As in the series Game Of Thrones, there are a lot of fights in the NFL. Here is a list of the different warriors sent to the front line.
Jaime Lannister Tier
The hero par excellence: formidable fighter and charismatic leader, his army is ready to die for him.
Nick Bosa (49ers)
In the NFL for four seasons, Nick Bosa has signed 51 sacks in 60 games! After a 2022 season with 90 pressures from quarterbacks, and 19 sacks with a pass rush win rate 21%, he is logically elected defender of the year.
He easily gets rid of offensive tackles because he has a lethal hand technique and an extraordinary liveliness for his size! His legs are so powerful that during the 2019 NFL Combine he earned the nickname “Quadzilla”. Powerful, quick and smart, Nick Bosa is also excellent at defending the race. He is the ultimate fighter, the leader of armies.
White Walkers Tier
The category of cold-blooded killers!
Myles Garrett (Browns), Maxx Crosby (Raiders), TJ Watt (Steelers), Haason Reddick (Eagles)
They are ruthless! If the quarterbacks are generally the heroes of the franchises, Maxx Crosby and TJ Watt are to be placed in the category of the villains of the film! All opposing coaches prepare a plan before facing them and that is not enough to contain them.
Haason Reddick offers a different size from the first two: lighter but therefore faster. Over his last three seasons, he signed 12.5, 11 and 16 sacks. Even better, he achieved this feat with three different teams!
What is Myles Garrett missing? No quality, neither to flatten the quarterbacks (77 sacks in 86 NFL games) nor to counter the opposing ground game. His reserved and intellectual character prevents him from being a star of the media but not from being recognized by his peers, and by the fans, as an “elite” player. Big fan of the series Game Of Thrones, he had lived the last episode of this series while being disguised as another emblematic character: Khal Drogo.
SPOILER ALERT: Khal Drogo isn’t dead!! 👑🤺 @MylesLGarrett #Game Of Thrones pic.twitter.com/3QLmFf3wHm
—UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) May 20, 2019
Night Watch Tier
Disciplined and regular fighters in performance.
Brandon Graham (Eagles), Matt Judon (Patriots), Brian Burns (Panthers), Za’Darius Smith (Browns), Cameron Jordan (Saints), Yannick Ngakoue (Bears), Trey Hendrickson (Bengals), Preston Smith (Packers), Danielle Hunter (Vikings), Leonard Floyd (Bills), Shaquil Barrett (Buccaneers)
They are the reliable players, the ones proving themselves effective in every battle. 35 years old but still 11 sacks in 2022 for the immortal Brandon Graham, he is the Lord Commander of this squad.
He is well supported by Cameron Jordan and his 121 career sacks! Less publicized, Za’Darius Smith was in 2022 4th NFL in pressure from the quarterback. Brian Burns is not flamboyant but his four seasons in the NFL make him a legitimate member of this squad: 7.5, 9 and 9 then 12.5 sacks!
Matt Judon and Preston Smith are also among the reliable fighters, battle after battle. The case also of Danielle Hunter (76 sacks in 78 tenures) and Shaquil Barrett (42 sacks between 2019 and 2021) when they are in good health.
Ramsay Bolton Tier
“The Flayer” is young and terribly ambitious. Always ready to be cruel with his opponents!
Micah Parsons (Cowboys), Aidan Hutchinson (Lions), Jaelan Phillips (Dolphins), Kayvon Thibodeaux (Giants), Will McDonald (Jets), Nolan Smith (Eagles), Will Anderson (Texans)
A player who showed enormous talent in college, Micah Parsons however slipped to pick 12 in 2021. Three reasons for this: his position as interior linebacker in the NCAA, his absence all season 2020 (year of Covid-19) as well as a character who implicated him in an out-of-bounds hazing case at Penn State! Since joining the NFL ranks, he signed 13 then 14.5 sacks: a player without mercy for his opponents.
To everyone’s surprise, Aidan Hutchinson was not the 1st choice of the 2022 draft. To the delight of Detroit, which saw him make 52 tackles including 9.5 sacks for his rookie season! With the help of coordinator Vic Fangio in Miami, Jaelan Phillips could change dimensions in 2023.
Ramsay Bolton sometimes uses a pack of dogs to torture his enemies. Young Kayvon Thibodeaux, Will Anderson, Nolan Smith and Will McDonald have the fangs and will show them in 2023!
Let’s Wild Tier
Brave and therefore valuable fighters on the battlefield. But they are limited!
Josh Allen (Jaguars), Joey Bosa (Chargers), Josh Sweat (Eagles), Sam Hubbard (Bengals), Montez Sweat (Commanders), Harold Landry (Titans), Josh Uche (Patriots), Darrell Taylor (Seahawks), Tyus Bowser and Odafe Oweh (Ravens), Bradley Chubb (Dolphins), Carl Lawson (Jets), Uchenna Nwosu (Seahawks)
In sequences, these players are able to do damage. But all have limits! That of being able to stay healthy for Bradley Chubb, Harold Landry and Joey Bosa. Carl Lawson is mostly good at attacking the pocket, as are Josh Uche and Darrell Taylor. Sam Hubbard is a good player everywhere but excellent nowhere.
The leader of these fighters could be Josh Sweat. Unknown because in the shadow of the stars of the Philadelphia defensive line, he is nevertheless a formidable soldier in aggression (18 sacks in two seasons) while being competent against the run.
Greyjoy Tier
This northern tribe has the motto: what is dead cannot die! These brave former warriors are clearly at the end of their careers.
Khalil Mack (Chargers), Von Miller (Bills), Jerry Hughes (Texans), Frank Clark and Randy Gregory (Broncos), Chandler Jones (Raiders), Demarcus Lawrence (Cowboys)
Formerly in the top 5 in his position, Khalil Mack seems at the end of the race. If 44 tackles including 8 sacks in 2022 is still a correct result, he is no longer this defender feared by all offensive linemen. Same observation for Chandler Jones: the draft in the 1st round of a player with the same characteristics (Tyree Wilson) by the Raiders, is anything but a coincidence.
Like the proud warriors of the Iron Islands, Von Miller, Demarcus Lawrence or Frank Clark are still capable of a few flashes in the trenches. But their levels no longer allow you to win battles: at best, they serve as support.
Tier Extras
They hardly weigh in history but are nevertheless essential to make the number.
Marcus Davenport (Vikings), Michael Hoecht (Rams), Dennis Gardeck (Cardinals), Yetur Gross-Matos (Panthers), Jonathan Greenard (Texans), Lorenzo Carter (Falcons)
The Saints chose Marcus Davenport in the 1st round in 2018. Worse, to recruit him from choice 14, they had given their choice of the 1st round of draft 2019! After two seasons giving some promise for the future, he failed to confirm in the next three. Signing the starving total of 0.5 sacks in 15 games in 2022 (44% of defensive games played), Marcus Davenport arrives in Minnesota. The fans beyond the wall of the Far North cherish a hope that could quickly cool them with this player!
Cast of the NFL/Game of Thrones crossover
–Jamie Lannister: Nick Bosa (49ers)
– White Walker: TJ Watt (Steelers)
– Night Watch: Cameron Jordan (Saints)
– Ramsay Bolton: Micah Parsons (Cowboys)
– Sauvageon: Josh Sweat (Eagles)
– Theon Greyjoy: Khalil Mack (Chargers)
– Extra: Marcus Davenport (Vikings)
