Hes not great in other facets, but stopping the run is still an important aspect of the position. This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer. 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. A position of weakness for the Eagles in 2021 might turn into a position of strength in 2022 with the additions of rookie Nakobe Dean and veteran Kyzir White to pair alongside T.J. Edwards, who had a breakout 2021 season. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. They're both veteran defenders, and they happened to lead the team in snaps played last season. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Parsons is versatile, smart and instinctive. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. Now its just a matter of how nice itll be. Pro Football Focus has finalized the regular season grades for the 2022 NFL season. Tindall is a true sideline-to-sideline linebacker. There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. I also gave a target round for your rookie drafts, these are just suggestions as all drafts are different. Cody Barton is another interesting player who will finally get a chance to start this season. The Super Bowl has come and gone in 2022 and we have started to turn our attention to the next football season. Warner had a transformative effect on the 49ers defense when he became the starter. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is a solid all-around off-ball linebacker who has three straight seasons logging at least 750 snaps, and he took a major leap in 2022 with the. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. . Better luck with his health led to a respectable 63.8 overall grade and 72.6 pass-rush grade in 2021. 2021 Snaps:444 Please try again later. Kendricks is another well-rounded linebacker that can cover, as his 73.8 PFF coverage grade ranked No. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. 1 on our list. PFF's top linebackers in the 2023 NFL Draft 1. 1. 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. Much of this unit's potential lies with third-round rookie Christian Harris, who managed 34 run stops at Alabama in 2021 (tied for 36th among 374 qualifying FBS linebackers). Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings. NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler. Andersen is a converted running back and quarterback who, in his lone full season at linebacker, racked up an absurd 67 stops. Campbells ranking could justifiably be at the very top of this list or somewhere in the 30s, based on his career so far. Their tackle efficiency and every-down roles make them the most coveted players at 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. Click here for PFF's full list of top 100 free agents. 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. 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. Therefore, they are included in our. In his recent post on linebackers, PFF's Sam Monson ranked Nick Bolton No. He didn't end the 2021 campaign in the best fashion, but did rebound to record 13 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, four QB hits and two passes defensed in Tampa Bay's two postseason games. Van Noy has now had stints in Detroit and Miami, but his good PFF grades are almost exclusively reserved for his time in the Patriots defense. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. He at least improved upon his 29.7 grade as a rookie with a 43.5 mark in Year 2. 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. Johnson finds himself in one of the most unique contract situations in NFL history. He finished as the highest-graded linebacker in football, recording 140 tackles, two interceptions and a career-high six sacks. He is a fantastic story of earning a job the hard way. 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). However, he will have to get better in coverage. 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. Murray surrendered a near-perfect passer rating into his coverage in 2021, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. 1 linebacker according to PFF, with a grade of 89.7. 2021 Snaps: 82 Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). 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. Edmunds made huge strides in coverage in 2022, a major weakness in his game through his first four seasons. He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. section: | slug: ranking-nfls-top-10-linebackers-entering-2022-new-no-1-as-bobby-wagner-finally-dethroned | sport: football | route: article_single.us | 2021 Snaps: 783 The Jaguars replaced Jack with Oluokun, who also has outstanding physical traits. 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. 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. Wagner's resume speaks for itself. 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. Final Season Stats. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate. After sitting out in 2020, C.J. Linebacker Rankings: 2022 Regular Season, Updated: 9/1/2022 Want Custom Fantasy Scoring? Only Micah Parsons graded out higher than Werner among first-year linebackers last season. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. AVG. Perryman was looking for a new contract heading into 2022 but ultimately played out the year, earning a strong 80.5 run-defense grade. 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. And Davis has been outstanding in all areas since moving to the New Orleans defense. 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. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. Seahawks rookie Ken Walker makes top 20 in PFF's RB grades for 2022 season Tim Weaver January 25, 2023 7:00 am PT Seahawks running back Ken Walker had a special rookie season, posting 1,050. 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. These power rankings are adjusted based on coach, quarterback and the market each season. 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 undrafted free agent is in for a big pay raise this offseason after making the absolute most of his one-year deal. at Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia . Projected contract: Four years, $40 million ($10M per year, $22.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 63 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. Wilson showed in the playoffs that he could finally have answered a real problem area for the Cincinnati Bengals, showing up with multiple excellent PFF game grades and making plays in coverage. Cole Holcomb, WAS: Impressive young linebacker who could see the numbers improve in 2022. 2022 NFL linebacker unit rankings: San Francisco 49ers claim the top spot, Seattle Seahawks crack the top 10 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. 2021 PFF grade: 64.2 (24th of 89). Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. 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. He set career highs across the board, notching 146 combined tackles, six QB hits and two interceptions. Projected contract: Two years, $10 million ($5M per year), $5.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 163 He might not even start this season. Nakobe Dean is a dark horse with this group. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports. 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. Drue Tranquill. Losing Kyle Van Noy, the highest-graded coverage linebacker in 2021, will hurt. Singleton has had quite the career path to this point, finally reaching unrestricted free agency ahead of the 2023 season after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. 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. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 80.1 (3rd of 89). He also registered a fourth-best 79.4 PFF coverage grade among linebackers despite playing a whopping 680 coverage snaps. Even Micah Parsons a Defensive Player of the Year candidate as a rookie put up middling run-defense and tackling grades in his first year in Dallas. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level. The Rank value requires a minimum number of snaps played. The Seahawks selected Cody Barton out of Utah with the No. 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. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. Davis is a player people keep expecting to regress, but he just hasn't. NFL NFL Home Tools NFL Scores NFL Premium Stats NFL Player Grades Free Agent Rankings QB Annual 2022 . 2021 PFF grade: 84.3 (2nd of 89). 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. The Penn State product ranked No. 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. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. 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. 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. Tranquill is coming off a career year in L.A. 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. 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. Here are the top off-ball linebackers slated to hit free agency in 2022. Some of it is because he's been a little bit dependent on good play from the defensive line in front of him, but a good deal of it has been his ability to more . 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. 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Georgia Bulldogs have a 12 players participating at the 2023 NFL combine. 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. All of this culminates with the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, April 28th. 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. The transition from college football to the NFL used to be smooth for linebackers, but even elite prospects can now struggle in Year 1. 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. Anthony Brown is an okay slot and Kelvin Joseph was actually the highest rated CB. 10 among linebackers last year. 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. He may be coming off one of his worst statistical seasons in recent memory, but he also missed five games with injury. He tallied a career-high six pass breakups in 2022. Parsons took the NFL by storm in his rookie season, recording 84 combined tackles and a Dallas Cowboys rookie record 13 sacks. You don't do what he did in his rookie season if you aren't a star. While Parsons proved to be a stud pass-rusher, some had questions about his coverage ability coming into the league. 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. 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. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. You are not logged in. Just 25, he's on his way. 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. 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. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 2021 Snaps: 1,148 Projected contract: Two years, $9.5 million ($4.75M per year), $5.25 million total guaranteed. PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. In 2019 and 2021 with the Ravens, he graded out to 80.0 and 74.8, respectively. 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. both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasnt quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons. 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. Typically, David is the ideal linebacker for IDP. PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. Next to him is the underrated Josh Bynes, who returned to Baltimore in 2021 after one season in Cincinnati. 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. 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. In May, Sam Monson of PFF ranked as the league's No.16 linebacker coming into the 2022 NFL season. His struggles come in coverage, where he's allowed nearly 1,000 yards over the past two seasons. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. 2021 Snaps: 979 Mosley, Foye Oluokun. 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.