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 inside linebackers currently playing in a 4-3 defense......
Ultimate Football Blog's
2015-16 Pre-Season Position Rankings
4-3 Inside Linebacker's
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 inside linebacker currently playing in a 4-3 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!
14. Paul Worrilow (Atlanta Falcons)
Age: 25
Career Tackles: 270
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -12.2
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: -9.0
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -22.0
13. Curtis Lofton (Oakland Raiders)
Age: 28
Career Tackles: 885
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -4.3
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: -12.2
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -21.5
12. Bruce Carter (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Age: 27
Career Tackles: 242
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -10.2
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: -5.4
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -13.2
11. Jon Beason (New York Giants)
Age: 30
Career Tackles: 688
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -1.0
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: -3.5
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -4.2
10. James Laurinaitis (St. Louis Rams)
Age: 28
Career Tackles: 743
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 2.3
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: -9.6
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -8.9
9. Paul Posluszny (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Age: 30
Career Tackles: 886
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -2.8
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: -0.1
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -2.3
8. Rey Maualuga (Cincinnati Bengals)
Age: 28
Career Tackles: 482
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -0.3
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: 0.6
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: -1.0
7. Eric Kendricks (Minnesota Vikings)
Age: 23
Career Tackles: Rookie
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: Rookie
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: Rookie
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: Rookie
6. Stephen Tulloch (Detroit Lions)
Age: 30
Career Tackles: 835
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -1.6
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: 3.5
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 3.0
5. Jerod Mayo (New England Patriots)
Age: 29
Career Tackles: 756
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: -2.2
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: 3.8
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 2.1
4. Koa Misi (Miami Dolphins)
Age: 28
Career Tackles: 260
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 2.1
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: 1.6
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 8.9
3. Rolando McClain (Dallas Cowboys)
Age: 25
Career Tackles: 327
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 5.5
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: 8.8
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 17.2
2. Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks)
Age: 24
Career Tackles: 364
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 2.0
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: 13.8
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 19.5
1. Luke Kuechly (Carolina Panthers)
Age: 24
Career Tackles: 473
2014-15 PFF Pass Coverage Grade: 18.3
2014-15 PFF Run Defense Grade: 13.7
2014-15 PFF Overall Grade: 33.5
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