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. That flexibility is tremendously valuable to the Dallas defense, but Parsons could take his game to another level if he shows development off the ball in Year 2. 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. 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). PFF ranked him as one of the 30 best players in the NFL last season, which he certainly was. 14 overall linebacker with a 72.3 PFF grade, and the No. Projected contract: Two years, $14.5 million ($7.25M per year), $8.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 99 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. According to PFF, T.J. Edwards was the 10 th-ranked linebacker in 2021 but is still unproven and only has started 30 games in the NFL. 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). 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. Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing. Here are the best available players remaining heading into Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft. The Rank value requires a minimum number of snaps played. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock An error occured while loading Position Grades. He is a fantastic story of earning a job the hard way. JaWhaun Bentley is a hard-nosed player like his counterpart Mack Wilson. Click here to view PFF's full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. . The Super Bowl has come and gone in 2022 and we have started to turn our attention to the next football season. 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings and Tiers 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. This is likely a polarizing selection. 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. However, Dean played his role at an elite level, ranking 10th among all corners graded by PFF. Galina ranked the Colts at No. 8 in total pressures. 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. 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. 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. Jerome Baker, MIA: I love Baker this season as a Top 15-20 sleeper. Shaq Thompson is a bona fide star, and he may be playing alongside a diamond-in-the-rough partner in Frankie Luvu. 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. Click here for PFF's full list of top 100 free agents. His 913 snaps for the Raiders last season was a career-high mark and more than doubled his previous best. Monson ranked Long, who has been an absolute steal since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft, as the No. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. 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. Here are PFF's top 32 linebackers ahead of the 2021 NFL season. Edmunds also missed just 6.5% of potential tackles, the lowest rate of his career and another huge sign of continued growth from a football intelligence and play recognition standpoint. 2021 PFF grade: 84.3 (2nd of 89). Nakobe Dean was widely considered to be a potential first-round pick before the 2022 NFL Draft. 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. A lot is riding on the development of Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons, who have simply not played well enough especially for first-round picks. They spent a lot of money on Roquan Smith at the linebacker spot, [so] why not bring in another Georgia guy?" . 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. Within 2021 and 2022's class, Detroit made use of the later rounds to nab names such as wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez and edge James Houston. 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. A new defensive coordinator and scheme will help him, though. 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. Here are the top 10 linebackers scheduled to become free agents in March. 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. Best Bets Tool, PFF Free Agency Rank: 27 Going back to our introductory paragraph, versatility is needed at the linebacker position, and his versatility is the reason why Parsons comes in at No. Ranking NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022: New No. 17 linebacker in the NFL going into 2022, placing him in the "young. 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. After Warner's monster 2020 campaign, we thought he could be the No. He told us last week that 15 sacks are the "minimum" in 2022. Here are the top free agents at linebacker, taken from PFF's free agency rankings. 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. 4. PFF's top linebackers in the 2023 NFL Draft 1. This past offseason,San Francisco 49erslinebackerFred Warnerand subsequentlyIndianapolis ColtslinebackerDarius Leonardreset the market at the position just under $20 million per year after years of stagnation. Perhaps no player better sums up the volatility of linebacker play than the newly minted All-Pro, De'Vondre Campbell. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Lloyd, who earned a 90.0-plus grade at Utah in 2021, does look set to start. At age 30, Kendricks should again be one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL in 2022. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. Okereke is now coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 100 tackles and 50 defensive stops. Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith (58) stares into the backfield during pre-game at Nissan Stadium. 8:44 am ET. Walker had a career year for the Browns in 2021, and his 78.2 PFF coverage grade was the highest of his career. After looking like one of the worst linebackers in the NFL for a few years in Green Bay. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. The Seahawks selected Cody Barton out of Utah with the No. Pro Football Focus has finalized the regular season grades for the 2022 NFL season. Alex Anzalone and Chris Board are two depth players who start for the Lions. 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. This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer. He subsequently graded out to 76.5 in his first season. , who draws all the attention at the offensive line, opening up room for the linebackers for clean tackle opportunities. 10 among linebackers last year. Long plays a downhill, attacking brand of football that helps him blow up a lot of plays but also makes him particularly susceptible to over-committing on play-action passes and missing tackles when he takes a poor pursuit angle. 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. One can make the case that both Wagner and David are still as good as it gets at the linebacker position despite getting up there in age, but each player is coming off a relative down year by their standards, which always brings up the looming specter of decline. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Aug 9, 2022. In today's NFL, few positions have become as difficult to play as off-ball linebacker. 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. One of the best off-ball linebackers of his generation, David is still playing at an extremely high level and may benefit from, Okereke stepped up in a major way in the absence of fellow off-ball linebacker, The 2022 season was Tranquills first as a full-time starter following. 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. Edmunds is just 24 years old and entering his fifth NFL season. The ACC consisted of 14 members in two divisions. Recently, Seth Galina from PFF ranked all 32 linebacker units in the league. Campbells 90.4 tackling grade is his fifth straight such mark above 75.0, and that sure tackling goes a long way in Green Bay. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. He at least improved upon his 29.7 grade as a rookie with a 43.5 mark in Year 2. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. 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. His 33 run stops in 2020 were a top-10 mark at the position. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. AVG. Lavonte David is still one of the best linebackers in the game . There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. 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. This was the last season that the conference used divisions in its football scheduling. More Stats. 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. Tae Crowder and Micah McFadden will look to compete for the spot opposite Martinez. 6 defense in the league last year, and Smith was a big reason why. He can chase down the fastest of running backs. Chicago Bears Roquan Smith and Indianapolis Colts Shaquille (Darius) Leonard stock is falling due to availability concerns, making E.J. the star of the Colts' defense has been rock solid since exploding onto the scene as a rookie. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah put together a great rookie season transitioning from more of an out-of-the-box linebacker at Notre Dame to an in-box linebacker. But neither player made the cut for the top 50, which hurts . This is a case of one elite linebacker pulling along another whose narrative hasnt really matched his production. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 65.1 (T-23rd of 89). So, who's the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL today? . The rest of 1A should surprise no one, with this group almost filling out the consensus top-five linebackers in ADP terms,. Foyesade Oluokun, JAC: New team, new official scorer. 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. 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. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. Kendricks has long been one of the consistent middle linebackers in the league, and he stepped up his game in 2021 with a career-high 143 combined tackles, five sacks and two interceptions. Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. He even hit 107 combined tackles in 2020 despite playing in just 11 games! And Davis has been outstanding in all areas since moving to the New Orleans defense. 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. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 24, 2022 PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. Parsons was the No. Research past fantasy performance with sortable player stats including PFF-exclusives like aDOT and fantasy points per opportunity.