3 linebackers Seahawks should . The 2022 season was Longs first as a full-time starter at middle linebacker, but hes made the most of opportunities in the past. White backed up his first season as a starter in 2021 with another solid campaign in 2022, earning grades of at least 62.0 against the run and 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. Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). 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. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. That could be a problem for folks expecting the same numbers. A defender who can blow up screen plays and make takedowns in the open field. He has yet to post a sub-70.0 grade, with three out of his four years coming in above 78.0. 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. 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. After looking like he might be the next great linebacker earlier in his career, Deion Jones play has fallen off a cliff. Monson ranked Long, who has been an absolute steal since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft, as the No. The first week of March will see the NFL Combine which will be followed by College Pro Days. . Hes not great in other facets, but stopping the run is still an important aspect of the position. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. Pro Football Focus has finalized the regular season grades for the 2022 NFL season. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers The 49ers struck gold when they drafted Warner in the third round in 2018. 2021 PFF grade: 64.2 (24th of 89). Better luck with his health led to a respectable 63.8 overall grade and 72.6 pass-rush grade in 2021. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports. They happily scooped up the extremely talented Georgia linebacker. Campbell is a one-year wonder at the moment, but that year was All-Pro caliber and the most recent thing we have seen from him. The former undrafted free agent is in for a big pay raise this offseason after making the absolute most of his one-year deal. Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings. The former third-round pick still has room to grow as a coverage player, but at 6-foot-1 and 235 pounds, he moves well enough in space to not be a liability in coverage. 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. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate, Tremaine Edmunds, within the Buffalo defense. Here's the top 10 entering the 2022 season: 1. The main contributors to a linebackers IDP success are the volume of defensive snaps combined with playing in zone-heavy defenses, which rack up tackles more efficiently. 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. The second linebacker tier features 17 linebackers on teams that are expected to be less zone-heavy than those in the tier above. 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. He had been one of the more consistent players at the position in the NFL, and so theres a chance he regains his form. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level. White landed with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year, $3 million flier last offseason after his market didnt pan out too well. 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. 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. 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. This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. The Seahawks selected Cody Barton out of Utah with the No. Cole Holcomb, WAS: Impressive young linebacker who could see the numbers improve in 2022. . 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 Edwards has posted 75.0 grades or better in two of his three NFL seasons and is one of the more underrated players in the league. The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding. 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. His 75.9 grade two years marked a career high. 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. A pair of Seahawks came in at No. Projected contract: Two years, $18 million ($9M per year, $11.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 55 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. Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. The 49ers applied the second-round restricted free agent tender at a price tag of $3.986 million to Al-Shaair for the 2022 season, perhaps illustrating that they feared he would get signed to an offer sheet elsewhere if they went with the right of first refusal tender. Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. Honorable mentions: Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Logan Wilson, Shaq Thompson, Alexander Johnson, Deion JonesJeremiah Owusu-Koramoah,Zach Cunningham, Anthony Walker, C.J. Wilson showed in the playoffs that he could finally have answered a real problem area for the Cincinnati Bengals, showing up with multiple excellent PFF game grades and making plays in coverage. 14 overall linebacker with a 72.3 PFF grade, and the No. Leonard burst onto the scene with 163 combined tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season back in 2018. 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. 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. 15 overall among NFL linebackers.Bolton was in his sixth tier, which was reserved for "young ascending" players at the linebacker position. 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. The 12th. 1. 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. The rest of 1A should surprise no one, with this group almost filling out the consensus top-five linebackers in ADP terms,. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. He also registered an absurd pass-rushing grade of 93. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. 4. Since entering the league, Warner has 118 or more total tackles in every season and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2020. He went from having a one-year contract worth $2 million to signing a five-year deal that carries an AAV of $10 million! Denver let Alexander Johnson walk in free agency, which depleted this unit. He may be coming off one of his worst statistical seasons in recent memory, but he also missed five games with injury. Hes great at every aspect of linebacker play. 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. 10. 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. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 43.7 (71st of 89). Speed and Matthew Adams late-round dart throws. The Penn State product ranked No. James Bradberry (74.1) 2022 PFF Grade 20th ranked Darius Slay (73.1) 2022 PFF Grade 25th ranked Avonte Maddox (71.3) 2022 PFF Grade 33rd ranked Josiah Scott (58.4) 2022 PFF Grade. With that being said, Warner is still an elite linebacker and has recorded at least 118 combined tackles in each of his four NFL seasons. His 62 run stops over the last two seasons ranks ninth among off-ball linebackers, and his 18 tackles for loss or no gain is tied for 14th. 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. He was. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports. Edwards has shown that as much as linebacker is one of the most athletic-traits-driven positions in football, prospects with marginal physical tools can still become solid NFL starters. 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. After Warner's monster 2020 campaign, we thought he could be the No. The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding Bobby Wagner. 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 Denver Broncos. Johnson finds himself in one of the most unique contract situations in NFL history. The Rank value requires a minimum number of snaps played. That's still a very good grade, but there should be concerns about his age and a potential decline going forward. David also just put forth his worst season since 2016, posting a 72.3 grade. s departure, and his 105 tackles were more than his first three seasons combined. That 42.0 mark was his first time dropping below 70.0 since 2015. 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. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. You must be logged in and create a league profile to apply custom fantasy scoring to the stats, projections and rankings pages. At age 30, Kendricks should again be one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL in 2022. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. Jordyn Brooks is an ascending star who will get more snaps this year. despite dropping into coverage at times. Nakobe Dean was widely considered to be a potential first-round pick before the 2022 NFL Draft. He also frequently lines up at safety, defensive line and nickel corner, and if he had his way . There may be no better all-around linebacker in the class. 23 in 2021. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level. Across the three years prior to joining Green Bay, Campbell hadnt earned a grade higher than 56.6 in any season. In 2021, Davis was given a career-high AV of 15 while again being named an All-Pro after he recorded 105 combined tackles, 13 tackles for loss and three sacks. 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. "He posted a 1.5 percent drop rate in 2022, which . Below, we will rank the NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022. 2 in the NFL, only trailing Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers. The former No. 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. Micah Parsons this season: 0 TDs allowed in coverage (284 snaps) 88.7 PFF Grade (1st among all LBs) 93.0 pass-rushing grade (Best in NFL) pic.twitter.com/Lq7G9IVzuU. One of the best off-ball linebackers of his generation, David is still playing at an extremely high level and may benefit from New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis and Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner playing very good football well into their 30s on recently signed contracts of their own. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 80.1 (3rd of 89). Mosley, Foye Oluokun. 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?. 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. 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. Lavonte David has been one of the best linebackers in the league for almost a decade, whereas teammate Devin White has not graded above the 51.9 mark he attained as a rookie. Okereke stepped up in a major way in the absence of fellow off-ball linebacker Shaquille Leonard, with his 72.9 grade ranking 23rd at the position. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. He might not even start this season. Devin Lloyd, Utah BIG BOARD RANK: 15 Edwards was one of just four linebackers to earn grades above 75.0 in run defense and coverage, generating 11 quarterback pressures on just 26 pass-rush snaps, as well. 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. He was All-Pro just one year ago, and has been a leader for this Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense since the days when the franchise was going 2-14. Consequently, the list of consistently elite players is far shorter than for other positions, and there is much more volatility in this position group. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports. PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. Parsons is versatile, smart and instinctive. Meanwhile, TJ Watt led the league in sacks (22.5) and was the Defensive Player of the Year. He had a career year, helping turn around the Eagles' defense with the second-best grade among off-ball linebackers (84.4). The 30-year-old linebacker will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career after a delayed start to his NFL career, and now hell be working his way back from a torn pectoral muscle injury. Smith is a complete athletic projection. Van Noy also has the complicating factor of being one of the multiple linebackers who only seems to function at a high level within the New England Patriots defense. Turn on this feature to cross off players during your draft. 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. Overall, Georgia has 11 players in PFF's big board including six players ranked in the top 80 NFL draft prospects. 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. Tremaine Edmunds has not quite lived up to expectations, but hes still young and can grow into a good player. 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. Foyesade Oluokun, JAC: New team, new official scorer. . Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith (58) stares into the backfield during pre-game at Nissan Stadium. section: | slug: ranking-nfls-top-10-linebackers-entering-2022-new-no-1-as-bobby-wagner-finally-dethroned | sport: football | route: article_single.us | A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. 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. The Steelers brought in former Jaguar Myles Jack to play alongside him. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. He was not as good a coverage or run-stopping linebacker as he was as a pass rusher, but his talent makes you think he will figure it out shortly. We thought about if Parsons should even be included in this list since he played a fair amount of pass-rusher last season, but the bottom line is that Parsons is a great linebacker who can wear several different hats on defense. Kansas City Chiefs News Chiefs' young linebacker unit breaks into top 10 in PFF rankings The Chiefs' top two linebackers are 22 (Bolton) and 24 (Gay), yet Pro Football Focus finds the. Linebackers with the most INT's in both man and zone coverage last season Man: Bobby Okereke (2) Zone: Darius Leonard (4) pic.twitter.com/RJ4JbjcbYx Something to note is that 3-4 pass-rushers will not appear on this list. 70 & No.71 on PFF's Top-101 players for the 2022 NFL season. Therefore, they are included in our defensive line rankings despite dropping into coverage at times. Here are the best available players remaining heading into Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft. He missed just two tackles in coverage and allowed only four explosive receptions. Projected contract: Two years, $14.5 million ($7.25M per year), $8.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 99 Best Bets Tool, PFF Free Agency Rank: 27 Pro Football Focus's top linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft only kind of, sort of plays linebacker. Click here to view PFF's full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. Drue Tranquill. 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. 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 . 2021 PFF grade: 65.1 (22nd of 89). This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. Kendricks' grade did falter in 2021 a 59.9 mark that was down from 82.6 and 90.1 the past two years, respectively. Jerome Baker, MIA: I love Baker this season as a Top 15-20 sleeper. Subscribe to Sign Up 1. "Latest Update" refers to when we last checked for . He has not graded above 70.0 since. at Barr agreed to a pay cut before the 2021 season that also voided the 2022 and 2023 seasons on his five-year extension signed in 2019. In 2022, he boasted a pass . Walker had a career year for the Browns in 2021, and his 78.2 PFF coverage grade was the highest of his career. The top 10 linebackers in NFL currently are dynamic weapons and reliable leaders. Al-Shaair is in line to get paid as a free agent after teammatesFred Warner and Dre Greenlawfind themselves among the 16 highest-paid off-ball linebackers in the NFL. Now that we're at the end of the 2021-22 NFL season, the free agency picture is coming into focus and teams are beginning to identify potential targets to improve their roster weaknesses. Despite what PFF says, I don't think there are that many more linebackers who are better in coverage than Kendricks. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. After looking like one of the worst linebackers in the NFL for a few years in Green Bay. Here are the top free agents at linebacker, taken from PFF's free agency rankings. 17 linebacker in the NFL going into 2022, placing him in the "young. Pittsburgh Steelers (94/100) Cameron Heyward was second behind only Aaron Donald in PFF's grades of interior defensive linemen last season. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports. the star of the Colts' defense has been rock solid since exploding onto the scene as a rookie. 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. 2021 Snaps: 712 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. The linebacker position in the game of football is one of the most important. While Warner recorded a career-high 137 combined tackles (T-No. Rookie Devin Lloydand sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. Rounding out the top-tier of linebackers. Projected contract: Two years, $9.5 million ($4.75M per year), $5.25 million total guaranteed. 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.