Leonard burst onto the scene with 163 combined tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season back in 2018. Projected contract: Three years, $25.5 million ($8.5M per year, $16.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 65 Parsons took the NFL by storm in his rookie season, recording 84 combined tackles and a Dallas Cowboys rookie record 13 sacks. He has yet to post a sub-70.0 grade, with three out of his four years coming in above 78.0. He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasnt quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons. Seven 49ers listed on PFF Top 101 Players of 2022 ranking By Site Staff follow Feb 23, 2023 at 12:56 PM -- shares Seven San Francisco 49ers landed on Pro Football Focus' Top 101 Players. 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. Projected contract: Two years, $9.5 million ($4.75M per year), $5.25 million total guaranteed. . Lloyd, who earned a 90.0-plus grade at Utah in 2021, does look set to start. There are also linebackers who are at their best in coverage, which is useful for todays NFL. NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler. Divine Deablo had some interesting moments as a rookie in 2021 and is worth keeping an eye on. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Despite what PFF says, I don't think there are that many more linebackers who are better in coverage than Kendricks. 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. I laid out some of my thoughts on their situations, rambling on longer for some more than others. 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. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports. Perryman was looking for a new contract heading into 2022 but ultimately played out the year, earning a strong 80.5 run-defense grade. The Titans ask a lot of their off-ball linebackers, and Long can do it all. section: | slug: ranking-nfls-top-10-linebackers-entering-2022-new-no-1-as-bobby-wagner-finally-dethroned | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Rounding out the top-tier of linebackers. Las Vegas brings in Jayon Brown from the Titans to play alongside Denzel Perryman. He even hit 107 combined tackles in 2020 despite playing in just 11 games! Click here to view PFF's full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding. Next to him is the underrated Josh Bynes, who returned to Baltimore in 2021 after one season in Cincinnati. The 2022 season was Tranquills first as a full-time starter following Kyzir Whites departure, and his 105 tackles were more than his first three seasons combined. Lloyd can take on blocks, blitz and cover tight ends at a high level, which is why he earned a 90.2 grade this year with above-average grades in every facet. Smith is a complete athletic projection. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. Power Rankings are PFFs NCAA power ratings based on weekly player grades in each facet of play. They also signed linebacker Myles Jack and D-lineman Larry Ogunjobi. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 64.2 (24th of 89). Davids 72.3 overall PFF grade is the lowest mark he has posted in a single season since 2016, and Wagners 71.8 was his lowest since 2015. Nevertheless, he is clearly an ascending young player contributing immensely to Tennessees defense that finished first in expected points added per rush allowed on the season. Projected contract: Two years, $15 million ($7.5M per year, $10M total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 86 This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. Brown has seen his play taper off after a really nice sophomore campaign in 2018 in which he posted an 81.2 grade. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. Their tackle efficiency and every-down roles make them the most coveted players at the position. There's no telling what he could be with more reps at the position. He went from having a one-year contract worth $2 million to signing a five-year deal that carries an AAV of $10 million! Smith has recorded at least 101 combined tackles in each of his four NFL seasons, and his last two campaigns have been impressive. 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. Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. Hes earned himself a nice raise. 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. Research past fantasy performance with sortable player stats including PFF-exclusives like aDOT and fantasy points per opportunity. 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 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. at Best Bets Tool, PFF Free Agency Rank: 27 Edmunds is just 24 years old and entering his fifth NFL season. 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. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports. His past two years against the run have been horrid, with him posting 39.8 and 30.0 run-defense grades. Chicago signed Nicholas Morrow from Las Vegas to fill the spot next to Smith for 2022. Overall, Georgia has 11 players in PFF's big board including six players ranked in the top 80 NFL draft prospects. The 12th. 14 overall linebacker with a 72.3 PFF grade, and the No. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports. He packs a punch as a downhill player, as he can light up offensive linemen with ease. These power rankings are adjusted based on coach, quarterback and the market each season. 2021 Snaps: 783 That could be a problem for folks expecting the same numbers. 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. Cole Holcomb, WAS: Impressive young linebacker who could see the numbers improve in 2022. 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. Teams could do a lot worse than White if they are looking for a solid weakside linebacker who has the speed to stay with pass-catchers in coverage for the most part. 4. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. Losing Kyle Van Noy, the highest-graded coverage linebacker in 2021, will hurt. 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. 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. Pratts 90.1 coverage grade was the best mark in the NFL. Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. There's no way he was going to get better, right? The Jaguars replaced Jack with Oluokun, who also has outstanding physical traits. 2021 PFF grade: 65.1 (T-23rd of 89). Recently, Seth Galina from PFF ranked all 32 linebacker units in the league. 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 ACC consisted of 14 members in two divisions. His 18 quarterback pressures ranked fourth among off-ball linebackers, as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick continued to deploy the 6-foot-3, 260-pounder all over the place in his constantly evolving defense. #1 - Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner The San. Ranking NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022: New No. Philadelphia brought Edwards back in 2022 on a one-year, $2.15 million deal at a position they have all but refused to invest in with top draft capital or free-agent dollars in many years, but Edwards may put the Eagles positional value to the test this offseason if they want to keep him around. 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. 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. 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. Denver let Alexander Johnson walk in free agency, which depleted this unit. 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?. 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. In 10 seasons, he has been named an All-Pro eight times, made the Pro Bowl eight times and led the NFL in tackles twice. Perhaps no player better sums up the volatility of linebacker play than the newly minted All-Pro, De'Vondre Campbell. He ended up making the Pro Bowl by logging a career-high 863 snaps and racking up 121 tackles and 61 defensive stops. Both players posted the highest grades of their career, helping the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. 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 . With that said, an elite linebacker does make a defense better there just arent that many of them in the league at this moment. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. Campbells ranking could justifiably be at the very top of this list or somewhere in the 30s, based on his career so far. 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. Jordyn Brooks is an ascending star who will get more snaps this year. He at least improved upon his 29.7 grade as a rookie with a 43.5 mark in Year 2. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate, Tremaine Edmunds, within the Buffalo defense. Drafting Quay Walker out of Georgia in the first round also helps the Packers' cause. 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. 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. Walker had a career year for the Browns in 2021, and his 78.2 PFF coverage grade was the highest of his career. It had been three full seasons since his best play, and that best play was nowhere near elite. 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. 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. After looking like he might be the next great linebacker earlier in his career, Deion Jones play has fallen off a cliff. 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. This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. Tranquill is coming off a career year in L.A. He, perhaps critically, chose to stay in the defense that helped produce that phenomenal season, but we are all too aware of the folly of using just one season of play to determine everything we know about a player. Dean's range at the linebacker position is unparalleled in this draft class. Hes not great in other facets, but stopping the run is still an important aspect of the position. 6 in the NFL in sacks and No. All Rights Reserved. Though he's 32 years old, David hasn't taken a major step backwards just yet. The transition from college football to the NFL used to be smooth for linebackers, but even elite prospects can now struggle in Year 1. In his recent post on linebackers, PFF's Sam Monson ranked Nick Bolton No. He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. 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. The PFF grades aren't always right on point, but they do serve as a generally effective tool for comparisons . Some may think Wagner is too high on this list, and while he took a small step backwards in 2021, he's still one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Parsons actually finished No. Murray surrendered a near-perfect passer rating into his coverage in 2021, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. 70 & No.71 on PFF's Top-101 players for the 2022 NFL season.