Pro Football Focus – Page 2 – Syndication Server

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.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks top-30 visits tracker ahead of the 2024 NFL draft

Seahawks go QB at No. 16 overall in this first-round forecast

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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PFF calls extending Taylor Rapp their ‘least favorite’ move by Bills

PFF calls extending Taylor Rapp their ‘least favorite’ move by Bills:

Taylor Rapp? Pro Football Focus is not a fan.

PFF is not a fan.

The football analytics outlet named their least favorite decision by every NFL team during the free agency. For the Buffalo Bills, extending safety Taylor Rapp was not the move they would have done.

Here’s why PFF thinks so:

Buffalo is moving on from the dynamic duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who had an incredible run as the starting safety tandem for years. Rapp is a good box defender, and the Bills structured this deal in a way that they can approach it year to year while also buying out two additional years from Rapp.

This deal could effectively be a one-year, $4.2 million pact, which is not bad at all. With so many safeties available, it just felt like Buffalo could’ve gotten really stingy at the position while spending a bit more elsewhere, such as on the offensive line.

PFF does not completely hate the move… but the outlet is not the biggest fan. Rapp has some doubters.

What’s working in Rapp’s favorite is Jordan Poyer leaving. That appears to be his better position and not the one he mostly played last season. That opening is his to prove PFF wrong. He signed a three-year extension in Buffalo.

In his first season with the Bills, Rapp accounted for 50 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, half a sack, two pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. He appeared on 421 defensive snaps and another 191 on special teams.

Rapp was originally a second-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL draft.

Bills Wire will continue to provide free agency updates throughout the 2024 offseason.

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One analyst believes Notre Dame OT Joe Alt is a near ‘Perfect Prospect’

He’s perfect to us…

Now that real football is over, players who are NFL draft eligible will be scrutinized until the day they are picked.

Some, like Notre Dame offensive tackle [autotag]Joe Alt[/autotag], won’t get that treatment. In fact, the projected first-round pick is actually getting praised for the type of prospect he is after three short years in South Bend.

Pro Football Focus’ draft analyst Trevor Sikkema loves Alt’s game, and recently gave his stamp of approval. He went on to say that “the NFL draft is all about finding players with size, speed and strength who have the IQ to use those traits optimally. That’s Joe Alt.”

Joe Alt is a near perfect prospect⭐️ pic.twitter.com/rU7lnFhDAN

— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 23, 2024

Many expect Alt to be the first tackle taken in this coming draft, and it wouldn’t surprise us at all.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

PFF: Bills made good decision in re-signing AJ Epenesa

PFF: #Bills made good decision in re-signing AJ Epenesa:

The Buffalo Bills have gotten the Pro Football Focus for one of their offseason decisions: Re-signing AJ Epenesa.

Epenesa’s rookie contract expired this offseason and the Bills had a decision with a tight budget. Bring Epenesa back or let him walk in free agency?

In the end, Epenesa is back on a two-year extension and the likes of Leonard Floyd left. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

Epenesa finished 2023 with 6.5 sacks and was up-and-down, however, the football analytics outlet believes it was the right decision to re-sign him. PFF named a favorite move in free agency for every NFL team. Buffalo bringing back Epenesa was their choice for the Bills.

Here’s why PFF was a fan of the move:

2023 PFF Grade: 75.8 (31st/112)
2023 PFF WAR: 0.06 (49th)
Fit/need grade: A
Value grade: A

Contract: Two years, $12 million ($6 million per year), $10.06 million total guaranteed

PFF projected contract: Three years, $22.5 million ($7.5 million per year), $14.5 million total guaranteed

Epenesa has two straight seasons with strong pass-rush production, notching pressure rates above 10% and pass-rush grades above 70.0. He’s a big edge who has gotten faster off the ball as he’s developed, and he’ll still be just 25 in Week 1 of 2024, so there could be more improvement ahead.

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PFF lists favorite, least favorite moves by Falcons in free agency

Pro Football Focus highlighted their favorite and least favorite moves by the Falcons in free agency thus far

After struggling to find a quarterback over the last two offseasons, the Atlanta Falcons didn’t waste any time going after the top free agent on the market. The team signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal on the opening day of free agency.

Aside from signing Cousins, the Falcons brought in wide receivers Ray-Ray McCloud and Darnell Mooney. Plus, they traded quarterback Desmond Ridder to Arizona in exchange for wide receiver Rondale Moore.

Time will tell how these new additions fare in Atlanta, but Pro Football Focus listed their favorite and least favorite moves by each of the 32 NFL teams. PFF’s Brad Spielberger listed Mooney as his favorite Falcons free-agent addition:

Mooney avoided a one-year flier after a down 2023 season and got paid a contract that reflects an understanding that his lack of production in recent years wasn’t entirely his fault, with the Bears ranking 32nd in passing yards over his rookie contract. Mooney still separated consistently on film, and now he immediately steps in as a No. 2 option at wide receiver opposite Drake London, winning in different ways than him and tight end Kyle Pitts. A reunion with former Bears general manager Ryan Pace, the man who drafted Mooney in 2020, was a perfect match for all parties.

So while the team was praised for adding Mooney, PFF wasn’t as high on Atlanta’s decision to sign Cousins. The 35-year-old makes the Falcons a better team but is coming off a serious Achilles tear that prematurely ended his 2023 campaign.

Spielberger expressed concern over Cousins’ age and injury status but conceded that he was a top-15 player at his position:

Cousins has undoubtedly proven he’s a top-10-to-15 quarterback in the NFL, and this is the going rate when a player of that caliber reaches unrestricted free agency. Nonetheless, it seems like some people are hand-waving the fact he’ll be 36 years old coming off a torn Achilles. That said, his dance moves looked good at the NFL Awards, so clearly his recovery is going well. — Brad Spielberger, PFF

The pressure is on Cousins to live up to his $100 million in guaranteed money and avoid a Russell Wilson-like disaster in Atlanta. The former Michigan State star has passed for 39.471 yards, 270 touchdowns and 110 interceptions over 12 NFL seasons.

Cousins has a proven track record of high-level play in the regular season and assuming he returns healthy, the Falcons are the clear favorites for the NFC South in 2024.

PFF says the Saints should pursue this DL on Day 2 of free agency

Pro Football Focus says the New Orleans Saints should sign former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader on the second day of free agency:

The first day of free agency was quiet for the New Orleans Saints, who lost a couple of backups on defense to other teams — but things could pick up as we enter the second day of the NFL’s legal negotiating window. Could the Saints finally make a move to improve their team?

Pro Football Focus analyst Brad Spielberger has a suggestion, pointing to the Saints’ mediocre run defense as an obvious problem. Spielberger writes that former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader would make sense for New Orleans:

Only injuries slowed Reader down in Cincinnati. Otherwise, he was a dominant force on the interior of a talented defensive line that was able to control the line of scrimmage and win big games up front over the past few seasons. The eighth-year veteran was the anchor in the middle. Reader is as stout as they come and nearly impossible to displace by just one blocker. And while he’ll never fill up the stat sheet with sacks, he can push the pocket and free up teammates as well as any nose tackle. Reader, unfortunately, suffered a torn quadriceps injury in Week 15 that knocked him out for the remainder of the season. We will await more details on the recovery process before changing his projection, but the injury could obviously impact his market.

Reader’s ability to stop the run would be a welcome addition to a team that ranked in the middle of the pack in PFF run-defense grade.

Reader hasn’t played a full season since 2018, back before the NFL expanded to a 17-game regular season. But he wouldn’t be asked to play as many snaps in the Saints’ rotation with Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, and Khalen Saunders as he has been in Kansas City. Reader has averaged 51.8, 39.3, 37.1, and 38.2 snaps per game through four years with the Bengals.

Here’s how many snaps per game the Saints’ top four defensive tackles averaged last year:

Nathan Shepherd: 34.9 (51.1% on running downs)
Bryan Bresee: 31.7 (27.5% on running downs)
Khalen Saunders: 30.8 (52.9% on running downs)
Malcolm Roach: 24.2 (47.9% on running downs)

Roach is a free agent himself, so if he’s on the way out then there’s a clear void for Reader to fill. He’ll turn 30 this year and can clearly still play at a high level when healthy, so limiting his snaps in the rotation would help protect him from injury and keep everyone fresh. Bresee was a liability against the run last year, which is why the Saints focused on playing him against the pass, so Reader could shore up that weakness, too.

The move would make sense, but the money would need to check out, and it’s unclear what Reader’s seeking in a new contract. We’ll have to wait and see if anything materializes here but it’s a good suggestion.

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