Linebacker Rankings: The 32 best LBs entering the 2021 NFL season - PFF Murray surrendered a near-perfect passer rating into his coverage in 2021, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Fantasy Football Draft Rankings (2023) Chicago Bears Roquan Smith and Indianapolis Colts Shaquille (Darius) Leonard stock is falling due to availability concerns, making E.J. 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. 1. Nevertheless, he may have to play on a one-year prove-it deal as he recovers. 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. There are also linebackers who are at their best in coverage, which is useful for todays NFL. 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. Pro Football Focus has finalized the regular season grades for the 2022 NFL 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. In 10 seasons, he has been named an All-Pro eight times, made the Pro Bowl eight times and led the NFL in tackles twice. Jewell missed almost all of 2021 due to injury but is a run-stuffing force when on the field. NFL Linebacker Rankings 2022 - ftnfantasy.com 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. If you go back and watch him play throughout his rookie season, you'll not only see a talented pass-rusher, but a good linebacker that can read and react quickly. San Francisco 49ers . , who draws all the attention at the offensive line, opening up room for the linebackers for clean tackle opportunities. Wagner's resume speaks for itself. 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. However, both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins didn't get a whole lot of love and are lower on the list. Projected contract: Four years, $40 million ($10M per year, $22.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 63 After missing most of the regular season, Dre Greenlaw came back for the end of the regular season and playoffs to form the perfect linebacker tandem with Warner. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Final Season Stats. 2021 Snaps: 1,148 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. At age 30, Kendricks should again be one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL in 2022. 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. Tremaine Edmunds has not quite lived up to expectations, but hes still young and can grow into a good player. 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. 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. This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. 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. With that said, an elite linebacker does make a defense better there just arent that many of them in the league at this moment. PFF names 7 Ohio State players as top 10 returning at their position 14 overall linebacker with a 72.3 PFF grade, and the No. He has not graded above 70.0 since. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. 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. Its hard to overstate Fred Warners effect on the 49ers' defense in their run to the NFC championship in 2021. However, he will have to get better in coverage. 15 overall among NFL linebackers.Bolton was in his sixth tier, which was reserved for "young ascending" players at the linebacker position. 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. While Parsons proved to be a stud pass-rusher, some had questions about his coverage ability coming into the league. Two former Tigers lower on this list of NFL's best receivers 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. 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. Consequently, the list of consistently elite players is far shorter than for other positions, and there is much more volatility in this position group. The 2022 season was Tranquills first as a full-time starter following Kyzir Whites departure, and his 105 tackles were more than his first three seasons combined. 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). Click here to view PFF's full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. But in a vacuum, Much of this unit's potential lies with third-round rookie. Here are PFF's top 32 linebackers ahead of the 2021 NFL season. 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. Jewell also provides value on the occasional pass-rush snap and very rarely misses tackles. All of this culminates with the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, April 28th. What a find he was for the Packers last year. 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. 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. Mosley, Foye Oluokun. 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. Something to note is that 3-4 pass-rushers will not appear on this list. Yes, Davis was a late-bloomer, but not many players can make the impact he does in stopping the run, tackling, rushing the passer and working in coverage. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. 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. The Titans ask a lot of their off-ball linebackers, and Long can do it all. The Falcons defense has fallen apart around him, and he no longer has a free run to the football as often as he did when he was playing his best football. I laid out some of my thoughts on their situations, rambling on longer for some more than others. Best Bets Tool, PFF Free Agency Rank: 27 By Marc. Still, the Rams ranked fourth in the NFL last season in zone coverages (82.60%). Seven 49ers listed on PFF Top 101 Players of 2022 ranking 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, A position of weakness for the Eagles in 2021 might turn into a position of strength in 2022 with the additions of rookie, The Ravens are still looking for that breakout year from. Seven 49ers listed on PFF Top 101 Players of 2022 ranking By Site Staff follow Feb 23, 2023 at 12:56 PM -- shares Seven San Francisco 49ers landed on Pro Football Focus' Top 101 Players. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers The 49ers struck gold when they drafted Warner in the third round in 2018. 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. JaWhaun Bentley is a hard-nosed player like his counterpart Mack Wilson. The Penn State product ranked No. Meanwhile, TJ Watt led the league in sacks (22.5) and was the Defensive Player of the Year. Hes a high-upside player now playing with a future Hall of Famer. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 65.1 (T-23rd of 89). Mosley endured the worst-graded season of his NFL career. may surprise some based on his age. PFF ranks 49ers Fred Warner as the top linebacker in the NFL . PFF's top 101 NFL players has top five ranking for former Nittany Lion 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. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. 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. Linebacker Rankings 2022 NFL Draft Home Positions LB ALL QUARTERBACK RUNNING BACK WIDE RECEIVER TIGHT END OFFENSIVE LINE DEFENSIVE LINE EDGE LINEBACKER DEFENSIVE BACK #1 RANKED - SCOUTING REPORT 17 Nakobe Dean POSITION RANK #1 OUR RATING 90.4 ILB All Scouts Average Overall Rank 20.8 All Scouts Average Position Rank 2 Height Feet 6-0 [PFF] 2022 Linebacker Rankings and Tiers : nfl - reddit.com In May, Sam Monson of PFF ranked as the league's No.16 linebacker coming into the 2022 NFL season. The first week of March will see the NFL Combine which will be followed by College Pro Days. for the folks who say Micah Parsons is an edgethere were four games where he played basically edge only because of injuries, and the rest of the games he was predominantly an off-ball linebackerMicah Parsons is a linebacker who can play edge defender pic.twitter.com/rcjJlM00MS. They spent a lot of money on Roquan Smith at the linebacker spot, [so] why not bring in another Georgia guy?" . The Steelers brought in former Jaguar Myles Jack to play alongside him. They also signed linebacker Myles Jack and D-lineman Larry Ogunjobi. He missed just two tackles in coverage and allowed only four explosive receptions. He is a fantastic story of earning a job the hard way.