both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. He set career highs across the board, notching 146 combined tackles, six QB hits and two interceptions. 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. Hes a high-upside player now playing with a future Hall of Famer. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. Campbells ranking could justifiably be at the very top of this list or somewhere in the 30s, based on his career so far. Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing. He may be coming off one of his worst statistical seasons in recent memory, but he also missed five games with injury. They also signed linebacker Myles Jack and D-lineman Larry Ogunjobi. The six players in the 1A tier figure to be the favorites to post the highest tackle numbers in the league based on their expected role in their defenses. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Here are the top free agents at linebacker, taken from PFF's free agency rankings. 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. Better luck with his health led to a respectable 63.8 overall grade and 72.6 pass-rush grade in 2021. Philadelphia brought Edwards back in 2022 on a one-year, $2.15 million deal at a position they have all but refused to invest in with top draft capital or free-agent dollars in many years, but Edwards may put the Eagles positional value to the test this offseason if they want to keep him around. 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. 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. Still one of the more underrated players in the league, This is a precarious spot for the Packers to be in, even with 2021 All-Pro. 2021 Snaps: 679 Despite what PFF says, I don't think there are that many more linebackers who are better in coverage than Kendricks. There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. is likely another surprise player based on where he tends to go in drafts, but dont let the age fool you. 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. I also gave a target round for your rookie drafts, these are just suggestions as all drafts are different. Consequently, the list of consistently elite players is far shorter than for other positions, and there is much more volatility in this position group. His 913 snaps for the Raiders last season was a career-high mark and more than doubled his previous best. 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. 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. He is set to play next to Anthony Walker, who is a solid if unspectacular player. Therefore, they are included in our. 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. Therefore, they are included in our defensive line rankings despite dropping into coverage at times. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. With that said, an elite linebacker does make a defense better there just arent that many of them in the league at this moment. In two weeks, NFL GMs will begin negotiating with free . Pittsburgh Steelers (94/100) Cameron Heyward was second behind only Aaron Donald in PFF's grades of interior defensive linemen last season. He might not even start this season. 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. Projected contract: One year, $6 million, $4.5 million guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 75 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. There are also linebackers who are at their best in coverage, which is useful for todays NFL. He is a fantastic story of earning a job the hard way. Teams could do a lot worse than White if they are looking for a solid weakside linebacker who has the speed to stay with pass-catchers in coverage for the most part. 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. There are a lot of unknowns in this group due to inexperience. March 2, 2023 3:21 pm ET. 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. Parsons is versatile, smart and instinctive. In 2019 and 2021 with the Ravens, he graded out to 80.0 and 74.8, respectively. Overall, Georgia has 11 players in PFF's big board including six players ranked in the top 80 NFL draft prospects. Here's why that is important: PFF's Fantasy Football Expected Points tool is primarily used for identifying potential over and undervalued players. 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. 6 defense in the league last year, and Smith was a big reason why. his sure hands also need to be highlighted," PFF's Zoltn Buday wrote. He finished as the highest-graded linebacker in football, recording 140 tackles, two interceptions and a career-high six sacks. After looking like one of the worst linebackers in the NFL for a few years in Green Bay, Blake Martinez rebounded with a solid season in 2020 in New York before succumbing to injury early in the 2021 campaign. However, both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins didn't get a whole lot of love and are lower on the list. 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Since entering the league, Warner has 118 or more total tackles in every season and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2020. Jewell missed almost all of 2021 due to injury but is a run-stuffing force when on the field. The Tennessee Titans are set to sport a talented and exciting inside linebacker duo in 2022 with David Long and Zach Cunningham, but where do they rank as compared to others in the NFL?. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. 3 min read. His first year with the Packers resulted in a whopping 85.0 mark. Pro Football Focus's top linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft only kind of, sort of plays linebacker. 8:44 am ET. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Meanwhile, David will have to get it there himself, given that the Bucs defense wasnt exactly bereft of talent last season. Please try again later. 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. Andersen is a converted running back and quarterback who, in his lone full season at linebacker, racked up an absurd 67 stops. That could be a problem for folks expecting the same numbers. 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. 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. 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. No. 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. Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. Chicago signed Nicholas Morrow from Las Vegas to fill the spot next to Smith for 2022. Gay hasnt graded as well but possesses the characteristics to become a top linebacker. 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. Research past fantasy performance with sortable player stats including PFF-exclusives like aDOT and fantasy points per opportunity. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. He has top-notch natural coverage skills for a linebacker his size, but everything else is a work in progress. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate, Tremaine Edmunds, within the Buffalo defense. A new defensive coordinator and scheme will help him, though. Jewell is the other Denver off-ball linebacker who missed the majority of the 2021 season with a torn pectoral muscle, but hes three years younger than Johnson. Pro Football Focus has finalized the regular season grades for the 2022 NFL season. 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. Patrick Surtain II has been quite literally living up to his name as an elite cornerback and has helped the Denver Broncos maintain their position as a top-tier defense even after trading away their star edge rusher. Hes aggressive, has a quick trigger and finds the ball carrier. With that being said, Warner is still an elite linebacker and has recorded at least 118 combined tackles in each of his four NFL seasons. Here are the top 10 linebackers scheduled to become free agents in March. Rounding out the top-tier of linebackers. Devin Lloyd, Utah BIG BOARD RANK: 15 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. His 33 run stops in 2020 were a top-10 mark at the position. He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. on Pro Football Focus' Top-100 players of 2022 rankings. His 89.0 run-defense grade in 2022 ranked fourth at the position, with his 13 tackles for loss or no gain tied for 12th. 15 overall among NFL linebackers.Bolton was in his sixth tier, which was reserved for "young ascending" players at the linebacker position. His 94.1 run defense grade wasn't too far behindMicah Parsons (94.8) PFF college record. San Francisco 49ers . In today's NFL, few positions have become as difficult to play as off-ball linebacker. The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. 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. 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. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock An error occured while loading Position Grades. 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. You must be logged in and create a league profile to apply custom fantasy scoring to the stats, projections and rankings pages. He also registered an absurd pass-rushing grade of 93. 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. Vander Esch earned a 90.0-plus grade in three starts in 2021, including two such outings over the final five weeks. The top 10 linebackers in NFL currently are dynamic weapons and reliable leaders. The Super Bowl has come and gone in 2022 and we have started to turn our attention to the next football season. He has yet to post a sub-70.0 grade, with three out of his four years coming in above 78.0. 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. His 2021 campaign wasn't his best, but he seems like a player that's just going to get better, and someone who could end up becoming the next Lavonte David for the Bucs. That's still a very good grade, but there should be concerns about his age and a potential decline going forward. 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. s departure, and his 105 tackles were more than his first three seasons combined. 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. Josey Jewell and Jonas Griffith should be the starters, with free agent signing Alex Singleton looking for snaps, as well. This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. 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. Then, he was named All-Pro again in 2020 with an AV of 14 for the second straight season. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. 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. 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. Ranking NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022: New No. . Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. 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. 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. 2 in the NFL, only trailing Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers. Hes not only straight-line fast, but he also processes and reacts with elite quickness. Next to him is the underrated Josh Bynes, who returned to Baltimore in 2021 after one season in Cincinnati. 2021 PFF grade: 65.1 (22nd of 89). 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. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. The Ravens are still looking for that breakout year from Patrick Queen after two subpar seasons. Parsons actually finished No. The 12th. Projected contract: Three years, $25.5 million ($8.5M per year, $16.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 65 Hes not great in other facets, but stopping the run is still an important aspect of the position. Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs the ball against Green Bay Packers inside linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (59) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. 70 & No.71 on PFF's Top-101 players for the 2022 NFL season. They happily scooped up the extremely talented Georgia linebacker. After Warner's monster 2020 campaign, we thought he could be the No. 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). What a find he was for the Packers last year. 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. This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. 2021 PFF grade: 60.4 (30th of 89). At 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, he has legit NFL size and athleticism. 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. PFF ranked him as one of the 30 best players in the NFL last season, which he certainly was. Speed and Matthew Adams late-round dart throws. His 18 quarterback pressures ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers, as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick continued to deploy the 6-foot-3, 260-pounder all over the place in his constantly evolving defense. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level. 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. 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 was not as good a coverage or run-stopping linebacker as he was as a pass rusher, but his talent makes you think he will figure it out shortly. 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. 10. 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. 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). 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.