The 2020 NFL season reminded me of a 17-week rubbernecking delay. Given most everyone’s NEED for sports, the fans’ tolerance for NFL shenanigans was quite high, but, really, how many heads rolling down the highway does it take before the NFL figures things out? And, yes, that was a rhetorical question because the season is over, and Goodell never did figure it out; I wish I could say I’m surprised, but well yeah, I’m not! All-in-all, though, this 2020 season was definitely the strangest NFL season I can remember. It wasn’t all from COVID – I mean, yes, COVID was part of it with the delayed games to the non-stop players on COVID protocols (and penalties for violations of the NFL COVID protocols), to maybe the single most idiotic $50k Christmas Day fine, and my personal favorite of the “tanking” hilarity of week 17. However, now that we’re officially in the playoffs – and my Cleveland Browns have ended an 18-year playoff drought – I figured it was time to make some, possibly, way-too-early 2021 projections.
About these projections: I used an age-weighted, 3-year average for all players based on DSE IDP League scoring to project the 2021 Rankings. For a full set of our scoring, check out our IDP League rules page. However, since I’m not posting the projected point totals, instead, I’ve broken down each category into various tiers. It is worth noting that all players within a tier are within a relatively similar projected point category – I used a +- variance of 2.5ppg for each tier. A link to the offense player article can be found here >> Offensive Players.
Defensive Line
Coming into the 2020 season, it was widely expected that Chase Young would be something special. Despite how bad the entire NFC East division was this season, Young and Sweat’s tandem wreaked havoc week-after-week. Expect to see Young, along with Garrett, and a healthy Daniel Hunter at the top of the DL list for years to come!
Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Tier |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chase Young | WAS | DL | 1 |
2 | Danielle Hunter | MIN | DL | 1 |
3 | Myles Garrett | CLE | DL | 1 |
4 | DeForest Buckner | IND | DL | 2 |
5 | Joey Bosa | LAC | DL | 2 |
6 | Brian Burns | CAR | DL,LB | 2 |
7 | Maxx Crosby | LV | DL | 2 |
8 | Aaron Donald | LAR | DL | 2 |
9 | Montez Sweat | WAS | DL,LB | 2 |
10 | Chris Jones | KC | DL | 3 |
11 | Yannick Ngakoue | MIN/BAL | DL | 3 |
12 | Sam Hubbard | CIN | DL | 3 |
13 | Quinnen Williams | NYJ | DL | 4 |
14 | Romeo Okwara | DET | DL | 4 |
15 | Stephon Tuitt | PIT | DL | 4 |
16 | Chris Odom | WAS | DL,LB | 4 |
17 | Nick Bosa | SF | DL | 4 |
18 | Emmanuel Ogbah | MIA | DL | 4 |
19 | J.J. Watt | HOU | DL | 4 |
20 | Jeffery Simmons | TEN | DL | 4 |
21 | Leonard Williams | NYG | DL | 4 |
22 | Frank Clark | KC | DL | 4 |
23 | Trey Flowers | DET | DL | 4 |
24 | Jonathan Allen | WAS | DL | 5 |
25 | Clelin Ferrell | LV | DL | 5 |
26 | Cameron Jordan | NO | DL | 5 |
27 | Daron Payne | WAS | DL | 5 |
28 | Shelby Harris | DEN | DL | 5 |
29 | Javon Kinlaw | SF | DL | 5 |
30 | Justin Houston | IND | DL | 5 |
31 | Christian Wilkins | MIA | DL | 5 |
32 | Demarcus Lawrence | DAL | DL | 5 |
33 | Olivier Vernon | CLE | DL | 5 |
34 | Jadeveon Clowney | TEN | DL | 5 |
35 | Derek Barnett | PHI | DL | 5 |
36 | Dante Fowler | ATL | DL,LB | 5 |
37 | Dre'Mont Jones | DEN | DL | 5 |
38 | Chase Winovich | NE | DL | 5 |
39 | Randy Gregory | DAL | DL | 5 |
40 | Trey Hendrickson | NO | DL | 5 |
41 | Shaq Lawson | MIA | DL | 5 |
42 | Matt Ioannidis | WAS | DL | 5 |
43 | Josh Allen | JAX | DL | 5 |
44 | Kenny Clark | GB | DL | 5 |
45 | D.J. Wonnum | MIN | DL | 5 |
46 | Josh Sweat | PHI | DL | 6 |
47 | Carlos Dunlap | CIN/SEA | DL | 6 |
48 | Dexter Lawrence | NYG | DL | 6 |
49 | Arik Armstead | SF | DL | 6 |
50 | Grady Jarrett | ATL | DL | 6 |
51 | Ed Oliver | BUF | DL | 6 |
52 | Cameron Heyward | PIT | DL | 6 |
53 | Benson Mayowa | SEA | DL | 6 |
54 | Sheldon Richardson | CLE | DL | 6 |
55 | Niles Scott | LV | DL | 6 |
56 | Derrick Brown | CAR | DL | 6 |
57 | Jurrell Casey | DEN | DL | 6 |
58 | Vita Vea | TB | DL | 6 |
59 | Davon Hamilton | JAX | DL | 6 |
60 | Jonathan Ledbetter | MIA | DL | 6 |
61 | Alton Robinson | SEA | DL | 6 |
62 | Denico Autry | IND | DL | 6 |
63 | Carl Nassib | LV | DL,LB | 6 |
64 | Carl Lawson | CIN | DL | 6 |
65 | Brandon Graham | PHI | DL | 6 |
66 | Sebastian Joseph-Day | LAR | DL | 6 |
67 | Takkarist McKinley | ATL/LV | DL | 6 |
68 | Calais Campbell | BAL | DL | 6 |
69 | A'Shawn Robinson | LAR | DL | 6 |
70 | Marcus Davenport | NO | DL | 6 |
71 | Fletcher Cox | PHI | DL | 6 |
72 | Dalvin Tomlinson | NYG | DL | 6 |
Linebacker
As a Browns fan, it pains me to say how much I like TJ Watt, but Watt is beastly similar to his older brother! Fellow Steeler teammates Bud Dupree and Devin Bush, both who suffered season-ending injuries both slid down the ranking list, however, look for the trio of Watt, Dupree, and Bush to all climb the ranking boards next season!
Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Tier |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Devin White | TB | LB | 1 |
2 | Darius Leonard | IND | LB | 1 |
3 | Roquan Smith | CHI | LB | 2 |
4 | T.J. Watt | PIT | LB | 2 |
5 | Patrick Queen | BAL | LB | 2 |
6 | Jayon Brown | TEN | LB | 2 |
7 | Jaylon Smith | DAL | LB | 2 |
8 | Joe Schobert | JAX | LB | 2 |
9 | Zach Cunningham | HOU | LB | 2 |
10 | C.J. Mosley | NYJ | LB | 2 |
11 | Blake Martinez | NYG | LB | 2 |
12 | Deion Jones | ATL | LB | 2 |
13 | Fred Warner | SF | LB | 2 |
14 | Eric Kendricks | MIN | LB | 3 |
15 | Tremaine Edmunds | BUF | LB | 3 |
16 | Micah Kiser | LAR | LB | 3 |
17 | Foyesade Oluokun | ATL | LB | 3 |
18 | Myles Jack | JAX | LB | 3 |
19 | Haason Reddick | ARI | LB | 3 |
20 | Jerome Baker | MIA | LB | 3 |
21 | Kenneth Murray | LAC | LB | 3 |
22 | Bobby Wagner | SEA | LB | 3 |
23 | Devin Bush | PIT | LB | 3 |
24 | Tae Crowder | NYG | LB | 3 |
25 | Shaquil Barrett | TB | LB | 3 |
26 | Matt Milano | BUF | LB | 3 |
27 | Nicholas Morrow | LV | LB | 3 |
28 | Anthony Walker | IND | LB | 4 |
29 | Kyle Van Noy | MIA | LB | 4 |
30 | Nathan Gerry | PHI | LB | 4 |
31 | Neville Hewitt | NYJ | LB | 4 |
32 | Shaq Thompson | CAR | LB | 4 |
33 | Cory Littleton | LV | LB | 4 |
34 | Eric Wilson | MIN | LB | 4 |
35 | Khalil Mack | CHI | LB | 4 |
36 | Lavonte David | TB | LB | 4 |
37 | Dre Greenlaw | SF | LB | 4 |
38 | Jordan Hicks | ARI | LB | 4 |
39 | Za'Darius Smith | GB | LB | 4 |
40 | Leighton Vander Esch | DAL | LB | 4 |
41 | Terez Hall | NE | LB | 4 |
42 | Cole Holcomb | WAS | LB | 4 |
43 | Kwon Alexander | SF/NO | LB | 4 |
44 | Bud Dupree | PIT | LB | 4 |
45 | Krys Barnes | GB | LB | 4 |
46 | Harold Landry | TEN | LB | 4 |
47 | Jamie Collins | DET | LB | 5 |
48 | Bradley Chubb | DEN | LB | 5 |
49 | De'Vondre Campbell | ARI | LB | 5 |
50 | Rashaan Evans | TEN | LB | 5 |
51 | Andrew Van Ginkel | MIA | LB | 5 |
52 | Bobby Okereke | IND | LB | 5 |
53 | Avery Williamson | NYJ/PIT | LB | 5 |
54 | Demario Davis | NO | LB | 5 |
55 | Nick Kwiatkoski | LV | LB | 5 |
56 | A.J. Klein | BUF | LB | 5 |
57 | Isaiah Simmons | ARI | LB | 5 |
58 | Benardrick McKinney | HOU | LB | 5 |
59 | A.J. Johnson | DEN | LB | 5 |
60 | Christian Kirksey | GB | LB | 5 |
61 | Kyzir White | LAC | LB | 5 |
62 | Chandler Jones | ARI | LB | 5 |
63 | Danny Trevathan | CHI | LB | 5 |
64 | K.J. Wright | SEA | LB | 5 |
65 | Robert Spillane | PIT | LB | 5 |
66 | Jason Pierre-Paul | TB | LB | 5 |
67 | Jon Bostic | WAS | LB | 5 |
68 | Matt Judon | BAL | LB | 5 |
69 | Darius Harris | KC | LB | 6 |
70 | Nick Vigil | LAC | LB | 6 |
71 | Troy Reeder | LAR | LB | 6 |
72 | Tyrell Adams | HOU | LB | 6 |
73 | Leonard Floyd | LAR | LB | 6 |
74 | Preston Smith | GB | LB | 6 |
75 | Josey Jewell | DEN | LB | 6 |
76 | Ja'Whaun Bentley | NE | LB | 6 |
77 | Lorenzo Carter | NYG | LB | 6 |
78 | B.J. Goodson | CLE | LB | 6 |
79 | Jarrad Davis | DET | LB | 6 |
80 | Alex Singleton | PHI | LB | 6 |
81 | Germaine Pratt | CIN | LB | 6 |
82 | Markus Golden | NYG/ARI | LB | 6 |
83 | Mack Wilson | CLE | LB | 6 |
84 | T.J. Edwards | PHI | LB | 6 |
85 | Alex Highsmith | PIT | DL,LB | 6 |
86 | Malik Reed | DEN | LB | 6 |
87 | Logan Wilson | CIN | LB | 6 |
88 | Jordyn Brooks | SEA | LB | 7 |
89 | Samson Ebukam | LAR | LB | 7 |
90 | Tyus Bowser | BAL | LB | 7 |
91 | Todd Davis | MIN | LB | 7 |
92 | Anthony Hitchens | KC | LB | 7 |
93 | Jahlani Tavai | DET | LB | 7 |
94 | Derick Roberson | TEN | LB | 7 |
95 | Kyler Fackrell | NYG | LB | 7 |
96 | Alec Ogletree | NYJ | LB | 7 |
97 | Jordan Jenkins | NYJ | LB | 7 |
98 | Josh Bynes | CIN | LB | 7 |
99 | Damien Wilson | KC | LB | 7 |
100 | Ryan Connelly | MIN | LB | 7 |
101 | Elandon Roberts | MIA | LB | 7 |
102 | Sione Takitaki | CLE | LB | 7 |
103 | Willie Gay | KC | LB | 7 |
104 | Dont'a Hightower | NE | LB | 7 |
105 | Devon Kennard | ARI | LB | 7 |
106 | Blake Lynch | MIN | LB | 7 |
107 | Patrick Onwuasor | NYJ | LB | 7 |
108 | James Burgess | GB | LB | 7 |
109 | Vince Williams | PIT | LB | 7 |
110 | Anthony Barr | MIN | LB | 7 |
111 | Whitney Mercilus | HOU | LB | 7 |
112 | Tahir Whitehead | CAR | LB | 7 |
113 | Tyrel Dodson | BUF | LB | 7 |
Defensive Back
Two things jump out at me when looking at the top of this list. The first being Jamal Adams and how AMAZING he must feel to have gotten away from the Jets and Adam Gase! The second is Jabril Peppers, which, as a Browns fan, makes me angry that we traded him for Odell. Just think of how crazy the Browns secondary could have been with Peppers and Ward policing opposing receivers? But no, the Browns did what the Browns do best – screw things up and hope for the best.
Rank | Player | Team | Pos | Tier |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jamal Adams | DAL | DB | 1 |
2 | Jeremy Chinn | CAR | DB | 1 |
3 | Trevon Diggs | SEA | DB | 1 |
4 | L'Jarius Sneed | KC | DB | 1 |
5 | Budda Baker | ARI | DB | 2 |
6 | Marlon Humphrey | BAL | DB | 2 |
7 | Denzel Ward | CLE | DB | 2 |
8 | Antoine Winfield | TB | DB | 2 |
9 | Jessie Bates | CIN | DB | 2 |
10 | Jabrill Peppers | NYG | DB | 2 |
11 | Kenny Moore | IND | DB | 3 |
12 | Kamren Curl | WAS | DB | 3 |
13 | Isaiah Rodgers | IND | DB | 3 |
14 | A.J. Terrell | ATL | DB | 3 |
15 | C.J. Henderson | JAX | DB | 3 |
16 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | PIT | DB | 3 |
17 | Tre'Davious White | BUF | DB | 3 |
18 | Carlton Davis | TB | DB | 3 |
19 | Darius Phillips | CIN | DB | 4 |
20 | Grant Haley | NO | DB | 4 |
21 | Shaquill Griffin | SEA | DB | 4 |
22 | Jordan Fuller | LAR | DB | 4 |
23 | Darnell Savage | GB | DB | 4 |
24 | Jordan Poyer | BUF | DB | 4 |
25 | Jaire Alexander | GB | DB | 4 |
26 | John Johnson | LAR | DB | 4 |
27 | Vonn Bell | CIN | DB | 4 |
28 | D.J. Reed | SEA | DB | 4 |
29 | Logan Ryan | NYG | DB | 4 |
30 | Justin Reid | HOU | DB | 4 |
31 | Jamal Agnew | DET | DB | 5 |
32 | Kevin King | GB | DB | 5 |
33 | Xavien Howard | MIA | DB | 5 |
34 | Jaylon Johnson | CHI | DB | 5 |
35 | Khari Willis | IND | DB | 5 |
36 | Justin Simmons | DEN | DB | 5 |
37 | J.C. Jackson | NE | DB | 5 |
38 | Tracy Walker | DET | DB | 5 |
39 | Mike Hilton | PIT | DB | 5 |
40 | Dane Jackson | BUF | DB | 5 |
41 | Alexander Myres | DET | DB | 5 |
42 | Jeff Okudah | DET | DB | 5 |
43 | Marcus Peters | BAL | DB | 5 |
44 | Derwin James | LAC | DB | 5 |
45 | James Bradberry | NYG | DB | 5 |
46 | Taylor Rapp | LAR | DB | 5 |
47 | Landon Collins | WAS | DB | 5 |
48 | Ronnie Harrison | CLE | DB | 5 |
49 | Bryce Hall | NYJ | DB | 5 |
50 | Tyrann Mathieu | KC | DB | 5 |
51 | Chauncey Gardner-Johnson | NO | DB | 5 |
52 | Cameron Dantzler | MIN | DB | 5 |
53 | Marshon Lattimore | NO | DB | 5 |
54 | Desmond King | LAC/TEN | DB | 5 |
55 | Malcolm Butler | TEN | DB | 5 |
56 | Jordan Whitehead | TB | DB | 5 |
57 | Michael Ojemudia | DEN | DB | 6 |
58 | Chuck Clark | BAL | DB | 6 |
59 | Chidobe Awuzie | DAL | DB | 6 |
60 | Johnathan Abram | LV | DB | 6 |
61 | Terrell Edmunds | PIT | DB | 6 |
62 | Jamel Dean | TB | DB | 6 |
63 | Trayvon Mullen | LV | DB | 6 |
64 | Byron Murphy | ARI | DB | 6 |
65 | Vernon Hargreaves | HOU | DB | 6 |
66 | Donte Jackson | CAR | DB | 6 |
67 | Adrian Amos | GB | DB | 6 |
68 | Taron Johnson | BUF | DB | 6 |
69 | Kevin Byard | TEN | DB | 6 |
70 | Chris Claybrooks | JAX | DB | 6 |
71 | Deandre Baker | KC | DB | 6 |
72 | Marcus Williams | NO | DB | 6 |
73 | Quinton Dunbar | SEA | DB | 6 |
74 | Kendall Fuller | WAS | DB | 6 |
75 | Levi Wallace | BUF | DB | 6 |
76 | Troy Hill | LAR | DB | 6 |
77 | Quandre Diggs | SEA | DB | 6 |
78 | Kristian Fulton | TEN | DB | 6 |
79 | Holton Hill | MIN | DB | 6 |
80 | Daniel Thomas | JAX | DB | 6 |
81 | Ronald Darby | WAS | DB | 6 |
82 | Brian Poole | NYJ | DB | 6 |
83 | Montae Nicholson | WAS | DB | 6 |
84 | Michael Davis | LAC | DB | 6 |
85 | Eddie Jackson | CHI | DB | 6 |
86 | Tre Flowers | SEA | DB | 6 |
87 | Sam Beal | NYG | DB | 6 |
88 | Nik Needham | MIA | DB | 6 |
89 | Marcus Maye | NYJ | DB | 7 |
90 | Pierre Desir | NYJ/BAL | DB | 7 |
91 | Sean Murphy-Bunting | TB | DB | 7 |
92 | Bashaud Breeland | KC | DB | 7 |
93 | Keanu Neal | ATL | DB | 7 |
94 | Kenny Vaccaro | TEN | DB | 7 |
95 | Julian Blackmon | IND | DB | 7 |
96 | Jalen Mills | PHI | DB | 7 |
97 | Mike Hughes | MIN | DB | 7 |
98 | Greedy Williams | CLE | DB | 7 |
99 | Anthony Harris | MIN | DB | 7 |
100 | Sidney Jones | JAX | DB | 7 |
101 | Bradley Roby | HOU | DB | 7 |
102 | Brandon Wilson | CIN | DB | 7 |
103 | Harrison Smith | MIN | DB | 7 |
104 | Joe Haden | PIT | DB | 7 |
105 | Blessuan Austin | NYJ | DB | 7 |
106 | Tre Boston | CAR | DB | 7 |
107 | Emmanuel Moseley | SF | DB | 7 |
108 | Nate Brooks | BAL | DB | 7 |
109 | Eric Rowe | MIA | DB | 7 |
110 | Jarrod Wilson | JAX | DB | 7 |
111 | Steven Nelson | PIT | DB | 7 |
112 | Raven Greene | GB | DB | 7 |
113 | Janoris Jenkins | NO | DB | 7 |
114 | Michael Jacquet | PHI | DB | 7 |
115 | Stephon Gilmore | NE | DB | 7 |
116 | Jourdan Lewis | DAL | DB | 7 |
117 | Xavier McKinney | NYG | DB | 7 |
118 | Donovan Wilson | DAL | DB | 7 |
119 | Kyle Fuller | CHI | DB | 7 |
120 | Xavier Woods | DAL | DB | 7 |
121 | Jason Verrett | SF | DB | 7 |
122 | Rodney McLeod | PHI | DB | 7 |
123 | Nasir Adderley | LAC | DB | 8 |
124 | Karl Joseph | CLE | DB | 8 |
125 | Jeff Gladney | MIN | DB | 8 |
126 | Bryce Callahan | DEN | DB | 8 |
127 | Tre Herndon | JAX | DB | 8 |
128 | Jalen Ramsey | LAR | DB | 8 |
129 | Malcolm Jenkins | NO | DB | 8 |
130 | Daniel Sorensen | KC | DB | 8 |
131 | Rock Ya-Sin | IND | DB | 8 |
132 | Adoree' Jackson | TEN | DB | 8 |
133 | Patrick Peterson | ARI | DB | 8 |
134 | Avonte Maddox | PHI | DB | 8 |
135 | Anthony Brown | DAL | DB | 8 |
136 | Charvarius Ward | KC | DB | 8 |
137 | Isaiah Oliver | ATL | DB | 8 |
138 | Darnay Holmes | NYG | DB | 8 |
139 | Desmond Trufant | DET | DB | 8 |
140 | Breon Borders | TEN | DB | 8 |
141 | Adrian Phillips | NE | DB | 8 |
142 | Darious Williams | LAR | DB | 8 |
143 | Damontae Kazee | ATL | DB | 8 |
144 | Rasul Douglas | CAR | DB | 8 |
Feel free to reach out to me via Twitter @drunkenangelz.