NFL free agency 2020: Best defensive linemen available

2. Yannick Ngakoue

The Jacksonville Jaguars looked like a team poised for a run of success back in 2017.  Led by a stellar defense, they were close to making the Super Bowl. Headlined by the likes of Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue, the future looked bright.

Well, the exact opposite happened. Ramsey had contract disputes and has since left, and now Ngakoue may be priced out of town.

Ngakoue’s market will be heavy. The line for potential suitors will be out the door. He is young, plays a premier position, and he can get into the backfield and make plays.

At age 24, Ngakoue has 37.5 sacks in 63 games played. He has never had a single-season sack total of less than eight, which breaks down to an average of nearly 9.5 sacks a season over his first four years. His career-high is 12.

This past campaign, the one-time Pro Bowl defensive end had his worst statistical season since his rookie year. In his defense, eight sacks and 15 quarterback hits are nothing to blink at. However, he racked up 21.5 sacks with 23 tackles for loss and 56 quarterback hits in both his 2017 and ’18 seasons combined.

In 2018, Ngakoue was a machine. He had 51 total pressures, 20 knockdowns and he forced 21 hurries. Forcing fumbles is a major plus to his game as well, with 14 over the duration of his career.

Ngakoue is probably looking at a deal in the five-year, $1000 million range. Any team with the available salary cap and need at the position will be in a bidding war for him this spring.