Ranking NFLs top linebackers entering 2021 Bobby Wagner retains top spot Buccaneers boast two in top 10

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Here at CBS Sports, we have been ranking the top 10 players in each position group this offseason. After dedicating last week to offense, we have turned our attention to defense. Patrik Walker earlier this week, Tyler Sullivan and Jared Dubin took the . Today, we will look at the top linebackers who captain their respective defenses.Our top 10 reasoning will primarily focus on 2021 outlook along with how these players performed in 2020. We factor in their abilities as an athlete, a run stopper and of course how well they fare in defending the pa s. Another factor will be , which is an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year (since 1950). We left out veterans like and after they opted out last season due to the pandemic, and also left out a couple of tackling monsters such as and . This article is sure to generate good conversation amongst your friends and some angry emails in my inbox, so let's go ahead and jump in.Edmunds injured his shoulder in Sheldrick Redwine Jersey the season opener last year, but rebounded to finish with another impre sive campaign. His 119 combined tackles were tied for No. 8 among inside linebackers, and he tied his career high with two sacks. Edmunds, while incredibly athletic, didn't dominate in coverage, but finished with an Approximate Value (AV) of 9 -- which ranked No. 7 among inside linebackers. If we were ranking linebackers just off of last year's stats, Edmunds probably wouldn't make our top 10. However, we expect him to take a step forward in 2021. noted that Edmunds stood out on the final day of minicamp because of his coverage skills. He reportedly used his 83-inch wingspan to stop from hooking up with deep down the field, which is something fans certainly want to hear. Edmunds is athletic enough to be one of the most well-rounded linebackers in the NFL, and he's entering his fourth season at just 23 years old! The Bills are a team on the rise, and Edmunds is a player that is doing the same. With the Bills drafting two pa s rushers with their first two picks this offseason, I'm excited to see what Edmunds can do moving forward. CHI MLB #49 Jones entered the NFL as a top cover linebacker, but his 2020 campaign proved it's hard to be consistent in that role -- especially when you don't have help around you. His coverage stats looked better in his first two seasons, as Jones recorded six interceptions and 21 pa ses defended, but he still recorded an AV of 9 in 2020, which was the second-highest of his career. Jones saw more action pre suring the quarterback in 2020, and recorded a career-high 10 quarterback hits and a team-leading 4.5 sacks. He has recorded at least 106 tackles in seasons where he has played in at least 15 games, and has proven to be a well-rounded linebacker open to doing whatever is asked of him.Another reason Jones makes this list is because of his playmaking ability -- not in just picking off pa ses, but with what he does after recording an interception. No linebacker has recorded more interceptions (11) than he has since entering the NFL in 2016, and he also has two more touchdowns than any other linebacker during that same time span. He recorded 84 return yards off of two picks in 2020, and had 165 yards in his rookie season to go along with two touchdowns. He is averaging one touchdown per season. That's pretty impre sive for a linebacker. CLE LB #54 Some thought Davis may have reached his apex at age 30 with his inaugural All-Pro selection, but he didn't regre s in 2021. The former third-round pick out of Arkansas State recorded 119 combined tackles, four sacks and earned an AV of 14 -- which ranked fifth among linebackers. Davis may have been a late bloomer, but he has evolved into the leader of what has been one of the best defenses over the past few years. He doesn't mi s tackles much, is solid in coverage, and knows how to read and react to movement quickly. He has Tevin Coleman Jersey also played a couple of different positions in New Orleans' scheme, and has done so well. NO OLB #56 After Smith burst onto the NFL scene with 121 combined tackles in 2018, he took a bit of a step backward in 2019. Thankfully, he returned to form in 2020 with a career year. His 139 combined tackles ranked No. 5 among inside linebackers, his four sacks ranked No. 3 and he led all inside linebackers with 18 tackles for lo s. He also ranked third with a career-high seven pa ses defended. He's still waiting on that first Pro Bowl selection, but Smith was named an All-Pro in 2020. , Smith was the only player to record at least 100 tackles, 10 tackles-for-lo s, two sacks and two interceptions last season. He also intercepted two pa ses in Week 16, which made him the first linebacker to record Jamien Sherwood Jersey two picks in a game since Lance Briggs did so in 2008. He's a star in the making, and last year confirmed that. His AV of 15 was tied for second among all inside linebackers in 2020. BAL ILB #18 Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. White was an absolute monster in his second NFL season with the . His 140 combined tackles ranked fourth in the NFL among inside linebackers, his nine sacks ranked first, his 15 tackles for lo s ranked second and his 16 quarterback hits ranked first. His AV of 15 was also tied for second in the league. While White mi sed Tampa Bay's first postseason matchup against Washington, he still recorded 38 combined tackles, two interceptions and recovered two fumbles in three playoff games. have recorded over 200 tackles and at least 10 sacks in their first two seasons (since sacks became an official stat in 1982), and White is one of them. Just 23 years old, White is an emerging star in this league -- and he's not the only Buccaneers inside linebacker on this list. TB LB #45 David has spent his entire career with the Buccaneers, and his production hasn't slowed down at age 31. In 2020, he recorded 117 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 12 tackles for lo s. In nine seasons, he has failed to record 100 combined tackles just once! While the Bucs picked up legendary quarterback last offseason, it was David who captained Tampa Bay's defense through the Solomon Thomas Jersey postseason. In his first four playoff games, he recorded 26 combined tackles, one sack and four pa ses defended while playing every defensive snap po sible. David suffered through terrible seasons with the Buccaneers, but remained motivated and showed up when he finally got the chance at a Super Bowl. Only one NFL player has recorded more tackles than David in the last decade, and he's found later on in this list. Additionally, , only three linebackers have earned a coverage grade of 80.0-plus while seeing at least 90 targets since 2011. David has done it twice in the last two seasons. TB OLB #54 Leonard's rookie season in 2018 was unforgettable, as the South Carolina State product led the NFL with 163 combined tackles and also ranked in the top 10 among rookies in tackles for lo s, sacks, pa ses defensed, interceptions and forced fumbles. In 2019, Leonard mi sed three games due to a concu sion, but still recorded 121 combined tackles, a career-high five interceptions and seven tackles for lo s -- which warranted his first Pro Bowl bid. Leonard earned his second All-Pro honor in 2021 after racking up 132 combined tackles and three sacks to go along with seven pa ses defensed. He proved in his first NFL season that he was one of the best linebackers in the game, and our opinion has not changed. IND OLB # Michael Carter Jersey 53 Linebackers who can cover extremely well help their defenses in a big way, and Kendricks is one of the best. He has the of all linebackers since 2019, and was tied for first among all linebackers in interceptions last year with a career-high three picks despite mi sing five games. Even with mi sed time, he still recorded 107 combined tackles, as he is an important piece in stopping the run as well. , the gave up at least 390 yards in four of their final five games last season with Kendricks out due to injury, and allowed 463 rushing yards in back-to-back lo ses to the Bears and .No linebacker has recorded more pa ses defended over the past five seasons than Kendricks. Now back healthy, expect him to have another huge season in 2021. According to the , Minnesota's star linebacker had three big plays in pa s coverage during the second day of the Vikings' mandatory minicamp earlier this month that were worth writing about. LAC MLB #6 We went back and forth on whether Warner should be the top linebacker on our list, but we ultimately landed at No. 2. Warner was a player we ranked at No. 9 last year, saying that he was flying under the radar since he was part of a talented defense. He's becoming more of a household name now, however, as some of the ' defensive talent has left while Warner just continues to get better. Even after two impre sive seasons, Warner managed to put up career numbers in 2020 with 125 combined tackles, two interceptions, seven quarterback hits and a sack. He warranted an AV of 19, which was far better than any other inside linebacker, and earned his first Pro Bowl nod as well as an All-Pro selection. , Warner was the highest-graded linebacker of 2020 with an 89.1 grade. He is a consistent tackler, and came in at No. 9 this year among all players with his 125 combined takedowns. His 367 career tackles are tied for No. 7 in the NFL since he entered the league in 2018. With him being just 24 and having never mi sed a game due to injury, don't be surprised to see him come in at No. 1 on our list for 2022. SF MLB #54 While he just turned 31, Wagner is still the best inside linebacker in C.J. Mosley Jersey football. Whether it's stopping the run or making an impact in defending the pa s, Wagner can do either at a high level. His consistency is another reason he earns the No. 1 spot on our list, as he has mi sed just one game over the last five seasons. Lavonte David and Demario Davis have been consistent presences over the past 10 seasons, but no player has recorded more tackles than Wagner in that time frame (1,213). Wagner was our top linebacker last year, and those expecting him to regre s in 2020 were sadly mistaken. He recorded 138 combined tackles, three sacks, seven tackles for lo s and 11 quarterback hits. As previously mentioned, we considered calling our shot by putting Warner as our No. 1 linebacker this year, but Wagner outperformed him in several categories last season that made it difficult for us to get cute at the top spot. 2020 Stat Category (LB rank)Bobby WagnerFred WarnerAV12 (6th)19 (1st)Tackles138 (6th)125 (7th)Sacks3 (T-5th)1 (T-19th)Tackles for lo s7 (T-10th)5 (T-16th)Interceptions02 (T-3rd)Pa ses defended8 (T-1st)6 (T-4th)It's po sible this could be Wagner's last year atop our list of the best linebackers, but don't expect any kind of steep drop-off. Wagner is the heart and soul of this defense and has been named an All-Pro five years in a row for good reason. SEA MLB #54
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