Sportingnews Inside linebacker rankings

4. Ray Lewis, Ravens. As long as he is protected by big guys like Kelly Gregg, Justin Bannan and Haloti Ngata, Lewis can do what he does best -- attack the ballcarrier. Lewis is a good tackler and run defender, and in '08 he proved he is surprisingly effective in coverage.

5. Jon Beason, Panthers. Beason has 278 tackles in his first two seasons, showing no struggles in filling Dan Morgan's role. Beason is a tremendous athlete with great range and an aggressive style of play.

20. Jonathan Vilma, Saints. He, coming back from knee surgery, was a strong candidate for Comeback Player of the Year honors in '08. He didn't miss a snap last season and recorded a team-high 132 tackles. New coordinator Gregg Williams' scheme will help Vilma even more, allowing him to use his speed and athleticism to run to the ball and make plays sideline-to-sideline.

To see the rest of the rankings click here.

(sportingnews.com)