebacker position but found a really good pair in Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt. Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing. Vander Esch quietly played some good football in 2022 after signing a one-year flier to return to the Cowboys following a free agency period that didnt pan out as hed hoped. It had been three full seasons since his best play, and that best play was nowhere near elite. Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith (58) stares into the backfield during pre-game at Nissan Stadium. This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports Those tools caused Edwards to go undrafted despite an excellent college career, and he had to fight his way into a starting job by excelling in the preseason and on special teams. He's been an All-Pro each year, and a Pro Bowler for three straight seasons now. Leonard is another example of how hard it is to earn those elite PFF grades each season, but he is a turnover machine when he is at his best. 2022 NFL linebacker unit rankings: San Francisco 49ers claim the - PFF Barr agreed to a pay cut before the 2021 season that also voided the 2022 and 2023 seasons on his five-year extension signed in 2019. Hes earned himself a nice raise. Still, the. For IDP fantasy football leagues, there is a ton of variance in preseason player rankings, but utilizing tiers can help us properly value each group of players in 2023 fantasy football drafts. It's also noteworthy that David is good in coverage, something other linebackers can struggle with. NFL 2022 Draft Positional Rankings: Linebackers - Sports Articles Projected contract: Two years, $9.5 million ($4.75M per year), $5.25 million total guaranteed. He has yet to post a sub-70.0 grade, with three out of his four years coming in above 78.0. He might not even start this season. Andersen is a converted running back and quarterback who, in his lone full season at linebacker, racked up an absurd 67 stops. Mosley, Foye Oluokun. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Plenty of well-known 'backers had coverage grades in the 30s this past season. Wagner is no longer with the Seattle Seahawks, signing with the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Ramsthis offseason. Age: 28. The Packers long searching for a reliable off-ball linebacker brought Campbell aboard on a one-year, $2 million contract, and his 86.7 overall grade was second among linebackers through Week 8 while his 90.7 run-defense grade ranked first, leading to a Pro Bowl nod. This was the last season that the conference used divisions in its football scheduling. Their tackle efficiency and every-down roles make them the most coveted players at the position. Davis is a player people keep expecting to regress, but he just hasn't. 1 pick, Ex-Patriots star McGinest facing eight years in prison, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report. If the Cardinals had spent those picks elsewhere and held on to Jordan Hicks in free agency, they would be in a much better spot. 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. The grades for the Detroit Lions in their 9-8 campaign offer up an analytically-based glimpse of how the Lions performed. may surprise some based on his age. His 94.1 run defense grade wasn't too far behindMicah Parsons (94.8) PFF college record. Rookie Devin Lloydand sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. Bentley improved considerably in his second season as a full-time player, as his 68.1 overall grade was almost 15 points better than his 2020 overall grade. ECR VS. ADP. In May, Sam Monson of PFF ranked as the league's No.16 linebacker coming into the 2022 NFL season. 3 Rams make PFF's top 101 players of 2022 - autos.yahoo.com 12 among linebackers in 2021 with a PFF coverage grade of 70 in 295 coverage snaps. A pair of Seahawks came in at No. 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings and Tiers | NFL News, Rankings and - PFF Here's the top 10 entering the 2022 season: 1. Drue Tranquill. The ACC consisted of 14 members in two divisions. Its hard to overstate Fred Warners effect on the 49ers' defense in their run to the NFC championship in 2021. The top 10 linebackers in NFL currently are dynamic weapons and reliable leaders. Nevertheless, there were several interested teams last time he was a free agent he came very close to signing with theNew York Jetsbefore ultimately returning to Minnesota so it seems defensive coaches think they can find a way to put him in positions to succeed and utilize his athletic ability. section: | slug: ranking-nfls-top-10-linebackers-entering-2022-new-no-1-as-bobby-wagner-finally-dethroned | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Since 2020, the Colts linebacker has twice the number of forced fumbles of any other off-ball linebacker, and he has four interceptions and eight pass breakups over that time. Hes not great in other facets, but stopping the run is still an important aspect of the position. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports. They're both veteran defenders, and they happened to lead the team in snaps played last season. The Rams have a great defense, and the 32-year-old Wagner could find himself rejuvenated in 2022. And even though he hasnt quite been able to maintain an elite level of play every season, his impact on the field is obvious. A lot is riding on the development of Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons, who have simply not played well enough especially for first-round picks. 2021 PFF grade: 53.0 (50th of 89). A pair of Saints defenders were selected for PFF's top 101 players of 2022 2021 Snaps: 82 Final Season Stats. On Tuesday, PFF's Seth Galina released his linebacker rankings for all 32 teams in the NFL. We thought about if Parsons should even be included in this list since he played a fair amount of pass-rusher last season, but the bottom line is that Parsons is a great linebacker who can wear several different hats on defense. He signed a monster five-year, $95 million extension last July, and is worth it considering he's just 25. Perryman has been the embodiment of that in his NFL career, to the point where he was often kept off the field on passing downs. NFL Defensive Line Rankings 2022 - ftnfantasy.com Kendricks' grade did falter in 2021 a 59.9 mark that was down from 82.6 and 90.1 the past two years, respectively. Al-Shaair missed a lot of time in 2022 but earned a career-best 67.8 overall grade and 79.7 run-defense grade. Tindall is a true sideline-to-sideline linebacker. 3 Rams make PFF's top 101 players of 2022 Perryman was signed to a two-year, $6.085 million contract before the 2021 season and promptly traded to the Las Vegas Raiders before the first week of the campaign. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker group ranked as 9th-best in NFL by PFF Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans. Leonard burst onto the scene with 163 combined tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season back in 2018. Those traits have allowed him to make a lot of tackles, but tackles are not always good plays for linebackers if they come after a big gain on the ground or because they were out of position in coverage. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Mosley endured the worst-graded season of his NFL career. The second linebacker tier features 17 linebackers on teams that are expected to be less zone-heavy than those in the tier above. on Pro Football Focus' Top-100 players of 2022 rankings. His 75.9 grade two years marked a career high. His 913 snaps for the Raiders last season was a career-high mark and more than doubled his previous best. He is a fantastic story of earning a job the hard way. In today's NFL, few positions have become as difficult to play as off-ball linebacker. NFL free agents 2023: Ranking top 10 linebackers Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. Smith is a complete athletic projection. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys The first-ever unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year has quickly become the standard for linebacker play in the NFL. The PFF grades aren't always right on point, but they do serve as a generally effective tool for comparisons . While Bobby Okerekes grade has fluctuated over the years, Darius Leonard the star of the Colts' defense has been rock solid since exploding onto the scene as a rookie. They also signed linebacker Myles Jack and D-lineman Larry Ogunjobi. Murray surrendered a near-perfect passer rating into his coverage in 2021, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The Georgia Bulldogs have a 12 players participating at the 2023 NFL combine. The 30-year-old linebacker will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career after a delayed start to his NFL career, and now hell be working his way back from a torn pectoral muscle injury. Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks ranked No. The main contributors to a linebackers IDP success are the volume of defensive snaps combined with playing in zone-heavy defenses, which rack up tackles more efficiently. . The Seahawks selected Cody Barton out of Utah with the No. #1 - Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner The San. Please try again later. NFL free agency is a year-round process, as teams scout opposing players in an effort to defeat them during the year and perhaps sign them in the offseason. While Warner recorded a career-high 137 combined tackles (T-No. He also registered a fourth-best 79.4 PFF coverage grade among linebackers despite playing a whopping 680 coverage snaps.
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