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. The Falcons defense has fallen apart around him, and he no longer has a free run to the football as often as he did when he was playing his best football. 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. Okereke is now coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 100 tackles and 50 defensive stops. I laid out some of my thoughts on their situations, rambling on longer for some more than others. Last but certainly not least, Pratt also peaked at the right time, with his 90.1 overall grade since Week 8 the top mark among linebackers. Tranquill is coming off a career year in L.A. The PFF grades aren't always right on point, but they do serve as a generally effective tool for comparisons . His processing skills took massive steps forward in 2021, causing his grade to jump from 57.1 to 76.3. We have seen elite play from the seventh-year pro, but we've not nearly seen enough of it, given his physical talents. Subscribe to Sign Up 1. Hes the complete package for a modern off-ball 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. 3 min read. After missing most of the regular season, Dre Greenlaw came back for the end of the regular season and playoffs to form the perfect linebacker tandem with Warner. But in a vacuum, Drue Tranquill and Kenneth Murray are just not good enough players. If the Cardinals had spent those picks elsewhere and held on to Jordan Hicks in free agency, they would be in a much better spot. As stated in the article, Galina only included true off-ball . He is a truly freakish athlete and will be 25 years old throughout his entire sixth NFL season in 2023 after being selected No. 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. Final Season Stats. Mosley endured the worst-graded season of his NFL career. 2021 PFF grade: 60.4 (30th of 89). His struggles come in coverage, where he's allowed nearly 1,000 yards over the past two seasons. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports By Sam Monson May 24, 2022 The Georgia Bulldogs have a 12 players participating at the 2023 NFL combine. 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. He has top-notch natural coverage skills for a linebacker his size, but everything else is a work in progress. David missed five games in 2021 due to injury, but he still had a solid season, recording 97 combined tackles. 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. 3) Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints. 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. In his recent post on linebackers, PFF's Sam Monson ranked Nick Bolton No. Here's what PFF wrote about Wagner's season. 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. David also just put forth his worst season since 2016, posting a 72.3 grade. There are a lot of unknowns in this group due to inexperience. That could be a problem for folks expecting the same numbers. The first week of March will see the NFL Combine which will be followed by College Pro Days. A pair of Seahawks came in at No. A position of concern and potential weakness heading into last season has become a real strength for Kansas City. The transition from college football to the NFL used to be smooth for linebackers, but even elite prospects can now struggle in Year 1. Nick Bolton and Willie Gay are two young linebackers who came on strong last season. Fred Warner (San Francisco 49ers) earned the top spot and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts). Adam Holt. Projected contract: Two years, $14.5 million ($7.25M per year), $8.5 million total guaranteed, PFF Free Agency Rank: 99 This is bizarrely true even when he moves to a defense run by a former New England defensive coach. David has been consistent, as only one linebacker has recorded more tackles since he entered the league, and that player is found later on in this list. Parsons actually finished No. After missing most of the regular season. Nevertheless, he may have to play on a one-year prove-it deal as he recovers. 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. despite dropping into coverage at times. Brown has seen his play taper off after a really nice sophomore campaign in 2018 in which he posted an 81.2 grade. The Titans ask a lot of their off-ball linebackers, and Long can do it all. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. . 7 ranking in Pro Football Focus' list of the top 25 safeties of the 2022 . 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?. 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. 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. With that said, an elite linebacker does make a defense better there just arent that many of them in the league at this moment. Unfortunately, he took a bit of a step back from his All-Pro and Pro Bowls ways. 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. His 94.1 run defense grade wasn't too far behindMicah Parsons (94.8) PFF college record. Projected contract: Two years, $18 million ($9M per year, $11.5 million total guaranteed), PFF Free Agency Rank: 55 Los Angeles' overall defense is so good, at least on paper, that it might not matter who plays linebacker. 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. His 2021 campaign wasn't his best, but he seems like a player that's just going to get better, and someone who could end up becoming the next Lavonte David for the Bucs. Age: 28. Therefore, they are included in our. There may be no better all-around linebacker in the class. 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. Edwards was one of just four linebackers to earn grades above 75.0 in run defense and coverage, generating 11 quarterback pressures on just 26 pass-rush snaps, as well. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. That hypothetical AAV of $17.6 million would make Smith the third highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. The Super Bowl has come and gone in 2022 and we have started to turn our attention to the next football season. 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. He also registered a fourth-best 79.4 PFF coverage grade among linebackers despite playing a whopping 680 coverage snaps. Campbells ranking could justifiably be at the very top of this list or somewhere in the 30s, based on his career so far. 2021 Snaps: 679 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. 2022 stats (Chargers): 5 sacks, 146 tackles, 1 forced fumble. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler. NFL NFL Home Tools NFL Scores NFL Premium Stats NFL Player Grades Free Agent Rankings QB Annual 2022 Please try again later. 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. Gay hasnt graded as well but possesses the characteristics to become a top linebacker. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 2021 Snaps: 717 Okereke is a solid stand-in next to Leonard. Leonard is another example of how hard it is to earn those elite PFF grades each season, but he is a turnover machine when he is at his best. Its a rebuilt Jaguars linebacking corps after losing. Potentially losing a step or two with age can be negated by elite play recognition and instincts, both of which David has in spades. Login or Register Projections: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | DEF | DL | LB | DB Edwards has shown that as much as linebacker is one of the most athletic-traits-driven positions in football, prospects with marginal physical tools can still become solid NFL starters. For all the young players' struggles, there are a lot of promising linebackers who have the talent to become elite players at this level.