Peppers ranked as the 20th most productive pass rusher

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Seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro defensive lineman Julius Peppers has long been considered one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL. At 6-foot-7, 290 pounds, it's no surprise the 32-year-old Peppers has tallied 100 career sacks in his 11-year career.
But how productive of a pass rusher has Peppers been the last three years, two of which came with the Bears?
The raw numbers show 29.5 sacks in 48 games, and the experts at Pro Football Focus analyzed the top pass rushers in the game to see who had produced most efficiently.
The first number that jumps out is Peppers' ability to play on most down in almost every game. He has missed just six games in his career, and has not missed a game since 2007. According to PFF, Peppers has rushed the passer 1,480 times in the last three years, which ranks second in the NFL to only Minnesota's Jared Allen (1,638). The number is made even more impressive when considering how often Peppers drops into coverage for a 4-3 defensive lineman, although some of the names on the list are 3-4 outside linebackers.
In terms of total pressure, which PFF defines as "the total combined number of sacks, hits and hurries," Peppers comes in at No. 7 with 180 pressures of the quarterback. Leading the way was Dallas Cowboys' 3-4 OLB DeMarcus Ware with 227 pressures. Allen tied for fourth with 195 pressures, while Green Bay's Clay Matthews checked in at No. 9 with 172 pressures.
PFF's most revealing number, however, is its "Pass Rushing Productivity" ranking. The ranking takes into account quarterback sacks, quarterback hits and quarterback hurries, with hits and hurries being equivalent to 75 percent of a sack.
Here, Peppers' 9.63 mark ranks 20th in the NFL, with Allen slightly ahead at 9.68. Matthews' 11.4 rating is 11th of all pass rushers, while Miami's Cameron Wake had an NFL-best 13.32 rating.
It's worth noting these numbers are exactly that: just numbers. Peppers' impressive pass rush totals (where he ranks second) are invaluable, and his number of sacks, hits and hurries (ranked seventh) still can't take into account how teams may have game-planned around him, how double teams against him free up interior rushers or what he does against the run and in pass coverage.
Where would you rank Julius Peppers as a pass rusher in the NFL? Top-3? 5? 10?

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