Just 25, he's on his way. He subsequently graded out to 76.5 in his first season. Nevertheless, he is clearly an ascending young player contributing immensely to Tennessees defense that finished first in expected points added per rush allowed on the season. Two former Tigers lower on this list of NFL's best receivers The second linebacker tier features 17 linebackers on teams that are expected to be less zone-heavy than those in the tier above. Subscribe to Sign Up 1. The Vikings also brought in the underrated Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals in free agency. He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. 2021 Snaps: 323 Turn on this feature to cross off players during your draft. He is a truly freakish athlete and will be 25 years old throughout his entire sixth NFL season in 2023 after being selected No. A defender who can blow up screen plays and make takedowns in the open field. Hes earned himself a nice raise. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. 15 overall among NFL linebackers.Bolton was in his sixth tier, which was reserved for "young ascending" players at the linebacker position. The ACC consisted of 14 members in two divisions. Cunningham is one of the most run-focused linebackers in the game, but his PFF coverage grade has declined throughout his career, dripping from average at best to outright poor over the last two seasons. Getting outside the . Recently, Seth Galina from PFF ranked all 32 linebacker units in the league. Hes expected to return for Dallas playoff run after a shoulder injury knocked him out down the stretch, which will provide a big boost to the ferocious Cowboys defense. PFF names 7 Ohio State players as top 10 returning at their position He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasnt quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons. His first year with the Packers resulted in a whopping 85.0 mark. His elite run-stopping ability was on display against the Packers in the divisional round, too. 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. 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. The rest of 1A should surprise no one, with this group almost filling out the consensus top-five linebackers in ADP terms,. He has yet to post a sub-70.0 grade, with three out of his four years coming in above 78.0. PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. 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. In 2022, he boasted a pass . Therefore, they are included in our. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports. Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 43.7 (71st of 89). Chicago Bears Roquan Smith and Indianapolis Colts Shaquille (Darius) Leonard stock is falling due to availability concerns, making E.J. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. 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. 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. 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. He also registered an absurd pass-rushing grade of 93. 4. Players like T.J. Watt, Matt Judon, Harold Landry and Shaquil Barrett are not included. 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. Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. PFF Free Agency Rank: 86 2021 Snaps: 783 2021 PFF grade: 64.2 (24th of 89) 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. After Warner's monster 2020 campaign, we thought he could be the No. Perhaps most importantly in todays NFL, Tranquill followed up his 74.6 coverage grade in 2021 with a career-high 75.4 mark, with his 18 stops in coverage a top-20 figure among off-ball linebackers. 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. He allowed 81.0% of passes thrown his way to be caught and missed 17 tackles in all. Ranking Best NFL Defensive Linemen and Linebackers 2022 This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. San Francisco 49ers . 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. January 18, 2023 8:22 pm ET. Johnson finds himself in one of the most unique contract situations in NFL history. The only season in which he did not record at least 100 tackles was his rookie campaign, when he missed two games. The 1B tier has just as much going for them, with zone-heavy defenses, expected positive tackle efficiency and an every-down roles. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 24, 2022 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. Both players posted the highest grades of their career, helping the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. NFL Linebacker Rankings 2022 - ftnfantasy.com 3 Rams make PFF's top 101 players of 2022 Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West Broncos Chargers. Perhaps no player better sums up the volatility of linebacker play than the newly minted All-Pro, De'Vondre Campbell. Pro Football Focus's top linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft only kind of, sort of plays linebacker. NFL free agents 2023: Ranking top 10 linebackers 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. 2021 Snaps:444 While Parsons proved to be a stud pass-rusher, some had questions about his coverage ability coming into the league. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. Here's the top 10 entering the 2022 season: 1. Jordyn Brooks is an ascending star who will get more snaps this year. As stated in the article, Galina only included true off-ball . Best Bets Tool, PFF Free Agency Rank: 27 2021 PFF grade: 50.6 (51st of 89). Hes the complete package for a modern off-ball linebacker. A couple of former Clemson stars made this ranking of the NFL's top wide receivers from the 2022 regular season. Tae Crowder and Micah McFadden will look to compete for the spot opposite Martinez. Over the past decade, virtually every stage of the offensive evolution has increased stress on linebackers, putting them in a bind and asking them to account for multiple things on the same play. 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. the star of the Colts' defense has been rock solid since exploding onto the scene as a rookie. The linebacker position in the game of football is one of the most important. 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. He had a career year, helping turn around the Eagles' defense with the second-best grade among off-ball linebackers (84.4). 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. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. He had been one of the more consistent players at the position in the NFL, and so theres a chance he regains his form. I laid out some of my thoughts on their situations, rambling on longer for some more than others. 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. According to Stathead's AV tool, Leonard was tied in having the second-best season of any linebacker last year. This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner in free agency this offseason, but Wagner seemed to be on the downslope of his career. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons just wrapped up his second season in the NFL, and he continues to leave little doubt the Dallas Cowboys made the smart decision using a first-round draft pick on him. Click here for PFF's full list of top 100 free agents. The first week of March will see the NFL Combine which will be followed by College Pro Days. Projected contract: Two years, $14.5 million ($7.25M per year), $8.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 99 Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner (54) lines up over Green Bay Packers center Josh Myers (71) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. 16 at his position by PFF Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West. The PFF grades aren't always right on point, but they do serve as a generally effective tool for comparisons . Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). "Latest Update" refers to when we last checked for . Parsons lined up as an edge rusher on 40.6% of his snaps as a rookie, and thats where he did the bulk of his damage. 2022 NFL Draft Position Rankings: Linebackers - PFF Jayron Kearse was a top 10 strong safety by their own metric. Jack is now trying to reboot his career in Pittsburgh after suffering similar ill-fortune in Jacksonville. 1 linebacker on this list entering 2022. In two weeks, NFL GMs will begin negotiating with free . Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. Better luck with his health led to a respectable 63.8 overall grade and 72.6 pass-rush grade in 2021. 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. 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. It's also noteworthy that David is good in coverage, something other linebackers can struggle with. Seahawks RB Ken Walker makes top 20 in PFF's rankings for 2022 season Davids 72.3 overall PFF grade is the lowest mark he has posted in a single season since 2016, and Wagners 71.8 was his lowest since 2015.