Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. 10. Mosley endured the worst-graded season of his NFL career. 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. His 75.9 grade two years marked a career high. 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. . Here are the best available players remaining heading into Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft. One of the best off-ball linebackers of his generation, David is still playing at an extremely high level and may benefit from New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner playing very good football well into their 30s on recently signed contracts of their own. Campbell was one of the big surprises of the 2021 NFL season, as he stepped his game up in a major way for the Green Bay Packers. Kendricks' grade did falter in 2021 a 59.9 mark that was down from 82.6 and 90.1 the past two years, respectively. With both Bengals starting safeties in Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell pending free agents, a big extension for wide receiver Tee Higgins likely in play and fellow off-ball linebacker Logan Wilson also eligible for an extension after the season, its possible Pratt hits the market even after a career year. Projected contract: Two years, $15 million ($7.5M per year, $10M total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 86 Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. the star of the Colts' defense has been rock solid since exploding onto the scene as a rookie. With Oluokun one of the few young players available, a market could develop for him that exceeds expectations. 2021 Snaps: 987 Okereke is now coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 100 tackles and 50 defensive stops. Some of the players in this group have been All-Pro caliber linebackers in the past, but Jones is coming off a PFF grade in the 30s after once looking like the next great young linebacker in the league. 2021 Snaps: 783 He had been one of the more consistent players at the position in the NFL, and so theres a chance he regains his form. Lavonte David has been one of the best linebackers in the league for almost a decade, whereas teammate Devin White has not graded above the 51.9 mark he attained as a rookie. White has had four straight seasons with coverage grades above 60.0, which is not an easy feat for an off-ball linebacker in todays NFL against so many hi-lo concepts and the increase in run-pass options putting a ton of stress on the position. He at least improved upon his 29.7 grade as a rookie with a 43.5 mark in Year 2. Micah Parsons this season: 0 TDs allowed in coverage (284 snaps) 88.7 PFF Grade (1st among all LBs) 93.0 pass-rushing grade (Best in NFL) pic.twitter.com/Lq7G9IVzuU. Micah Parsons is one of the best young talents in the league, but he does split his time between off-ball linebacker and edge rusher, where he's at his best work. 1 on our list. Turn on this feature to cross off players during your draft. 2021 PFF grade: 50.6 (51st of 89). Wagner's resume speaks for itself. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Sam Monson of PFF recently ranked the top linebackers in the NFL and organized them in tiers. He subsequently graded out to 76.5 in his first season. 7 ranking in Pro Football Focus' list of the top 25 safeties of the 2022 . Murray surrendered a near-perfect passer rating into his coverage in 2021, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He also made the absolute most of the occasional blitz, tallying 15 pressures, five sacks and three more quarterback hits on 70 pass-rush snaps. Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. Kendricks has long been one of the consistent middle linebackers in the league, and he stepped up his game in 2021 with a career-high 143 combined tackles, five sacks and two interceptions. His All-Pro season in 2019 was special, but some might have thought it was just a one-year thing. 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. Elandon Roberts and Jerome Baker are average linebackers who have just one 70.0-plus season grade among their 10 combined years in the NFL. 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. In 10 seasons, he has been named an All-Pro eight times, made the Pro Bowl eight times and led the NFL in tackles twice. Still one of the more underrated players in the league, Demario Davis has been the heartbeat of one of the league's best defenses over the past five seasons. Getting outside the . Now that we're at the end of the 2021-22 NFL season, the free agency picture is coming into focus and teams are beginning to identify potential targets to improve their roster weaknesses. Foyesade Oluokun was brought in from Atlanta, but there is certainly hope that the team's two rookie picks at the position, Devin Lloyd and Chad Muma, can play early. 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. Here's the top 10 entering the 2022 season: 1. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate. He finished as the highest-graded linebacker in football, recording 140 tackles, two interceptions and a career-high six sacks. Meanwhile, TJ Watt led the league in sacks (22.5) and was the Defensive Player of the Year. The grades for the Detroit Lions in their 9-8 campaign offer up an analytically-based glimpse of how the Lions performed. His 913 snaps for the Raiders last season was a career-high mark and more than doubled his previous best. 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. The 49ers applied the second-round restricted free agent tender at a price tag of $3.986 million to Al-Shaair for the 2022 season, perhaps illustrating that they feared he would get signed to an offer sheet elsewhere if they went with the right of first refusal tender. These power rankings are adjusted based on coach, quarterback and the market each season. Pro Football Focus supported claims of San Francisco's top-end roster by putting seven of their players in the top 101 of the 2022 season. The league may be trending ever more toward the passing game, but there is still a place in the NFL for linebackers who are excellent run defenders first and foremost. Lloyd, who earned a 90.0-plus grade at Utah in 2021, does look set to start. The 1B tier has just as much going for them, with zone-heavy defenses, expected positive tackle efficiency and an every-down roles. Pratts 90.1 coverage grade was the best mark in the NFL. 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. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. It's like your very own digital cheat sheet. All of this culminates with the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, April 28th. A defender who can blow up screen plays and make takedowns in the open field. Click here to view PFF's full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. 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. The top 10 linebackers in NFL currently are dynamic weapons and reliable leaders. Over the past three seasons, his 19.8% pass-rush win rate and 23.8% pressure rate are both the second-best marks among off-ball linebackers with at least 100 pass-rush snaps over the span. San Francisco 49ers . While Mike Zimmer is gone, new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell is an experienced coach who can get the most out of Kendricks and this defense as a whole. Though he's 32 years old, David hasn't taken a major step backwards just yet. Seahawks only have one player in PFF's top-40 graded edge defenders Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports. He was All-Pro just one year ago, and has been a leader for this Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense since the days when the franchise was going 2-14. Since entering the league, Warner has 118 or more total tackles in every season and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2020. Campbells 90.4 tackling grade is his fifth straight such mark above 75.0, and that sure tackling goes a long way in Green Bay. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | Projected contract: One year, $6 million, $4.5 million guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 75 PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Therefore, they are included in our. The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding. Overall, Georgia has 11 players in PFF's big board including six players ranked in the top 80 NFL draft prospects. Therefore, they are included in our defensive line rankings despite dropping into coverage at times. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys The first-ever unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year has quickly become the standard for linebacker play in the NFL. Projected contract: Two years, $18 million ($9M per year, $11.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 55 While Warner recorded a career-high 137 combined tackles (T-No. 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. This past offseason,San Francisco 49erslinebackerFred Warnerand subsequentlyIndianapolis ColtslinebackerDarius Leonardreset the market at the position just under $20 million per year after years of stagnation. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. Dean's range at the linebacker position is unparalleled in this draft class. Research past fantasy performance with sortable player stats including PFF-exclusives like aDOT and fantasy points per opportunity. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. Denver let Alexander Johnson walk in free agency, which depleted this unit. Bobby Wagner may surprise some based on his age. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Honorable mentions: Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Logan Wilson, Shaq Thompson, Alexander Johnson, Deion JonesJeremiah Owusu-Koramoah,Zach Cunningham, Anthony Walker, C.J. 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. After sitting out in 2020, C.J. You don't do what he did in his rookie season if you aren't a star. Kendricks is another well-rounded linebacker that can cover, as his 73.8 PFF coverage grade ranked No. Al-Shaair missed a lot of time in 2022 but earned a career-best 67.8 overall grade and 79.7 run-defense grade. Unfortunately for Vander Esch, he once again finds himself in the middle of the pack of a deep free-agent group at linebacker, but he should do a bit better this time around. Its hard to overstate Fred Warners effect on the 49ers' defense in their run to the NFC championship in 2021. 1. In today's NFL, few positions have become as difficult to play as off-ball linebacker. He signed a monster five-year, $95 million extension last July, and is worth it considering he's just 25. 3 min read. 2021 Snaps: 717 2021 Snaps: 1,148 The ACC consisted of 14 members in two divisions. He also frequently lines up at safety, defensive line and nickel corner, and if he had his way . It was his first season missing fewer than 10% of his tackle opportunities, and he put up an 86.8 overall grade with seven tackles and two defensive stops during a strong playoff run. Hes not only straight-line fast, but he also processes and reacts with elite quickness. The entire schedule was released on January 31, 2022. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia . Mosley, Foye Oluokun. 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. The criteria for making the top tier of IDP linebackers is relatively simple: be an every-down linebacker and play in a linebacker-friendly defense that breeds above-average tackle efficiency for the position. Milano has put up outstanding PFF grades in both coverage and against the run but has struggled to put it all together over one season. 4) Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos. The scheme plays a part in them making some plays. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports. 2021 Snaps: 712 heading into 2022, here's how each team's linebacking corps stacks up. Give him the freedom to play fast, and he'll excel. However, both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins didn't get a whole lot of love and are lower on the list. 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, A position of weakness for the Eagles in 2021 might turn into a position of strength in 2022 with the additions of rookie, The Ravens are still looking for that breakout year from. Losing Kyle Van Noy, the highest-graded coverage linebacker in 2021, will hurt. If you go back and watch him play throughout his rookie season, you'll not only see a talented pass-rusher, but a good linebacker that can read and react quickly. He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasnt quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons. 1 linebacker on this list entering 2022. . Then there's the added bonus of playing behind Aaron Donald, who draws all the attention at the offensive line, opening up room for the linebackers for clean tackle opportunities. His first season in Green Bay produced an overall PFF grade of 85.0 and earned him a $50 million extension, but before that, Campbells PFF grades fell between 49.0 and 69.1 for two different teams. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 24, 2022 PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. Linebackers with the most INT's in both man and zone coverage last season Man: Bobby Okereke (2) Zone: Darius Leonard (4) pic.twitter.com/RJ4JbjcbYx Amid replacement-level cornerback and safety play at times, Warner's gravitas over the middle of the field allowed the team to play a high percentage of zone coverage to protect its outside cornerbacks. Pittsburgh Steelers (94/100) Cameron Heyward was second behind only Aaron Donald in PFF's grades of interior defensive linemen last season. 9 linebacker in coverage with a 73.9. "Latest Update" refers to when we last checked for . Zach Cunningham, if nothing else, stops the run. However, he will have to get better in coverage. He also has 30 quarterback pressures over 135 pass-rush snaps the past three seasons and took a quantum leap in coverage in 2022 en route to a 73.0 grade. No linebacker recorded more coverage snaps than Warner in all of 2021. Drue Tranquill. The former No. PFF themselves had the Cowboys 2021 secondary in the top 10. Leighton Vander Esch has not lived up to the hype he created for himself after a monstrous rookie season, and so we may see another linebacker eventually fill in for him. 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. Minnesota Vikings players on both sides of the ball, including Kendricks, have already opened up about the culture change they have felt early on this offseason with Kevin O'Connell. 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. Even, Parsons is already one of the best defensive playmakers in the NFL as he enters just his second season in the league, but its difficult to rank him purely as an off-the-ball linebacker. Anthony Brown is an okay slot and Kelvin Joseph was actually the highest rated CB. 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, and Lee Smith (don't hate on the importance of the old school tight end) will no longer be suiting up for the team in 2022. Linebacker Rankings 2022 NFL Draft Home Positions LB ALL QUARTERBACK RUNNING BACK WIDE RECEIVER TIGHT END OFFENSIVE LINE DEFENSIVE LINE EDGE LINEBACKER DEFENSIVE BACK #1 RANKED - SCOUTING REPORT 17 Nakobe Dean POSITION RANK #1 OUR RATING 90.4 ILB All Scouts Average Overall Rank 20.8 All Scouts Average Position Rank 2 Height Feet 6-0 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. 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. Hightower opted out of the 2020 season, and after a bit of a slow start getting reacclimated to the speed of the NFL game, he was back to his old self for stretches of the 2021 season. One of the most underrated linebackers of the past several years, Demario Davis' late-career emergence as an elite LB has been fun to watch. Aug 9, 2022. With that said, an elite linebacker does make a defense better there just arent that many of them in the league at this moment. Although Parsons didn't walk away from the 2022 season with hardware to show off for his accomplishments in 2022 the way he did in his rookie season in 2021, Parsons continues to . 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. Brown has seen his play taper off after a really nice sophomore campaign in 2018 in which he posted an 81.2 grade. The Saints had been looking for someone to play the linebacker position opposite him for years and seem to have found one in Pete Werner, who was outstanding as a rookie in 2021. Leonard was a beast in stopping the run, as his 91.1 PFF run defense grade was second among all defenders in 2021 -- not just linebackers. He was good as a true linebacker, but his ability to play two different roles on any given snap made him special and provided a hybrid ability that caused problems for offenses. Jerome Baker, MIA: I love Baker this season as a Top 15-20 sleeper. This was the last season that the conference used divisions in its football scheduling. No. They're both veteran defenders, and they happened to lead the team in snaps played last season. He, perhaps critically, chose to stay in the defense that helped produce that phenomenal season, but we are all too aware of the folly of using just one season of play to determine everything we know about a player. While those grades arent poor, by any stretch, they are a notable step down from these players' excellent career baselines and some way short of their elite best. Speed and Matthew Adams late-round dart throws. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers The 49ers struck gold when they drafted Warner in the third round in 2018. Typically, David is the ideal linebacker for IDP. Age: 28. Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings 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. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. He set career highs across the board, notching 146 combined tackles, six QB hits and two interceptions. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. 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. 2021 Snaps: 679 8:44 am ET. In two weeks, NFL GMs will begin negotiating with free . 2 in the NFL, only trailing Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers. Singleton earned a career-best 82.6 run-defense grade that ranked eighth among off-ball linebackers, tallying more than 100 tackles for the second year in a row, with his two-year total of 212 ranking sixth among off-ball linebackers. Vander Eschs 70.8 grade is his best since his rookie season in 2018, and he also set career highs in missed tackle rate (6.5%) and yards allowed per coverage snap (0.49). He had a career year, helping turn around the Eagles' defense with the second-best grade among off-ball linebackers (84.4). Hes a high-upside player now playing with a future Hall of Famer. 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. He was everything for the Green Bay defense, and while he might be the next linebacker to rejuvenate his career with a new team ( la Demario Davis), he very well could also be a one-hit wonder. 1 as Bobby Wagner finally dethroned Ranking the top 10 linebackers for the upcoming NFL season By Jordan Dajani Jun 28, 2022 at. PFF predicts Bears will sign three top-50 free agents originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago. He may be coming off one of his worst statistical seasons in recent memory, but he also missed five games with injury. 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. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. Something to note is that 3-4 pass-rushers will not appear on this list. 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. After looking like he might be the next great linebacker earlier in his career, Deion Jones play has fallen off a cliff. The 2022 season was Longs first as a full-time starter at middle linebacker, but hes made the most of opportunities in the past. Wagner gets a new opportunity on a new team with a lot more talent around him this season, so there is good reason to suspect that his grade might bounce back. Below, we will rank the NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022. Anzalone has always shown promise but is probably better coming off the bench, especially after finishing with a bottom-10 overall grade among 94 qualifying linebackers in 2021. He was. Al-Shaair is in line to get paid as a free agent after teammatesFred Warner and Dre Greenlawfind themselves among the 16 highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL. Barr is a bit of a unique player, generally deployed as a Sam linebacker in a 4-3 scheme who occasionally gets his hand in the dirt. His processing skills took massive steps forward in 2021, causing his grade to jump from 57.1 to 76.3.
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