Boswell was one of the NFL's best kickers during his first three years in the league (2015-17) and he's returned to that form over the past two years. When you look at his career, Lutz has been consistently good. Bailey also had three punts blocked in 2021, which made him the only punter to have multiple kicks blocked. Lambo was dealing with several lower-body injuries and it's not always easy to recover from those. That being said, even Hekker would probably admit that 2020 wasn't his best year, which is why he's so low on the list. The . Hes already one of the best pass protectors in college football. Onwuzurike is arguably the most athletic defensive tackle in the class. He has only two drops on 56 catchable in his career. 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? Punting is an art form, so let's find out who the best artists are. 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 | He can get from the middle of the field to the sideline with the best of them. JUSTIN TUCKER. NFL Football Player Stats & Stats Leaders - Punts Who's your favorite NFL team? That comes down largely to the ability he has shown in coverage. Davis should be an anchor in the middle of the Saints' defense once again in 2020. The Titans punter put 59.5% of his punts (22 of 37) inside the opponents 20, which is an insane number when you consider that only two other full-time punters even hit the 50% mark. He was also a first-team All-American according to Sporting News, and holds the NCAA career record for punting yards . Okwuegbunam has speed to get up the seams and body control to be a red-zone threat. The Jags punter ranked second in the league in net yard per punt (43.6) and seventh in net yards per punt (47.3). When you're punting that often, there's always a chance that you could mess up or your leg could fall off, but neither of those things happened to Johnston. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Thats a great skill for a modern back. Jake Bailey is the best punter in the NFL. The Lions punter ranked second in the NFL with an average of 49.2 yards per punt while also ranking sixth overall with a net punting average of 42.3 yards. Overall, Dickson placed 48.2% of his punts inside the 20, which was the second-highest percentage in the NFL. He's earned this top spot with strong, well-rounded play throughout his career. NFL 2022 Regular Season Punting Entire League 25 Hes more likely to come down with jump down the field than the receiver hes guarding. The only reason Fox isn't higher on this list is because he struggled with touchbacks. Hes got track speed at 220 pounds. If he returns in 2020 and puts up a similar effort, he should find himself comfortably in the top 10 of this list at this time next year. Hekker has also mastered the art of pinning his opponents deep in their own territory. Cleveland is an enormous guard who pretty much never gets overpowered. He comes in as the second most valuable linebacker, per PFF WAR, over that eight-year stretch, as well. And today, it's time for the linebackers. Wirfs is absurdly powerful and already technically advanced in pass protection. While his overall grade had hovered in the 60s from 2016 to 2018, it came in at 90.1 in 2019 (second at the position). He doesnt have the high-end athleticism of the top of the linebacker class, but hes no slouch himself. Hekker did that a total of 28 times, which was the third most in the NFL. Lutz also hit 98.3% of his extras points in 2020 (57 of 58), which was the third-most accurate in the NFL. Hes more slot receiver, though, than an actual tight end in Stanfords offense. Some players get worse as they get older, but not Crosby, who had a career year in 2020. As PFF's Sam Monson pointed out in a piece highlighting players entering prove-it years in 2020, Smith came out of Georgia as a player who profiled to be a strong point in coverage with the athleticism, instincts and feel needed to be a difference-maker. Note: Free agent punters weren't considered for this list since there's no guarantee they'll be playing in the NFL this year. During a Week 7 win over the Bears, Hekker put five punts inside of Chicago's 10-yard line. Johnston was one of the few bright spots for the Texans last season. At one point in 2018, he hit 26 straight field goals, which set a Saints franchise record. Hed be an elite athlete for a safety, and his coverage skills are unsurprisingly elite already. One thing Bailey did well was flip the field. Taylors explosiveness and vision are superb. FAKE PUNT #SEAHAWKS EXECUTE THE FAKE!!!! He missed only four tackles all year and allowed fewer than seven yards per reception on passes that were deemed to be into his coverage. PFF employs over 600 full or part-time analysts, but less than 10% of analysts are trained to the level that they can grade plays. Pro Football Focus graded former West Virginia Mountaineers and Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee as NFL's highest-graded punter of the decade at 95.3, nearly three . 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. The Lions punter hit seven touchbacks last season, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL. The only reason Fox isn't higher on this list is because he struggled with touchbacks. Townsend was so good at placing his punts that returners only averaged four yards per return against the Chiefs last season, giving Kansas City one of the best coverage units in the NFL in 2021. To join our email list and get notified when we launch the 2023-24 NFL section (probably late May), register for a free account . He'll continue to man the position with teammate Rashaan Evans heading into next season. Just cause a team sucks and they kick it every other drive doesn't make a punter good . The Patriots raised some eyebrows in 2019 when they decided to use the 163rd overall pick on a punter, but after two years, Bailey is now making them look like geniuses. For as good as the Cowboys' linebacker duo of Leighton Vander Esch and Smith were in 2018, last season had to come as somewhat of a disappointment. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Nathan is the lead fantasy analyst for PFF. Okwara is extremely explosive off the edge and is already adept at converting speed to power. His 15 contested catches are top-10 among returning wideouts. Weaver is a name youre going to be hearing a lot more of next spring. Covering receivers who are that talented one-on-one is a tough ask for any linebacker. That 7.3 return number was the lowest in the league for any team that had to cover 30 or more punt returns. Like several players later on this list, Smith is someone who we know has the tools to be a top-flight NFL linebacker. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. His lack of bend, though, is worrisome at this point. Carlson was originally drafted by the Vikings in 2018 and they're probably kicking themselves right now for letting him go. 14 Utah and 10 against Arizona State. Greenlaw's play as a rookie came as a pleasant surprise for San Francisco, particularly with him needing to take on a larger role as Kwon Alexander missed time due to injury. He rushes the passer with violence unrivaled in this class and has the highest pass-rushing grade of any returning edge. 8:19 am ET, signed him to a five-year, $22 million extension, as the second-longest overtime field goal, more balls inside the 10-yard line than Dickson, they gave him a four-year, $16 million extension this offseason, Agent's Take: Rodgers' trade value, logistics, best fit, McCarthy discusses taking over Cowboys' play-calling, Brett Favre welfare funds scandal explained, Reich says Carr 'checks a lot of boxes' after meeting, Mock: Carter falls amid warrant, Ravens take QB, Rodgers' trade value, logistics and best fit, Best team fits for top FAs at each position, Ex-NFL GM on ramifications of Carter's legal issue, NFLPA issues team report cards: Commanders fail, 49ers GM says he contacted Brady as team seeks QB help, Jalen Carter issues statement amid charges. That may have to be the case again with three new (young) starters at cornerback. He was as sound as any safety in the country last season. The losses of veterans Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis in recent seasons mean that Thompson is going to be relied on to lead what projects to be one of the NFL's youngest defenses. This past season, in particular, Davis was excellent across the board for the Saints. Coming into the NFL in the same 2012 draft class as Kuechly and Wagner has left David as the forgotten man at the position. 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 | 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. Things got off to a pretty good start as a rookie in 2018 with Smith putting up a 70.0-plus grade in coverage and a 66.6 grade overall, but both of those numbers dipped into the 50s this past season. His stiffness likely limits him scheme and versatility wise, though. or This section is showing information as of the end the 2022-23 season. If he gets back to that level as a run defender in the middle of Jacksonville's defense and maintains his play in coverage, he'll push himself closer to the top tier of NFL linebackers. Also featured are PFF's AWS-powered simulations and PFF-exclusive player grades. Super Bowl Win Probability: 30% When he's not punting the ball, the Lions also love to unleash his throwing arm. In 2018, not only did the lead the league in punts inside the 20, but he was also the only full-time punter in the NFL who didn't kick a touchback. 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Oh and because he grew up playing Australian rules football, he also likes to tackle. 6 USC, 13 at Oregon State, 12 against No. Hes one of the best centers in college football in space. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Recording grades of 80.0 or higher as both a run defender and in coverage, as Vander Esch did in 2018, is impressive stuff. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Pinkney is not only a special route-runner, but he is also a dynamic after-the-catch threat as well. Hekker put 47.8% of his punts inside the 20 last season, which was the fourth-best percentage in the NFL. At this time last year, it was looking like Jack Fox might not even make it in the NFL, but then he won the punting job in Detroit and if he keeps kicking the way he's been kicking, he's likely going to have the job for a long time. According to Football Outsiders, Fox averaged 52.5 yards per punt when he was forced to kick the ball from inside his own 35-yard line and that number ranked second in the NFL behind only A.J. Way also averaged 44.3 net yards per punt, which ranked fourth in the NFL. 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. During the 2021 season, Fox completed two passes for 38 yards. Thompson already looks the part of an NFL linebacker. This ranking involves some projection for Bush because his 62.9 PFF grade as a rookie ranked 36th out of 91 qualifiers in 2019, but there is reason to believe he is primed for a significant second-year jump. Davis has elite size and length combined with above average burst for the position. Houston has one of the best linebacker duos in the league heading into 2020. A large part of that grade was that Greenlaw simply didn't allow big plays on his watch. Gay can absolutely fly sideline to sideline. For one, he averaged 50 yards per punt, which is the eight-highest single-season total in NFL history. A big reason Hekker's net punting average was so high is because he wasn't allowing any returns. Anger forced 24 fair catches last season, which was tied for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. Thanks to the tender, Carlson will make $3.38 million in 2021. Here you'll find everything from our NFL quarterback rankings to our position rankings to our all-32 team roster rankings, making it easy for you to enter the 2020 NFL season armed with everything you need to know. Herbert has all the arm talent in the world. 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. Or this section is showing information as of the end the 2022-23 season Bowl Probability! 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