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. 2021 PFF grade: 50.6 (51st of 89). 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. Here's the top 10 entering the 2022 season: 1. 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. He at least improved upon his 29.7 grade as a rookie with a 43.5 mark in Year 2. Over the past three seasons, his 19.8% pass-rush win rate and 23.8% pressure rate are both the second-best marks among off-ball linebackers with at least 100 pass-rush snaps over the span. 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. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys The first-ever unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year has quickly become the standard for linebacker play in the NFL. 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. Their tackle efficiency and every-down roles make them the most coveted players at the position. He tallied a career-high six pass breakups in 2022. Rookie Devin Lloydand sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. 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. 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. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. In May, Sam Monson of PFF ranked as the league's No.16 linebacker coming into the 2022 NFL season. Click here to view PFFs full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. He ended up making the Pro Bowl by logging a career-high 863 snaps and racking up 121 tackles and 61 defensive stops. 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. David also graded out as the No. . 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. 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 . This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. Losing Kyle Van Noy, the highest-graded coverage linebacker in 2021, will hurt. Players like T.J. Watt, Matt Judon, Harold Landry and Shaquil Barrett are not included. After sitting out in 2020, C.J. Smith has recorded at least 101 combined tackles in each of his four NFL seasons, and his last two campaigns have been impressive. Walker is one of the best run-and-hit linebackers in the class. 2021 Snaps: 679 In 2022, he boasted a pass . Cole Holcomb, WAS: Impressive young linebacker who could see the numbers improve in 2022. 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. Parsons took the NFL by storm in his rookie season, recording 84 combined tackles and a Dallas Cowboys rookie record 13 sacks. Lloyd, who earned a 90.0-plus grade at Utah in 2021, does look set to start. Warner had a transformative effect on the 49ers defense when he became the starter. 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. 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. 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. This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner in free agency this offseason, but Wagner seemed to be on the downslope of his career. The Tennessee Titans are set to sport a talented and exciting inside linebacker duo in 2022 with David Long and Zach Cunningham, but where do they rank as compared to others in the NFL?. His 94.1 run defense grade wasn't too far behindMicah Parsons (94.8) PFF college record. 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. 11 among linebackers,) his AV of 8 was tied for No. 12 among linebackers in 2021 with a PFF coverage grade of 70 in 295 coverage snaps. With Oluokun one of the few young players available, a market could develop for him that exceeds expectations. Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). As stated in the article, Galina only included true off-ball . He's been an All-Pro each year, and a Pro Bowler for three straight seasons now. Its hard to overstate Fred Warners effect on the 49ers' defense in their run to the NFC championship in 2021. 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. Devin Bush has not lived up to his draft status as a first-round pick, and 2022 might be his last chance to prove himself at the NFL level. 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. Here's why that is important: PFF's Fantasy Football Expected Points tool is primarily used for identifying potential over and undervalued players. He subsequently graded out to 76.5 in his first season. Hes great at every aspect of linebacker play. 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. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. Here are the top free agents at linebacker, taken from PFF's free agency rankings. It's also noteworthy that David is good in coverage, something other linebackers can struggle with. The linebacker position in the game of football is one of the most important. His struggles come in coverage, where he's allowed nearly 1,000 yards over the past two seasons. But in a vacuum, Drue Tranquill and Kenneth Murray are just not good enough players. 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings 1. Now, it remains to be seen if Campbell can replicate his 2021 campaign, but based off of how he played last year, Campbell deserves a place on this list. 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). The former No. 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 PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. The top 10 linebackers in NFL currently are dynamic weapons and reliable leaders. 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. His All-Pro season in 2019 was special, but some might have thought it was just a one-year thing. 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. 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. They happily scooped up the extremely talented Georgia linebacker. There are also linebackers who are at their best in coverage, which is useful for todays NFL. 2021 Snaps: 987 Wagner is no longer with the Seattle Seahawks, signing with the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Ramsthis offseason. despite dropping into coverage at times. 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. 4. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. 5 overall pick recorded 128 combined tackles, a career-high 18 QB hits in 2021 and earned his first Pro Bowl selection this past season. All of this culminates with the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, April 28th. Overall, Georgia has 11 players in PFF's big board including six players ranked in the top 80 NFL draft prospects. at Projected contract: Three years, $25.5 million ($8.5M per year, $16.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 65 2021 Snaps: 1,148 Wagner's resume speaks for itself. Johnson finds himself in one of the most unique contract situations in NFL history. Denver let Alexander Johnson walk in free agency, which depleted this unit. A defender who can blow up screen plays and make takedowns in the open field. 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Parsons is versatile, smart and instinctive. 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. While Chicago lost Akiem Hicks and Khalil Mackin the offseason, this unit could be rather strong again with some of the additions made in the secondary, and with the defensive-minded Matt Eberflus taking over as head coach. You are not logged in. 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. 14 overall linebacker with a 72.3 PFF grade, and the No. He had a career year, helping turn around the Eagles' defense with the second-best grade among off-ball linebackers (84.4). PFF predicts Bears will sign three top-50 free agents originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. Only Micah Parsons graded out higher than Werner among first-year linebackers last season. 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. He pairs with the solid Matt Milano, who posted the second-best season grade of his career (67.0) in 2021. Adam Holt. Projected contract: Two years,$12.5 million ($6.25M per year), $8 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 139 His first year with the Packers resulted in a whopping 85.0 mark. . His 170 combined takedowns ranked third among linebackers this past season. David also just put forth his worst season since 2016, posting a 72.3 grade. That's because he's both a speedy 240 pounds and one of the best tacklers in the class, having missed only seven times on 138 career attempts. 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. 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. From Week 9 of 2020 through Jewells injury in Week 2 of this season, his 79.8 overall grade ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers and his 79.5 coverage grade ranked fifth. This is a case of one elite linebacker pulling along another whose narrative hasnt really matched his production. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. A new defensive coordinator and scheme will help him, though. 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. In 2019 and 2021 with the Ravens, he graded out to 80.0 and 74.8, respectively. Please try again later. Jewell is the other Denver off-ball linebacker who missed the majority of the 2021 season with a torn pectoral muscle, but hes three years younger than Johnson. 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. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Turn on this feature to cross off players during your draft. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level. Nakobe Dean was widely considered to be a potential first-round pick before the 2022 NFL Draft. Ranking 10 best NFL landing spots for Richardson, 2023 NFL combine: WR/TE winners and losers, Takeaways from NFL combine measurements for WR, TE, Pete Prisco's top 100 NFL free agents of 2023, NFL combine: Grading top QBs, plus winners and losers, NFL combine 2023 tracker: Top performances, highlights, Ranking the NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022, NFL Combine: Grading top QBs; winners and losers, NFL Draft: Top landing spots for Richardson, Mock Draft: Panthers, Colts trade up for QBs, Colossal Richardson sets multiple QB combine records, Pascal robbed at gunpoint, assaulted; WR 'doing fine', Bryce Young measures similar to former No. A pair of Seahawks came in at No. 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. 2021 Snaps: 717 10. Andersen is a converted running back and quarterback who, in his lone full season at linebacker, racked up an absurd 67 stops. Click here for PFF's full list of top 100 free agents. 2021 PFF grade: 60.4 (30th of 89). It had been three full seasons since his best play, and that best play was nowhere near elite. Hes the complete package for a modern off-ball linebacker. This was the last season that the conference used divisions in its football scheduling. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. 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. Luckily for the Philadelphia Eagles, he was still available in the third round. both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. 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). 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. AVG. Alabama linebacker Christian Harris is the last player in PFF's top 100, with a plus 60 overall, pass rush, and run defense grade but just above 50 for his coverage grade. 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.
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