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. It's funny how taking a "small step backwards" for Wagner is being a second-team All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and setting a career high in tackles even while missing a game. Cole Holcomb could yet turn into a solid linebacker, while 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis could also improve after a poor first season. 2021 PFF grade: 83.5 (N/A). Hes great at every aspect of linebacker play. his sure hands also need to be highlighted," PFF's Zoltn Buday wrote. 8 in total pressures. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Since entering the league, Warner has 118 or more total tackles in every season and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2020. He set career highs across the board, notching 146 combined tackles, six QB hits and two interceptions. 2021 Snaps: 679 Meanwhile, TJ Watt led the league in sacks (22.5) and was the Defensive Player of the Year. 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. Still one of the more underrated players in the league, Demario Davis has been the heartbeat of one of the league's best defenses over the past five seasons. 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. 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. Overall, White has had an incredible start to his career, as he's picked up All-Pro honors, a Pro Bowl bid and a Super Bowl ring in just three years. Chicago Bears Roquan Smith and Indianapolis Colts Shaquille (Darius) Leonard stock is falling due to availability concerns, making E.J. Their tackle efficiency and every-down roles make them the most coveted players at the position. Hes a high-upside player now playing with a future Hall of Famer. Jayron Kearse was a top 10 strong safety by their own metric. After looking like he might be the next great linebacker earlier in his career. He has top-notch natural coverage skills for a linebacker his size, but everything else is a work in progress. After looking like one of the worst linebackers in the NFL for a few years in Green Bay. They happily scooped up the extremely talented Georgia linebacker. Anthony Brown is an okay slot and Kelvin Joseph was actually the highest rated CB. . That could be a problem for folks expecting the same numbers. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Research past fantasy performance with sortable player stats including PFF-exclusives like aDOT and fantasy points per opportunity. No linebacker recorded more coverage snaps than Warner in all of 2021. Jack had hovered near 70.0 overall grades before a down 2021 season, and the Steelers will hope that those good years arent behind him. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports. His 913 snaps for the Raiders last season was a career-high mark and more than doubled his previous best. 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. It's like your very own digital cheat sheet. 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. It had been three full seasons since his best play, and that best play was nowhere near elite. 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. 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. AVG. 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. According to training camp reports, that is paying off big time for the Eagles. 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. In his recent post on linebackers, PFF's Sam Monson ranked Nick Bolton No. San Francisco 49ers Projected Starters: Dee Ford, Javon Kinlaw, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa The 49ers breed defensive linemen. Lavonte David is still one of the best linebackers in the game . The best linebackers in todays league are elite coverage players, but they can also affect the game in other ways. Kansas City Chiefs linebacker group ranked as 9th-best in NFL by PFF Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans. But neither player made the cut for the top 50, which hurts . David has been consistent, as only one linebacker has recorded more tackles since he entered the league, and that player is found later on in this list. The rest of 1A should surprise no one, with this group almost filling out the consensus top-five linebackers in ADP terms,. Projected contract: Two years, $9.5 million ($4.75M per year), $5.25 million total guaranteed. 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. Hes earned himself a nice raise. Projected contract: Two years, $18 million ($9M per year, $11.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 55 Davids 88.5 coverage grade this season ranked second among off-ball linebackers, and his elite 93.0 mark over the past four seasons is the top mark at the position. 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. Rounding out the top-tier of linebackers. 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. 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 All-Pro season in 2019 was special, but some might have thought it was just a one-year thing. 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. 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. PFF ranked him as one of the 30 best players in the NFL last season, which he certainly was. 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. His 170 combined takedowns ranked third among linebackers this past season. He packs a punch as a downhill player, as he can light up offensive linemen with ease. Al-Shaair missed a lot of time in 2022 but earned a career-best 67.8 overall grade and 79.7 run-defense grade. 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). He tallied a career-high six pass breakups in 2022. 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. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Thompson was back to his best in coverage this past season, posting a 74.5 PFF grade in that area, his best mark since his sophomore season. Something to note is that 3-4 pass-rushers will not appear on this list. 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. Foyesade Oluokun, JAC: New team, new official scorer. 12 among linebackers in 2021 with a PFF coverage grade of 70 in 295 coverage snaps. 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). Dean's range at the linebacker position is unparalleled in this draft class. 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. NFL 2022 Draft Positional Rankings: Linebackers By Jacob Wayne | Mar 30, 2022, 1:34pm #1: Devin Lloyd - Utah #2: Nakobe Dean - Georgia #3: Chad Muma - Wyoming #4: Leo Chenal - Wisconsin #5: Christian Harris - Alabama #6: Brian Asamoah - Oklahoma #7: Brandon Smith - Penn State #8: Channing Tindall - Georgia #9: Damone Clark - LSU Getting outside the . 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. 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. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. David also just put forth his worst season since 2016, posting a 72.3 grade. 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. 11 among linebackers,) his AV of 8 was tied for No. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports. Gay hasnt graded as well but possesses the characteristics to become a top linebacker. 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. 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. 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. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. In May, Sam Monson of PFF ranked as the league's No.16 linebacker coming into the 2022 NFL season. 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. Aug 9, 2022. 2021 PFF grade: 84.3 (2nd of 89). 3 Rams make PFF's top 101 players of 2022 Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West Broncos Chargers. Drue Tranquill. 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. However, both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins didn't get a whole lot of love and are lower on the list. PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. 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. If he can play more consistently week to week, teams may view him as a low-risk, high-reward option in a weak linebacker class. That's still a very good grade, but there should be concerns about his age and a potential decline going forward. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. 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. 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. Asamoah is undersized at 6-foot-1, 228 pounds, but he possesses sideline-to-sideline range.