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. He has the explosiveness. Not to be forgotten, Koch also might be the most efficient passer in NFL history. 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. . Note: Free agent punters weren't considered for this list since there's no guarantee they'll be playing in the NFL this year. #NOvsCHI #Saints pic.twitter.com/6PfrBXEU3W. Thanks to the tender, Carlson will make $3.38 million in 2021. PFF's Preseason 2020 NFL Draft Guide is LIVE. In 2018 and 2019, Lutz ranked in the top-seven in accuracy, including 2019, when he hit 88.9% of his field goals, which ranked seventh overall (He ranked sixth in 2018). The Raiders kicker has been in the NFL for three seasons and he's gotten better every year, including last season, when he drilled 94.3% of his field goals, which ranked sixth in the NFL. Anger forced 24 fair catches last season, which was tied for the fourth-highest total in the NFL. Pass protection is a bit of a different story, though, as hes been protected a good deal in Georgias offense. As a first-year punter, Fox has plenty of room to get better, which should scare other teams, because he's already one of the best. 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. In 2021, Hekker had a net average of 42.6 yards per punt, which ranked fourth in the NFL. Oh and because he grew up playing Australian rules football, he also likes to tackle. Okudah has pretty much only shown out as a man corner at this point, but thats where youd like to see corners win. He's been impressive as a tackler for much of his career and turned in PFF run-defense grades of 70.0 or higher in each of the four seasons prior to last year. While many point to the San Francisco pass rush as the catalyst for their defensive revival in 2019, we shouldn't overlook how good their coverage was as a team. Subscribe to PFF+ to unlock Sign Up NFL NFL Home Tools NFL Scores NFL Premium Stats I mean, who can forget the time that a punter won the NFL's award for Clutch Performance Play of the Year back in 2019 and he won it by throwing a pass to a KICKER. Highest-Graded Player: QB Aaron Rodgers (94.5), Super Bowl Win Probability: 8% He controls offensive linemen with ease snap after snap. The only reason Fox isn't higher on this list is because he struggled with touchbacks. His 17 catches through two seasons with five drops is his biggest concern now. Brown is not a player who comes up all that often when discussing the league's best linebackers, but he deserves a spot in the conversation. Simmons is on another level athletically from linebackers across the country. Hes one of the toughest receivers to jam at the line of scrimmage in the country. Vaughn runs with great pacing and patience. One game that was truly indicative of Bailey's season came in Week 13. Being a great kicker in the NFL comes down to one main thing and that's the ability to make field goals and no one does that better than Tucker. To join our email list and get notified when we launch the 2023-24 NFL section (probably late May), register for a free account . Super Bowl Win Probability: 30% Recording grades of 80.0 or higher as both a run defender and in coverage, as Vander Esch did in 2018, is impressive stuff. 2020 NFL Punting Statistics. Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (11) celebrates after a touchdown catch against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter of a NFL game at Arrowhead Stadium. 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. 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. Feb. 24, 2020 MILAN The landmark Duomo Cathedral, its spires towering over Milan, is closed. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Korsak was the 2022 Ray Guy Award winner given to the nation's best punter. At one point in 2018, he hit 26 straight field goals, which set a Saints franchise record. Hes the definition of a modern safety. In 2020 the Broncos allowed 8.1 yards per punt return and that value was down to 6.4 in 2021 (which was third best in the league - only the Bills at 5.6, and the Chiefs at 4.9 allowed fewer. He's consistently one of the better tackling linebackers in the league missing just 6% of his tackles over the past five seasons and he's been about as steady as they come in run defense with run-defense grades between 68.4 and 78.3 in all eight of his NFL seasons. Of his 51 punts in 2021, only nine of them were returned, and his 17.6% return rate was by far the lowest return percentage for any full-time punter in the NFL last season. The transfer graded out as a 4.5-star kicking prospect who could double as a back-up punter with continued work in the punt game. After all, he is playing some of the best football of his career he ranked fourth at the position with an 88.2 PFF grade in 2019. Carlson scored 144 points in 2020, which was tied for the most in the NFL. section: | slug: ranking-the-nfls-top-10-punters-entering-2022-cowboys-and-raiders-punters-both-crack-the-list | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Robinson was reportedly ousted from West Virginia over the summer and still hasnt found a home for this upcoming fall. Were frequently asked how a player can be ranked higher than their projections? Thats a great skill for a modern back. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama Hes the definition of a one-cut runner who can cut on a dime and get up to full speed quickly. You name it, Young has it. The Lions punter hit seven touchbacks last season, which was tied for the most in the NFL. If you watched Washington play last season, you may have noticed that they had one of the worst offenses in the NFL and because of that, Tress Way ended up punting the ball 73 times in 2020, which was the most of any punter in the league. No one's more clutch than Tucker and he proved that last season when he hit a 55-yarder as time expired to beat the Browns in a wild Monday night game played in Week 14. Split: Rate: Season: The 36-year-old kicker went a perfect 16 of 16 on field goals, making him one of just five kickers in NFL history to hit 100% of their field goals in a season where they attempted 15 or more kicks. Shenault is a weapon in the open field. After booming his way to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2018, Dickson has somehow only gotten better. Wirfs is absurdly powerful and already technically advanced in pass protection. As of February 16, 2023, Rome (Lazio) was the Italian province which registered the highest number of coronavirus . McKinney is a jack of all trades for the Alabama defense. Thomas is a brute. FAKE PUNT #SEAHAWKS EXECUTE THE FAKE!!!! Only the top two to three percent of analysts are on the team of "senior analysts" in charge of finalizing each grade after review. #RaiderNation: #NOvsLV on ESPN: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/pkp7nq0Q8u pic.twitter.com/cW3CGZDfgU. Robinson packs a punch as a pass-rusher. For that reason, we're only looking at off-ball linebackers here, whether that be outside or inside. Biadasz has been one of the best centers in college football since the day he stepped foot on Wisconsins field. Over the course of his career, the four-time Pro Bowler has averaged 46.7 yards per punt, which is the fifth-highest number in NFL history. Houston has one of the best linebacker duos in the league heading into 2020. This list will not include the likes of T.J. Watt, Khalil Mack or Von Miller all of whom ranked highly in the edge defender rankings that came out earlier this week. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. The 2020 first-team All-Big Ten selection had 20 punts inside the 20-yard line, ranking second in the Big Ten punters in 2020. He has elite deep speed and is also a dog at the catch point. The fourth-year kicker also finished the season with a 92.3% conversion rate on field goals, which is the best mark in Dolphins' history. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Anger had such a big season that Cowboys rewarded him a new three-year contract in March that's worth up to $9 million. Townsend averaged 43.8 net yard per punt last season, which ranked behind only Bryan Anger. 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 | Bojorquez also had a net punting average of 44.0 yards, which ranked fifth in the NFL. FROM 55 YARDS OUT. Davis comes from a track background, and it shows up on his tape. That 7.3 return number was the lowest in the league for any team that had to cover 30 or more punt returns. The Bills decided to let Bojorquez walk in free agency despite a 2020 season where he led the NFL in yards per punt with a number (50.8) that ranked as the fourth-highest of all-time. Highest-Graded Player: DI Aaron Donald (94.5), Super Bowl Win Probability: 3% The last three years have yielded different results, however. 49ers Kicker Mitch Wishnowsky said NO (via @49ers)pic.twitter.com/fJgAacq8jY. That impressive average came just one year after a 2020 season where he also finished fifth in the league with an average of 48 yards per punt. Hes already one of the best pass protectors in college football. He rushes the passer with violence unrivaled in this class and has the highest pass-rushing grade of any returning edge. Covering receivers who are that talented one-on-one is a tough ask for any linebacker. 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. Johnston was one of the few bright spots for the Texans last season. He makes some throws down the field that only a handful of guys in the NFL could make. Cooke only kicked one punt into the end zone the entire season, which was tied for the fewest in the NFL by any punter that had 20 or more punts in 2021. Back in December, the Raiders signed Cole to a four-year, $12.4 million extension that included $5.9 million in guaranteed money. 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. As a 27-year-old undrafted free agent who hadn't yet taken an NFL snap on defense, why would he have been? Ranking NFL kickers is pretty easy -- at least at the top -- because you just put Justin Tucker at No. Over the past four years, no punter has placedmore balls inside the 10-yard line than Dickson, who has done it nearly 50 times since 2018. That's an Oscar-worthy performance. Atlanta needs several of the young cornerbacks they've added to step up in order to see meaningful improvement in their team coverage, but the impact that Jones has over the middle of the field shouldn't be overlooked. Enjoy! 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. Warner was a big part of that. Edmunds has performed well in stretches, but he has yet to put it all together for an entire season. Littleton does do two things at an elite level, though cover and tackle. Provinces with the most coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Italy February 2023. Myers might not be ranked at the top of his list, but he was arguably the best kicker in the NFL last year. In just his second year with the 49ers, Wishnowsky showed why he was worth a fourth-round pick back in 2019. In 2020, he hit 19 of 20 field goals, which is even more impressive when you consider that his only miss came from 59 yards out. Johnsons shake as a route-runner is arguably the best in the nation. As a matter of fact, let's stop for a second to watch this 70-yard punt that he boomed against the Bears on Thanksgiving last season. Since entering the league in 2012, Wagner's 92.1 PFF grade ranks second out of 103 qualifying linebackers, behind only Kuechly. 1. He is the only fantasy analyst to rank in the top 5 of FantasyPros ranking competition in 3 of the last 4 years. With some of the struggles at cornerback for Minnesota, play like that in coverage from Kendricks and the Vikings' safety duo of Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris maintained their spot as a top-10 pass defense in 2019. 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). Like Milano, Schobert is going to produce more against the pass than he is against the run. NFL footage NFL Productions LLC. Quarterback 1. No linebacker who has seen at least 50 targets in coverage since 2018 has allowed a lower yards-per-target mark than Brown's 5.6. The Lions punter hit seven touchbacks last season, which was tied for the second-most in the NFL. Although Dickson had a slightly down year in 2021, he still managed to rank in the top-10 in both punting average and net punting average. Littleton should help correct both those areas. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports. Thompson already looks the part of an NFL linebacker. Davis hasn't always been considered one of the game's best linebackers. In the end, the Steelers decided to keep their kicker and the gamble definitely paid off because Boswell has been one of the best kickers in the NFL over the past two years. . During the 2020 season, Way averaged a booming 48.0 yards per punt, which ranked fifth in the NFL and this came just one year after a 2019 season where he finished with the 10th-highest single-season average in NFL history (49.6). Now, if he can just fix his drop problem that saw him muff 10 a season ago. Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. 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. Although Hekker wasn't the best punter in 2020, he arguably had the best single-game of any punter last year. All Rights Reserved. No one was really clear about it, so I'm just going to assume this is a classic "save the best for last" scenario. To put that in perspective, there were only two other punters who even landed 30 kicks inside their opponents' 20-yard line. . During the 2021 season, Anger had a net average of 44.6 yard per punt, which led the NFL. In the run game, Thompson uses his quickness to be effective despite being on the smaller end for a linebacker. 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. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League. Although Way did show off his booming leg last season, he fell out of our top five this year because he struggled with some other parts of his game. Week SB Rankings PPR .5 PPR Non-PPR IDP 2022 Draft Rankings PPR .5 PPR 2 QB PPR Non-PPR IDP Best Ball Dynasty Startup Dynasty Rookie Dynasty IDP Startup Dynasty IDP Rookie 9:24 am ET, signed Cole to a four-year, $12.4 million extension, more balls inside the 10-yard line than Dickson, 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. Bailey also managed to put a total of 31 punts inside his opponents' 20-yard, which was the second-highest number in the NFL. We need more mic'd up punters. While he offers almost nothing between the tackles against the run, his range is as good as it gets at the position. Opponents also averaged 12.9 yards per return on his punt, which makes both the punt team and the punter look bad. Sam Koch might be the greatest passer in Ravens history. 1 seed for San Francisco in the playoffs, but Greenlaw made plays like that in coverage throughout the year. Not only was he accurate, but he also showed off his range as he was one of just four kickers in the NFL who attempted four or more field goals from beyond 50 yards and made all of them. 6-keys: media/spln/nfl/reg/free/stories, at He has truly impressive movement and change-of-direction skills for how big he is, and by all accounts, he's the kind of leader you want on your defense. He has sported a top-20 coverage grade at the position in each of the past two years reaching as high as sixth in 2018. It was a promising debut. Highest-Graded Player: DI DeForest Buckner (89.7), Super Bowl Win Probability: 3% Jack's 2019 season was not what Jaguars' fans were expecting, and you can say that for a lot of Jacksonville's defense. 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. Cunningham is perhaps most well known for how he uses his length to impact the passing game in coverage, but he's starting to become one of the league's better run defenders at the position. Hes above average in pretty much every aspect of the position you could ask for. NFL Player Grades PFF analyzes every player and every play of every game in the 2022 NFL season. He's earned this top spot with strong, well-rounded play throughout his career. #RavensFlock #BALvsCLE pic.twitter.com/MbYBUbu8bw. Davis should be an anchor in the middle of the Saints' defense once again in 2020. 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