Committee Chairman
#39 Overall, Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens Linebacker, #4 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2024 Pre-Season Rank #62, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #92, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #133, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #146. Peak Period: 2020-24
Smith was a Second-Team All-Pro for two years in a row (2020-21), but as good as he was, the Bears were not, and Smith and Chicago became disenchanted with each other. Chicago traded Smith to the Ravens during the season, and it started the best run of his career.
In the year he was traded (2022), Smith had career highs in Combined Tackles (169) and Solo Tackles (103), and was rewarded with his First Team All-Pro. Smith has since followed that with his second and third First Team All-Pro, and his domination of the middle has continued the stellar reputation of the Baltimore defense.
He enters the 2025 season with a four-year streak of at least 150 Tackles and is on a Super Bowl contender. A fourth First Team All-Pro and a ring will catapult his chances, and we won’t bet against the one-man heat-seeking missile.
#36 Overall, Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns, Left Guard, #5 Offensive Lineman
2024 Pre-Season Rank #46, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #60, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #91, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #143. Peak Period: 2018-22
Bitonio is now on a seven-year run of Pro Bowls, and three years ago, he put forth his best campaign to date with his second First Team All-Pro nod. No other Offensive Linemen have risen more over the last four seasons than the Guard, who has been Cleveland's most consistent offensive figure in the past seven years.
#27 Overall, Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles, Right Tackle, #3 Offensive Lineman
2024 Pre-Season Rank #40, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #57, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #107, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #143. Peak Period 2017-18/2022-24
When you are on the same Offensive Line as Jason Kelce, you fall easily into the shadows. As Kelce’s teammate, Johnson won a Super Bowl, went to five Pro Bowls (2017-19 & 2022-23), and was twice a First Team All-Pro, cementing him as one of the top Tackles in Football. Following Kelce’s retirement in 2023, Johnson accomplished something that Kelce could not do: win a second Super Bowl. That occurred last season, when Johnson added Pro Bowl number six. How much does Johnson’s legacy increase if Philadelphia wins it all again this year?
#22 Overall, Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers Linebacker, #2 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2024 Pre-Season Rank #49, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #79, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #118, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #142. Peak Period: 2020-24
When you face the San Francisco 49ers (especially over the last few seasons), opposing offenses know that there is a quick-as-a-cat Middle Linebacker named Fred Warner who will make yardage up the middle a lot harder.
As one of the man-to-man interior forces in football, Warner is cruising to an All-Decade Selection, is on a run of three straight First Team All-Pros, and is a possible Defensive Player of the Year. Producing 897 Tackles over his seven seasons, Warner’s knack for the big play has played a large part in San Francisco’s playoff success since he arrived. He has yet to miss a game, and if he remains healthy, his Hall of Fame candidacy will increase exponentially on an annual basis.