T.J. Watt, EDGE, Steelers (6-4, 252 pounds). Now, let's get to 2021 -- another dominant year for Donald. While Micah Parsons is the unquestioned face of this Cowboys defense, he's simply one out of many Dallas pass rushers enjoying success early this season. The Detroit Lions entered the 2023 NFL Draft on April 27 with nine picks over the three-day draft, but that changed after multiple trades on Thursday and Friday nights. Jalen Ramsey -- who, along with Donald, made the list of players I think should be in the "Madden 99 Club" -- is the best corner in the game. He feels just as comfortable thumping against the run as he does using his nose for the ball in coverage. Eight years, 76.5 total sacks later, Khalil Mack continues to dominate on the defensive side of the football. He's earned his own tier above at this point. ), The Bengals run defense has struggled without D.J. He finished with 33 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, four sacks, thee passes defensed, and 40 pressures. The free agency frenzy is largely in the rearview, but we're hurtling toward the next major event in roster reconstruction. The Next Gen Stats analytics team provides a ranking of the top 10 players at the position in 2022, with some names that could surprise you. at Vote up the best defensive linemen in the NFL in 2022, People Who Should Be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, The Greatest Defensive Tackles of All Time, The Longest Player Suspensions In NFL History. Who SHOULD go No. Not only did he finish fifth in the NFL in sacks with 14, but he also tallied 70 pressures with 27 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles while earning his first Pro Bowl appearance. 2021 stats: 9.5 sacks, 47 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 28 QB hits, 2 forced fumbles, fumble recovery, 25. The ex-Cowboy should help provide room for Bradley Chubb, who was held to zero sacks and limited to seven games last season, to reestablish himself as a top-end pass-rushing threat. Crosby didn't have the sack totals (eight) to back up his pressure rate, but he did finish fourth in quarterback hits (30) and was third among edge defenders in run stops (41). Last season, Crosby was all over the field recording 56 total tackles, eight sacks, seven passes defended and 13.5 stuffs. Look for Clowney to continue to form a dynamic duo with fellow top defensive end Myles Garrett in 2022 after resigning with the Browns. Edge defenders include defensive ends and pass-rushing linebackers, while interior linemen primary play the interior of the defensive line. Who is this year's George Pickens? A second-team All-Pro selection in 2021, Quinn had 49 tackles, 22 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, 47 pressures, and 35 run stops. NFL's highest-paid players on defense in 2022 by salary, As the NFL transitions to a more of passing game, it's become important for D-linemen to excel in the pash rush. The Giants are back in the playoffs! Finishing with his fourth Pro Bowl appearance in five years (third consecutive), Bosa finished with 10.5 sacks, 20 quarterback hits, 61 pressures and seven forced fumbles -- more than he had in his first five seasons in the league. Kancey is a polarizing prospect due to his size: at just 61, 281, Kancey is well below typical size thresholds for the NFL. He also finished with 55 pressures and had a pressure rate of 11% for the third time in four years. Here are my top defenses heading into the 2022 NFL season, Schein Nine-style: Rank 1 San Francisco 49ers Nick Bosa, who received my vote for first-team All-Pro Cameron Jordan : 2 tackles, a sack & a forced fumbleDavid Onyemata : No tackles & a fumble recovery pic.twitter.com/Ypjpco3Y5R. For an optimal experience please rotate your device to portrait mode, Top 10 Outside Linebackers in NFL 2022 Rankings, Top 10 Defensive Tackles in NFL 2022 Rankings, Top 10 Free Safeties in NFL 2022 Rankings. Parsons' rangy playmaking delivered more than expected as he was deployed well from multiple attack positions. Like Allen in New Orleans, Todd Bowles was elevated to head coach this offseason after a strong run as the team's defensive coordinator (three straight top-15 finishes). The Super Bowl LVII matchup is set, but Chiefs-Eagles isn't the only pressing NFL matter. In 11 games last season, Dupree who was in his first season with the Titans posted three sacks and one forced fumble while showing solid speed en route to the quarterback. NFL's top nine defenses in 2022: 49ers, Bills stand tall; Top NFL It would be nice if the Falcons gave him more playmaking help in Dean Pees' system. Aaron Donald is the best defensive player who has ever walked the face of the Earth. Best NFL Defensive College Junior Oregon. He tied T.J. Watt for the NFL lead in tackles for loss last season (21) too. There were other Bucs who could have made this list, including Devin White and Antoine Winfield Jr., but the beefy Vea gets the nod as the devastating table-setter for Todd Bowles' front. NFL NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. OK, so the 1985 Chicago Bears are not walking through that door. The next step for Quinn? What Watt has been able to accomplish in his first five seasons has been historic, as his 150 quarterback hits over his first 77 games trail only his brother J.J. Watt for the most in league history. With the Cleveland Brown's new emphasis on the defensive side of the ball and Garrett taking on his role of leadership, many expect to see a career season from Garrett. 17. Adam Schein reveals the biggest winners and losers from the penultimate Sunday of the 2022 NFL regular season. And the tough D-line was boosted by the addition of D.J. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. pic.twitter.com/5CHFDQZa7J. Heyward is the other excellent defensive lineman on the Steelers roster (yes there are two of them), turning another dominant season into his third First Team All-Pro selection in five years. Safety Justin Simmons has been a prolifically productive defensive back, piling up 331 tackles over the past four seasons, behind only Cincinnati's Jessie Bates in that span. Howard is the last defensive back to make the cut because of stability over others' more flash-or-flameout play (see the Cowboys' Trevon Diggs) in coverage. The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone, and surprises were plentiful. Hargrave had his best season in 2021, the first in Jonathan Gannon's defense. Not only did Bosa lead all edge defenders in forced fumbles, he's one of only three defensive linemen with 10 sacks and five forced fumbles last year (T.J. Watt and Chandler Jones are the others). Jordan, who the Saints drafted out of California during the 2011 NFL Draft, posted his sixth NFL season with at least double-digit sacks after finishing the 2021 NFL schedule with 12.5 total sacks. Let's rank the top 10 edge defenders and interior linemen in the NFL right now, starting with the edge defenders: Barrett certainly has a reputation as one of the best rushers in the NFL, becoming one of the best since he signed with the Buccaneers in 2019. Traditional fantasy football owners will often scoff at those who play in individual defensive player (IDP) leagues, but rest assured, IDP leagues are still going strong. Marshon Lattimore is a play-making corner -- he leads the NFL in passes defensed (74) since the Saints made him a first-round pick in 2017. With Chandler Jones lined up opposite of Crosby, the stage is set for him to have an even bigger year in 2022. Only White (nine), Bruce Smith (seven) and Kevin Greene (six) have more 13-plus sack seasons than Watt -- whose four 13-plus sacks in his first five seasons are tied with White for the most in NFL history. Each week of the 2022 NFL season, the Next Gen Stats analytics team will present a different Position Power Ranking, meant to spotlight the top performances among a specific group of players. NFL Nick Bosa. The 49ers pressured Matthew Stafford on 23 dropbacks in their Week 4 win, the 2nd-most pressures allowed by the Rams in a game under Sean McVay.Nick Bosa generated a career-high 12 QB pressures and now leads the NFL with 22 QBP this season.#LARvsSF | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/NGafrcMGkh. Still one of the best edge defenders in the game, Miller can still get to the quarterback in his 30s. In today's exercise, the formula uses each defensive line's percentile score across a series of key metrics to create one composite score, indicating which units have performed best. 2021 stats: 10 sacks, 89 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 17 QB hits, 9 passes defended, forced fumble, 9. There have only been three games where a defense did not blitz in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016), and all three have been the Bills under Sean McDermott: Week 6, 2020 vs KC Week 5, 2021 vs KC Week 1, 2022 vs LAR#BillsMafia. To preview the 2022 NFL season, we surveyed more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top 10 players at 11 The second-year Tennessee Titan and long time Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end continues to play at a high level despite missing six games last season. The metric and overall scores draw from each unit's performance in Weeks 1-4. In short, the core is legit. Philadelphia ranks seventh in the NFL with 20.2 points allowed per contest on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive backfield is special. Getting pressure with four pass rushers has long been the Eagles' defensive identity, and the start of the 2022 season has been no exception. Nic's value was seen in just how much the 49ers struggled without him and thrived with him. J.C. Jackson, CB, Chargers (6-1, 198 pounds). Von Miller (Bills) Von Miller. He's led the team in tackles in each of his four pro seasons thus far, surpassed in that category by only three players (Bobby Wagner, Shaquille Leonard and Roquan Smith) since he joined the NFL in 2018. His fingerprints will no doubt remain visible on this defense. This led to another First Team All-Pro selection. 2021 stats: 12.5 sacks, 84 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 25 QB hits, 4 forced fumbles, 2. Garrett, who lands at number one on the Top 10 NFL Defensive Ends 2021-22 rankings list, also leads all edge players in the NFL according to PFF based on his 2021 NFL performance. 2022 NFL 1 on this list heading into 2022. Defensive Player Stats (IDP) 2022-2023 - Lineups Bosa finished fourth in the league in sacks and third in quarterback hits, while his four forced fumbles were tied for seventh. While there is still plenty of football left to be played, this would be the second-lowest ppg average in a season since the illegal contact rule was introduced in 1978, trailing only the vaunted 2000 Ravens defense (10.3). Hendrickson and T.J. Watt are the only two players in the league with at least 13 sacks in each of the last two years. Ranking the NFL's most indispensable defensive players for 2022 from 1-25, Bills look Super Bowl-serious at top; 49ers, Broncos, Eagles on the rise. The group of stars headlining the list of the Top 10 NFL Defensive Ends 2021-2022 rankings list, meet that requirement while also ranking as some of the most impactful players on the NFL football field. (And watch out for Javon Kinlaw, whom head coach Kyle Shanahan says "seems more like himself" after having ACL surgery last fall.) He finished third in sacks and pressures, while ranking second in quarterback hits -- showcasing his dominance on the edge. I love Surtain's upside and talent. Where does Jets rookie Sauce Gardner land? Unfortunately, horrible injury luck struck the organization once again when Joey Bosa hurt his groin in Week 3 and was placed on injured reserve. Through Week 4, Philadelphia leads the NFL with 13 sacks and a 10.7 percent sack rate when not blitzing. NFL Aaron Fantasy football IDP rankings 2022 - Top 50 defensive linemen (Larry Ogunjobi signed with the Steelers in June. WebThe Eagles' defense has been paving the way for the team, as they rank second-best in the NFL with 301.4 total yards ceded per game. 2022 NFL Defensive Player Vita Vea, DT, Buccaneers (6-4, 347 pounds). The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Whenever Kansas City has a healthy doing disruptive damage in the middle of its front, it becomes a more active playmaking team behind him, too. He's is one of just five players with multiple seasons of 18-plus sacks (the NFL started recording sacks as an official stat in 1982). There's no question who's No. Garrett is a star, one of just three players (along with Aaron Donald and T.J. Watt) to post double-digit sacks in each of the past four seasons. The Eagles piled up a staggering seven such sacks when facing former Philly QB Carson Wentz in Week 3. This ranking may be low for Barrett, who finished with 65 pressures (seventh in NFL), 10 sacks (tied for 15th), three forced fumbles, and 22 quarterback hits last year. This week, we've assembled a list of the top 10 defensive lines heading into Week 5. Heres a look at the best players, weighing talent, career and 2022 achievement totals. Round 2 NFL mock draft 2023: Best available prospects, predictions Myles Garrett, EDGE, Browns (6-4, 272 pounds) There's a massive With New Year's fast approaching, the NFL playoffs are just around the corner. Not only was Simmons excellent at getting to the quarterback, but his 40 run stops were fifth in the league. NFL The pass rushers get the early love, but Ramsey had to make the top five because of elite shutdown coverage skills to clean up behind Donald. He's running it back to wreak havoc on the entire league again after a fifth consecutive double-digit sack season inside. Jones has improved against the run, solidifying his game as one of the league's best on the interior. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnson, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison eventually all went in succession in the back half of the first round. With that in mind, Adam Schein spotlights nine star players who need help from the 2023 NFL Draft. WebDE. Free-agent tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day earned the best defensive grade from PFF of his career in 2020, when Staley was his coordinator with the Rams. Let's take a look 1. 2021 stats: 122 total tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 QB hits, 8 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions, 8 passes defended, 3 fumble recoveries, 11. In addition, Hendrickson posted three forced fumbles and 34 total tackles while also showing his play making abilities during the postseason. Using a combination of power, strength, and brute force, NFL defensive linemen punish elite offenses so the NFL's best defenses can get turnovers and claim glory. Donald is 31 and has hinted at retiring soon and almost did so while on top of the world with his first Super Bowl ring. Both groups do move outside and inside at times, but we're going where the majority of their snaps are played in 2021. His tackling needs some work, but Simmons is on his way to becoming one of the top interior linemen in the league. He seems to be everywhere against run and pass as the ultimate rangy modern linebacker. There's no way to sugarcoat it. Cameron Heyward, DT, Steelers (6-5, 295 pounds). Unencumbered by fatigue, Buffalo's pass rush has generated the third-highest pressure rate this season (33.1 percent). He also has the most sacks by any No. Which game is featured at the top of NGS's unlikeliest victory rankings? Miller showcased Myles Garrett is the best Defensive End in the NFL right now going into the 2022-2023 NFL season. The only defensive tackle with 30 quarterback hits in 2021, Allen finished with 62 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and 64 pressures. His blend of explosiveness, bend and length at 6-foot-5, 250 pounds is tailor-made to win off the edge in the NFL. NFL Draft Day 2: Best defensive players available. But Year 3 the light went on, and now he's the lead pass rusher with support from Preston Smith opposite him minus Za'Darius Smith. Are the two home teams -- Kansas City and Philadelphia -- clear favorites on Championship Sunday? 2021 stats: 4 interceptions, 77 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, QB hit, 16 passes defended, forced fumble, 5. It would be nice if he can get consistent help from Randy Gregory on the other side. Should Dan dial it back on snaps on some of the vets for guys like Bryant to play more? Top 30 Best Defensive Players In NFL [Latest Updates] - Langley 2022 NFL season's early top-10 defensive lines: Nick CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nfl | pageType: stories | All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Locking up James, who will hope to build on his 2021 season after missing all of 2020 and much of 2019 with injury, was monumentally important for head coach Brandon Staley's Super Bowl-caliber roster. Weight Lbs 254lbs. Crosby earned Second Team All-Pro honors as a result of his breakout season, emerging as one of the top edge rushers in the game. Shaquille Leonard, LB, Colts (6-2, 230 pounds). 46. At 26 years old, Garrett is still squarely in his prime. Jadeveon Clowney, who put up one of the better seasons of his career last year playing alongside Myles Garrett, was smart to come back for more in 2022. Heyward and Watt give Pittsburgh a dynamic duo, too. Von Miller's last sack as a Ram pic.twitter.com/NlrWbvFuE0. A First Team All-Pro for the second consecutive season, Garrett has four consecutive double-digit sack seasons on his resume -- the second-longest streak in the NFL. Also where Nick Bosa, Khalil Mack, and more rank, By Fan Rankings | June 01, 2022 - 01:35 PM. Defensive end for the San His 49.5 sacks since 2016 trail only Donald amongst defensive tackles. Quarterback-needy teams, youre in luck: This is one heck of a quarterback class, with five signal-callers making the top 50. This is a ranking of the best edge defenders and interior linemen right now, not entirely based on past or future success. Denver is on this list even after saying goodbye to Von Miller via midseason trade last year, and that's in large part because of the clutch addition of pass-rushing ace Randy Gregory as a free agent this offseason. Best remaining NFL free agents at each position, Latest NFL OROY, DROY odds: Bijan Robinson favored, Eagles draft recap: What they definitely got right, NFL schedule release target date, plus 5 things we know, Ex-NFL GM's best picks, hidden gems in 2023 NFL Draft, Ranking NFL's top defensive linemen of 2022, Prisco's draft grades for all 32 teams: Eagles ace it, Best, worst, most interesting pick for all, Winners, losers from the draft: Crafty Colts, Undrafted free agent tracker: Team-by-team list of signings, 10 veteran moves that should happen post-2023 draft, Report: Bucs star Barrett's daughter, 2, drowns in pool, Steelers' draft haul one the team hadn't seen in 38 years. Adding J.C. Jackson to a secondary that also features newly extended safety Derwin James and promising youngster Asante Samuel Jr.? Photo: All Pro Reels / flickr / CC-BY-SA 2.0. Ranking the NFL's most indispensable defensive players He brings it hard as a tackler all the time with a great nose for the ball. He is a complete corner who can do everything needed well in their scheme. One of our representatives will be in touch shortly. A massive force on the interior, Vea played a huge role in the Buccaneers finishing with the third-ranked run defense and allowing the fifth-fewest rushing touchdowns in 2021. His 150 tackles for loss and 226 quarterback hits in his first eight seasons are second-most by a player in NFL history (and most for a defensive tackle). It took a while for the Packers to understand where to best deploy Gary in their front seven. New off-ball LB additions Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd have complemented the Jags' defensive line to form a formidable front seven. Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs (6-6, 310 pounds). He has a sharp mind and a loaded team at his disposal. 2 draft pick. Best Players 2020 stats: 7.5 sacks, 42 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 19 QB hits, forced fumble, Vinnie Iyer is an NFL writer at The Sporting News. His 67 pressures were sixth in the NFL and his 39 run stops were tied for fifth. Look what he does to Riley Reiff #OnePride pic.twitter.com/j1qgFO9HH2. Vote up the best NFL defensive linemen in 2022, and help decide who are the best rushers and run-stuffers in the NFL right now! 2021 stats: 4 sacks, 33 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, 3 passes defended, forced fumble, 23. Reader on the field over the last two seasons, allowing 0.6 more yards before contact per carry.Reader has generated 10 defensive stops this season, tied for the 2nd-most among IDL.#RuleTheJungle https://t.co/KAh89pVvJl pic.twitter.com/gSfIgxKgoh. He leads all interior linemen in tackles for loss (59) and is third in quarterback hits (99). But there are early signs he's healthy and rejuvenated playing again on a top defensive scheme with Bosa under Brandon Staley. To find out who they are, read on below. PFT's NFL 2022 defensive player of the year: Nick Bosa - ProFootballTalk Defensive end Nick Bosa finished the season with the most sacks in the NFL, and the Jones remains one of the elite pass rushers at his position, dominating the interior of the line once the Chiefs moved him back inside in the second half of 2021. Hendrickson recorded 3.5 sacks in four games including sacks against Patrick Mahomes, Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr. Some might call it a defensive rating. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Jaire Alexander, CB, Packers (5-10, 196 pounds). Aaron Donald, DT, Rams (6-1, 280) Donald is 31 and has hinted at retiring soon and almost did so while on top of the world with his first Super 2. Also excellent against the run, Heyward finished second among interior linemen with 46 run stops and finished with an incredible 3.7% missed tackle rate (which is excellent for any lineman). Player Summary Though some folks certainly enjoyed it more than others Adam Schein spotlights the winners and losers of Saturday and Sunday. 2021 stats: 8 sacks, 56 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 30 QB hits, 7 passes defended, NFL POWER RANKINGS: Bills look Super Bowl-serious at top; 49ers, Broncos, Eagles on the rise, 8. Bosa and Mack, who have both averaged over nine sacks per season in their NFL careers, are one of the most formidable pass-rushing tandems in the league, while Jackson (22 picks over the past three seasons) is the play-making corner this team has craved. Buckner finished with seven sacks, 18 quarterback hits and 41 pressures last season. Miller showcased he still can be a dominant edge rusher in the postseason, as he played an integral role in getting the Rams to a Super Bowl title. 1 here. He also is better against the run, as his 29 run stops are ranked in the top 25 in the league. The San Francisco 49ers star is coming off a 52 tackle season to go along with 15.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and eight plays stuffed behind the line of scrimmage. DeMeco Ryans' defense has been an overwhelming force through the first four weeks of the 2022 season, limiting opposing offenses to a paltry 11.5 points per game. Who are the best defensive linemen of 2022? Garrett is one of only four players to have at least 58 sacks and 11 forced fumbles since 2017 (Aaron Donald, T.J. Watt, and Chandler Jones are the others). He was the best defensive lineman in the NFL in 2021 and made the game-winning play in the Super Bowl. He still was tied for fourth in the league at his position in sacks, third in tackles (68), tied for third in tackles for loss (10) and quarterback hits. Aidan The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. When you think of a defensive end, you think of a dynamic freak athlete with excellent size, speed and strength forcing havoc on opposing backfields. In three seasons, Crosby has recorded 25 total sacks including a career high 10 as a rookie in 2019. NFL L.A.'s regular-season defensive rankings -- 17th in yards allowed and 15th in scoring -- might not be much to look at, but Morris and Co. really turned it on during the championship run: The Rams ranked second among playoff teams in yards allowed per game (282.3) and third in points allowed per game (18.8). His 58 sacks since 2016 (his rookie season) are sixth in the NFL and his 129 quarterback hits are fifth in the league. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Vea is emerging into one of the top interior linemen in the league, earning his first Pro Bowl appearance as a result of his production. Safeties play a critical role in today's NFL. Mack, who appeared in just seven games last season, recorded six sacks. Tampa Bay has allowed the fewest rushing yards (82.5 per game), fewest yards per carry average (3.72), and fewest rushing touchdowns (32) over the last three years -- a stretch when Vea played 37 games (all starts). How do guys like Lamar Jackson, Bryce Young and Aaron Rodgers stack up against each other? In addition, his play making abilities were on full display during the NFL playoffs where he recorded 4.5 sacks while leading the 49ers to the NFC Championship game. Defensive ends and defensive tackles are going by the wayside, especially with linebackers moving to the edge and rushing the passer -- creating a new wrinkle to the ever-changing formula. His nine sacks trailed only Aaron Donald for the most in the league, as Allen was one of the most productive interior pass rushers last year. He completed 60.9% of his passes which has drawn criticism from NFL Draft Who's the more explosive ball-carrier, Justin Fields or Lamar Jackson? Earning Second Team All-Pro honors for the third time in four years, Jones had nine sacks and 17 quarterback hits despite having only 27 tackles last year. OK, now that we have that basic fact of life out of the way, we can delve into the rest of this starry unit. Yes, please. The Titans defensive tackle was one of the best in the league last year, as Simmons finished with 58 pressures and 8.5 sacks with 16 quarterback hits. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and prime-time regular-season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand and more! Like Miller, there's some of that DPOY pop left in him for a contender. In 2021, he Neither are the Purple People Eaters, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens or the Legion of Boom. Who tops the list? 1. NFL Shaq Barrett has been one of the league's more effective pass rushers, ranking fourth in sacks (37.5) over the past three seasons. Another All-Pro season appears to be in store. While the Jets have been a blitz-averse team (sending extra pass rushers on just 18.1 percent of dropbacks, the fourth-lowest rate in the NFL), they rank sixth in the NFL by sacking opposing quarterbacks on 7.7 percent of dropbacks when not blitzing.