Another player without elite physical tools, Jewell reads the game very quickly and is consistently in the right place at the right time against the run. He has not graded above 70.0 since. Just 25, he's on his way. It had been three full seasons since his best play, and that best play was nowhere near elite. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. Alex Anzalone and Chris Board are two depth players who start for the Lions. Seven 49ers listed on PFF Top 101 Players of 2022 ranking Jordyn Brooks is an ascending star who will get more snaps this year. 2021 PFF grade: 53.0 (50th of 89). despite dropping into coverage at times. His 94.1 run defense grade wasn't too far behindMicah Parsons (94.8) PFF college record. 2021 PFF grade: 43.7 (71st of 89). And Davis has been outstanding in all areas since moving to the New Orleans defense. Please try again later. PFF ranks 49ers Fred Warner as the top linebacker in the NFL According to PFF's Sam Monson, the 49ers have the best linebacker in the NFL and another top-20 player at the position. One of the five highest-graded linebackers last season in his first year with Carolina, Luvu is another Demario Davis trajectory candidate. 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings 1. 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. 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. All of this culminates with the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, April 28th. Pundit Says Ravens Are 'Perfect Spot' for Yesterday's Combine Standout Chiefs' young linebacker unit breaks into top 10 in PFF rankings Rookie Devin Lloydand sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. 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. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. Nevertheless, he may have to play on a one-year prove-it deal as he recovers. Ranking Best Fits for Top Defensive Players in 2023 NFL Free Agency 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. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. This is likely a polarizing selection. 3 min read. Devin Lloyd and Nakobe Dean will be the talk of the class and likely the only two first-round linebacker prospects in 2022, but there's still a lot of talent at the position on Days 2 and 3 of the draft. Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing Myles Jack to the Steelers. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. 8 in total pressures. Josey Jewell and Jonas Griffith should be the starters, with free agent signing Alex Singleton looking for snaps, as well. The Georgia Bulldogs have a 12 players participating at the 2023 NFL combine. Johnson got off to an unusually late start to his NFL career and has battled injuries, but he has been an excellent linebacker when he has been on the field. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. PFF names 7 Ohio State players as top 10 returning at their position The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding. After sitting out in 2020, C.J. Edmunds 86.9 coverage grade in 2022 was the third-best mark among off-ball linebackers, and he forced an incompletion on 10.3% of targets into his coverage while allowing just four explosive receptions the entire season (0.9% of targets into his coverage, ninth among linebackers). Kendricks' grade did falter in 2021 a 59.9 mark that was down from 82.6 and 90.1 the past two years, respectively. The strongest players are experts at open-field takedowns and make it hard for quarterbacks to feel comfortable throwing toward the middle of the field. After looking like one of the worst linebackers in the NFL for a few years in Green Bay. 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. Hes great at every aspect of linebacker play. Warner had a transformative effect on the 49ers defense when he became the starter. White was a reliable presence at linebacker following the loss of 2020 first-rounderKenneth Murrayduring Weeks 4-9 and when Murray was battling injuries over Weeks 11-15. 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. He can chase down the fastest of running backs. Pratt didnt miss many tackles as a run defender, either, whiffing on just 5.9% of opportunities after three straight seasons above 10% to start his career. This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. Mosley, Foye Oluokun. These athletes are called upon to be run-stuffing defensive linemen on some downs, and hybrid cornerbacks on others. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. Chicago signed Nicholas Morrow from Las Vegas to fill the spot next to Smith for 2022. 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. After missing most of the regular season. 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. 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. 2021 Snaps: 323 The transition from college football to the NFL used to be smooth for linebackers, but even elite prospects can now struggle in Year 1. That's still a very good grade, but there should be concerns about his age and a potential decline going forward. A defender who can blow up screen plays and make takedowns in the open field. Leonard burst onto the scene with 163 combined tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season back in 2018. 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. Projected contract: Two years, $14 million ($7M per year, $9 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 61 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. Chiefs' Nick Bolton ranked in PFF's 'young ascending' linebacker tier And even though he hasnt quite been able to maintain an elite level of play every season, his impact on the field is obvious. He tallied a career-high six pass breakups in 2022. In 2019 and 2021 with the Ravens, he graded out to 80.0 and 74.8, respectively. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports 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. 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. 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. There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. He might not even start this season. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. A pair of Saints defenders were selected for PFF's top 101 players of 2022 17 linebacker in the NFL going into 2022, placing him in the "young. Vander Esch has had an up and down first four years in the NFL, but the talent that made him a first-round pick in 2018 still flashes on occasion and will certainly draw attention. The transition from college football to the NFL used to be smooth for linebackers, but even elite prospects can now struggle in Year 1. San Francisco 49ers . While Parsons proved to be a stud pass-rusher, some had questions about his coverage ability coming into the league. 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. The folks over at PFF are going through the process of creating rankings and tiers for every position ahead of the 2022 NFL season. Editor's note: For up-to-the-minute updates based on everythingwerehearing around the NFL, go to PFF's free agency rankings, where you can sort by position, team needs, and more all offseason long. Gay hasnt graded as well but possesses the characteristics to become a top linebacker. Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings The second linebacker tier features 17 linebackers on teams that are expected to be less zone-heavy than those in the tier above. 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. Where are Georgia Bulldogs ranked on PFF's 2023 NFL draft big board? 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. 2021 Snaps: 82 Campbell is a one-year wonder at the moment, but that year was All-Pro caliber and the most recent thing we have seen from him. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers The 49ers struck gold when they drafted Warner in the third round in 2018. 1 pick, Ex-Patriots star McGinest facing eight years in prison, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report. 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. His 170 combined takedowns ranked third among linebackers this past season. 1. After looking like he might be the next great linebacker earlier in his career. 2021 PFF grade: 84.3 (2nd of 89). San Francisco 49ers in PFF top 101 players of 2022 In 2021, Davis was given a career-high AV of 15 while again being named an All-Pro after he recorded 105 combined tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks. 2021 PFF grade: 80.1 (3rd of 89). 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 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 corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. 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. Cody Barton is another interesting player who will finally get a chance to start this season. "Latest Update" refers to when we last checked for . He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. What a find he was for the Packers last year. Ranking 10 best NFL landing spots for Richardson, 2023 NFL combine: WR/TE winners and losers, Takeaways from NFL combine measurements for WR, TE, Pete Prisco's top 100 NFL free agents of 2023, NFL combine: Grading top QBs, plus winners and losers, NFL combine 2023 tracker: Top performances, highlights, Ranking the NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022, NFL Combine: Grading top QBs; winners and losers, NFL Draft: Top landing spots for Richardson, Mock Draft: Panthers, Colts trade up for QBs, Colossal Richardson sets multiple QB combine records, Pascal robbed at gunpoint, assaulted; WR 'doing fine', Bryce Young measures similar to former No. Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings. The Rams have a great defense, and the 32-year-old Wagner could find himself rejuvenated in 2022. David also graded out as the No. Getting outside the . Hes not great in other facets, but stopping the run is still an important aspect of the position. NFL Defensive Line Rankings 2022 - ftnfantasy.com 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. 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. Projected contract: Two years, $10 million ($5M per year), $5.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 163 Perhaps no player better sums up the volatility of linebacker play than the newly minted All-Pro, De'Vondre Campbell. 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. PFF's top 101 NFL players has top five ranking for former Nittany Lion 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. It's like your very own digital cheat sheet. Smith is a complete athletic projection. Jewell missed almost all of 2021 due to injury but is a run-stuffing force when on the field. The redshirt junior is a dominant run-stuffer, as his 49 run-defense stops in 2022 ranked second among all linebackers in the country while his 20 tackles for loss/no-gain were tied for third. 3 Rams make PFF's top 101 players of 2022 He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasnt quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. The ACC consisted of 14 members in two divisions. He pairs with the solid Matt Milano, who posted the second-best season grade of his career (67.0) in 2021. The former third-round pick still has room to grow as a coverage player, but at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, he moves well enough in space to not be a liability in coverage. 1 linebacker according to PFF, with a grade of 89.7. In Eric Kendricks, the Vikings have had a superb all-around linebacker for years. 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. Adam Holt. Pro Football Focus's top linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft only kind of, sort of plays linebacker. Final Season Stats. Here are the top off-ball linebackers slated to hit free agency in 2022. Ranking Best NFL Defensive Linemen and Linebackers 2022 His struggles come in coverage, where he's allowed nearly 1,000 yards over the past two 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. Linebacker Rankings: 2022 Regular Season, Updated: 9/1/2022 Want Custom Fantasy Scoring? 2021 Snaps: 717 Shaq Thompson is a bona fide star, and he may be playing alongside a diamond-in-the-rough partner in Frankie Luvu. 2021 Snaps: 783 Still, the. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. 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. No. But in a vacuum, Drue Tranquill and Kenneth Murray are just not good enough players. Mosley endured the worst-graded season of his NFL career. Pittsburgh Steelers (94/100) Cameron Heyward was second behind only Aaron Donald in PFF's grades of interior defensive linemen last season. Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). The former No. Seahawks only have one player in PFF's top-40 graded edge defenders Devin Bush has not lived up to his draft status as a first-round pick, and 2022 might be his last chance to prove himself at the NFL level. His 75.9 grade two years marked a career high. The Ravens are still looking for that breakout year from Patrick Queen after two subpar seasons. He missed just two tackles in coverage and allowed only four explosive receptions. Hes aggressive, has a quick trigger and finds the ball carrier. Let's have a look at them. heading into 2022, here's how each team's linebacking corps stacks up. 70 & No.71 on PFF's Top-101 players for the 2022 NFL season. PFF ranks 49ers Fred Warner as the top linebacker in the NFL 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. Typically, David is the ideal linebacker for IDP. No linebacker recorded more coverage snaps than Warner in all of 2021. Now, Brown hits free agency coming off a career-low 421 snaps, though he still maintained a 60.0-plus coverage grade, which is where he derives a lot of his value as an off-ball linebacker. The 1B tier has just as much going for them, with zone-heavy defenses, expected positive tackle efficiency and an every-down roles. Meanwhile, TJ Watt led the league in sacks (22.5) and was the Defensive Player of the Year. Harris is one of the most physical linebackers in the class who relishes the ability to hit anyone on the other side of the ball. 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. It's also noteworthy that David is good in coverage, something other linebackers can struggle with.