Tag: Pro Football Focus

Texans sit at No. 6 in PFF’s power rankings ahead of NFL draft

Pro Football Focus is high on the Houston Texans’ future following a promising free agency period.

The Houston Texans might not be on the clock on Thursday evening during the 2024 NFL draft, but they’ve caught the attention of national pundits heading into the regular season. 

As teams prepare to land a hopeful franchise cornerstone during the first round, Pro Football Focus released its annual NFL Power Rankings following free agency. The Texans, who own two second-round picks, cracked the top 10 at No. 6 after an eventual free agency filled with lucrative extensions and influential trades. 

The Texans made the most of free agency, bringing in Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter and Joe Mixon, to name but a few. – PFF

Diggs and Mixon were trade targets brought in to elevate the offense under franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud. After finishing seventh in passing last season, Houston made sure to bolster its air raid attack, sending a 2025 second-round pick acquired from the Minnesota Vikings to Buffalo in exchange for the four-time Pro Bowler. 

Diggs, 30, won’t have to be the top weapon like he was for Josh Allen and the Bills, but rather a complementary piece opposite Tank Dell and Nico Collins. Last season, Collin proved his No. 1 capabilities after becoming the third receiver in franchise history to finish with 1,200 yards in a single season. 

Dell, the Texans’ third-round pick out of Houston, was on pace to finish with 1,205 receiving yards before suffering a season-ending injury in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos in Week 13. The speedster finished with 709 yards and seven TDs while Collins ranked top 10 in both receiving yards (1,297) and touchdowns (8). 

Mixon headlines a backfield that was insufficient last season behind a combination of Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce. Acquired for a seventh-round pick, Mixon quickly received a three-year, $27 million contract extension, including $13 million guaranteed. 

The Texans finished 22nd overall in rushing and 29th in yards per run. After Singletary, three other runners averaged 3.1 yards per carry and combined for three touchdowns. 

Since being drafted out of Oklahoma in 2017, Mixon has been one of the league’s more stable runners. He’s posted 1,2000 scrimmage yard seasons and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. 

“Joe has been a productive player, pretty consistent player, and we think he can help our team,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said last week. “We’re glad he’s here hopefully for a few more years.” 

Hunter headlines the defensive additions after a dominant final season with the Vikings where he led the league in tackles for loss with 23.5. Hunter, a Katy native who played at Morton Ranch High School, also finished top five in sacks with 16.5. 

Signed to a two-year deal worth up to $51 million, Hunter replaces Jonathan Greenard as the team’s new hopeful sack leader. Replacing tackle leader Blake Cashman is former Tennessee Titans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who finished top-five nationally in tackles with 163 stops. 

Hunter and Al-Shaair were the mainstays of defensive additions, but not the only ones. Houston also agreed to terms with cornerbacks Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson, linebacker Jacob Phillips and defensive linemen Denico Autry and Foley Fatukasi. 

Among AFC teams, the Texans ranked third, trailing only defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City and Baltimore. The Ravens get the nod after beating Houston twice last season, including at home in the divisional round. 

Biggest need for Seahawks improving offensive or defensive line, per PFF

In Seattle’s case they picked improving the offensive or defensive line.

We are expecting a trade down from the Seahawks when they are on the clock in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL draft later tonight. As far as who they’ll actually pick their best bet is taking the best lineman on the board. Pro Football Focus seems to think so, anyway.

Heading into the draft PFF has named the biggest need for all 32 teams. In Seattle’s case they picked improving the offensive or defensive line.

“Seattle ranked 28th in pass blocking grade last season and lost two starters from their offensive line in free agency. Selecting Jackson Powers-Johnson, the draft’s best center, would make plenty of sense. They also desperately need an edge player to pair with Boye Mafe. UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, college football’s highest-graded defensive player in 2023, would be an ideal fit.”

Uchenna Nwosu might have something to say about that as he returns from his pectoral injury, but the point stands that the Seahawks need depth on the edge as well as the interior defensive line, to say nothing of the far more desperate need for guards and centers as well as depth at tackle.

Picking Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson would probably improve their roster more than any non-QB pick could, but doing so at 16 would be a reach. If they trade down into the 20s that’s a more ideal spot to target JPJ or another interior lineman. If they stay put at 16 expect Florida State’s Jared Verse, Texas’ Byron Murphy II or another DL.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: Super Bowl LVIII MVP has 96.1 career PFF grade

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has earned a 96.1 career grade from Pro Football Focus.

Patrick Mahomes has singlehandedly altered the course of Kansas City Chiefs history since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback in 2018.

There are a few ways to quantify Mahomes’ impact on Kansas City’s franchise. His three Super Bowl wins, two MVP awards, and unbelievable 74-22 regular season record as a starter are a good place to start.

However, the experts at analytics company Pro Football Focus have their own metrics that boil down a player’s contribution into a composite grade.

For his career with the Chiefs, Mahomes has earned a mark of 96.1 out of a possible 100.

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While PFF’s take on player grades can be controversial among football fans, this achievement shows just how dominant Mahomes has been since entering the league as the No. 10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Expect Mahomes to continue building on this incredible accomplishment as he and his teammates try to secure Kansas City a Super Bowl three-peat next season.

PFF strikes out in latest 7-round mock draft for Bucs

This seven-round mock draft from Pro Football Focus is a massive whiff for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

We’re coming to the end of the 2024 NFL mock draft season, but the folks over at Pro Football Focus have given us one more seven-round projection to digest and dissect before the real thing goes down this week in Detroit.

This projection is a massive whiff for the Bucs across just about every pick, failing to hit on some of their biggest needs, and struggling to maximize value across the board.

In the first round, this mock has the Bucs spending the No. 26 overall pick on Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry, passing on Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson and Penn State edge defender Chop Robinson.

On Day 2, the Bucs spend their second-rounder on Texas tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, addressing a position they don’t need to upgrade at the expense of multiple glaring needs elsewhere. Michigan linebacker Junior Colson went with the very next pick, and would have been a perfect fit. Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe, UConn guard Christian Haynes, and Rutgers cornerback Max Melton were also on the board, and would have been much better selections.

In the third round, Tampa Bay finally addresses their need for an edge rusher, but reaches for Clemson’s Xavier Thomas. Two offensive lineman were picked right afterward (Kansas’ Dominick Puni, Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger), either of which would have been a better value and filled a huge need. They make another luxury pick with their additional third-rounder, taking Michigan running back Blake Corum, spending another premium selection on a backup role player instead of a potential starter.

LSU defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo was a solid value in the fourth round, as was Washington State edge defender Brennan Jackson at the end of the sixth round. South Dakota cornerback Myles Harden is an intriguing seventh-rounder.

The Bucs need multiple upgrades in the starting lineup along the offensive line (center, left guard), so to see them go all seven rounds without picking a single offensive lineman was mind-boggling. Spending two of their four top-100 picks on a tight end and a running back while ignoring more important positions with bigger needs was equally disappointing.

To check out the full seven-round mock draft for all 32 teams at PFF, click here.

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Chiefs earn top spot in PFF’s pre-draft power rankings

The #Chiefs earned the top spot in Pro Football Focus’ pre-draft power rankings.

The Kansas City Chiefs earned the top spot in Pro Football Focus’ pre-draft power rankings this week, solidifying their role as the team to beat in the NFL before the 2024 season.

The San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles round out the top five behind Kansas City, setting expectations for next season’s playoffs.

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As defending Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs seem uniquely positioned to complete their title three-peat next February, but are sure to face fierce opposition in the 2024 regular season.

Kansas City has had a target on its back since winning its first Super Bowl of the Patrick Mahomes era back in 2020. Now, after earning three titles in five seasons, every team in the NFL is preparing to knock off the Chiefs to ensure that the league’s newest dynasty doesn’t stay put at No. 1 in the power rankings for long.

Stay tuned to see if Kansas City’s position on PFF’s list changes after the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Bucs absolutely crushed the 2020 NFL draft

The Bucs landed two franchise cornerstones at the top of the 2020 NFL draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t just land the GOAT in the 2020 offseason; they also found a franchise cornerstone on either side of the ball, both of whom would come to define a new era for the franchise.

In the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, the Bucs moved up one spot to grab Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs. With their second-round pick, they selected safety Antoine Winfield Jr. out of Minnesota.

Both were immediately thrust into the starting lineup, making an instant impact for a team that fought their way to a Lombardi Trophy alongside Brady and a star-studded roster.

A few years later, both Wirfs and Winfield have established themselves as the best in the league at their respective positions, both earning first-team All-Pro honors.

They’re also tied for the fourth-highest career grade of any players from the 2020 draft class, according to Pro Football Focus:

Both players are expected to receive long-term contract extensions at some point this year that will make them the highest-paid players at their respective positions, and with good reason.

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Draft analyst weighs in on LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels

Daniels’ fundamentals are great, but his arm talent isn’t the same as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye.

What does one draft analyst think of Jayden Daniels?

Pro Football Focus NFL draft analyst Trevor Sikkema spent some time with Al Galdi on his podcast, discussing Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye. Today, what Sikkema said about Daniels. Tomorrow what Sikkema had to say regarding Maye.

“I just don’t think that Daniels’ arm talent is as good as the guys at the very top. He has the best fundamentals of anyone in this class. His throw is so repeatable and consistent that I totally understand why NFL teams go, ‘Give me that kind of consistency every single time.'”

“But I think that in the process of recognizing those fundamentals, recognizing how consistent that ball is every time it comes out of his hand, we have been romanticizing his arm talent a little bit.”

“He has a good arm, an adequate arm for the NFL level. But, it is not ripping through the wind like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are able to show you on different platforms, off balance, scrambling, off balance, those type of things.”

You don’t have to make him be what he is not and say, ‘His arm talent is as good as Caleb Williams. It’s not. You don’t have to say he is this great scrambler, this great thrower outside of the pocket.”

“When you go back and look at his entire college football career trajectory, think about what he was at Arizona State. One read, I am going to throw a deep vertical, or I am going to take off and run.”

“When you get to LSU, you can tell in his first year he said to himself, ‘I am going to take care of the football.’ If I am going to be in the SEC and be a SEC quarterback, I cannot turn over the football.”

“He really honed in on lowering his turnovers and turnover-worthy plays. And he had one of the lowest turnover worthy plays in the country. The touchdowns went down, the big time throws went down. He was simply more conservative; he did not want to turn over the ball.”

“He really does not know how to protect his body. He is rail thin. And that is not a good combination at the NFL level. These hits are too hard; they are too fast. He is going to get hurt…”

PFF identifies a popular draft riser as a top Day 2 target for the Saints

PFF identified a popular draft riser as a top Day 2 target for the Saints. How could Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson help the team?

There’s a ton of intrigue surrounding the New Orleans Saints as they finish preparing for the 2024 draft, but we’ve got a good idea about their plans in the first round: necessity is almost forcing them into adding an offensive tackle between Ryan Ramczyk’s health concerns and Trevor Penning’s too-slow development. So what’s more interesting is to consider their options in the second round.

Pro Football Focus’ Dalton Wasserman has a suggestion: Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Darius Robinson. It’s no secret that the Saints didn’t bring enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks last year, but Wasserman writes that Wasserman could help improve there while also upgrading a sneaky-bad New Orleans run defense:

“The Saints need defensive line help, and Missouri’s Darius Robinson could be a versatile target for the team. Robinson played on the edge in 2023 but has plenty of experience inside and could be better suited there. Either way, his strength in the run game and improved pass-rush ability would strengthen New Orleans’ defensive line.”

While Robinson mainly lined up inside against guards earlier in his career (logging 581 of his 762 snaps in the B gap in 2021 and 2022) he moved outside in 2023 and responded with career-highs in sacks (8.5) and total quarterback pressures (27, per PFF charting). The Saints use a ton of three-man fronts and he offers flexibility as someone who can play inside or out. He stood out in practices at the Senior Bowl this year and did well at the NFL Scouting Combine, though his numbers in agility drills were a little underwhelming.

And he certainly has the size they’ve looked for under head coach Dennis Allen. Robinson weighed in at an impressive 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, with his 34.5-inch arms giving him a rare wingspan. If he was playing football 15 or 20 years ago he’d probably have been moved to offensive tackle. Instead, he uses his size to his advantage. Robinson’s 7.72 Relative Athletic Score doesn’t meet the thresholds that line up with the Saints’ usual standards, but it’s close enough to keep him in consideration with the 45th pick.

If the Saints can address their offensive line early on in the first round, maybe they can afford the luxury of drafting a defender like Robinson in the second round. Checking off that highest priority right away would free them up to look into other team needs like the defensive line and receiving corps (and we should remember they aren’t limited to wideouts; a pass-catching tight end could do well in this offense, too). With so many picks at their disposal in the later rounds, it shouldn’t shock anyone to see the Saints act aggressively to trade up for someone they value highly earlier in the draft. Maybe it’s someone like Robinson.

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Seahawks 2023 draft class ranked fifth-best in the NFL by PFF

According to Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks’ draft from last year was the fifth-best in the league.

The Seahawks will be shooting for their third-straight strong draft class in 2024. While there’s still time for the 2022 and 2023 classes to trend up or down, so far it’s clear that Seattle got a good haul in both cases.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks’ draft from last year was the fifth-best in the league. They picked up several very promising players, but the brightest gem in the bunch is of course the No. 5 overall pick, former Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

“Devon Witherspoon finished the regular season with the fourth-best overall grade among qualified cornerbacks. He and Antoine Winfield Jr. were the only defensive backs to finish the regular season with a grade of at least 79.0 in run defense, coverage and pass rush.”

Witherspoon wasn’t the team’s only first-round pick, though. In Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba Seatle also nabbed the best wide receiver in the class. Assuming JSN grows and Spoon continues to thrive, netting CB1 and WR1 in any NFL draft class is an unqualified home run, no matter how the rest of the class fares.

The only teams that ranked higher than the Seahawks were the Detroit Lions, LA Rams, Green Bay Packers and the Houston Texans.

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PFF details ‘perfect scenario’ for Panthers in 2024 NFL draft

PFF’s Sam Monson believes a trade-down (and a local product) would be the perfect draft scenario for the Panthers.

Is a local product the best-case scenario for the Carolina Panthers on the evening of April 26?

Pro Football Focus lead NFL analyst Sam Monson recently cooked up the perfect scenarios for all the teams without a first-round pick in the 2024 draft. He believes the Panthers, who own a pair of second-rounders, could sell off the 33rd overall selection and still be in prime position for a top receiving target.

Monson writes:

Teams often look to trade back up to the first picks of the second round after they get a chance to gauge the players who fell. Last year, Tennesse jumped into Pick 33 to select quarterback Will Levis, and the true best-case scenario for Carolina is that a trade partner gives them a reason to move back. Last year, Arizona moved back eight spots and picked up an extra third-round selection to do so.

If Carolina got the same deal, they could still grab their favorite receiver, only with an extra draft pick along the way. South Carolina’s Xavier Legette would add size and speed to this group, as well as a contested-catch skill set not currently on the roster.

Legette himself actually believes the organization has some interest.

“A lot of coaches came and hollered at me before and after this process here,” he said after his pro day back in March. “They say they got a buzz in their facility for me and I’m just ready to see where I’ma land.”

The 6-foot-1, 221-pounder recorded 71 catches for 1,225 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

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