So, who's the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL today? 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. Typically, David is the ideal linebacker for IDP. There are also linebackers who are at their best in coverage, which is useful for todays NFL. 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. Projected contract: Two years, $10 million ($5M per year), $5.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 163 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. 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. No linebacker recorded more coverage snaps than Warner in all of 2021. His elite run-stopping ability was on display against the Packers in the divisional round, too. 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. 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. Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) reacts after a play against the Carolina Panthers in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. 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. "Latest Update" refers to when we last checked for . 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. Tae Crowder and Micah McFadden will look to compete for the spot opposite Martinez. He pairs with the solid Matt Milano, who posted the second-best season grade of his career (67.0) in 2021. In this article, I list my top 20 rookie linebacker rankings for your IDP dynasty leagues. 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. 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. 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 | This was the last season that the conference used divisions in its football scheduling. 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. 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. 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 transition from college football to the NFL used to be smooth for linebackers, but even elite prospects can now struggle in Year 1. 2021 PFF grade: 84.3 (2nd of 89). 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. The Penn State product ranked No. Here are PFF's top 32 linebackers ahead of the 2021 NFL season. Cody Barton is another interesting player who will finally get a chance to start this season. 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. This means zone-heavy coverages and, more specifically, a Cover-2 heavy scheme, which proves to be the most effective coverage at propping up linebacker tackle numbers (as illustrated below). 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. 8:44 am ET. Wagner is no longer with the Seattle Seahawks, signing with the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Ramsthis offseason. 2022 (146 FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets) Yards per route run: 25th; PFF receiving grade: 12th; YAC: 7th; 2021 (133 FBS TEs, minimum 20 targets) Yards per route run: 94th; PFF receiving grade: 111th . He is a truly freakish athlete and will be 25 years old throughout his entire sixth NFL season in 2023 after being selected No. Both players posted the highest grades of their career, helping the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. despite dropping into coverage at times. . David also just put forth his worst season since 2016, posting a 72.3 grade. 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. Parsons actually finished No. 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. Turn on this feature to cross off players during your draft. 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. The former undrafted free agent is in for a big pay raise this offseason after making the absolute most of his one-year deal. Mosley endured the worst-graded season of his NFL career. March 2, 2023 3:21 pm ET. 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. 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. The 1B tier has just as much going for them, with zone-heavy defenses, expected positive tackle efficiency and an every-down roles. Hes the complete package for a modern off-ball linebacker. Here are the top 10 linebackers scheduled to become free agents in March. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Lavonte David is still one of the best linebackers in the game . Christian Kirksey has not had a season of note since 2016 with the Browns, yet he projects as a starter in this defense once again. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports 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. Still, the. Mosley, Foye Oluokun. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. In two weeks, NFL GMs will begin negotiating with free . By Marc. 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. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia . 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. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. Chenal is going to thrive in man-blitz-heavy schemes. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate. 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. Oluokun leads the way for a very underwhelming free-agent class at off-ball linebacker, though his timing of reaching unrestricted free agency could work out nicely in his favor. Gay hasnt graded as well but possesses the characteristics to become a top linebacker. He subsequently graded out to 76.5 in his first season. This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. 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. Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing. However, he will have to get better in coverage. 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. 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. 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. Nakobe Dean was widely considered to be a potential first-round pick before the 2022 NFL Draft. Only Micah Parsons graded out higher than Werner among first-year linebackers last season. Just 25, he's on his way. 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. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. 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. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys The first-ever unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year has quickly become the standard for linebacker play in the NFL. heading into 2022, here's how each team's linebacking corps stacks up. The PFF grades aren't always right on point, but they do serve as a generally effective tool for comparisons . 2021 Snaps: 979 Meanwhile, TJ Watt led the league in sacks (22.5) and was the Defensive Player of the Year. PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. Linebacker Rankings: 2022 Regular Season, Updated: 9/1/2022 Want Custom Fantasy Scoring? 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. His PFF grade of 77.9 ranked eighth last year among linebackers, and he once again showed he's a well-rounded linebacker that doesn't get the kind of credit he deserves. 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. His first year with the Packers resulted in a whopping 85.0 mark. 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 went from having a one-year contract worth $2 million to signing a five-year deal that carries an AAV of $10 million! 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. 3 linebackers Seahawks should . 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. 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). His 33 run stops in 2020 were a top-10 mark at the position. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Campbell recorded the second-highest PFF grade of any linebacker with an 85, and also was the second-highest graded linebacker in coverage with an 82.2.
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