Defensive grades for Steelers and their rivals entering 2022 draft

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90). Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (90). Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Baltimore Ravens defense huddles against the Cincinnati Bengals. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The Baltimore Ravens defense huddles against the Cincinnati Bengals. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Baltimore Ravens Defensive Grade: A

I gave the Baltimore Ravens a large heap of credit for the potential of their offense, and I wish to do the exact same thing for their defense here.

The defensive back units have multiple playmakers, including promising names like cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters, along with recently-acquired safety Marcus Williams. And the star power doesn’t die off there.

The pass-rush is headlined by veteran defensive end Calais Campbell, who brings both talent and leadership to the regime. And while there aren’t many huge names on the D-line, it was an obvious force behind the Ravens having the league’s best rushing defense last season in regards to both total yards allowed and yards allowed per game.

Lastly, the linebacker corps isn’t spectacular, but it does its job well enough to pick up whatever slack the rest of the defensive arsenal is leaving behind–which isn’t relatively much.

Sprinkling two or three more playmakers on this defense would make it just about perfect, but the way it sits now will have Baltimore causing opposing offenses some serious trouble in 2022 no matter what.