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#59 Overall, DeForest Buckner, Indianapolis Colts, Defensive Tackle, #12 Defensive Lineman: Defensive Linemen/Linebackers: Pass Rushers
2023 Pre-Season Rank #74, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #76, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #93, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #128. Peak Period: 2018-22
Buckner played his first four seasons with San Francisco, and in his first year in Indianapolis (2020), he set a personal best of 16 in Approximate Value and earned his inaugural First Team All-Pro. Throw in a 2021 and 2023 Pro Bowl and you have a player trending in the right direction.
#103 Overall, Melvin Ingram, Free Agent, Defensive End. #21 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Pass Rusher
Ingram has played the first nine years of his creer with the San DIego/Los Angeles Chargers, earning three Pro Bowls before he split last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. After playing last season with the Miami Dolphins where he still had value as a pass rusher, Ingram's time in football may be coming to an end as he is a Free Agent as of this writing.
#71 Overall, Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers, Defensive End, #13 Defensive Lineman/Linebackers: Pass Rushers
2023 Pre-Season Rank #51, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #60, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #82, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #97. Peak Period: 2017-21
The 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year could not add much to his Hall of Fame after 2021, as in 2022, he missed most of the season due to a groin injury. When he returned, he hampered the Chargers in their playoff game against Jacksonville when he took his helmet off in frustration over a Jags Touchdown. The penalty helped the Jags win the game, and Bosa was the bonehead of the week. Last year, the senior Bosa also saw him deal with injuries, but if he is healthy in 2024, there is every reason to think he could reclaim all the spots he lost on this rank.
#28 Overall, Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers, Defensive End, #8 Defensive Lineman/Linebackers: Pass Rushers
2023 Pre-Season Rank 2022 Pre-Season Rank #38, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #75, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #87. Peak Period: 2017-21
In the first six seasons of Cameron Heyward's career, there was no mention of him ever sniffing the Hall of Fame. The next six years would change everything, as he begins 2023 on a six-year Pro Bowl streak, with three of those yielding a First-Team All-Pro Selection. Heyward defied the odds just to be ranked this high with that start, and last season’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award was added to his resume.
A healthy Heyward, even at 35, could generate his seventh Pro Bowl.