Tag: profootballfocus

A Badger linebacker named a top-5 2021 NFL Draft prospect at his position

ProFootballFocus tweeted the top five linebacker prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft and Wisconsin inside linebacker Jack Sanborn was…

ProFootballFocus tweeted the top five linebacker prospects for the 2021 NFL Draft and Wisconsin inside linebacker Jack Sanborn was No. 5 on their list.

PFF hasn’t been the only outlet showing love to the Illinois native as TheDraftNetwork.com has him as the No. 68 overall prospect for the upcoming draft and No. 6 at his position.

Sanborn is only a junior, though, so hearing his name called early next April is not a forgone conclusion.

After seeing a massive freshman-sophomore year jump in production after winning a starting job last season, Sanborn is in for a monster year in Jim Leonhard’s defense after Chris Orr and Zack Baun–two linebackers and leaders of the unit–graduated and entered the NFL.

Specifically, Sanborn played sparingly as a freshman and finished the year with four games played, seven tackles and one forced fumble.

Last season, then, he started alongside Orr at middle linebacker where he played in 14 games and recorded 80 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions and one forced fumble.

If PFF and TheDraftNetwork’s way-too-early NFL Draft analysis are any indication, those numbers could be still on the rise as Sanborn steps into the role as the leader and “quarterback” of the defense this season.

Where two former Badgers land in PFF’s ranking of the most elusive starting running backs

Ben Linsey of ProFootballFocus ranked the NFL’s 32 starting running backs by elusiveness yesterday and two former Badgers were among…

Ben Linsey of ProFootballFocus ranked the NFL’s 32 starting running backs by elusiveness yesterday and two former Badgers were among those ranked.

The two Wisconsin products currently set to be starting in their team’s backfield this year are Melvin Gordon with the Denver Broncos and Jonathan Taylor with the Indianapolis Colts.

The rankings separated rookies and vets so there is no head-to-head comparison of the two former Badgers. Each one, though, placed favorably given the current talent at the position heading into the 2020 season.

The first is Melvin Gordon at No. 15.

“Gordon’s status on this list is hurt by an ineffective 2019 season after he returned from a holdout,” the article reads. “He averaged just 2.5 yards after contact per rush (39th out of 44 running backs with 100 or more carries) and forced 28 missed tackles on 162 carries — a rate that put him firmly in mediocre territory. That was paired with a career-worst 50.7 receiving grade and 7.7 yards after the catch per reception. Gordon does own the most broken tackles in the NFL from 2015 to 2018, but he’ll need to show he can return to that form with the Broncos in a crowded backfield next season.”

The next is Jonathan Taylor at No. 3 among rookies.

“Some running backs who lack shake in the open field can simply run through tackles at the college level thanks to their combination of size and speed,” Taylor’s paragraph reads. “Taylor is one such running back who has the kind of rare size and speed that might allow him to do something similar at the NFL level. His missed tackles forced rates in college aren’t on par with Akers or Edwards-Helaire, but with the offensive line in Indianapolis opening up holes on the ground and getting him clean to the second level, Taylor could put up some big-time numbers as a rookie in a featured role.”

As seen in the description for each ranking, both players are lower on the list due to a lack of recent playing time in the NFL.

In Gordon’s case this was due to, as noted in the article, a largely-ineffective 2019 season after he returned from a contract lockout. In Taylor’s case, as is true with all of the rookies, he was ranked solely off his college tape, and nobody knows yet how his game will translate to the next level.

Nevertheless, both of the two former Badgers are known for their speed, vision and power, and this list is solely based off each player’s elusiveness.

If one were to rank the 32 starters based off their overall talent and effectiveness I’m sure both Wisconsin products would receive far more favorable placements.

The newly-released ‘PFF50’ includes four former Badgers

Yesterday ProFootballFocus released their “PFF50: The NFL’s 50 best players entering the 2020 season” and included four former Badgers…

Yesterday ProFootballFocus released their “PFF50: The NFL’s 50 best players entering the 2020 season” and included four former Badgers on the list: quarterback Russell Wilson, defensive end J.J. Watt, offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk and outside linebacker T.J. Watt.

They were listed as follows: Wilson at No. 7, J.J. Watt at No. 13, Ramczyk at No. 26 and T.J. Watt at No. 28.

Here is what they had to say about each of the players and why they made the top 50 rankings.

 

Russell Wilson

NCAA Football: Rose Bowl-Wisconsin vs Oregon
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson (16) runs the ball against the defense of Oregon Ducks linebacker Dewitt Stuckey (52) during the second half during the 2012 Rose Bowl. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

“Russell Wilson made it only to No. 33 in PFF’s All-Decade 101 list, but he has taken his game to another level over the past couple of seasons. In 2019, it was Wilson — not Lamar Jackson — who led all players in PFF WAR (wins above replacement) and had the second-best overall PFF grade. Over the past three years, Wilson has 27 more big-time throws (PFF’s highest-graded passes) than any other passer, while 12 quarterbacks have more turnover-worthy plays than him. Wilson is held back only by how little his own team puts the ball in his hands.

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Where Wisconsin’s run blocking has ranked nationally during the last four years

Most college football fans–especially those in Big Ten country–know the Badgers for their ground attack and offensive line proficiency…

Most college football fans–especially those in Big Ten country–know the Wisconsin Badgers for their ground attack and offensive line proficiency.

Earlier today ProFootballFocus tweeted where the Badgers’ run blocking has ranked nationally during the last four years under Paul Chryst.

Those rankings are No. 6 in 2016, No. 1 in 2017, No. 4 in 2018 and No. 7 last season.

Not that this is any surprise, but looking through the three-place drops both from 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 makes Jonathan Taylor‘s sophomore and junior seasons even that more impressive (not that it needed any more prestige).

PFF’s No. 13 team in the country now moves forward without their star running back but with talent up front to continue their run of dominance on the ground.

Wisconsin lands at No. 13 in PFF’s latest power rankings

ProFootballFocus’ Eric Eager released his “Too-Early 2020 Top 25 College Football Power Rankings” earlier this week and pegged the…

ProFootballFocus’ Eric Eager released his “Too-Early 2020 Top 25 College Football Power Rankings” earlier this week and pegged the Badgers in at No. 13, good for fourth-highest in the Big Ten conference.

Big Ten teams ahead of the Badgers include Justin Fields and Ohio State at No. 2, James Franklin‘s Penn State Nittany Lions at No. 9 and the Michigan Wolverines at No. 11.

“The Big Ten’s runner up in 2019, the Badgers lose some pretty valuable players in Jonathan Taylor (0.54 win shares in 2019), Zack Baun (0.47) and Quintez Cephus (0.37) to the NFL,” the article reads.

Paul Chryst and the Badgers are scheduled to face off against a total of four teams included in the Top-25, those being No. 8 Notre Dame, the aforementioned Michigan Wolverines, No. 17 Iowa and No. 22 Minnesota.

Though the schedule’s difficulty does not come close to last year’s gauntlet of Ohio State twice, playing Minnesota on the road and facing off against Justin Herbert and the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, it doesn’t appear to be a cakewalk either as the Badgers look to claim their first conference championship in eight years.

PFF thinks Jonathan Taylor has the best situation of any rookie running back

ProFootballFocus’ Mike Renner ranked the situations for the 2020 class of rookie running backs yesterday and put Jonathan Taylor and the…

ProFootballFocus’ Mike Renner ranked the situations for the 2020 class of rookie running backs yesterday and put Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts at No. 1.

Behind Taylor was Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Kansas City, J.K. Dobbins in Baltimore, Ke’Shawn Vaughn in Tampa Bay, Cam Akers with the Rams, D’Andre Swift in Detroit, Zach Moss in Buffalo, Anthony McFarland Jr. in Pittsburgh, Joshua Kelley with the Chargers and finally A.J. Dillon with the Packers.

“He became the first Colts running back drafted before the fourth round in Chris Ballard’s tenure as general manager,” the paragraph on Taylor reads. “That and the fact that Ballard traded up to do so for only the third time in his career tells me all I need to know about how many carries Taylor will command in 2020. He also goes to a Colts offensive line that finished last season ranked third in PFF’s offensive line rankings and is the only one of the top five to return all five starters. It’s hard to be in a much better situation than that.”

I wrote after the draft about Taylor’s fit and gave it an overall grade of A-. This latest PFF article is the next in a long line of NFL writers, analysts and more sharing the sentiment and explaining why the Colts’ selection of Taylor puts him in a great position to find success as he transitions to the NFL.

 

What an all-Wisconsin Badger NFL offensive starting lineup would look like

The rosters of all 32 NFL teams are starting to round into form as we await the return of football to our day-to-day lives. There aren’t…

The rosters of all 32 NFL teams are starting to round into form as we await the return of football to our day-to-day lives.

There aren’t many college programs out there than can boast having 36 players on NFL rosters at this point in the offseason like Wisconsin can, and in 2019 the program ranked No. 12 in the list of the colleges most represented on 2019 NFL rosters.

But Badger fans know that many of the former Badgers in the NFL today are along the offensive line, at running back or at linebacker.

Well, believe it or not, the school currently has representation at every position excluding punter and kicker.

Today we decided to put the best names together and create an all-Wisconsin Badger NFL offensive starting lineup. Here is the result.

(Tune in tomorrow for the defensive edition)

 

Quarterback: Russell Wilson

NFL: NFC Divisional Round-Seattle Seahawks At Green Bay Packers
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) drops back to pass against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter of a NFC Divisional Round playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Talk about a layup. Not only is Wilson the only former Badger at the position in the NFL but he is a Super Bowl champion, six time Pro Bowler and no-doubt future Hall of Famer.

Though he was only in Madison for one season, the Ohio native led the Badgers to a Big Ten championship, a Rose Bowl appearance and arguably the school’s best season in the last decade.

He now is on a Seattle Seahawk team that has made the playoffs seven of his eight years as the starter and by all accounts should have won back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014.

Up next are Wilson’s backfield running mates.

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Three Badgers included in PFF’s ‘All-Decade Top 101’

Sam Monson and the ProFootballFocus team compiled a list of the 101 best NFL players from the 2010s this week and included three former…

Sam Monson and the ProFootballFocus team compiled a list of the 101 best NFL players from the 2010s this week and included three former Badgers: J.J. Watt, Joe Thomas and Travis Frederick.

The website lists the top 101 players in the NFL after each season, but now that the decade has turned they took a shot at the best players to play in the league from 2010-2019.

The highest ranked was No. 9 overall J.J. Watt.

“Before Aaron Donald came on the scene, J.J. Watt was the most destructive defensive force PFF had ever graded in the NFL,” the article reads. “Watt had a four-season run with PFF grades of at least 91.4, averaging 93 total pressures per year in that time, a figure which led the league in 2019. J.J. Watt’s best play is as good as anything the league has seen.”

The Wisconsin native is the only active player of the three Badgers listed above and is under contract through the 2021 season. Though he has dealt with injuries since he entered the league, sings point towards a few more peak years for Watt as he continues to have one of the best NFL careers a Badger has ever had.

The next player on the list is Joe Thomas at No. 11 overall.

“Joe Thomas is unquestionably one of the best players in NFL history; he was the gold standard for pass protection from the moment he entered the NFL,” the article reads. “Thomas had three straight seasons in the decade with a PFF grade above 90.0 and will be Canton-bound before long.”

I detailed Thomas’ career last week and shared the remarkable NFL-best streak he had of 10,363 consecutive snaps played. If that isn’t enough, during his 11-year NFL career the Wisconsin native made 10 Pro Bowl appearances and was nominated to six All-Pro teams while blocking for a plethora of sub-par quarterbacks who did not make his job an easy one.

Travis Frederick, the last Badger on the list of 101 players, landed at No. 34 overall.

“It’s a shame that illness curtailed a career that was trending towards being one of the greatest in NFL history,” the article reads. “Frederick hit the ground running as a pro and graded above 85.0 for the first five seasons of his career before Guillain-Barre syndrome forced him to miss the entirety of the 2018 season…Even five years of Frederick’s best play is enough to see him rank among the best players of the past decade.”

Frederick just recently retired after the 2019 season and, as written by Monson, was dominant enough that only five peak years were enough to land him at No. 34 on the list. The Wisconsin native finished his seven-year career with six seasons of 16 games played, five Pro Bowl appearances and one All-Pro nomination.

Zack Baun not included in PFF’s top candidates for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

Anthony Treash of ProFootballFocus released his “Top 10 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates for the 2020 NFL season” last week and…

Anthony Treash of ProFootballFocus released his “Top 10 Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates for the 2020 NFL season” last week and former Badger linebacker Zack Baun was not among the 10 names listed.

The rankings, in order, include Chase Young, Isaiah Simmons, Patrick Queen, Jeff Okudah, Javon Kinlaw, Grant Delpit, Xavier McKinney, Antoine Winfield Jr., Jaylon Johnson and Kenneth Murray.

None of the 10 candidates on the list were selected below Baun’s draft position of No. 74, though he was projected before the draft to be selected in late-first, early-second round range that McKinney, Winfield, Johnson, Queen and Delpit went in.

Nobody would deny that Young is the clear favorite to win the honor, as he was selected No. 2 overall for a reason and is a generational talent at pass rusher, but don’t be surprised if Baun climbs his way up the list as he carves out a role for himself in New Orleans.

ProFootballFocus calls Jack Coan ‘a hidden offensive gem’ entering the 2020 season

Seth Galina of ProFootballFocus listed his seven “hidden offensive gems” for the 2020 football season last week and included…

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Seth Galina of ProFootballFocus listed his seven “hidden offensive gems” for the 2020 football season last week and included Badger quarterback Jack Coan in his list.

Coan was one of two Big Ten names included along with Nebraska wide receiver J.D. Spielman, with the seven names rounded out by one power five conference player in Georgia Tech running back Jordan Mason and four players from a group of five conference.

“Only two of the top 10 quarterbacks who threw at least 200 non-play-action straight dropbacks return in 2020: former four-star recruit Sam Ehlinger at Texas and former three-star recruit Jack Coan at Wisconsin,” Galina wrote. “With their use of different personnel groupings, formations and pass concepts, the Wisconsin passing attack is not necessarily a plug-and-play system for quarterbacks, but Coan performed admirably.”

The paragraph on Coan continues to cite what frustrated Badger fans during his 2019 campaign: inconsistency.

“The senior quarterback will have to improve on his consistency,” Galina noted. “In terms of overall offensive grade, Coan posted five games graded above 80.0 but also eight below 70.0. There was almost no middle ground. Before putting up a 90-plus passing grade against Michigan State, he had tallied an awful 47.9 passing grade against lowly Northwestern only a couple weeks prior.”

These inconsistent games were often bailed out by dominant performances by Jim Leonhard‘s defense, most notably their three turnover, two defensive touchdown performance against the aforementioned Northwestern Wildcats when Coan only threw for 113 yards and one interception.

With offensive leaders Jonathan Taylor, Quintez Cephus and Tyler Biadasz gone to the NFL, Coan will need to find other options to throw to in order to repeat his 2019 production. But, if his year-to-year improvement and flashes of dominance have any indication as to what to expect from the senior quarterback, signs point towards an impressive senior season from the New York native and ProFootballFocus completely agrees.