It's a number that highlights both his ability to limit the big play and his ability to make plays on the ball when the opportunity presents itself. Swift is pretty clearly the top receiving threat in the class. His consistency leaves something to be desired, but he has the highest pass-rushing grade of any returning defensive tackle. Leaders based on 2.5 punts per team game. Listed at 6-foot-4, Wright is a longer linebacker who can cause problems in coverage for opposing offenses in Seattle's zone defense. A big reason why he had such a high net average is because he excelled at forcing his opponent to call for a fair catch. Epenesa is a physically dominant 6-foot-7, 280 pounds. Bailey also had three punts blocked in 2021, which made him the only punter to have multiple kicks blocked. He was also a first-team All-American according to Sporting News, and holds the NCAA career record for punting yards . Highest-Graded Player: Edge Chase Young (87.2), Highest-Graded Player: OT Taylor Moton (81.2), Highest-Graded Player: WR Justin Jefferson (90.4), Highest-Graded Player: OG Zack Martin (91.3), Highest-Graded Player: OT Garett Bolles (90.3), Highest-Graded Player: DI Leonard Williams (79.8), Highest-Graded Player: Edge Joey Bosa (90.2), Highest-Graded Player: S Jessie Bates III (90.1), Highest-Graded Player: QB Deshaun Watson (92.5), Highest-Graded Player: Edge Brandon Graham (81.5), Highest-Graded Player: S Marcus Maye (82.8), Highest-Graded Player: QB Matt Stafford (82.0), Highest-Graded Player: C Brandon Linder (80.0). His success in 2020 hinges on him returning to form as the strong coverage linebacker he was in 2017 and 2018, and there's reason to believe he can achieve that. He also showed he can be a value add to the receiving game with his work back in 2017. Highest-Graded Player: TE Travis Kelce (93.5), Super Bowl Win Probability: 10% Super Bowl Win Probability: 30% PFFs expert rankers can include their opinions on a players season long fantasy prospects, which can consider more extreme outcomes and a certain amount of subjectivity. Just cause a team sucks and they kick it every other drive doesn't make a punter good . Bailey was also probably pretty loved by the Patriots punt coverage team and that's because only 12 of his 51 punts got returned, which was the fewest returns given up by a punter last year. His lack of high-end traits and dominant play, however, are concerning. He has only two drops on 56 catchable in his career. 14 Utah and 10 against Arizona State. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL player performance data. Although punting seems simple -- you just catch the ball and kick it -- it's not that easy, and because of that, trying to rank the top 10 punters in the NFL also isn't easy. As if that's not impressive enough, Townsend also placed 20 of his 37 punts inside the 20-yard line, which means he pinned his opponents deep an NFL-leading 54.1% of the time. . If you're expecting Littleton to come down and make a difference in the run game, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. OGrady has some off-field issues and may be sidelined for the early part of 2019 with an injury, but hes a complete receiver when on the field. One reason Washington was able to win the division last year with a lackluster offense was because Way was regularly able to flip the field. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. It's not easy punting in New England and it's not easy punting for a perfectionist like Bill Belichick, but Bailey has managed to make things work for three seasons. WOW.Jason Myers just nails this FG from SIXTY ONE YARDS for the @Seahawks! PUNTER HIT STICK @AJCole90 boots the punt, then forces the fumble!#KCvsLV | NBC pic.twitter.com/DGUbeBFb1G. If you play well, no one really notices, but if you mess up, everyone thinks you should be cut. However, his PFF grades of 57.0 and 59.4 in his first two NFL seasons speak to the idea that it hasn't all come together yet. PFF's position rankings Ranking all 32 starting quarterbacks Monson Ranking all 32 starting quarterbacks Palazzolo Ranking all 32 backup quarterbacks The NFL's top 25 running backs The NFL's top 25 wide receivers The NFL's top 15 tight ends The NFL's top 25 offensive tackles The NFL's top 25 interior offensive linemen That gamble paid off big time and that's because Fox ended up setting the franchise record for both yards per punt (49.1) and net yards per punt (44.8) during a fantastic 2020 season (Both of those numbers ranked in the top-three in the NFL last year). 1 seed for San Francisco in the playoffs, but Greenlaw made plays like that in coverage throughout the year. He has the combination of awareness in the middle of the field to read plays in zone and the athleticism to react and be in position to make plays that all great coverage linebackers need. The worry is whether or not hell be able to stay at tackle with limited height/length. . Tua already has accuracy, pocket presence and anticipation that is well beyond his years. One game that was truly indicative of Bailey's season came in Week 13. In all, his role in the NFL could be . Little had a bit of a hitch in his pass sets that was worrisome, but there were few better tackles in the country down the stretch last season. He reaggravated the . Kinlaw has a great combination of size (6-foot-6, 305 pounds) and athleticism when projecting to the NFL. Though their position may be listed as outside linebacker, they don't play close to the same position as someone like Lavonte David. #GoPackGo: #GBvsDET on FOX: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/3alYfT3slD pic.twitter.com/T8cm8pYNlo. It's not easy punting in New England and it's not easy punting for a perfectionist like Bill Belichick, but Bailey made both of those things look easy during a 2020 season where he was voted to the Pro Bowl and named the first-team All-Pro punter. The Panthers have put a lot of coverage responsibility on Thompson, and he's held up reasonably well through 546 coverage snaps in the slot since 2015 (nearly 100 more than the next closest linebacker). The 2020 first-team All-Big Ten selection had 20 punts inside the 20-yard line, ranking second in the Big Ten punters in 2020. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Okwara is extremely explosive off the edge and is already adept at converting speed to power. His stiffness likely limits him scheme and versatility wise, though. Reagor isnt your typical 5-foot-11, 195-pound wideout. @tommy_townsend had the mic against the Chargers pic.twitter.com/zua6j8l7tJ. Delpits playmaking ability at all levels of the defense is top-notch. Hekker put 47.8% of his punts inside the 20 last season, which was the fourth-best percentage in the NFL. When you look at his resume, the fact that his last Pro Bowl appearance came in 2015 is astounding. The Browns had kicking woes, as well as punting issues in 2021. He'll continue to man the position with teammate Rashaan Evans heading into next season. Houston has one of the best linebacker duos in the league heading into 2020. Over the past few weeks here at CBSSports.com, we've been putting out our annual top-10 ranking for each position group in the NFL. The Raiders clearly know they have a good punter in Cole, which probably explains why they didn't even wait until the end of the 2021 season to give him a new contact. The Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints finish PFF's NFL Power Rankings for the 2020 NFL season as the top-ranked reams. #RaiderNation: #NOvsLV on ESPN: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/pkp7nq0Q8u pic.twitter.com/cW3CGZDfgU. For years, the question at the top of the linebacker position has been a straightforward one: Who is the best linebacker in the NFL Luke Kuechly or Wagner? The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. The Bills decided to let Bojorquez walk in free agency despite a 2020 season where he led the NFL in yards per punt with a number (50.8) that ranked as the fourth-highest of all-time. Anger forced 24 fair catches last season, which was tied for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. Back in 2018, nearly everyone in Pittsburgh wanted to see the Steelers release Boswell after a disastrous season where he hit just 65% of his kicks. To a lesser extent, both Kwon Alexander and Dre Greenlaw give the 49ers above-average play in coverage from the linebacker position, as well. Sanders was also the ONLY kicker in the NFL last season who hit a field goal of 60 yards or more. Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) 2023 NFL free agency rankings: The 100 best free agents. Hes not the most nimble athlete but has the length and balance you like to see at the position. He has sported a top-20 coverage grade at the position in each of the past two years reaching as high as sixth in 2018. His 83.6 coverage grade over the past two seasons is a top-10 mark at the position, while his 46.8 run-defense grade over that same time frame comes in as one of the worst marks among linebackers. NFL Player Grades PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. And today, it's time for the linebackers. Mason Crosby drills a 58-yard FG to put the @packers up 10. During a Week 7 win over the Bears, Hekker put five punts inside of Chicago's 10-yard line. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports. All existing EDGE and ELITE subscribers have access to the guide and can download it here.]. It may be a surprise to see Milano come in above his teammate 2019 Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds on this list, but the coverage ability he has shown over the past two seasons is hard to ignore. Onwuzurike is arguably the most athletic defensive tackle in the class. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. He ended up punting the ball 88 times in 2021, which was the most of any punter in the league. Fulton graded better than his teammate Greedy Williams on the LSU defense last season. He began his junior season (2020) as a started, but missed most of the season due to injury. section: | slug: ranking-the-nfls-top-10-punters-entering-2022-cowboys-and-raiders-punters-both-crack-the-list | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Since entering the NFL in 2014, Way has slowly turned into one of the best punters in the league, especially over the past three years. Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. There is an argument to be made that Jones is the best coverage linebacker in the NFL. After only playing eight games with the Falcons in 2019, Koo returned in 2020 and made his case to be the team's long-term kicker and he made a pretty solid case. This list will not include the likes of T.J. Watt, Khalil Mack or Von Miller all of whom ranked highly in the edge defender rankings that came out earlier this week. That impressive average came just one year after a 2020 season where he also finished fifth in the league with an average of 48 yards per punt. That gamble paid off big time and that's because Fox ended up setting the franchise record for both yards per punt (49.1) and net yards per punt (44.8) during a fantastic 2020 season (Both of those numbers ranked in the top-three in the NFL). In 2020 the Broncos allowed 8.1 yards per punt return and that value was down to 6.4 in 2021 (which was third best in the league - only the Bills at 5.6, and the Chiefs at 4.9 allowed fewer. The Dolphins like Sanders so much that they signed him to a five-year, $22 million extensionthis offseason, which made him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. Hes still developing as a route-runner, but his ball skills are superb, as evidenced by his high contested-catch percentage a year ago. Their 12% missed tackle rate as a unit also came in as a bottom-10 mark across all defenses. Over the past three years, no punter has placedmore balls inside the 10-yard line than Dickson, who has done it 41 times since 2018. Hes about as dominant a run blocker as youll see from a rising junior. Some players get worse as they get older, but not Crosby, who had a career year in 2020. Alamar steered Stanford's 2013 special teams to a trio of top 40 NCAA rankings, including net punting (33rd - 38.49 yards/punt), punt returns (21st - 11.96 yards/return) and kickoff returns (39th - 23.09). Henderson locked down his side of the field last year as well as any corner in the country. 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