Ojulari does have one of those years under his belt already earning just a 56.9 PFF pass-rush grade despite some success in the pressure column (42). J.J. Watt is still in the fold as an impact player up front, as his 18.3% pass-rush win rate when healthy last season ranked fifth among all interior defensive linemen with at least 100 pass-rushing snaps, but staying healthy has been the issue for Watt as he enters his 12th NFL season. Minnesotas defensive line could have some volatility based on the health of their starting edge duo of, General manager Brandon Beane and company have continuously poured resources into their defensive line in recent offseasons, and that didnt change this year. The former first-round pick out of Clemson graded out in the 80th percentile on "true" pass rushes last season compared to the 29th percentile across his first two NFL seasons. addition gives the Buccaneers another wrecking ball on the interior to pair with, . PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. 1 in expected points added (EPA) allowed per play. , who has produced at a high level when healthy (88.8 PFF grade in 2021). might actually be the best player on the defensive line entering 2022. Williams looked like a breakout candidate entering the 2021 season. His length and explosiveness complicate matters for opposing offensive lines, with his 45 combined sacks and quarterback hits over the past two seasons ranking fourth among all interior defensive linemen. Bills, Cowboys round out top three: A banged-up Bills secondary is still performing well, and an elite Cowboys defensive line is posing problems for opposing offensive lines. is the defensive tackle on the Raiders roster with the highest 2021 PFF grade at just 61.3 overall. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Parsons 23.4% pass-rush win rate when lined up outside the tackle in 2022 ranked fourth among all players with at least 100 snaps in such alignments, trailing only. have had a more efficient run defense by expected points added per play than the Buccaneers. The defensive tackle position remains the weak point of the unit after combining for a 33.1 PFF run-defense grade in 2021 (30th out of 32 teams). Allen didnt get off to the fastest start to his NFL career, but he has quietly developed into an impactful interior pass-rusher over the past two seasons. Heyward does a great job of winning with strength both against the run and the pass, employing one of the leagues better bull rushes. WR Robbie Anderson: 52.0 20. Discover NFL team overall stats and rankings throughout the season. picks and power rankings. Either way, this is an elite defense that can win games by itself due to its pass rush and overall depth. It still stands out as a group with potential entering the 2022 season, though. It seems strange to say for a team with a reigning two-time MVP at quarterback, but the Packers could lean on their defense in 2022. has improved in each of his last two seasons, making the jump to elite pass-rusher in 2021, as his 26.0% pass-rush win rate trailed only, last season. TE Ian Thomas: 49.6 21. Ojulari does have one of those years under his belt already earning just a 56.9 PFF pass-rush grade despite some success in the pressure column (42). Narrowing that focus to just the last five years, Jordan ranks first among edge defenders in snaps played (4,826) and fourth in PFF grade (92.0). Jones has recorded a 17.8% pass-rush win rate since he was drafted in 2016. 1 spot: San Francisco is allowing the lowest EPA per play mark (-.229) in the NFL through five weeks. The only reason Hargrave doesnt come in any higher on this list is that his run defense has taken a hit since he joined the Eagles, with his PFF run-defense grades falling below 50.0 in each of the past two seasons. PFF grades: Rams have 3rd-best defense, 8th-worst offense in 2022 Teams AFC East Bills Dolphins Jets Patriots AFC North Bengals Browns Ravens Steelers AFC South Colts Jaguars Texans Titans. In an expanded role across two seasons with the Eagles, though, he has emerged as one of the better interior pass-rushers in the league. Reader a seventh-year, 347-pound defensive tackle out of Clemson isnt the flashiest player at the position. That puts a lot of pressure on rookie, to hit the ground running, particularly after letting, Detroit has potential up front with a myriad of young, recent draft picks such as. News & Analysis Tools. Its difficult to imagine that his ability to defend the run wasnt a driving factor in the Chargers desire to trade for him this offseason. Hes joined by a couple of nice pieces up front in. It wouldnt be surprising to see Barmore build on that rookie performance with a big 2022 season. Overall grades: Offense (min. The Cowboys ranking depends on how you classify, , as hell likely split his time between off-ball and edge alignments again in 2022, just as he did during his rookie season. The last time Donald recorded a PFF run-defense or pass-rush grade lower than 85.0 was during his rookie season in 2014. San Francisco 49ers (2) Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports. Teams like. His 91.8 PFF run defense grade is the best in the league, and he registered 27 defensive stops as well as two forced fumbles this season. Los Angeles Rams (vs. Dallas ranks second in sacks (20) and is led by superstar edge defender Micah Parsons. Despite key injuries that kept All-Pro defenders Jaire . In each of the past seven seasons, Williams recorded at least 700 defensive snaps and at least 45 quarterback pressures. Baltimore's defensive line appeared to be low on the list, as the talent . He converted those wins into 16 sacks, tied for second in the league. Alex Highsmith is an X-factor for the unit entering his third season out of Charlotte. The only thing holding the Raiders down in these rankings is one of the weaker interior defensive lines in the NFL. RUN: PFF Grade for Rushing. Cameron Jordan is as consistently productive an edge defender as youll find, as he defends both the run and pass at a high level while missing very little time in New Orleans over the last decade. That group includes a five-technique like J.J. Watt, who spends time both inside and outside of the tackles, and players who are more of true nose tackles in the mold of Grover Stewart or Greg Gaines. It remains to be seen how much he can add as a rookie at a position where both production and athleticism matter when projecting to the NFL. The Eagles, already basking with Pro Football Focus having selected their offensive line as No. Buffalo Bills (vs. Titans) The best of the best, either with. Gregory has played over 500 defensive snaps just once in his NFL career (2018), but hes been an effective pass-rusher for Dallas when on the field over the last two seasons, as his 15% pressure rate since 2020 is a top-10 mark among edge rushers with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps. Theyve got an incredible pass rush, and theyve done it without several key players on the defensive line. Reader was acquired from the Houston Texans during the previous offseason, but last year was his first full season in Cincinnati after missing time due to injury in 2020. His 48 quarterback pressures as a rookie were over 10 more than any other rookie interior defensive lineman in the last five seasons. And there were few more disappointing performances than Washingtons defense ending the 2021 campaign ranked 27th in yards allowed per play (5.7). Settle had a limited role behind two entrenched starters in Washington, but hes earned PFF pass-rushing grades north of 72.0 in each of the last two seasons. Robert Quinn stands out as the clear star of Chicagos defensive line following their decision to cut ties with Khalil Mack. It still doesnt project as one of the best interior defensive lines in the league, but it should be significantly improved compared to last years group. His 25.6% pass-rush win rate was second in the league, behind only Bryce Huff, who played almost 300 fewer pass-rush snaps than Garrett. . They only rank 17th in run defense, give up an average of 122.6 yards per game, and underperform when DT Jordan Davis is out of the lineup. failing to build on a strong 2020 campaign. Any list of the best young interior defensive linemen in the NFL is going to have Simmons name near the top. has firmly established himself as one of the NFLs most dangerous pass-rushers, earning PFF pass-rushing grades above 90.0 in each of the last three seasons. It still doesnt project as one of the best interior defensive lines in the league, but it should be significantly improved compared to last years group. . Quinn is fresh off a second-team All Pro appearance in 2021, but his 69.9 PFF grade (34th among 108 qualifying edge defenders) indicates that there were more deserving players for that accolade. while his 83.0 run-defense grade was in the top 15 for Power . Blacklock improved his PFF grade from 30.2 as a rookie to 50.4 in 2021, but the run game is his biggest area for growth after earning PFF run-defense grades below 40.0 in each of his first two seasons. Carr's top 15 offensive player rankings at the midway point of the 2022 NFL season. 3 overall pick lept into the elite tier at the position. Cleveland Browns (vs. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. The Eagles' addition of Jordan Davis to a defensive tackle rotation that already included Javon Hargrave and 2021 draft selection Milton Williams could allow the team to rotate Cox more and keep him fresh. Gary developing into the player who the Packers drafted him to be in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft while playing alongside returners like Kenny Clark and Preston Smith and newcomers Devonte Wyatt and Jarran Reed makes this a formidable unit entering next season. Ford emerged onto the scene as an undrafted free agent in 2018, grading out extremely well (90.3 PFF grade) in a limited role. Key: Red text = weakest link 1. 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