His sack total more than doubled in his second season, and his total pressures leaped from 34 to 66, but his pass-rushing grade actually got worse (57.8 from 59.4 as a rookie) because his pass-rushing snaps also almost doubled. Cameron Heyward was the best interior defender in the league outside of Aaron Donald; Javon Hargrave had a big season after taking over for the injured Stephon Tuitt; and Bud Dupree had career-highs in pressures, overall grade, run-defense grade and pass-rush grade. David Onyemata is the other critical piece of the puzzle, and like Rankins his best season was in 2018. Outside of the players already mentioned, the Texans don’t have much in the way of impact players, with the likes of Charles Omenihu, Brennan Scarlett and Angelo Blackson likely to earn playing time but without much quality play on their resumes. Steve Palazzolo consults PFF's free-agent rankings, 2021 NFL Draft Board and potential trade candidates to give you a quick-hitting breakdown of the best available edge defenders this offseason. The team’s problem has been assembling a supporting cast capable of helping Donald maximize his impact. Combined, they were on the field for fewer than 750 snaps, and neither player graded particularly well, especially given their past performances. The Dolphins have plenty of question marks hovering over the pass rush, though they’ve accumulated a strong group of run-stoppers up front. Chandler Jones is the star player on the Cardinals' defensive front. Last season, Jones posted a pass-rush grade of 90.0, good enough to rank in the top five among edge rushers, and he pressured the quarterback 75 times. Unlike Rankins, he doesn’t have the excuse of injuries to explain the significant decline last season. Joseph is now with the Chargers, while there remains the possibility that Griffen could return as long as he is on the open market still unsigned. Steve Palazzolo consults PFF's free-agent rankings, 2021 NFL Draft Board and potential trade candidates to give you a quick-hitting breakdown of the best available edge defenders this offseason. On Monday, I used PFF’s stats to examine the 2019 SU rushing attack. By Ben Linsey Oct 17, 2019. Lorenzo Carter has flashed that ability, while 2019 third-round pick Oshane Ximines has yet to show he can translate his college production to the NFL. Outside of that duo, the situation is a little less encouraging. Nobody doubted his dominance and ability, but there were questions as to whether he could be an effective enough pass-rusher at the next level to justify a high first-round pick. Hurst earned a pass-rushing grade of 77.8 last season and racked up 38 total pressures in the process. 1 player at his position on PFF’s Big Board because of it. PFF brings you data-driven NFL rankings, stats, and player grades for every team and player in the National Football League. Here are the best defensive lines in the NFL heading into 2020. Given what Dallas had inside in 2019, he should still be a significant upgrade, but his days as a dominant player may be over. A couple of years ago, the Jacksonville defensive line — a united that adopted the nickname “Sacksonville” — was among the very best in the game. He will move back inside for the Ravens, where he should prove to be an upgrade over Pearce. In 2019, he had 62 total pressures and an 87.0 PFF pass-rushing grade, ranking first among nose tackles. Jordan Phillips had 10 sacks and might be confused for a legitimate pass-rush presence, but those sacks represented 10 of the 26 total pressures he managed all season long. The Falcons also drafted Auburn’s Marlon Davidson in the second round of the draft, a player who ranked 44th on PFF’s Big Board. Much will also be expected of L.J. At his best, Mack is a game-changing force along the defensive front, but it’s now three seasons since he last posted a pass-rushing grade above 90.0, and 2019 was the lowest overall grade of his career. The days of gargantuan run-stuffers who offered little, if any, impact in the passing game are long gone. The PFF unit ranking series moves to the defensive line as we look forward to the 2020 season. Dean Lowry is a former fourth-round pick who has dramatically outperformed his draft slot but may never be anything beyond solid. Meanwhile, Julian was the No. He improved each season of his career at Oklahoma and will push for snaps. Kyler Fackrell was also added to the mix, but again, his production has come in spikes and flashes at the NFL level, and he never managed to be a consistent threat during his time in Green Bay. The Bills are throwing many options at the wall along the defensive front, but this unit’s success will be determined by Hughes staying on top of his game and Oliver raising his to the next level. Pierce told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press that he has really bad asthma among other respiratory issues, so it was a high-risk opt out. In addition, Danny Shelton was brought in from the Patriots to anchor the middle of the line. Miller is now 31 years old and posted career-lows in sack total, overall grade and pass-rushing grade for a full-season of play. Harrison Phillips’ strong run defense is back in the equation after being limited to just 77 snaps last season, and Vernon Butler has been added to the mix after the former Panthers first-rounder peaked with a 68.7 overall grade in 2017. Jeffery Simmons had a debut to remember after recovering from an ACL injury that many thought would sideline him for the entire season. The 49ers traded away DeForest Buckner, who had been the team’s most consistent interior force over the past few seasons, but they used the pick they acquired on his direct replacement — South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw. 1 in the NFL in PFF’s secondary rankings. Inside, former first-rounder Christian Wilkins ranked seventh among rookie interior defensive linemen with a 64.4 overall grade last season. 4 edge rusher on PFF’s Big Board and certainly has the talent to provide pressure, even if he might need a situational role early. Jordan posted 83 total pressures last season, the fifth-straight year he has topped 70 and the fourth-straight season his PFF pass-rushing grade has been 80 or higher. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft may be the best pass-rusher to come into the NFL in a decade, and we have seen some excellent ones arrive over that time. Collier, the team’s 2019 first-round pick. 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