PFF Player Grades/Rankings Ahead of Week 15

[RiverDog]

OK, here we go again. Here's the latest PFF player rankings for our guys, the leader at each position, and a couple of other players of special interest to us Hawk fans:

QB: 38 players ranked. Geno #15 (he was #14 last week). Lock apparently doesn't have enough snaps to qualify. The leader remains Dak. Russell Wilson is ranked 14th.

WR: 119 players ranked. Tyler Lockett #19, Metcalf #25, Jake Bobo #35, JSN #73. #1 continues to be Tyreek Hill.

RB: 58 players ranked. Kenneth Walker #23, Zach Charbonnet #29. CMC is the #1 ranked back.

TE: 72 players ranked. Will Dissly #16, Noah Fant #24, Colby Parkinson #34. George Kittle and Travis Kelce are ranked #1 and #2 respectively.

Centers: 38 players ranked. Evan Brown #28. Brown had a very good game Sunday, resulting in a rise from his #31 ranking last week. Conner Williams of the Fins is ranked #1.

Guards: 78 players ranked. Damien Lewis #32, Anthony Bradford #54, Phil Haynes #58. Chris Lindstrom of the Falcons is ranked #1.

Tackles: 83 players ranked. Charles Cross #30. Cross was ranked #35 last week. Stone Forsythe #59, Jake Curhan #62. Penei Sewell of the Lions is ranked #1

Cornerback: 118 players ranked. Devon Witherspoon #7, Michael Jackson #19, Tre Brown #52, Tariq Woolen #65. Jalon Johnson of the Bears was ranked #1.

Safeties: 91 players ranked. Julian Love #45, Jamal Adams #78, Quandre Diggs #85. Last week, Adams was ranked #42, a slippage of 36 spots from last week. Yikes! Antoine Winfield of the Bucs was ranked #1. Metcalf menace Fred Warner was ranked #1.

DT: 130 players ranked. Leonard Williams #28, Mario Edwards #35, Dre Mont Jones #63, Jarron Reed #66. Dexter Lawrence of the Giants is ranked #1. Jalen Carter is ranked #8.

Edge: 108 players ranked. Boye Mafe #40, Uchenna Nwosu #48, Darrell Taylor #99Derrick Hall #105. Nick Bosa is ranked #1 (Surprise surprise!)

Linebackers: 80 players ranked. Bobby Wagner #14 (from #10), Jordyn Brooks #51 (from #48).

Without doing a detailed analysis, it looks like our defense slipped significantly from the previous week, so judging by this ranking, Pete's rage seems justified.

 

[Ozzy]

That is terrible. You have one elite player in Witherspoon. I don't want to turn this into a John/Pete argument since we have a million of them going but my word.

 

[RiverDog]

That is terrible. You have one elite player in Witherspoon. I don't want to turn this into a John/Pete argument since we have a million of them going but my word.

Yeah, it's pretty ugly, especially with how the defense seems to be regressing.

However, there are some rays of hope. Our TE group looks solid. Considering the competition with Kittle, Kelce, Andrews, Hockenson, Goedert, et al, Dissly's #14 ranking is very good, Fant's #24 respectable. The problem is that we don't take advantage of them very often. And Cross has improved and did so against one of the best front 7's in the league.

 

[CactusJack]

That is terrible. You have one elite player in Witherspoon. I don't want to turn this into a John/Pete argument since we have a million of them going but my word.

Is it?

The Safety play is atrocious. Both Adams & Diggs need to be replaced. Tariq also shouldn't be starting. No depth at edge essentially. Nwosu was huge.

But there is talent on this team.

The biggest mistake that has bitten them in the ass is the Adams & Diggs deals. Both guys look cooked.

 

[Jerhawk]

Not to sound like a broken record but Quandre Diggs has no business being out there. He can't take proper pursuit angles, can't/won't wrap up and tackle.

Adams has no business covering anyone 1 on 1, let alone Deebo 30+ yards downfield. That's just poor coaching. Square peg round hole. Just like Jimmy Graham. Again.

Here's an experiment I'd like to see for the rest of the season just for the hell of it: Make Adams a permanent linebacker. Creep him around the line of scrimmage, and just use him to cover the running back and QB spy. Occasionally blitz him. That's it. Because that's all that POS is good for.

Next, make Love your permanent FS. That's right. Free safety. Put Diggs on the bench where he belongs, and slide Coby Bryant to SS. Just try it out and see what happens. Thanks

 

[Ozzy]

Is it?

The Safety play is atrocious. Both Adams & Diggs need to be replaced. Tariq also shouldn't be starting. No depth at edge essentially. Nwosu was huge.

But there is talent on this team.

The biggest mistake that has bitten them in the ass is the Adams & Diggs deals. Both guys look cooked.

Oh I don't disagree and I think we're saying the same thing.

 

[Ozzy]

Yeah, it's pretty ugly, especially with how the defense seems to be regressing.

However, there are some rays of hope. Our TE group looks solid. Considering the competition with Kittle, Kelce, Andrews, Hockenson, Goedert, et al, Dissly's #14 ranking is very good, Fant's #24 respectable. The problem is that we don't take advantage of them very often. And Cross has improved and did so against one of the best front 7's in the league.

agreed, its definitely a decent group overall and I do have hope for Cross, JSN and I still like our running back room too.

 

[RiverDog]

Here's an experiment I'd like to see for the rest of the season just for the hell of it: Make Adams a permanent linebacker. Creep him around the line of scrimmage, and just use him to cover the running back and QB spy. Occasionally blitz him. That's it. Because that's all that POS is good for.

He's too small. At 6'1 and 213 lbs., he'd look like he was playing while wearing roller skates going up against tackles and guards. To give you an example, Jordy Brooks weighs in at 240lbs.

Next, make Love your permanent FS. That's right. Free safety. Put Diggs on the bench where he belongs, and slide Coby Bryant to SS. Just try it out and see what happens. Thanks

That sounds very viable.

If you're going to bench Diggs, you might as well bench Adams, too.

 

[RiverDog]

agreed, its definitely a decent group overall and I do have hope for Cross, JSN and I still like our running back room too.

Plus Abe Lucas has been out and is just now getting back into the lineup.

Like a lot of .500ish teams, we have some talent, but it doesn't compare with the Niners, Eagles or Cowboys, which is where we have to be if our goal is to compete for a Super Bowl. We've had way too many failures to launch.

 

[hox]

Based on those rankings, this is an average roster. It was supposed to be so much better. Guess everyone bought into the preseason hype.

 

[renofox]

Based on those rankings, this is an average roster. It was supposed to be so much better. Guess everyone bought into the preseason hype.

The worst part is we have -0- "elite" players. If you want to compete in the playoffs, you must have at least one or two of those top-tier guys.

 

[Jerhawk]

He's too small. At 6'1 and 213 lbs., he'd look like he was playing while wearing roller skates going up against tackles and guards. To give you an example, Jordy Brooks weighs in at 240lbs.

That sounds very viable.

If you're going to bench Diggs, you might as well bench Adams, too.

I agree. In regards to Adams, the issue is he's too slow to play safety. Too small to play linebacker...

He just doesn't fit. I'm not sure where else to put him. He's not even a good box safety

 

[CactusJack]

Oh I don't disagree and I think we're saying the same thing.

People seem to be shitting on the Leonard Williams deal. But he's actually been very good in the limited time that he's been here. One of your best players. I think he's someone you have to keep around.

Diggs will probably be a cap casualty, $10-11 million in savings. You can save another $6 million by cutting Jamal.