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. The transition from college football to the NFL used to be smooth for linebackers, but even elite prospects can now struggle in Year 1. 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. While Mike Zimmer is gone, new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell is an experienced coach who can get the most out of Kendricks and this defense as a whole. Though he's 32 years old, David hasn't taken a major step backwards just yet. Its hard to overstate Fred Warners effect on the 49ers' defense in their run to the NFC championship in 2021. There is hope that Channing Tindall, Miami's rookie linebacker out of Georgia, can find his way on the field. 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. Okereke is now coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 100 tackles and 50 defensive stops. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. This is a case of one elite linebacker pulling along another whose narrative hasnt really matched his production. 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. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 24, 2022 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. 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. Projected contract: Two years, $15 million ($7.5M per year, $10M total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 86 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 A new defensive coordinator and scheme will help him, though. . Perhaps most importantly in todays NFL, Tranquill followed up his 74.6 coverage grade in 2021 with a career-high 75.4 mark, with his 18 stops in coverage a top-20 figure among off-ball linebackers. 3 linebackers Seahawks should . 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. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. Vander Esch has had an up and down first four years in the NFL, but the talent that made him a first-round pick in 2018 still flashes on occasion and will certainly draw attention. After Warner's monster 2020 campaign, we thought he could be the No. Offensive Line | Quarterback | Backfield | Pass-Catcher | Secondary | Linebackers | Special Teams) 2022 NFL Defensive Line Rankings Below is every team ranked 1-32 by how their defensive line shapes up for 2022. Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing Myles Jack to the Steelers. After missing most of the regular season. 3 Rams make PFF's top 101 players of 2022 Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans AFC West Broncos Chargers. However, both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins didn't get a whole lot of love and are lower on the list. 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. 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. He is a fantastic story of earning a job the hard way. By Marc. Campbells ranking could justifiably be at the very top of this list or somewhere in the 30s, based on his career so far. The linebacker position in the game of football is one of the most important. 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. for the folks who say Micah Parsons is an edgethere were four games where he played basically edge only because of injuries, and the rest of the games he was predominantly an off-ball linebackerMicah Parsons is a linebacker who can play edge defender pic.twitter.com/rcjJlM00MS. 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. 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. Singleton has had quite the career path to this point, finally reaching unrestricted free agency ahead of the 2023 season after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the Seattle Seahawks in 2015. 16 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft as the second-youngest player in the overall class. Singleton has had quite the career path to this point, finally reaching unrestricted free agency ahead of the 2023 season after entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent of the, in 2015. 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. Nakobe Dean is a dark horse with this group. Recently, Seth Galina from PFF ranked all 32 linebacker units in the league. After looking like one of the worst linebackers in the NFL for a few years in Green Bay. Typically, David is the ideal linebacker for IDP. 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. He set career highs across the board, notching 146 combined tackles, six QB hits and two interceptions. Something to note is that 3-4 pass-rushers will not appear on this list. Projected contract: Two years, $18 million ($9M per year, $11.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 55 Speed and Matthew Adams late-round dart throws. 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. 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. Hes aggressive, has a quick trigger and finds the ball carrier. Hes the complete package for a modern off-ball linebacker. His processing skills took massive steps forward in 2021, causing his grade to jump from 57.1 to 76.3. The ACC consisted of 14 members in two divisions. Josey Jewell and Jonas Griffith should be the starters, with free agent signing Alex Singleton looking for snaps, as well. Those traits have allowed him to make a lot of tackles, but tackles are not always good plays for linebackers if they come after a big gain on the ground or because they were out of position in coverage. 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. The Jaguars replaced Jack with Oluokun, who also has outstanding physical traits. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Getting outside the . Put some respect on Demario Davis pic.twitter.com/4jzOf4GYS1. Cody Barton is another interesting player who will finally get a chance to start this season. The grades for the Detroit Lions in their 9-8 campaign offer up an analytically-based glimpse of how the Lions performed. If you go back and watch him play throughout his rookie season, you'll not only see a talented pass-rusher, but a good linebacker that can read and react quickly. He's been an All-Pro each year, and a Pro Bowler for three straight seasons now. Edmunds is just 24 years old and entering his fifth NFL season. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. Long plays a downhill, attacking brand of football that helps him blow up a lot of plays but also makes him particularly susceptible to over-committing on play-action passes and missing tackles when he takes a poor pursuit angle. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. at Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports. January 18, 2023 8:22 pm ET. That 42.0 mark was his first time dropping below 70.0 since 2015. February 24, 2023 7:45 am CT. A couple of New Orleans Saints standouts were recognized on the list of the top 101 NFL players of the 2022 season from Pro Football Focus analyst Sam Monson. 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. 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. 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. Despite the inconsistent offense, the Chicago Bears had the No. Here are the best available players remaining heading into Day 2 of the 2022 NFL draft. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. The Georgia Bulldogs have a 12 players participating at the 2023 NFL combine. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. 1 linebacker according to PFF, with a grade of 89.7. 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. 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. After ranking the best individual linebackers heading into 2022, here's how each team's linebacking corps stacks up. He had been one of the more consistent players at the position in the NFL, and so theres a chance he regains his form. The Steelers brought in former Jaguar Myles Jack to play alongside him. 2021 Snaps: 323 Projected contract: Four years, $40 million ($10M per year, $22.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 63 After looking like he might be the next great linebacker earlier in his career, Deion Jones play has fallen off a cliff. However, he will have to get better in coverage. 1. 2021 PFF grade: 83.5 (N/A). He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasnt quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons. 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. One of the most underrated linebackers of the past several years, Demario Davis' late-career emergence as an elite LB has been fun to watch. 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. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. Tindall is a true sideline-to-sideline linebacker. 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. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. Honorable mentions: Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Logan Wilson, Shaq Thompson, Alexander Johnson, Deion JonesJeremiah Owusu-Koramoah,Zach Cunningham, Anthony Walker, C.J. 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. 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. Both players posted the highest grades of their career, helping the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. 2021 PFF grade: 84.3 (2nd of 89). His past two years against the run have been horrid, with him posting 39.8 and 30.0 run-defense grades. Nevertheless, there were several interested teams last time he was a free agent he came very close to signing with theNew York Jetsbefore ultimately returning to Minnesota so it seems defensive coaches think they can find a way to put him in positions to succeed and utilize his athletic ability. Subscribe to Sign Up 1. Players like T.J. Watt, Matt Judon, Harold Landry and Shaquil Barrett are not included. 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. 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. Seahawks LB Jordyn Brooks ranked No. 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 . 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. "He posted a 1.5 percent drop rate in 2022, which . When healthy, Johnson is among the best sideline-to-sideline run-defenders at off-ball linebacker in the league. Al-Shaair missed a lot of time in 2022 but earned a career-best 67.8 overall grade and 79.7 run-defense grade. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. PFF Free Agency Rank: 86 2021 Snaps: 783 2021 PFF grade: 64.2 (24th of 89) 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. It had been three full seasons since his best play, and that best play was nowhere near elite. 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. Foyesade Oluokun, JAC: New team, new official scorer. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. on Pro Football Focus' Top-100 players of 2022 rankings. David also graded out as the No. Better luck with his health led to a respectable 63.8 overall grade and 72.6 pass-rush grade in 2021. Anthony Brown is an okay slot and Kelvin Joseph was actually the highest rated CB. PFF's top linebackers in the 2023 NFL Draft 1. With both Bengals starting safeties in Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell pending free agents, a big extension for wide receiver Tee Higgins likely in play and fellow off-ball linebacker Logan Wilson also eligible for an extension after the season, its possible Pratt hits the market even after a career year. The 1B tier has just as much going for them, with zone-heavy defenses, expected positive tackle efficiency and an every-down roles. 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. 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). 2021 PFF grade: 60.4 (30th of 89). 10. 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. White has had four straight seasons with coverage grades above 60.0, which is not an easy feat for an off-ball linebacker in todays NFL against so many hi-lo concepts and the increase in run-pass options putting a ton of stress on the position. Chicago Bears Roquan Smith and Indianapolis Colts Shaquille (Darius) Leonard stock is falling due to availability concerns, making E.J. This past offseason,San Francisco 49erslinebackerFred Warnerand subsequentlyIndianapolis ColtslinebackerDarius Leonardreset the market at the position just under $20 million per year after years of stagnation. 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. Diggs had a high EPA and was an all pro who bad habits come from gambling. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. I laid out some of my thoughts on their situations, rambling on longer for some more than others. 2021 Snaps: 82 Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. There are a lot of unknowns in this group due to inexperience. Nakobe Dean was widely considered to be a potential first-round pick before the 2022 NFL Draft. AVG. One of the five highest-graded linebackers last season in his first year with Carolina, Luvu is another Demario Davis trajectory candidate. However, he's still a work in progress in coverage and didn't tally a single interception or pass breakup in his college career. Projected contract: Two years, $10 million ($5M per year), $5.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 163 PFF ranked him as one of the 30 best players in the NFL last season, which he certainly was. You must be logged in and create a league profile to apply custom fantasy scoring to the stats, projections and rankings pages. both project to be every-down linebackers on ideal defenses for expected production. Hes not great in other facets, but stopping the run is still an important aspect of the position. Turn on this feature to cross off players during your draft. Final Season Stats. He is set to play next to Anthony Walker, who is a solid if unspectacular player. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys The first-ever unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year has quickly become the standard for linebacker play in the NFL. The former undrafted free agent is in for a big pay raise this offseason after making the absolute most of his one-year deal. 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. Just 25, he's on his way. . That flexibility is tremendously valuable to the Dallas defense, but Parsons could take his game to another level if he shows development off the ball in Year 2. 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. Pro Football Focus has finalized the regular season grades for the 2022 NFL season. He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. Jack is now trying to reboot his career in Pittsburgh after suffering similar ill-fortune in Jacksonville. It's good news, then,. PFF ranks 49ers Fred Warner as the top linebacker in the NFL According to PFF's Sam Monson, the 49ers have the best linebacker in the NFL and another top-20 player at the position. 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. 1 pick, Ex-Patriots star McGinest facing eight years in prison, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report. 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. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. Drafting Quay Walker out of Georgia in the first round also helps the Packers' cause. Devin Lloyd, Utah BIG BOARD RANK: 15 Below, we will rank the NFL's top 10 linebackers entering 2022. However, Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson is not ranked in Pro Football Focus' NFL draft big board rankings. 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. Here are the top off-ball linebackers slated to hit free agency in 2022. 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: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports. And even though he hasnt quite been able to maintain an elite level of play every season, his impact on the field is obvious. 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. Jewell is actually more of an all-around linebacker, but run defense has been his best area in the NFL. Pittsburgh Steelers (94/100) Cameron Heyward was second behind only Aaron Donald in PFF's grades of interior defensive linemen last season. Losing Kyle Van Noy, the highest-graded coverage linebacker in 2021, will hurt. Tremaine Edmunds has not quite lived up to expectations, but hes still young and can grow into a good player. These power rankings are adjusted based on coach, quarterback and the market each season. The Penn State product ranked No. Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Their tackle efficiency and every-down roles make them the most coveted players at the position. NFL NFL Home Tools NFL Scores NFL Premium Stats NFL Player Grades Free Agent Rankings QB Annual 2022 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. 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. San Francisco 49ers . Monson ranked Long, who has been an absolute steal since being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft, as the No. 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. This ranking may be a surprise after the Seahawks lost future Hall of Famer. Leonard burst onto the scene with 163 combined tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in his rookie season back in 2018. 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. It's like your very own digital cheat sheet. 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. PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. 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. 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. They also signed linebacker Myles Jack and D-lineman Larry Ogunjobi. 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. He told us last week that 15 sacks are the "minimum" in 2022. Over the past decade, virtually every stage of the offensive evolution has increased stress on linebackers, putting them in a bind and asking them to account for multiple things on the same play. Perryman was signed to a two-year, $6.085 million contract before the 2021 season and promptly traded to the Las Vegas Raiders before the first week of the campaign. 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. Jewell missed almost all of 2021 due to injury but is a run-stuffing force when on the field. Linebacker Rankings: 2022 Regular Season, Updated: 9/1/2022 Want Custom Fantasy Scoring? Next to him is the underrated Josh Bynes, who returned to Baltimore in 2021 after one season in Cincinnati. 2021 Snaps: 783 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. 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. 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. They're both veteran defenders, and they happened to lead the team in snaps played last season. Click here to view PFF's full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. 4. He was arguably the best player on the best college defense of all time but slipped into the third round of the draft with some potential medical red flags. It was his first season missing fewer than 10% of his tackle opportunities, and he put up an 86.8 overall grade with seven tackles and two defensive stops during a strong playoff run. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. Minnesota Vikings players on both sides of the ball, including Kendricks, have already opened up about the culture change they have felt early on this offseason with Kevin O'Connell. 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 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. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock An error occured while loading Position Grades. Bolton, then a rookie, produced one of the highest individual grades for a linebacker. 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. But in a vacuum, Drue Tranquill and Kenneth Murray are just not good enough players. They happily scooped up the extremely talented Georgia linebacker. 8:44 am ET. This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. 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. Perryman has been the embodiment of that in his NFL career, to the point where he was often kept off the field on passing downs. "Latest Update" refers to when we last checked for . The top 10 linebackers in NFL currently are dynamic weapons and reliable leaders. 2 in the NFL, only trailing Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers. 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. Davids 88.5 coverage grade this season ranked second among off-ball linebackers, and his elite 93.0 mark over the past four seasons is the top mark at the position. 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. 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). His 94.1 run defense grade wasn't too far behindMicah Parsons (94.8) PFF college record.