5 Late-Round IDP Gems

When you are playing in leagues that include IDP, it is still best practice to load up early on offensive players. Filling out an offensive roster is still more difficult than filling out your IDP, mainly due to drastic value and tier drops. One of the keys to being able to do this is knowing IDPs who will crush their current ranking. Being able to find players in the mid-to-late rounds that will produce in the top 10 to 15 players at their position grade is a huge factor in winning these leagues. In this article, I took a look at the Footballguys consensus redraft rankings. Here are five individual defensive players (IDPs) who will crush their current rankings.

LB Pete Werner, New Orleans Saints

Footballguys Consensus Rank: LB26 and 78th overall

Pete Werner was one of the top volume tacklers in the NFL in 2022. Injury capped Werner at just 12 games last season, though he racked up 79 tackles during that span on just 596 snaps. That is a tackle rate of 0.13%, a rate that mirrors 2022 tackle leader Foyesade Oluokun. Had Werner played a full season, his tackle rate would have had him among the league leaders in tackles, if not the top tackler. He is paired with Demario Davis, who is nearing the end of his illustrious career. Werner will likely lead the team in tackles this year and has the potential to be a top-five tackling linebacker for the 2023 season. At LB26, Werner should easily crush his current ranking.

DT Justin Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens

Footballguys Consensus Rank: DT19 and 86th Overall

Madubuike took a huge step in his progression during the 2022 season, at least in certain aspects of his game. Sure, his 23.4% missed tackle rate is absolutely atrocious, but that is not what you draft him for. Madubuike is one of the better pass-rushing interior defenders in the NFL. In 2022 he set career highs in both pressures (32 per Pro Football Focus) and sacks (5.5). The Ravens are also getting even stronger off the edge, with David Ojabo entering the season healthy and Tyus Bowser at full strength. This added edge pressure should collapse the pocket and force quarterbacks to step up in the pocket, right into the arms of Madubuike. Even with his abhorrent tackling, he still accumulated 42 total tackles. In leagues that require that you play defensive tackles, Madubuike is definitely going to finish higher than DT19.

DE Carl Granderson, New Orleans Saints

Footballguys Consensus Rank: DE30 and 122nd Overall

Granderson was the defensive lineman on the Saints line that everybody dismissed the past few seasons. It was always, "Davenport is finally going to break out," or "Turner was a great first-round pick." Neither thing has happened for the Saints yet. What did happen was Granderson outperformed Davenport and took over the starting role late in the season with a breakout year. He posted career numbers in tackles (53) and sacks (5.5), with an astounding 1.9% missed tackle rate. He did all of this on just 45% of the team's snaps. Granderson was an absolutely delightful pairing with long-time and ironman defensive lineman Cameron Jordan. Granderson still needs to fight off Payton Turner and rookie Isaiah Foskey, but he has shown the most in his career and earned a start. There is a great possibility that he will crush his current ranking.

S Grant Delpit, Cleveland Browns

Footballguys Consensus Rank: S17 and 117th Overall

Grant Delpit had a huge breakout 2022 season. He not only eclipsed the 100 tackle mark, at 100 exactly but added big play-making numbers as well, with 10 passes defended and four interceptions. Delpit virtually doubled his playing time in 2022 from his rookie season, and the numbers show it was for good reason. Delpit played 58% of his snaps in the safety sweet spot (the box, the slot, or defensive line), which is where he racked up his tackles. Even still, he made the most out of when he was lined up at free safety showing incredible versatility in the secondary. The Browns were so confident in Delpit that they let John Johnson III walk in free agency. That leaves a 96-tackle vacancy from 2022 on the defense. Add the fact that the interior linebacker depth chart and usage were murky and confusing at best, and Delpit seems to be in line to potentially lead the team in tackles. If that is the case, Delpit should crush his current ranking of S17.

CB Charvarius Ward, San Francisco 49ers

Footballguys Consensus rank - CB20 and 160th Overall

Ward is coming off of back-to-back terrific seasons and with two different teams no-less. He just completed his second consecutive season with at least 65 total tackles and 10 passes defended. As an outside corner, those types of tackle numbers are incredibly difficult to replicate. Ward is able to do this with sure tackling technique. If he gives up a reception, which was only a 58.5% reception rate on 94 targets in 2022, his missed tackle rate was only 2%...he does not miss tackles. Ward's hands are incredibly active at the catch point, and for a cornerback, he is a willing and effective run defender. Beating CB20 should be no problem for Ward, and he should be a locked-in CB1.

Final Thoughts

Remember, finding late gems in your IDP drafts helps you load up on offense. That should almost be the key takeaway from this article. You can find value all throughout IDP drafts; the key is locating them. In this article, each IDP position was covered. Every IDP listed here should be able to crush his current ranking. Thank you again for reading, and good luck in 2023.