To preview the 2020 NFL season, we asked more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top 10 players at 11 positions (sorry, special-teamers). The results might surprise you. They surprised me.
Here's how it worked: Voters gave their best 10 to 15 players at a position, then we compiled the results and ranked candidates based on number of top-10 votes, composite average, interviews and research. We had several ties, so we broke them by isolating the two-man matchup with additional voting and follow-up calls. Each section is packed with quotes and nuggets from the voters on every guy -- even the honorable mentions.
The objective is to identify the best players right now for 2020. This is not a five-year projection or an achievement award. Who's the best today? Pretty simple.
We'll roll out a position per day over the next 11 days. Here's the schedule:
Week 1: tight ends (July 7); quarterbacks (July 8); running backs (July 9); wide receivers (July 10); offensive tackles (July 11)
Week 2: interior offensive linemen (July 12); edge defenders (July 13); interior defensive linemen (July 14); off-ball linebackers (July 15); cornerbacks (July 16); safeties (July 17)
Following his retirement this offseason, Luke Kuechly will be missed. But plenty of linebackers are ready to fill the void. Our linebacker rankings feature a clear-cut No. 1, established veterans vying for the next four spots and ascending young players trying to unseat the second- and third-contract guys.
The linebacker position -- all inside linebackers here, along with outside linebackers in a 4-3 alignment and hybrid options -- has at least five first-round picks from the past two years who earned top-10 votes.
But older NFL players have problems with some of the young guys who like to rack up tackles.
"Turnovers and ball disruption," a veteran NFL linebacker said. "That's what it's about. The young guys can get a lot of tackles but it takes a while to learn how to take the ball away."
With that in mind, here's how the young players fared compared to the thirtysomethings. And a shout out to Ryan Shazier, who, at age 27, would undoubtedly be high on this list if not for the severe 2018 back injury that required spinal stabilization surgery.
1. Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
Age: 30 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 3
For all of Wagner's accolades over eight seasons -- five first-team All-Pros, six Pro Bowls, 1,075 tackles -- you can follow the trail he blazed to unlock his true impact.
He was the speedy, compact bullet at linebacker before Devin Bush, Devin White, Roquan Smith and others made it fashionable in recent drafts. Wagner isn't the first speedy linebacker to come out of the draft, but he has improved since bursting onto the scene in 2012 til he became one of the NFL's top defenders.
Some evaluators say he has lost, eh, a quarter-step, and that 2019 wasn't Wagner at his best. But his fastball is still better than everyone else's, and he has averaged nearly eight passes defended per season since 2017.
"I know he's old and been around, but the guy has just got great instincts to go with speed, and when you have that, you can dominate," said an AFC exec.
That dominance looks like this: Match seam routes with tight ends, execute a zone defense with precision, drop into coverage and close on the ball with authority, and stand next to Russell Wilson as a leader of a contender.
"Damn good player," said an NFC scout. "That's all there is to say."
2. Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age: 30 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 7
David landed at the No. 2 spot without flash but with ultimate respect. All but one voter kept him inside the top six.
"Criminally underrated," one veteran NFL linebacker said. "Doesn't get the recognition but so smooth as a player. Everything he does is right."
The Bucs view him as a cornerstone despite their influx of talent on both sides of the ball. He made plays through the down years, and will get more shine in the Bucs' renewed playoff push with Tom Brady.
No stat category is left unfilled with David: 45 passes defended, 21 forced fumbles, 11 interceptions, 22.5 sacks, 52 quarterback hits and 116 tackles for loss since 2012.
David came into the league with Wagner, but bests him in all but two of those categories (passes defended and quarterback hits).
And if that isn't enough, his 89.2 Pro Football Focus grade last season ranks among the best for inside or stack linebackers.
"He doesn't really have a glaring weakness," said an NFC exec. "And he can play outside linebacker or the mike."
3. Eric Kendricks, Minnesota Vikings
Age: 28 | Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 8
Kendricks vs. Darius Leonard -- coverage ace vs. splash-play specialist -- was a fascinating matchup and resulted in a tie through the first round of voting.
Kendricks won out in a voting re-cast, largely because of his ability to cover and close on the ball.
Pro Football Focus gave Kendricks a position-high 90.2 grade thanks to his 21.9 incompletion percentage, highest in the PFF era.
"Not that tall, but compact body, really twitchy, settles in zone windows, makes good plays in underneath coverage, can do man-to-man, " said a veteran NFL linebacker. "You don't see many running backs or tight ends outrunning him. Good against the run, too."
You don't play in a top-five rushing defense without knowing how to stuff.
Added an AFC exec: "Minnesota does such a good job with their defense under Mike Zimmer that they don't put too much on his plate -- he can be free to do his thing in coverage. But he's gotten better against the run."
4. Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts
Age: 24 | Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 7
There isn't a statistical area in which Darius Leonard doesn't excel.
The Colts selected Leonard in the second round of the 2018 draft and in return Leonard has provided 12 sacks, 19 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, 15 pass deflections and seven interceptions. Since individual sacks became official in 1982, Leonard and Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher are the only players with 10 sacks and five interceptions in their first two seasons.
He'll pick you off, then make people miss, averaging 18.6 yards per interception return through two seasons. He drives on the ball like a throwback.
"Probably not as close to peak Wagner physically, but he's so tall and long and forceful with a really unique skill set that he can just get involved in everything," said a veteran NFL defensive back. "Good change of direction, and he uses his frame really well."
One AFC scout said Leonard might be best in a zone defense that allows him to chase and pursue. But the Colts have involved Leonard in multiple coverages. His tackles were down slightly, from 163 in 2018 to 121 in 13 games last season, but the Colts experimented with defensive front tweaks where Leonard didn't have to clean up all of the time.
"I love that guy," said one veteran NFL offensive assistant coach. "He can change the game."
5. Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints
Age: 31 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 9
If a young NFL player wants a blueprint to go from role player to a force, follow Davis, who signed a modest two-year, $8 million deal with Cleveland in 2016. Two years later, the Saints signed him to a three-year, $24 million deal in 2018.
Now, Davis earns the ultimate respect inside opposing NFL buildings.
"We call him Super Demario," one NFC exec said.
One voter thought Davis made a run at defensive player of the year thanks to this stat line: 108 tackles, four sacks, 12 passes defended, one interception.
He's a three-down linebacker who can thump or cover a tight end 30 yards downfield on a seam route.
Detractors say he's not the same athlete as many on this list, but the Saints know he's elite.
"He does everything -- from getting the defense organized to pass coverage to stopping the run," said a veteran NFL linebacker. "I have the ultimate respect for him."
6. Deion Jones, Atlanta Falcons
Age: 25 | Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 10
Jones is among the most exciting linebackers to watch.
"Major fan. So fast, productive. Prototypical inside 'backer for today's game," said an NFL defensive assistant who voted Jones No. 1 overall. "Size, speed, run, can hit, cover, runs 4.4."
Jones isn't a huge stat-stuffer, but produced one interception, five passes defended and 101 tackles a year ago.
One issue with Jones is weight. He's listed at 227 pounds, which is on the lighter side, and word is he dropped to around 215 last year.
But as one veteran NFL offensive assistant coach pointed out, who cares when Atlanta has maybe the best pure cover linebacker in the game.
"He's a top guy," said an AFC exec. "All you have to do is watch him move in the open field to know that."
7. Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo Bills
Age: 22 | Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Off the ballot
Edmunds is still one of the NFL's best-kept secrets. He quietly flies around New Era Field, and many of those polled gladly stack him in their top six.
"He's the epitome of freaky," one AFC scout said. "He's a cornerstone guy, about the right stuff, works hard and has serious range."
Added a veteran NFL offensive coach: "He'll be No. 1 on this list soon. Tremendous athlete."
Edmunds is still evolving in pass defense, but he uses his range and 6-foot-5, 236-pound frame to dominate the run. Edmunds led all linebackers with 20 "run stuffs," a stop for no gain or a loss, according to Next Gen Stats.
"He's still raw, and sometimes he's in the wrong run fits, but once he sees the ball, he runs it down within five yards better than anybody," said a veteran NFL linebacker. "And he'll clean up the shortcomings. He's talented enough to do that."
8. Jamie Collins Sr., Detroit Lions
Age: 30 | Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: Off the ballot
Collins is listed as an outside linebacker but was so much more in New England, a hybrid option with three interceptions, seven sacks and three forced fumbles in 2019.
The 255-pounder moves like a gymnast.
"He can cover running backs, good blitzer, lines up as edge rusher or off the ball," said an NFL coordinator who voted him No. 2. "Very instinctive, good football intelligence and makes plays."
The key is using Collins correctly. He gets knocked for less-productive years in Cleveland, but coaches say he was miscast as an edge rusher, which was "good for us [opposing teams], because the other stuff Jamie does is scary."
One veteran NFL linebacker says Detroit -- which signed Collins to a three-year, $27 million deal in March -- should use Collins as the "mike" linebacker, where "he's been a monster in the past."
"There's no one like him," said a veteran NFL offensive assistant coach. "If you use him to attack the underneath stuff and at the line of scrimmage like Bill [Belichick] did, he's top five."
Here's something to keep in mind: Collins played 33 snaps (53% of the defensive plays) in New England's playoff loss to Tennessee, which might tell us what the Patriots thought about his run defense.
9. C.J. Mosley, New York Jets
Age: 28 | Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 12
Missing 14 games with a groin injury that required surgery hurt Mosley's stock in the voting process. Many evaluators consider Mosley, when healthy, a top-six linebacker.
"He'll be top 10 on the list of best linebackers ever by the time he's done," said one veteran NFL offensive assistant coach. "He understands football better than just about any other linebacker. He's not the fastest, but covers ground so well with savvy and physicality."
Mosley is more a field general than a line-of-scrimmage stat stuffer (two quarterback hits in his past 17 games), but he averaged 2.25 interceptions and 1.2 forced fumbles in his five seasons in Baltimore.
Mosley's impact is difficult to quantify by numbers, evaluators say, citing intangibles, respect from everyone on the field and his willingness to bang for four quarters.
Expect a bounce-back year in 2020.
"He sets a tone," one NFL general manager said. "Still top-10 when healthy."
10. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
Age: 25 | Highest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: Off the ballot
Warner made a late push over Jaylon Smith for the final spot, thanks to several general managers considering Warner a top-eight linebacker. He won the 10th spot in an isolated voting matchup with Smith.
Those who coached against the 49ers last year noticed him right away.
"I went into our game thinking Kwon Alexander was their No. 1 guy, but Fred Warner stood out the most," an NFL coordinator said. "Three-down linebacker, physical, active, really smart, can play the over and under stuff like crazy. Impressive."
The 49ers ask Warner to do a lot: Call the defense, anchor the run, chase pass-catchers on deep over routes on third down.
Warner responded with three sacks, three forced fumbles, 89 solo tackles and an interception for a 46-yard touchdown.
To be sure, Warner has one of the best defensive fronts to help him clean up. But a separate NFL coordinator said Warner belongs because he's a "real factor in pass defense, real smart."
Honorable mention
Jaylon Smith, Dallas Cowboys: "I think his all-around game is better and more versatile. He can play all three positions, he hits and he's got great downhill speed." -- NFC exec
Roquan Smith, Chicago Bears: "He's more of a second-tier guy for now but I think he's going to put it all together this year. You just know by watching him play that he's a top pick. He's been overshadowed a bit by Danny [Trevathan] but it's only a matter of time." -- NFL defensive assistant coach
Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas Cowboys: "I know he was hurt last year but he can play every linebacker spot, he's physical and he moves well enough for a [256-pound] man. I'm surprised he's not on your list." -- NFC exec
Cory Littleton, Las Vegas Raiders: "He's got high stat numbers, three-down linebacker, good against the pass, I'm just not sure how disruptive he really is down in and down out." -- NFL coordinator
Joe Schobert, Jacksonville Jaguars: "I know one head coach who says he's the best zone-coverage linebacker in the NFL." -- NFL defensive assistant coach
Devin Bush, Pittsburgh Steelers: "This guy is coming for the list next year. He's loaded with talent, he's just still learning." -- AFC exec
Zach Cunningham, Houston Texans: "If you're looking for someone to cover passing downs with range, he's the guy." -- NFL offensive assistant coach