and his 80th-percentile pass-rushing grade since 2017 should help in that department. Those two players were the team's best defenders in 2020 but have combined for just 237 snaps this season. The 2021 version should look significantly different , are expected to return from injury and an opt-out, respectively. pass rusher in the NFL. The Jaguars' defense cant stop the pass well enough, and the problems originate in the secondary. The folks at Pro Football Focus grade every player on every play, but PFF also scores the teams as a whole on different metrics as well. Leonard has forced six fumbles and tallied three interceptions alone, but eight other Colts defenders have also registered forced fumbles this season. If our evaluation of their front seven proves too harsh, it will likely be due to offseason addition Shaq Lawson, who generated a pressure rate of 17.0% in Miami last season. The Indianapolis Colts defensive line, led by All-Pro DeForest Buckner, was ranked 19th in the NFL entering the 2021 season by Pro Football Focus. At some point, its time to accept that the Dallas defense isnt just vastly improved from a year ago, but its actually one of the best in the NFL, driven by elite performances from several key players. 5 on the list. The Rams dont have the same quality of depth as the other top-five defensive lines in these rankings. still being in place as the starters at defensive end. The 163rd overall player on the PFF big board, this is a bit of a reach for the Lions, but Martin is a big player who can fill a role in the middle of their defensive line at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds. The Cincinnati Bengals got better on the back end, whereas the San Francisco 49ers faltered by drafting a kicker over a cornerback in the third round. Frank Clark has his highest PFF pass-rushing grade (69.9) since 2018, and Melvin Ingram has accrued multiple pressures in every game since the team acquired him from Pittsburgh. DeForest Buckner was everything Indianapolis hoped he would be last season. The team now has a pressure rate of just 20.2%, by far the lowest mark in the NFL. He still needs to show he can play up to that level as a starter over the course of an entire season. His inability to play up to the level he performed at in Seattle has left Kansas City thin along the defensive line beyond Jones, even after the team signed Jarran Reed this offseason. He earned PFF grades of at least 85.0 in each of his final two college seasons and could earn a more prominent role on Clevelands defensive line in 2021. . has matched his contract with elite production. 456 pressures over the past five seasons are 86 more than any other defender despite the fact that he saw a consistent barrage of double and triple teams. The Packers' defense has struggled in recent weeks against some impressive offenses and some not-so-impressive offenses. He was the most valuable edge defender in the league last season by PFF's Wins Above Replacement metric, and he holds the same title across his three seasons with the Bears. If it were, the Dolphins would be in the low 30s. Defensive line rankings entering the 2021 NFL season Maxx Crosby still leads the league in total pressures (87), but the gap is closing between him and the chasing pack. Other big moves include the Baltimore Ravens defense tumbling as injuries just continue to decimate the group, and the San Francisco 49ers are back on the rise thanks to some impressive displays from their defensive front in recent weeks. As a result, its difficult to field a great defense with a below-average defensive line. in his second season after he earned a 58.1 grade on just over 100 snaps as a rookie. He joins a group that already features T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu, all of whom made PFFs list of the top 32 players at their respective positions entering the 2021 NFL season. 2021 NFL Defensive Front Seven Rankings, by Positional Unit PFF's NFL Power Rankings for the 2021 NFL season : nfl 1 . Three cornerbacks hold sub-45.0 PFF coverage grades on the season, and even the better performers and those who have played the most snaps are giving up a 111.8 passer rating (Shaquill Griffin) and a 90.3 passer rating (Tyson Campbell). They rank just eighth in blitz rate (28.5%) and 18th in pressure rate as a unit. The Seahawks inability to generate pressure with their defensive line last season, especially early in the year, became a national storyline. , and the team ranks just 28th in pressure rate, in part because its just too easy to pass the ball against that injury-riddled secondary. Indianapolis Colts defensive line ranked 19th by PFF No defense has forced more turnovers than Dallas. #Browns offensive line in 2020: Pass blocking grade - 86.5 (1st) The quarterbacks during the Dolphins 7 game win streak???? Youth is the theme across Carolinas defense. The first six years of his NFL career have featured up-and-down play and extended suspensions, but he was playing the best football of his career down the stretch of 2020, earning an 80.5 overall grade on his 270 defensive snaps. 32. this season. Aside from that one-man wrecking crew, this defensive line has clear concerns heading into 2021. has been the least valuable defensive lineman in the NFL over the past two seasons, worth -0.22 wins above a replacement-level player over that span. Those numbers could even improve with a healthy season from Vita Vea in 2021. That group will look to match a league-leading 45.1% pressure rate in 2020.