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. As stated in the article, Galina only included true off-ball . Jayron Kearse was a top 10 strong safety by their own metric. 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. Nevertheless, he may have to play on a one-year prove-it deal as he recovers. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports Speed and Matthew Adams late-round dart throws. despite dropping into coverage at times. PFF predicts Bears will sign three top-50 free agents originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago. Nick Bolton and Willie Gay are two young linebackers who came on strong last season. 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. 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. 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. They spent a lot of money on Roquan Smith at the linebacker spot, [so] why not bring in another Georgia guy?" . 2021 PFF grade: 53.0 (50th of 89). 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. Research past fantasy performance with sortable player stats including PFF-exclusives like aDOT and fantasy points per opportunity. 1. 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. 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. Projected contract: Three years, $25.5 million ($8.5M per year, $16.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 65 Another player without elite physical tools, Jewell reads the game very quickly and is consistently in the right place at the right time against the run. 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. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. Rounding out the top-tier of linebackers. 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. 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. Click here for PFF's full list of top 100 free agents. On Tuesday, PFF's Seth Galina released his linebacker rankings for all 32 teams in the NFL. Murray surrendered a near-perfect passer rating into his coverage in 2021, allowing 14 catches on 15 targets for 132 yards and two touchdowns. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. Rounding out the top-tier of linebackers, Lavonte David is likely another surprise player based on where he tends to go in drafts, but dont let the age fool you. He also made the absolute most of the occasional blitz, tallying 15 pressures, five sacks and three more quarterback hits on 70 pass-rush snaps. 2022 NFL Free Agency Rankings: Linebackers - PFF Josey Jewell and Jonas Griffith should be the starters, with free agent signing Alex Singleton looking for snaps, as well. Better luck with his health led to a respectable 63.8 overall grade and 72.6 pass-rush grade in 2021. 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. Just 25, he's on his way. PFF's top 101 NFL players has top five ranking for former Nittany Lion His first season in Green Bay produced an overall PFF grade of 85.0 and earned him a $50 million extension, but before that, Campbells PFF grades fell between 49.0 and 69.1 for two different teams. David also graded out as the No. Click here to view PFF's full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. 2022 NFL linebacker unit rankings: San Francisco 49ers claim the - PFF 2023 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Linebacker - pff.com Tremaine Edmunds has not quite lived up to expectations, but hes still young and can grow into a good player. He subsequently graded out to 76.5 in his first season. 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 . Parsons was the No. 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 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. 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. Tuesday Round-Up: Seahawks No.8 In Pro Football Focus 2022 Linebacker 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. He's been an All-Pro each year, and a Pro Bowler for three straight seasons now. Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. LB Rankings: 2022 Regular Season - FF Today 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. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. 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. Titans' LB duo lands smack-dab in the middle of PFF's rankings Still, the Rams ranked fourth in the NFL last season in zone coverages (82.60%). 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. Projected contract: Two years, $18 million ($9M per year, $11.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 55 is likely another surprise player based on where he tends to go in drafts, but dont let the age fool you. With that in mind, some of these units have fewer members than others. 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. There are a lot of unknowns in this group due to inexperience. 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings 1. After missing most of the regular season. This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. NFL's top 10 linebackers in 2022 - sportskeeda.com Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys The first-ever unanimous Defensive Rookie of the Year has quickly become the standard for linebacker play in the NFL. Both players posted the highest grades of their career, helping the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. 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. 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. 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. 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. Lavonte David is still one of the best linebackers in the game . Colts linebackers receive high praise in latest linebacker rankings 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. With Smith entering the final year of his rookie deal, Spotrac believes he's in line to sign a five-year, $88.18 million extension. He recorded 122 combined tackles, four interceptions and a whopping eight forced fumbles, which led the league. He pairs with the solid Matt Milano, who posted the second-best season grade of his career (67.0) in 2021. 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. Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. Click here to view PFFs full IDP rankings for the 2022 season and tiers for the defensive linemen and defensive backs. These athletes are called upon to be run-stuffing defensive linemen on some downs, and hybrid cornerbacks on others. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. With Oluokun one of the few young players available, a market could develop for him that exceeds expectations. #1 - Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner The San. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. 70 & No.71 on PFF's Top-101 players for the 2022 NFL season. Therefore, they are included in our. Hes the complete package for a modern off-ball linebacker. March 2, 2023 3:21 pm ET. 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. However, both Mike Williams and Tee Higgins didn't get a whole lot of love and are lower on the list. When healthy, Johnson is among the best sideline-to-sideline run-defenders at off-ball linebacker in the league. Projected contract: Two years, $14.5 million ($7.25M per year), $8.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 99 Chenal is going to thrive in man-blitz-heavy schemes. NFL LB Position Grades | PFF He didn't end the 2021 campaign in the best fashion, but did rebound to record 13 combined tackles, two tackles for loss, four QB hits and two passes defensed in Tampa Bay's two postseason games. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. The Packers long searching for a reliable off-ball linebacker brought Campbell aboard on a one-year, $2 million contract, and his 86.7 overall grade was second among linebackers through Week 8 while his 90.7 run-defense grade ranked first, leading to a Pro Bowl nod. That 42.0 mark was his first time dropping below 70.0 since 2015. Tindall is a true sideline-to-sideline linebacker. He finished as the highest-graded linebacker in football, recording 140 tackles, two interceptions and a career-high six sacks. NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler. 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. 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. However, he earned an additional $500,000 in incentives along with a trip to the Super Bowl, so it couldve been worse, all things considered. He put forth a monster rookie season in 2019 but hasnt quite attained the same highs in subsequent seasons. 16 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft as the second-youngest player in the overall class. Login or Register Projections: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF | DL | LB | DB Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 24, 2022 2022 NFL Linebacker Rankings and Tiers | NFL News, Rankings and - PFF You must be logged in and create a league profile to apply custom fantasy scoring to the stats, projections and rankings pages. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 60.4 (30th of 89). Jaguars linebacker corps doesn't fare well in PFF ranking - Black and Teal The Rams attacked the linebacker position this offseason, adding. Johnson finds himself in one of the most unique contract situations in NFL history. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 83.5 (N/A). Though he's 32 years old, David hasn't taken a major step backwards just yet. Divine Deablo had some interesting moments as a rookie in 2021 and is worth keeping an eye on. Potentially losing a step or two with age can be negated by elite play recognition and instincts, both of which David has in spades. His first year with the Packers resulted in a whopping 85.0 mark. Age: 28. 10. 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. 2021 PFF grade: 43.7 (71st of 89). Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). David Long, meanwhile, was playing at a solid level before an injury forced him to miss most of the second half of the 2021 season. 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. 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. 2022 NFL Draft prospects: Ranking top inside linebackers in this year's 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 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. Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. San Francisco 49ers . David missed five games in 2021 due to injury, but he still had a solid season, recording 97 combined tackles. . 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. 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. , who draws all the attention at the offensive line, opening up room for the linebackers for clean tackle opportunities. 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. Rankings&Projections |WR/CB Matchup Chart |NFL & NCAA Betting Dashboards | NFL Player Props Tool | NFL & NCAA Power Rankings 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