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. Not only was Simmons excellent at getting to the quarterback, but his 40 run stops were fifth in the league. But there are early signs he's healthy and rejuvenated playing again on a top defensive scheme with Bosa under Brandon Staley. Adam Schein ranks the nine most likely teams to lift the Lombardi Trophy, with neither the Eagles nor the Chiefs cracking the top three! He also has seven First-Team All-Pro selections in eight seasons and is the only player in the NFL with 400 pressures over the last five years. The Eagles have been thriving on pass defense, allowing only 179.6 passing yards per game (best). The Commanders have spent four of their last seven first-round picks on defensive linemen, and the investment has paid off handsomely. Look for Clowney to continue to form a dynamic duo with fellow top defensive end Myles Garrett in 2022 after resigning with the Browns. Vea provides speed, strength, and elite athleticism at the nose tackle position and his elite production on the interior defense is a primary reason the Bucs stay one of the best D-lines in the NFL. 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. 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. 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. 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 word elite doesn't do Aaron Donald justice at this point. This led to another First Team All-Pro selection. There's a reason the Bills splurged on a 33-year-old Miller coming off a healthy second half run with the Rams that powered that team to a Super Bowl playing off Donald and Ramsey. He was the best defensive lineman in the NFL in 2021 and made the game-winning play in the Super Bowl. The ex-LSU star will bring the kind of sizzle, swagger and experience that can help this defense win big. Clark's 41 quarterback hits are second among all nose tackles since 2017 and his 32 defensive tackles in that span lead his position (sixth in NFL). 2021 stats: 3 passes defended, interception, 13 total tackles, 19. Top If the sack totals improve, he will find his way toward the elite in the league. He has a sharp mind and a loaded team at his disposal. How would you rank these Defensive Ends going into the 2022-2023 NFL season? He uses all of his size, quickness and length to thwart the passing game in multiple capacities. While debates could be made whether he is an outside linebacker or defensive end, Miller ranks high at both spots no matter the team or division. Only White has more sacks (87) over his first 77 games in league history. The Kentucky gunslinger threw for 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2022. At 26 years old, Garrett is still squarely in his prime. Trey Flowers had 47 total snap while this young dog Austin Bryant got 26 snaps and made the best out if it. Wherever you are, this is how you football! How good has Garrett been since he entered the league? Best NFL Defensive Buckner's 40 solo tackles were also tied for first in the league. For some, the 6-2, 207-pound cornerback with 4.36-second speed in the 40-yard dash and a proven track record against the premier wide receivers 1 overall draft pick and a bevy of new veterans via free agency. Rattling off a career-high 16 sacks and 51 combined tackles in 2021, Garrett is proving himself to be a force on the defensive end. But the athleticism ( 9.60 RAS) and production (7.5 sacks, 14.5 TFL in 2022) are impossible to ignore, and hes one of the most fun tape watches in the class. A number of potentially transformative quarterbacks are available via free agency, draft or trade. 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. Who should win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 2022? Top 10 Defensive Ends in NFL 2022 Rankings It's tough to ignore how good Quinn was in 2021, a bounce-back season for one of the underrated pass rushers of the last decade. Cam Jordan, who has recorded double-digit sacks in four of the past five seasons, is a stud. Watt is your Sporting News reigning Defensive Player of the Year after tying Michael Strahan's single-season sack record. He's kept that up minus Hendrickson with help form Marcus Davenport. While he managed to miss all but 2 games during 2020, Bosa exploded onto the scene, accumulating the 4th most sacks of the season with 15.5, and combining to make 52 total tackles. 2021 stats: 12.5 sacks, 84 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 25 QB hits, 4 forced fumbles, 2. Franchise cornerstones Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham have proven they can still be productive into their 30s, while new additions like Haason Reddick (who leads the NFL with three turnovers forced by QB pressure) and Jordan Davis have fit seamlessly into the rotation. defensive players in NFL Byard is the best safety in the NFL and deserves much more attention for that status. He also finished with 55 pressures and had a pressure rate of 11% for the third time in four years. Miller showcased Teaming up four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Joey Bosa with three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Khalil Mack? Clark, who finished last season appearing in 14 games, posted 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. 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. 2021 stats: 12.5 sacks, 59 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 22 QB hits, 6 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles. Entering his sixth season in the NFL, defensive end Myles Garrett has drastically improved every single season in the league. 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. His 58.5 career sacks were the second most (J.J. Watt, 61) by an active player in his first 68 career games and the fourth most in NFL history, trailing only Thomas (60), Watt (61) and White (77). 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. And don't forget about linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, one of three rookies last season (with the Cowboys' Micah Parsons and the Raiders' Nate Hobbs) to notch 70-plus tackles and four-plus QB hits. 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 2022 NFL season's early top-10 defensive lines: Nick Aaron 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. Poised for an even bigger season in 2022, Hargrave is evolving into one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in the league. WebFind NFL Defensive Player stats for weekly and season totals including, tackles, sacks, INTs, forced fumbles, TDs, and more, on LINEUPS. Despite the numbers not showing up like we are used to from the Kansas City Chiefs defensive end, Frank Clark continues to be one of the best defensive players at his position year in and year out. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year deserves to be No. 1 overall to the Panthers? Finishing his 2021 season with 12.5 sacks (tied for seventh in NFL), Jordan earned his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl selection and his fourth double-digit sack campaign in the last five years. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Garrett is a top-two edge defender in the league and could remain among the league's best for the next several years. He still needs to improve as a pass rusher, but had his best season under defensive coordinator Josh Boyer. Rank below to be added in the Power Rankings. Watt finished his 2021 season leading the league in sacks, quarterback hits (39) and fumble recoveries (three). The NFL's best at every position Jeremy Fowler asked more than 50 NFL execs, coaches, scouts and players to rank every position's top 10 for 2022: Defense: DE/OLB | DT | LB | CB | S Edge defenders include defensive ends and pass-rushing linebackers, while interior linemen primary play the interior of the defensive line. 2021 stats: 16 sacks, 51 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 33 QB hits, 3 passes defended, forced fumble, 3. Watt's greatness deserves more than just a few paragraphs. The main qualification for these rankings is how good the player was in 2021. Some might call it a defensive rating. 2021 stats: 10.5 sacks, 51 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 20 QB hits, 7 forced fumbles, 13. Emerging as one of the best pass-rushing tackles in the league, Hargrave notched career-highs in pressures (58), quarterback hits (18), tackles for loss (nine), and sacks (7.5) in earning his first Pro Bowl selection. After digging through the 2021 season, we've found five young defensive players who are on the verge of stardom. He's really the 2B on this list with Garrett while having a little more help in the Steelers' front seven pass defense. Miller, who was a key member of the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl run, finished last season with 9.5 sacks while also adding four sacks within the playoffs (2 in Super Bowl LVI). HONORABLE MENTION: Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns. View Profile. And don't sleep on the defensive tackle help general manager Tom Telesco brought in to shore up the run defense, which last season pulled a defense that ranked 12th against the pass into the bottom half of the league (23rd) in yards allowed. So, who are the top dogs at the position in the early goings of the 2022 season? Hendrickson, who spent his first season with the Bengals last season, recorded his second straight season with at least 13.5 sacks while finishing the 2021 NFL season with 14 total sacks. All Rights Reserved. 2022 NFL Adam Schein reveals the biggest winners and losers from the penultimate Sunday of the 2022 NFL regular season. It would be nice if he can get consistent help from Randy Gregory on the other side. Jordan continues to truck on and has recorded at least 50 pressures in every season since 2015. The Next Gen Stats analytics team's top-10 ranking spotlights familiar names, breakout studs and instant-impact rookies. Now, let's get to 2021 -- another dominant year for Donald. 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. https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/draft2023/insider/story/_/id/36296827 Top NFL Jackson is a natural ballhawk and might be the addition needed to allow the other Los Angeles team to make a Super Bowl run. He also is better against the run, as his 29 run stops are ranked in the top 25 in the league. Look what he does to Riley Reiff #OnePride pic.twitter.com/j1qgFO9HH2. The biggest comeback in NFL history. 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. The Cowboys also have a league-high 17 QB pressures coming within three seconds of the snap when using four or fewer pass rushers. 1 defense (in terms of yards allowed) in 2021 was perfect. Defensive Player Stats (IDP) 2022-2023 - Lineups Leading the NFL with 18 tackles for loss since playing his first game with the Rams in Week 10, Miller also racked up 52 pressures (third in NFL) and nine sacks (tied for sixth) with Los Angeles, including the postseason. He's the ultimate cleanup for Tennessee's defense. Now after signing with the Los Angeles Chargers, Mack is still deserving of a top five spot on the Top 10 NFL Defensive Ends 2021-2022 rankings list. Even with the talented crop, multiple fronts and changing of formations makes it harder to evaluate the best in the league. There's no way to sugarcoat it. While Dallas' run defense has not performed up to the same level, the Cowboys' deep and dangerous pass rush has kept the team afloat with franchise QB Dak Prescott on the shelf. Despite the injury, little concern is present for the Vikings entering the 2022 NFL schedule. Ultimately, the 2022 season will really determine whether Bates drops off the NFL top 100 players list or moves up.
