A new defensive coordinator and scheme will help him, though. Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs the ball against Green Bay Packers inside linebacker De'Vondre Campbell (59) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. While those grades arent poor, by any stretch, they are a notable step down from these players' excellent career baselines and some way short of their elite best. 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. 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. 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. He is a truly freakish athlete and will be 25 years old throughout his entire sixth NFL season in 2023 after being selected No. Eichenberg was a PFF first-team All-American this past season and is the most valuable returning linebacker according to PFF's wins above average metric. The Penn State product ranked No. heading into 2022, here's how each team's linebacking corps stacks up. Let's have a look at them. The former undrafted free agent is in for a big pay raise this offseason after making the absolute most of his one-year deal. Hightower opted out of the 2020 season, and after a bit of a slow start getting reacclimated to the speed of the NFL game, he was back to his old self for stretches of the 2021 season. There may be no better all-around linebacker in the class. Here's the top 10 entering the 2022 season: 1. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 24, 2022 Put some respect on Demario Davis pic.twitter.com/4jzOf4GYS1. at 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. 88 selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. Parsons is versatile, smart and instinctive. 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). The Vikings also brought in the underrated Jordan Hicks from the Cardinals in free agency. 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. 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. After looking like he might be the next great linebacker earlier in his career, Deion Jones play has fallen off a cliff. 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. Jewell missed almost all of 2021 due to injury but is a run-stuffing force when on the field. Typically, David is the ideal linebacker for IDP. 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. After Warner's monster 2020 campaign, we thought he could be the No. Now, Brown hits free agency coming off a career-low 421 snaps, though he still maintained a 60.0-plus coverage grade, which is where he derives a lot of his value as an off-ball linebacker. He allowed 81.0% of passes thrown his way to be caught and missed 17 tackles in all. With Oluokun one of the few young players available, a market could develop for him that exceeds expectations. The 1B tier has just as much going for them, with zone-heavy defenses, expected positive tackle efficiency and an every-down roles. He's been an All-Pro each year, and a Pro Bowler for three straight seasons now. is likely another surprise player based on where he tends to go in drafts, but dont let the age fool you. He finished as the highest-graded linebacker in football, recording 140 tackles, two interceptions and a career-high six sacks. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate, Tremaine Edmunds, within the Buffalo defense. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate. That could be a problem for folks expecting the same numbers. Diggs had a high EPA and was an all pro who bad habits come from gambling. Then there's the added bonus of playing behind Aaron Donald, who draws all the attention at the offensive line, opening up room for the linebackers for clean tackle opportunities. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. Still, the Rams ranked fourth in the NFL last season in zone coverages (82.60%). 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. 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. The Ravens are still looking for that breakout year from Patrick Queen after two subpar seasons. 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. 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. 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. The strongest players are experts at open-field takedowns and make it hard for quarterbacks to feel comfortable throwing toward the middle of the field. 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. Linebacker Rankings: 2022 Regular Season, Updated: 9/1/2022 Want Custom Fantasy Scoring? 23 in 2021. Jordyn Brooks is an ascending star who will get more snaps this year. 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. 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. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports. 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. Overall, Georgia has 11 players in PFF's big board including six players ranked in the top 80 NFL draft prospects. The redshirt junior is a dominant run-stuffer, as his 49 run-defense stops in 2022 ranked second among all linebackers in the country while his 20 tackles for loss/no-gain were tied for third. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports. 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 . Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing. Monson ranked Long, who has been an absolute steal since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft, as the No. Walker had a career year for the Browns in 2021, and his 78.2 PFF coverage grade was the highest of his career. Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks Seattle's defense may have deteriorated around him, but Bobby Wagner remains the class of the linebacker position, especially since Luke Kuechly 's retirement. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. 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. All of this culminates with the 2022 NFL Draft from Las Vegas, Nevada on Thursday, April 28th. Despite what PFF says, I don't think there are that many more linebackers who are better in coverage than Kendricks. Vander Esch earned a 90.0-plus grade in three starts in 2021, including two such outings over the final five weeks. David also graded out as the No. Nevertheless, he may have to play on a one-year prove-it deal as he recovers. Parsons took the NFL by storm in his rookie season, recording 84 combined tackles and a Dallas Cowboys rookie record 13 sacks. 8:44 am ET. Projected contract: Two years,$12.5 million ($6.25M per year), $8 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 139 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. Edmunds is just 24 years old and entering his fifth NFL season. 1 as Bobby Wagner finally dethroned Ranking the top 10 linebackers for the upcoming NFL season By Jordan Dajani Jun 28, 2022 at. 1 on our list. The top 10 linebackers in NFL currently are dynamic weapons and reliable leaders. 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. Click here for PFF's full list of top 100 free agents. 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. Matt Ryan, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, and Lee Smith (don't hate on the importance of the old school tight end) will no longer be suiting up for the team in 2022. In 2022, he boasted a pass . Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. Amid replacement-level cornerback and safety play at times, Warner's gravitas over the middle of the field allowed the team to play a high percentage of zone coverage to protect its outside cornerbacks. Teams are afraid to throw at Surtain, and he has one of the lowest target totals among . Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Oluokun is coming off a PFF run-defense grade of 44.0 and a coverage grade of 54.4. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports. 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.
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