The linebacker position has been going through something of a metamorphosis, particularly the OLB position. Several of the game’s best pass rushers are outside linebackers who come off the edge and speed to the quarterback.
Since that is their main responsibility, including players like Von Miller and Khalil Mack, they were included with our defensive end rankings.
OTHER RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | OG/C | DL
In this edition, we look at the best linebackers in the NFL, both inside linebackers and outside backers who do more than rush the passer.
1. MLB Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
Wagner has been climbing the ranks among the game’s linebackers, and if the rest of the Seattle defense was as strong as it once was, we might be recognizing Wagner as the most impactful defensive player in the league.
Wagner is not a huge man at 6-0 and 240 pounds, but he plays with speed, quickness, nastiness and power. He is a tackling machine who goes from sideline-to-sideline to make plays. Wagner had 133 stops last year, two fumble recoveries and scored one touchdown. He earned first-team All-Pro honors last year for the third time in his career and his fourth Pro Bowl.
Scouts are in love with his relentless drive to find the ballcarrier and put him on his back.
2. ILB Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
Kuechly continues to be one of the most effective linebackers in the NFL, as he combines his intelligence, experience and all-around skill with the leadership he shows on an every-day basis. Head coach Ron Rivera knows that Kuechly will step up when the Panthers are in a crucial situation.
Kuechly had 125 tackles, six passes defensed and three interceptions last year, and he went to his fifth straight Pro Bowl. Additionally, he forced one fumble, recovered three more and had 1.5 sacks. This is the kind of all-around production that Panther fans have gotten used to seeing from Kuechly.
While he seemingly has been around forever, Kuechly is just 27 and should have many productive seasons remaining.
3. OLB Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons
USA TODAY Sports He has game-changing speed and that often allows him to get to the point where the running back turns upfield before the ball carrier. He had 138 tackles last year, and he is also exceptional in coverage. He had 11 passes defensed and three interceptions as a rookie in 2016 and he returned two of those picks for scores. He also had 10 passes defensed and three interceptions a year ago.
While he is clearly an accomplished player who earned an All-Pro invitation last year, he is still surging in his development.
4. ILB-OLB Dont’a Hightower, New England Patriots
It was a frustrating season for the New England defense even though the Patriots made it back to the Super Bowl, and that was because the team ranked 29th in yards allowed per game and 31st in passing yards allowed.
One of the key reasons for that was Hightower’s absence, as he played just five games before missing the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Hightower excels at the lost art of filling the hole, and he does it with a sense of nastiness. He diagnoses the play as well as any linebacker, and he plays at full speed and rarely overruns a play. Bill Belichick has let several defensive stars like Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins leave, but he has kept Hightower. That speaks volumes.
5. MLB C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have a tough, durable and effective inside backer in Mosley who continues to get better every season. Mosley has been to the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons, and he gets the job done as a hitter and in pass coverage.
Mosley had 132 tackles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions last year, and that last figure could go up this season because he is getting better when asked to cover running backs going out on pass patterns.
The 6-2, 236-pound Mosley can also handle the ILB spot when the Ravens jump into a 3-4, and he excels at directing his teammates prior to the snap.
6. MLB Sean Lee, Dallas Cowboys
7. OLB-ILB Jamie Collins, Cleveland Browns
8. OLB Kwon Alexander, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. OLB Jamie Collins, Cleveland Browns
10. OLB Anthony Barr, Minnesota Vikings