Lions linebacker unit rated third in NFC North
The Detroit Lions have gotten praise for a lot of things this offseason but their linebacker corps is not one of them.
Thursday, Pro Football Focus rated Detroit’s linebacker unit as the 22nd-best in the NFL and third-best in the NFC North, trailing Chicago and Minnesota.
“The rookie learning curve for linebackers is tough, so Jack Campbell’s first-year struggles shouldn’t be much of a cause for concern. It’s just a matter of how quickly he can improve in his second season after earning a 75.8 PFF run-defense grade and a 35.3 coverage grade,” PFF wrote. “Slotting in next to Campbell, Alex Anzalone is coming off the highest-graded season of his career (69.8) in his seventh NFL campaign.”
The Lions had the second-best run defense in the NFL last season but got shredded through the air, ranking 27th. The team did a solid job adding several defensive backs over the offseason, which should also help boost the other defensive units, as well.
Add in a year of growth for Jack Campbell and the linebacker unit could take a good step forward this season.
Anzalone graded out as the 33rd-best linebacker out of 82 qualified players last season, per PFF, while Derrick Barnes was 59th and Campbell was 77th. Jalen Reeves-Maybin also graded out as a phenomenal run-stopper.
Detroit Lions linebackers Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes © Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK