Week 4 Advanced Coverage Grade Report: Best defenders in PFF's advanced coverage grade

• Christian Benford is quickly developing into an elite corner: Benford boasts the highest advanced coverage grade in the league through three weeks.

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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

It’s never too early to start preparing for next season, and for PFF, that means looking at ways to improve PFF Premium Stats.

One exciting option is to introduce more data. And to find out which stats resonate most with you, we’ll be offering select data outside of Premium Stats to see what grabs your interest.

This week, we're introducing a metric called “Advanced Coverage Grade,” which adds even more context to PFF's traditional coverage grade.

What is Advanced Coverage Grade?

Advanced coverage grade uses machine learning to map the separation allowed on a play to the expected PFF coverage grade the player would have earned had they been targeted. This system also factors in the difficulty of the assignment and situation when making that assessment.

The variables considered for assignment and situation include play position, player assignment within coverage, overall coverage scheme, safety rotation, press coverage, route depth and play action.

Going old school, this is a +/- grading system, though 0 doesn't necessarily represent expected or average results.

Advanced coverage grade through two weeks of the 2024 NFL season (min. 25 snaps)