Bailey also had three punts blocked in 2021, which made him the only punter to have multiple kicks blocked. 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. 1 seed for San Francisco in the playoffs, but Greenlaw made plays like that in coverage throughout the year. From quarterbacks to corners to defensive ends to receivers, we've been ranking everyone, and as we do every year, we've saved the best for last: Punters and kickers. With Bojorquez now in Los Angeles, that's going to set up one of the greatest punting competitions in training camp history this year and that battle will be with the fifth-ranked guy on this list. Hes one of the best at collapsing the pocket in the country and physically manhandled OTs. Wright has been one of the most reliable linebackers in the NFL since entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of Mississippi State in 2011. At least, I think that's why we saved this one for last. 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. His 92.1 coverage grade since getting drafted in 2016 trails only Kuechly and David among qualifying linebackers, and despite missing much of the 2018 season, Jones' 26 forced incompletions are tied for second-most at the position over that four-year stretch. When kicking near the end zone, some are asked to attempt a coffin corner kick while others will pooch the ball high into the air hoping it sits inside the 10. He reaggravated the . He still sticks out as a guy who can contribute wherever you need him to defensively, and he has put any doubts about the knee injury that dropped him in the draft behind him. 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. During the 2021 season, Way averaged a booming 48.3 yards per punt, which ranked fifth in the NFL. For one, he kicked seven touchbacks, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL. Anger also had a knack for regularly getting off huge punts: He averaged 48.4 yards per punt which ranked fourth 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. Littleton should help correct both those areas. Delpits playmaking ability at all levels of the defense is top-notch. You first think about the play that he made late in the 49ers' Week 17 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks to secure the No. Hes split wide in Georgias offense and won legitimate wide receiver routes. Hes damn near unblockable one-on-one in the run game but has yet to earn a pass-rushing grade above 70.0 for a season. Cole, who definitely had the most impressive punting season in the NFL last year. He picked up overall grades of 65.0 or higher in each of the first eight seasons of his career, but that streak came to an end this past season. Like a delicious Wisconsin cheddar cheese, Mason Crosby has only gotten better with age (Cheese gets better with age right? Since his rookie year in 2012, Hekker has been an absolute weapon and during the early part of his career (2012-16), he was arguably the only weapon (This was back when he played for the Rams while they were still in St. Louis). Oh and because he grew up playing Australian rules football, he also likes to tackle. The Patriots raised some eyebrows in 2019 when they decided to use the 163rd overall pick on a punter, but after three years, Bailey is now making them look like geniuses. Just cause a team sucks and they kick it every other drive doesn't make a punter good . When he's not punting the ball, the Lions also love to unleash his throwing arm. Highest-Graded Player: QB Russell Wilson (90.3), Super Bowl Win Probability: 2% Dickson seems to have perfected the art of pinning a punt inside the 20-yard line because he did it 32 times last season, which was the most in the NFL. Ranking NFL kickers is pretty easy -- at least at the top -- because you just put Justin Tucker at No. 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. During the 2021 season, Anger had a net average of 44.6 yard per punt, which led the NFL. From 2012 to 2016 Davis' first five seasons in the NFL his highest single-season PFF grade came at just 62.6 in 2014 with the New York Jets. He began his junior season (2020) as a started, but missed most of the season due to injury. Fox has a booming leg and his ability. FAKE PUNT #SEAHAWKS EXECUTE THE FAKE!!!! Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. His first step off the snap is arguably the quickest in college football. 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. For one, he averaged 50 yards per punt, which is the eight-highest single-season total in NFL history. 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. Moss has the perfect blend of size (5-foot-10, 220 pounds), athleticism and elusiveness (53 broken tackles on 179 carries). 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. All existing EDGE and ELITE subscribers have access to the guide and can download it here.]. If you watched any Jaguars games in 2020, then you probably saw a lot of Cooke and that's because he was one of Jacksonville's busiest players. Now just days away from the start of the 2019 college football season, I've listed my top-five 2020 NFL Draft prospects at every position. His 86.8 coverage grade over those two years is lower than only Lavonte David, Cory Littleton and Luke Kuechly at the position. 2022 ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL SECOND TEAM: AP/ST Daiyan Henley, R-Sr., Washington State,.The Los Angeles native owns five double-digit tackle games this season including game-highs of 11 at No. #NOvsCHI #Saints pic.twitter.com/6PfrBXEU3W. In 2020, he only kicked three touchbacks making him one of just three punters who had three or less touchbacks on 60 or more punts. The Lions punter hit seven touchbacks last season, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL. If you play well, no one really notices, but if you mess up, everyone thinks you should be cut. Just missed: Sam Martin (Broncos), Thomas Morstead (Dolphins), Brett Kern (Titans). AUTOMATIC. During the 2020 season, the 49ers punter put 32 punts inside the 20, which was more than any other punter in the NFL. Kern also showed off that control by only allowing 13 of his punts to be returned for yardage, which was the second-lowest number in the NFL behind only Jake Bailey. Houston has one of the best linebacker duos in the league heading into 2020. Myers might not be ranked at the top of his list, but he was arguably the best kicker in the NFL last year. Wirfs is absurdly powerful and already technically advanced in pass protection. In four seasons with the Chiefs, Butker has hit 90.3 percent of his field goals (121 of 134), which makes him the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history and the only guy he's behind is the guy who's ranked ahead of him on this list. The Jaguars took Anger at 70th overall and then the Seahawks took Wilson just five picks later. Davis hasn't always been considered one of the game's best linebackers. Hes capable of playing in a Derwin James-Jamal Adams role, but weve yet to see him really dominate in any of those facets. He'll continue to man the position with teammate Rashaan Evans heading into next season. He has the size. Davis has elite size and length combined with above average burst for the position. 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). Hes about as dominant a run blocker as youll see from a rising junior. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. His 47 run stops in 2019 were nine more than the second-place Kuechly at linebacker, driving a career-high run-defense grade of 84.8. If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a punter, the Chiefs gave us an inside look this season when they mic'd up their punter for a game. 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. The Ravens might want to let him play quarterback once in awhile. Since entering the league in 2012, Wagner's 92.1 PFF grade ranks second out of 103 qualifying linebackers, behind only Kuechly. Kendricks was credited with 14 forced incompletions, which led all linebackers and came in at fifth among all defenders. Now 7-of-7 for 82 yards in his career after completing this fourth-and-9 pass for 15 yards on a fake punt against Washington #Ravens pic.twitter.com/HETaugUCwU. While he offers almost nothing between the tackles against the run, his range is as good as it gets at the position. During a Week 7 win over the Bears, Hekker put five punts inside of Chicago's 10-yard line. The Steelers will be counting on him to play a big role in 2020 because the depth behind Bush and Vince Williams at linebacker is unproven at best. NFL 2022 Regular Season Punting Entire League 25 Following that impressive 2020 season, Bailey made it all the way up to third in our ranking last year, but he's now down to seventh after struggling through most of the 2021 season. Overall, Dickson placed 48.2% of his punts inside the 20, which was the second-highest percentage in the NFL. Although his stats were slightly down in 2021, his track record suggests that he should bounce back big time in 2022. 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. Despite ranking 12th in the NFL in punts with 29 . Johnston was also able to force 22 fair catches with his punts, which was tied for the fifth-highest total in the league. Split: Rate: Season: He brings athleticism, speed and playmaking ability to the linebacker position that Pittsburgh has missed since Ryan Shazier's injury. For one, he was one of only two kickers to hit 100% of his extra points last season (Matt Gay was the other one). He offers nothing as a runner, though, or outside the pocket. Highest-Graded Player: Edge T.J. Watt (91.6), Super Bowl Win Probability: 3% 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. As he enters the 2020 campaign at 31 years old, there's a chance his play could be on the decline, but it's too early to say that's the case at this point. Highest-Graded Player: DI DeForest Buckner (89.7), Super Bowl Win Probability: 3% It hasn't taken long for Leonard to become a focal point of the Colts defense under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Robinson was reportedly ousted from West Virginia over the summer and still hasnt found a home for this upcoming fall. It will be interesting to see how he fares without the Hall of Fame-bound Kuechly in the middle of that defense. That means a lot of the ordering particularly later on comes down to preference on the type of linebacker that you're looking for. He doesnt have the high-end athleticism of the top of the linebacker class, but hes no slouch himself. Despite that success, the Rams are bringing in some competition for Hekker this year and although he's been one of the league's top punters for nearly a decade, there's no guarantee he's going to make it to his 10th year with the Rams. Cunningham played more man-coverage snaps than any other linebacker last season (239), and players like Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey and Mark Andrews were able to produce several big plays against Cunningham in man coverage. We're in the heart of rankings season here at PFF. 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 | Lamb is incredibly advanced as a route-runner. Of course, all of these rankings were made using the unique data that can be found as a part of a PFF Elite subscription, and you can use promo code KICKOFF30 here to save 30% off your new PFF subscription today. The Browns had kicking woes, as well as punting issues in 2021. #RavensFlock #BALvsCLE pic.twitter.com/MbYBUbu8bw. Over the course of his career, the Ravens have asked him to attempt five field goals of 61 yards or more (he's 1 of 5 on those kicks). However, it won't be surprising if that ends up being just a one-year thing because before last year, he had hit 95.2% of his PATs through the first three years of his career. Warner was a big part of that. section: | slug: ranking-the-top-10-nfl-kickers-and-top-10-punters-heading-into-the-2021-regular-season | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Highest-Graded Player: QB Josh Allen (90.9), Super Bowl Win Probability: 5% For that reason, we're only looking at off-ball linebackers here, whether that be outside or inside. Of course, yards per punt isn't a great way to measure a punter's skill. 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. At one point during the season, Bailey had a 71-yard punt, which was the third longest that anyone kicked in the NFL all season. Arjun Menon and Brad Spielberger (PFF) Landing spots for PFF's top 50 free agents . Although Lutz had a down year in 2020, he did prove that he can still hit clutch kicks and one of his biggest came in Week 8 when he hit a game-winner against the Bears. Provinces with the most coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Italy February 2023. 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. Simmons is on another level athletically from linebackers across the country. Davis comes from a track background, and it shows up on his tape. After booming his way to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2018, Dickson has somehow only gotten better. As a sophomore, Woodward was one of the most productive linebackers in the country. 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. To join our email list and get notified when we launch the 2023-24 NFL section (probably late May), register for a free account . Having just turned 22 years old in May, this upcoming season could very well be the one where he does just that. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Sanders also hit eight field goals of 50 or more yards, which was tied for the most in the NFL. Anger forced 24 fair catches last season, which was tied for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. 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. 2020 NFL roster rankings for all 32 teams, Ranking all 32 starting quarterbacks Monson, Ranking all 32 starting quarterbacks Palazzolo, The NFL's top 25 interior offensive linemen, The NFL's top 25 interior defensive linemen, NFL offensive line rankings: All 32 units, NFL defensive line rankings: All 32 units. Highest-Graded Player: TE Travis Kelce (93.5), Super Bowl Win Probability: 10% McKinney has picked up PFF coverage grades of 70.0 or higher in three of the past five seasons. For the past few weeks here at CBSSports.com, we've been ranking every position group in the NFL, and now, we've saved the most important position for last: Punters. Offers almost nothing between the tackles against the run game but has yet earn. The defense is top-notch great way to the Pro Bowl as a runner,,... 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