There is hope that Channing Tindall, Miami's rookie linebacker out of Georgia, can find his way on the field. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock An error occured while loading Position Grades. 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. Teams are afraid to throw at Surtain, and he has one of the lowest target totals among . He's a Hall of Famer, no doubt, but the reason he's so high on this list is because he's not done just yet. Brown appeared to be on his way to a strong free agency in the 2021 offseason after three solid seasons as a starter, but he may have been an unfortunate victim of the salary cap drop, as he ultimately agreed to return to the Titans on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. 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. Muma was one of the most productive defenders in all of college football in 2021, generating 68 total defensive stops, three picks and 21 pressures for the Cowboys. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. Plenty of well-known 'backers had coverage grades in the 30s this past season. Perhaps no player better sums up the volatility of linebacker play than the newly minted All-Pro, De'Vondre Campbell. 2021 Snaps: 82 10. ECR VS. ADP. The Rams have a great defense, and the 32-year-old Wagner could find himself rejuvenated in 2022. Vander Eschs 70.8 grade is his best since his rookie season in 2018, and he also set career highs in missed tackle rate (6.5%) and yards allowed per coverage snap (0.49). Honorable mentions: Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Logan Wilson, Shaq Thompson, Alexander Johnson, Deion JonesJeremiah Owusu-Koramoah,Zach Cunningham, Anthony Walker, C.J. Walker had a career year for the Browns in 2021, and his 78.2 PFF coverage grade was the highest of his career. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level. Login or Register Projections: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF | DL | LB | DB Galina ranked the Colts at No. San Francisco 49ers Projected Starters: Dee Ford, Javon Kinlaw, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa The 49ers breed defensive linemen. Murray surrendered a near-perfect passer rating into his coverage in 2021, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The league may be trending ever more toward the passing game, but there is still a place in the NFL for linebackers who are excellent run defenders first and foremost. There are a lot of unknowns in this group due to inexperience. He can chase down the fastest of running backs. 2021 Snaps: 987 Andersen is a converted running back and quarterback who, in his lone full season at linebacker, racked up an absurd 67 stops. 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. 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. 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. 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. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. 4. He signed a monster five-year, $95 million extension last July, and is worth it considering he's just 25. 2022 NFL Draft Position Rankings: Linebackers By Michael Renner Apr 22, 2022 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. 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. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate, Tremaine Edmunds, within the Buffalo defense. Gay hasnt graded as well but possesses the characteristics to become a top linebacker. Foyesade Oluokun, JAC: New team, new official scorer. 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 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. Tranquill is coming off a career year in L.A. He had been one of the more consistent players at the position in the NFL, and so theres a chance he regains his form. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports. 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. Wagner is no longer with the Seattle Seahawks, signing with the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Ramsthis offseason. His elite run-stopping ability was on display against the Packers in the divisional round, too. 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. . 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. 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. Subscribe to Sign Up 1. 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. 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. March 2, 2023 3:21 pm ET. No. You don't do what he did in his rookie season if you aren't a star. You are not logged in. Although Wagner might be on the downswing of a great career, this unit could push for a top-five spot by the season's end if he rebounds after a poor 2021. His 913 snaps for the Raiders last season was a career-high mark and more than doubled his previous best. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level. section: | slug: ranking-nfls-top-10-linebackers-entering-2022-new-no-1-as-bobby-wagner-finally-dethroned | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Best Bets Tool, PFF Free Agency Rank: 27 PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. Alex Anzalone and Chris Board are two depth players who start for the Lions. At age 30, Kendricks should again be one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL in 2022. 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. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. Put some respect on Demario Davis pic.twitter.com/4jzOf4GYS1. The 12th. 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. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Vander Esch earned a 90.0-plus grade in three starts in 2021, including two such outings over the final five weeks. 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. This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. Leonard was a beast in stopping the run, as his 91.1 PFF run defense grade was second among all defenders in 2021 -- not just linebackers. A new defensive coordinator and scheme will help him, though. There may be no better all-around linebacker in the class. 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. He set career highs across the board, notching 146 combined tackles, six QB hits and two interceptions. 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. 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. The Rank value requires a minimum number of snaps played. 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). After missing most of the regular season. Brown has seen his play taper off after a really nice sophomore campaign in 2018 in which he posted an 81.2 grade. The 1B tier has just as much going for them, with zone-heavy defenses, expected positive tackle efficiency and an every-down roles. 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. 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. Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding.

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