Top 10 Linebackers in Football for 2018

Why the trend of smaller and faster might not let up, where Luke Kuehcly ranks among the all-time greats at the position, what the Vikings should do with Anthony Barr on the field and regarding his contract, and our ranking of the top 10 linebackers in football for the upcoming season

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Over the past decade, linebackers have had to evolve as much as any other defensive position as offenses have opened things up. Our discussions on LBs then and now, but mostly now:

2:04—Will it eventually be an issue that teams are trotting out a bunch of 220-pound linebackers? Will we see more and more Jacksonville-style offenses popping up?

11:48—In Carolina, Shaq Thompson will be relied on in a bigger role during Thomas Davis’s suspension. Will he be up to the task? And where does Luke Kuechly rank among the all-time great linebackers?

31:09—Is Anthony Barr being used right in Minnesota? And should they pay big bucks to keep him?

36:17—Ranking the top 10 linebackers in football

49:15—The Lightning-ish Round: Aside from the Big 3 (Kuechly, Wagner and Lee), which linebacker has the best shot to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2018? Who was the best free-agent signing among LBs? As a 3-4 ILB, was Roquan Smith really worth a top-10 pick? True or false: In three years, Telvin Smith-Myles Jack is the best linebacking tandem in football.

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