• San Francisco 49ers’ perennial All-Pro is elite in every facet: Fred Warner finished as the only linebacker to produce 80.0-plus PFF grades in all three major defensive facets.
• The New York Jets’ linebacker tandem sets the standard in coverage: C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams both produced top-10 PFF coverage grades among all qualifying defenders in the NFL last season.
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Before we go full steam ahead into free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft, we’re taking one last look at the top players in the NFL at each position.
Here were the top 20 linebackers in the NFL by overall PFF grade in 2023. Subscribe to PFF+ to dig into the numbers for yourself!
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Editor’s note: 20% minimum snap to qualify
1. Tyrel Dodson, Buffalo Bills: 90.2
Despite dealing with injuries that hampered his early contributions on the season, Dodson put together a consistent, high-level grading profile whenever he touched the field. The former-undrafted linebacker finished as the only player at the position to surpass an 85.0-plus PFF grade in both run defense (86.1) and coverage (88.4), perhaps the most important facets of modern linebacker play. Expect Dodson’s role to rise exponentially in 2024.
2. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers: 89.8
The Niners perennial All-Pro continues to set the standard of linebacker play at the highest level. Warner concluded the year as one of just three qualifying defenders to exceed an 80.0-plus grade in all three major defensive facets. A credit to Warner's innate ability to find the ball and generate turnovers, as he racked up eight combined interceptions and forced fumbles, third-most among all defenders.
3. Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints: 89.6
The 12-year veteran linebacker is still producing at phenomenal levels all over the field, particularly on passing downs. In coverage, Davis earned an 85.4 PF grade due to some incredible metrics, including a 66.% completion percentage allowed and a position-leading 0.38 yards allowed per coverage snap. Add that to the fact he also piled up five PFF sacks – tied for third-most among linebackers – and it’s clear that Davis was a passing game wrecker.
4. Jahlani Tavai, New England Patriots: 86.6
In his third season with the Pats, Tavai found his footing to produce his best season as a professional, reaching career marks in run defense (86.2) and coverage (82.7) grading. His 17-point rise in run defense grade over last season was brought on by his immaculate ability to fit the run without committing mistakes. On over 406 run defense snaps, Tavai produced a negatively graded play on just 5.4% of his reps, the lowest rate among linebackers.
5. Leo Chenal, Kansas City Chiefs: 84.0
Chenal capped off a fantastic sophomore campaign by being named the highest-graded player of Super Bowl 58. On his way to that title, Chenal carved out a reputation as a run-stopper, earning the third-highest run defense grade at the position (90.6). The young Chiefs backer limited mistakes while making plays in the run game, finishing as one of two linebackers to produce a 17%-plus positively-graded play rate and a sub-7% negatively-grade play rate.
6. C.J. Mosley, New York Jets: 82.9
Mosley’s ninth season was his best yet due largely to his elite coverage ability in 2023, which earned him the highest PFF grade (90.6) at the position – one of just five defenders to exceed the 90.0 threshold. The Jets linebacker totaled 28 coverage stops paired with five forced incompletions and an interception, showing off his incredible range.
7. Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks: 82.4
The future Hall of Famer is still producing massive results after 12 seasons, even setting a career-high 91.5 PFF run-defense grade this past season. Wagner’s instincts and fearless tackling ability have become emblematic of his elite play, amassing over 184 total tackles this season, most in the NFL. Perhaps more impressively, the savvy veteran totaled just a 5% missed tackle rate – the best among linebackers with at least 100 tackles.
8. Blake Cashman, Houston Texans: 82.1
In his first opportunity in a starting role, Cashman erupted for his greatest season yet, seeing an over 28-point increase on the grading scale over last year. The Texans linebacker produced quality plays in all facets, totaling three sacks, 10 tackles for loss or no gain, and 21 coverage stops. The future is bright in Houston because of players like Cashman.
9. Quincy Williams, New York Jets: 81.1
Along with his teammate, C.J. Mosley, the Jets linebacking corp set the standard in coverage this season, ranking first and second in coverage grade at the position. Williams (88.7 PFF coverage grade) flashed insane range to carry routes downfield, allowing him to total nine forced incompletions, most by any linebacker. He didn’t stop there, as he also was a force in the run, amassing 52 run stops, most in the NFL.
10. Mack Wilson Sr., New England Patriots: 80.8
Wilson settled into Bill Belichick’s defense after a rocky 2022. The Pats deployed Wilson primarily on passing downs, where he was extremely effective and efficient. The fifth-year pro contributed five PFF sacks to this defense while also allowing just 0.44 yards per coverage snap.
11. Frankie Luvu, Carolina Panthers: 80.0
Luvu concluded the year with the highest PFF pass-rushing grade (90.1) from a linebacker while also finishing as one of just 14 linebackers to surpass 100 pass-rush snaps this season. The Panthers backer generated 19 total pressures, including a position-leading six PFF sacks.
12. T.J. Edwards, Chicago Bears: 79.6
The Bears’ highest-graded free agency signing this past offseason didn’t skip a beat in his new home, again producing 70.0-plus PFF grades in all facets of his game – for the second-straight season. Edwards’ instinctual play allowed him to rack up three sacks, 15 tackles for loss or no gain and a trio of interceptions.
13. Bobby Okereke, New York Giants: 78.9
The former Colt produced his highest-graded season (79.6) as a professional with the Giants, largely due to his innate coverage ability. Okereke piled up 14 coverage stops to go with six forced incompletions and a pair of interceptions, contributing to his fantastic 82.3 PFF grade, the second-highest mark among Giants defenders.
14. Ernest Jones, Los Angeles Rams: 78.8
Jones has quickly earned a reputation as one of the league’s most aggressive rushing linebackers. The Rams deployed their young linebacker on blitzes over 136 times this season, where he racked up 34 total pressures – 10 more than any other linebacker – off of any incredible 22.0% pass rush win rate.
15. Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars: 78.1
The former first-round pick saw marked improvements in his second season in Jacksonville after struggling as a rookie, experiencing a 30-point increase on the grading scale. Lloyd showed off his ability to stuff the run, earning a 90.3 PFF grade that was highlighted by an impressive sub-10% negatively-graded play rate paired with top-10 positively-graded play rate.
16. Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens: 77.9
Smith has continued to raise the bar of his play since arriving in Baltimore, as he earned his highest-graded season in 2023. The All-Pro selection has a nose for the football, coming just three tackles shy of the league lead. The Ravens backers also produce great success in coverage, totaling eight forced incompletions, tying the second-most at the position.
17. Ivan Pace Jr., Minnesota Vikings: 77.1
The undrafted, first-year linebacker was phenomenal in his rookie campaign, finishing as one of the top-15 highest-graded rookies this regular season. The Vikings made Pace a dangerous weapon on passing downs as both a rusher, where he earned a position-leading 22.9% pass rush win rate, and in coverage, where he allowed just 0.59 yards per coverage snap.
18. Robert Spillane, Las Vegas Raiders: 77.0
The former Steeler had a career resurgence in his first season in Vegas, earning career-high marks in a number of facets. Spillane’s 87.1 PFF pass-rushing grade, buoyed by a 26.8% pressure rate, ranked third among all linebackers this season.
19. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Cleveland Browns: 76.8
The Browns’ incredible, young linebacker made his home in opposing backfields this season. Owusu-Koramoah produced position-best marks in a number of run defense metrics, including average depth of tackle (1.11), tackles for loss or no gain (20) and positively-graded play rate (21.2%).
20. Markquese Bell, Dallas Cowboys: 76.8
The former-undrafted safety out of Florida A&M made the transition to dime linebacker this season in Dan Quinn’s scheme and hasn’t looked back since. His 83.5 PFF coverage grade ranked sixth among qualifying linebackers, where he secured an impressive 5.7% forced incompletion rate.
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