2015-16 NFL Pre-Season Position Rankings: 3-4 Outside Linebackers

We are about halfway through the NFL's off-season. OTA's have already started. Players are already getting injured. And the 2015-16 NFL season is getting so close, we can hear the footsteps coming up to the door and someone's just about ready to knock. With that said, it's time to look ahead at next season.

Now that NFL rosters are pretty much finalized (besides numerous upcoming cuts of course), it's time to start giving you guys an idea of how your team is shaping up for next season. What better way to do that than to start power ranking the starters at every position on each roster? It only makes sense.

Up next? The outside linebackers currently playing in a 3-4 defense (aka a star-studded list)......

Ultimate Football Blog's

2015-16 Pre-Season Position Rankings

3-4 Outside Linebackers

KEY NOTE: This is a POWER RANKINGS. That means it's a "what have you done for me lately?" list. This is not an ALL-TIME greatest list. If the NFL commissioner came up to me tomorrow and said:

"Hey, you can have any starting outside linebackers currently playing in a 3-4 defense....who do you want?"


It would (most likely) go in this order.......


(PS: PFF grade means "Pro Football Focus Grade". For those of you who don't know, ProFootballFocus.com is an football analytics website that grades players based on a certain criteria and it's a criteria that I've come to love. It's a pretty simple grading formula to figure out as well. The more negative score the player has, the least effective he was on-the-field last season. For example a "-24.8" grade would be absolutely awful, but a "24.8" grade means the player was outstanding. See, I told you it was easy to figure out)

*Please note that I'm also ranking guys as if I was building a franchise for the future. Therefore, I tend to favor age a lot in these rankings. It's why the Indianapolis Colts traded Peyton Manning when they drafted Andrew Luck. In the NFL, age is KING!

36. Alex Okafor (Arizona Cardinals)

Age: 24

Career Tackles: 31

Career Interceptions: 1

Career Forced Fumbles: 0

Career Sacks: 8

2014-15 PFF Grade: -12.1

35. Calvin Pace (New York Jets)

Age: 34

Career Tackles: 589

Career Interceptions: 3

Career Forced Fumbles: 19

Career Sacks: 57

2014-15 PFF Grade: -4.6

34. Jarvis Jones (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Age: 25

Career Tackles: 58

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 1

Career Sacks: 3

2014-15 PFF Grade: -7.5 

33. Matt Shaughnessy (Arizona Cardinals)

Age: 28

Career Tackles: 176

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 3

Career Sacks: 18.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: -3.2

32. Parys Haralson (New Orleans Saints)

Age: 31

Career Tackles: 267

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 3

Career Sacks: 28

2014-15 PFF Grade: 1.5 

31. Jeremiah Attaochu (San Diego Chargers)

Age: 22

Career Tackles: 10

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 1

Career Sacks: 2

2014-15 PFF Grade: -1.4

30. Quinton Coples (New York Jets)

Age: 24

Career Tackles: 103

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 2

Career Sacks: 16.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: -4.9 

29. Melvin Ingram (San Diego Chargers)

Age: 26

Career Tackles: 78

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 4

Career Sacks: 6

2014-15 PFF Grade: -1.6

28. Clay Matthews (Green Bay Packers)

Age: 29

Career Tackles: 306

Career Interceptions: 5

Career Forced Fumbles: 12

Career Sacks: 61

2014-15 PFF Grade: 2.2

27. Courtney Upshaw (Baltimore Ravens)

Age: 25

Career Tackles: 132

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 2

Career Sacks: 3

2014-15 PFF Grade: 0.2

26. Whitney Mercilus (Houston Texans)

Age: 24

Career Tackles: 122

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 4

Career Sacks: 18

2014-15 PFF Grade: -1.4

25. Jared Allen (Chicago Bears)

Age: 33

Career Tackles: 609

Career Interceptions: 5

Career Forced Fumbles: 31

Career Sacks: 134

2014-15 PFF Grade: 5.4 

24. DeMarcus Ware (Denver Broncos)

Age: 32

Career Tackles: 616

Career Interceptions: 3

Career Forced Fumbles: 34

Career Sacks: 127

2014-15 PFF Grade: 4.4

23. Connor Barwin (Philadelphia Eagles)

Age: 28

Career Tackles: 232

Career Interceptions: 1

Career Forced Fumbles: 4

Career Sacks: 37.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 3.9 

22. Erik Walden (Indianapolis Colts)

Age: 29

Career Tackles: 236

Career Interceptions: 2

Career Forced Fumbles: 4

Career Sacks: 18

2014-15 PFF Grade: 5.7 

21. Brian Orakpo (Tennessee Titans)

Age: 28

Career Tackles: 254

Career Interceptions: 1

Career Forced Fumbles: 6

Career Sacks: 40

2014-15 PFF Grade: 5.2

20. Paul Kruger (Cleveland Browns)

Age: 29

Career Tackles: 169

Career Interceptions: 2

Career Forced Fumbles: 7

Career Sacks: 31

2014-15 PFF Grade: 9.8

19. Robert Mathis (Indianapolis Colts)

Age: 34

Career Tackles: 487

Career Interceptions: 1

Career Forced Fumbles: 48

Career Sacks: 111

2014-15 PFF Grade: Didn't play last season (injury/suspension)

18. Julius Peppers (Green Bay Packers)

Age: 35

Career Tackles: 601

Career Interceptions: 11

Career Forced Fumbles: 43

Career Sacks: 125.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 20.2 

17. Bud Dupree (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Age: 22

Career Tackles: 0

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 0

Career Sacks: 0

2014-15 PFF Grade: Rookie

16. Trent Murphy (Washington Redskins)

Age: 24

Career Tackles: 32

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 2

Career Sacks: 2.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 3.4 

15. Aaron Lynch (San Francisco 49ers)

Age: 22

Career Tackles: 23

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 0

Career Sacks: 6

2014-15 PFF Grade: 5.3

14. Jadeveon Clowney (Houston Texans)

Age: 22

Career Tackles: 7

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 0

Career Sacks: 0

2014-15 PFF Grade: -2.2 

13. Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers)

Age: 25

Career Tackles: 152

Career Interceptions: 1

Career Forced Fumbles: 5

Career Sacks: 44

2014-15 PFF Grade: 5.8

12. Tamba Hali (Kansas City Chiefs)

Age: 31

Career Tackles: 508

Career Interceptions: 2

Career Forced Fumbles: 30

Career Sacks: 79.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 11.2

11. Jerry Hughes (Buffalo Bills)

Age: 26

Career Tackles: 161

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 5

Career Sacks: 24.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 9.7

10. Barkevious Mingo (Cleveland Browns)

Age: 24

Career Tackles: 84

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 0

Career Sacks: 7

2014-15 PFF Grade: 8.6

9. Mario Williams (Buffalo Bills)

Age: 30

Career Tackles: 367

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 16

Career Sacks: 91

2014-15 PFF Grade: 16.1

8. Terrell Suggs (Baltimore Ravens)

Age: 32

Career Tackles: 729

Career Interceptions: 7

Career Forced Fumbles: 27

Career Sacks: 106.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 26.2

7. Derrick Morgan (Tennessee Titans)

Age: 26

Career Tackles: 191

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 4

Career Sacks: 23

2014-15 PFF Grade: 14.6

6. Junior Galette (New Orleans Saints)

Age: 27

Career Tackles: 128

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 5

Career Sacks: 31.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 20.3

5. Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)

Age: 27

Career Tackles: 120

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 9

Career Sacks: 17

2014-15 PFF Grade: 22.8 

4. Pernell McPhee (Chicago Bears)

Age: 26

Career Tackles: 92

Career Interceptions: 0

Career Forced Fumbles: 3

Career Sacks: 17

2014-15 PFF Grade: 28.4

3. Ryan Kerrigan (Washington Redskins)

Age: 26

Career Tackles: 247

Career Interceptions: 2

Career Forced Fumbles: 15

Career Sacks: 38

2014-15 PFF Grade: 19.3

2. Von Miller (Denver Broncos)

Age: 26

Career Tackles: 225

Career Interceptions: 1

Career Forced Fumbles: 12

Career Sacks: 49

2014-15 PFF Grade: 58.4

1. Justin Houston (Kansas City Chiefs)

Age: 26

Career Tackles: 234

Career Interceptions: 1

Career Forced Fumbles: 7

Career Sacks: 48.5

2014-15 PFF Grade: 51.1