There are only four teams in the league for 2020 that have three players that had 23 or more quarterback pressures in 2019. Those teams and players are
New York Giants
Leonard Williams played only eight games as a Giants yet Williams was third on the team in quarterback hits, quarterback pressures and quarterback hurries.. He was second on the Giants in quarterback knockdowns
Markus Golden was ninth in the league in pressures with 44 and ninth in quarterback knockdowns with 14. Also ninth in times brought on a blitz with 93.
Lorenzo Carter is one of only five players from the 2018 draft class that have 8.5+ sacks and 23+ quarterback hits.
Pittsburgh Steelers
T.J. Watt led the league in pressures with 59.
Cameron Heyward is one of only 16 players to make First Team All-Pro for two of the last three seasons. He is one of only two on this list to do so.
Bud Dupree was seventh in the league in times brought on a blitz with 98,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Shaquil Barrett led the league in sacks with 19.5.
Jason Pierre-Paul has done well since moving to Tampa. His two years on the Buccaneers are his third and fourth best years of his ten year career in quarterback hits and sacks.
Ndamukong Suh was one of only seven defensive players with four fumbles recovered in 2019. Suh returned two of those for touchdowns.
Washington Football Team
Matthew Ioannidis was ninth in the league in quarterback hurries with 18.
Montez Sweat, at 23 years old, is tie for fifth youngest among players with 23+ pressures in 2019. He is the youngest on this list of players.
Ryan Kerrigan is the other one of two players on this list to make First Team All-Pro for two of the last three seasons.
Chase Young made the Pro Football Focus All PFF-Era NFL Prospect Team of the best prospects they graded at each position over the last six years.You have to go back five years before you hit someone in the FBS that had more sacks per game than Young’s 1.38 in 2019.
Potential Other Teams
There are three teams that could potentially join this club based on the addition of a 2020 draft pick. They are
Houston Texans
Ross Blacklock was a second round pick playing nose tackle. He is a powerful quick-twitch athlete that can push his way to the quarterback. Blacklock joins
Whitney Mercilus was one of only 12 linebackers that had 7.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits in 2019,
J.J. Watt made 24 pressures though only playing in eight games in 2019. He was tie at fourteenth in quarterback knockdowns.
Jacksonville Jaguars
K’Lavon Chaisson is a linebacker chosen in the first round of the 2020 draft. Chaisson is built at 6’4″ and 250 lbs and combine that with an elite explosiveness off the edge to get a player that has a high ceiling for pressuring the quarterback. He joins
Josh Allen as a rookie was tie for eighth in the league in quarterback knockdowns. He was a respectable fourteenth in sacks and eleventh in pressures.
Yannick Ngakoue‘s pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus for the last three seasons ranked 4th in 2017, 17th in 2018 and 20th in 2019,
San Francisco 49ers
Javon Kinlaw is a defensive tackle chosen in round 1 of the 2020 draft. Kinlaw is noted in draft profiles for his power, burst and strength. Pro football Focus gave him a 90.7 pass rush grade for 2019 and noted that he had 40 quarterback pressures. He joins
Nick Bosa was fifth in the league in quarterback hurries and tie for seventh in quarterback pressures.
Arik Armstead was tie for eleventh in the league in quarterback hurries, fifteenth in sacks and fourteenth in pressures.
Many coaches have stated that pressures are a more important statistic than sacks and more indicative of how good a pass rush you have. Here are seven teams that have a strong roster going into 2020 for getting pressure on the quarterback.
