Where are Georgia Bulldogs ranked on PFF's 2023 NFL draft big board? Okereke was particularly stout against the run, with his 13 defensive stops against the run tied for the 13th most. Johnson got off to an unusually late start to his NFL career and has battled injuries, but he has been an excellent linebacker when he has been on the field. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Linebacker Rankings 2022 NFL Draft Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. No linebacker recorded more coverage snaps than Warner in all of 2021. The 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference football season, part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season, was the 70th season of college football played for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). 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. Wilson showed in the playoffs that he could finally have answered a real problem area for the Cincinnati Bengals, showing up with multiple excellent PFF game grades and making plays in coverage. Jack is now trying to reboot his career in Pittsburgh after suffering similar ill-fortune in Jacksonville. Nakobe Dean is a dark horse with this group. Nick Bolton and Willie Gay are two young linebackers who came on strong last season. Diggs had a high EPA and was an all pro who bad habits come from gambling. 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. 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. Tranquill is coming off a career year in L.A. 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. 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. These athletes are called upon to be run-stuffing defensive linemen on some downs, and hybrid cornerbacks on others. Milano was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2017 but has dramatically outperformed his first-round teammate, Tremaine Edmunds, within the Buffalo defense. Parsons lined up as an edge rusher on 40.6% of his snaps as a rookie, and thats where he did the bulk of his damage. Kendricks is another well-rounded linebacker that can cover, as his 73.8 PFF coverage grade ranked No. 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. 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. 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. Van Noy has now had stints in Detroit and Miami, but his good PFF grades are almost exclusively reserved for his time in the Patriots defense. This group could rank much higher by the end of next season. 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. 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. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. 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. Milano has put up outstanding PFF grades in both coverage and against the run but has struggled to put it all together over one season. 8:44 am ET. Now its just a matter of how nice itll be. Projected contract: Two years, $10 million ($5M per year), $5.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 163 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. 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. San Francisco 49ers Projected Starters: Dee Ford, Javon Kinlaw, Arik Armstead, Nick Bosa The 49ers breed defensive linemen. Only Micah Parsons graded out higher than Werner among first-year linebackers last season. 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. While Parsons proved to be a stud pass-rusher, some had questions about his coverage ability coming into the league. 2 in the NFL, only trailing Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers. 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. He told us last week that 15 sacks are the "minimum" in 2022. PFF ranks college football's Top 10 linebacker candidates for the - On3 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. How the 2022 Lions finished in each PFF grading category Hes great at every aspect of linebacker play. 2021 Snaps:444 Seven 49ers listed on PFF Top 101 Players of 2022 ranking To create this list, we took into consideration basic statistics, Pro Football Reference/Stathead's Approximate Value, PFF grades and a guess on how the player will perform moving forward. Expect both young studs to push for 140-plus combined tackles, if healthy. his sure hands also need to be highlighted," PFF's Zoltn Buday wrote. After looking like one of the worst linebackers in the NFL for a few years in Green Bay. The grades for the Detroit Lions in their 9-8 campaign offer up an analytically-based glimpse of how the Lions performed. Galina ranked the Colts at No. The best linebackers in todays league are elite coverage players, but they can also affect the game in other ways. Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith (58) stares into the backfield during pre-game at Nissan Stadium. 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. Chicago signed Nicholas Morrow from Las Vegas to fill the spot next to Smith for 2022. Davis is a player people keep expecting to regress, but he just hasn't. LB Rankings: 2022 Regular Season - FF Today 10 among linebackers last year. The linebacker position in the game of football is one of the most important. Pro Football Focus supported claims of San Francisco's top-end roster by putting seven of their players in the top 101 of the 2022 season. So, who's the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL today? Best Bets Tool, PFF Free Agency Rank: 27 Titans' David Long called a 'young ascending' LB in PFF's rankings Here are the top 10 linebackers scheduled to become free agents in March. He can chase down the fastest of running backs. No linebacker corps gets its collective noses dirtier than the Patriots' unit. 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 lot is riding on the development of Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons, who have simply not played well enough especially for first-round picks. Pratt didnt miss many tackles as a run defender, either, whiffing on just 5.9% of opportunities after three straight seasons above 10% to start his career. Luckily for the Philadelphia Eagles, he was still available in the third round. This is a case of one elite linebacker pulling along another whose narrative hasnt really matched his production. Hes aggressive, has a quick trigger and finds the ball carrier. Here's the top 10 entering the 2022 season: 1. Walker is one of the best run-and-hit linebackers in the class. He has yet to post a sub-70.0 grade, with three out of his four years coming in above 78.0. 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. Getting outside the . 2021 PFF grade: 53.0 (50th of 89). 1. 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. Therefore, they are included in our. Still, the. PFF says the Eagles may have gotten the biggest steal of the 2022 NFL 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 Maybe the most volatile position in football, linebackers have seen their worth in the NFL fluctuate over the years.