With 8 weeks in the books, it’s time to unveil the PFF 2019 Midseason All-Pro Team. While grades were the basis for these rankings, snap counts and roles played a factor, as well. Let’s dig into the squad.
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QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Honorable Mention: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Wilson has been playing nearly flawless football for a good portion of this season. On 324 dropbacks, Wilson has only three turnover-worthy plays. No one else with at least 300 dropbacks has fewer than six, and Jameis Winston leads the NFL with 21. And it’s not like he’s being conservative with the football; Wilson leads the NFL with 22 big-time throws so far this season. Simply a remarkable feat from the Seahawks quarterback.
RB Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
Honorable Mention: Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders
No other back has come close to McCaffrey this season as a dual-threat. He’s the only running back in the league to have both a rushing and receiving grade over 80.0. McCaffrey has now caught 155 straight passes since his last drop in Week 17 of his rookie season.
WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Honorable Mention: D.J. Chark, Jacksonville Jaguars
Rarely does everyone’s breakout candidate live up to the hype so thoroughly the way Godwin has the first half of this season. His 47 catches for 705 yards may not look incredible from the outside, but 41 of those catches have gone for first downs. Cooper Kupp has 11 more catches than Godwin but eight fewer first downs.
WR Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Honorable Mention: Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys
No Drew Brees, no problem for Thomas. It’s as if he was built in a lab to consistently move the chains. He’s currently on pace for 146 receptions, which would break Marvin Harrison’s single-season record of 143 set back in 2002. His most absurd stat this year, though, isn’t even that. Of Thomas’ 14 contested-catch opportunities so far this season, he’s hauled in 12 of them.
TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Honorable Mention: Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders
There’s no more complete tight end in the NFL today. His 462 yards may not look all that impressive, but he’s only been on the field for 159 pass plays this season (Austin Hooper leads the position with 299 for comparison). Kittle’s 2.91 yards per route average not only leads tight ends by 0.36, but the figure also would rank third if you included receivers and running backs as well.
FLEX: RB Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Honorable Mention: RB Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Ekeler doesn’t just have the highest receiving grade among running backs, he’s earned the highest receiving grade in the entire NFL so far this season. His 51 receptions are nine more than any other back, and he also leads the position in first-down catches (23), broken tackles after the catch (16) and explosive receptions (10).
LT Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore Ravens
Honorable Mention: Anthony Castonzo, Indianapolis Colts
No left tackle in the league has gotten the job done in pass pro at a higher level than Stanley so far this season. On 259 pass-blocking snaps, the former top-10 pick has allowed only four pressures. Only three other full-time starters at either tackle spot have allowed fewer than 10.
LG Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
Honorable Mention: Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns
Nelson is who we thought he was. Dominant road grader in the run game. Brick wall in pass pro. If he finishes the season at his current 87.5 overall grade, it would be the highest we’ve seen from a second-year guard since the Cowboys Zack Martin earned a 90.3 overall in 2015. That’s pretty good company.
C Erik McCoy, New Orleans Saints
Honorable Mention: Rodney Hudson, Oakland Raiders
McCoy has been NFL-ready and then some in pass protection so far. He’s only allowed seven pressures on 326 pass-blocking snaps through the first eight games. McCoy ranks top-eight in both run- and pass-blocking grade among qualifying centers.
RG Brandon Brooks, Philadelphia Eagles
Honorable Mention: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
Brooks' dominance has been taken to another level this season. The perennial Pro Bowler leads all guards in both pass-blocking grade (87.9) and run-blocking grade (86.4). There’s no question who the best guard in football has been this season.
RT Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints
Honorable Mention: Mitchell Schwartz, Kansas City Chiefs
Ramczyk’s shutout of J.J. Watt in Week 1 was the most impressive pass-blocking performance we’ve seen all season. It hasn’t just been in pass pro where Ramczyk has been bullying defenders, though. His 88.7 run-blocking grade ranks second among all tackles in the league as well.
Edge T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
Honorable Mention: J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
Coming off a standout performance against the Miami Dolphins, T.J. Watt enters Week 9 with the first-ranked overall grade (91.6) and pass-rush grade (91.4) among all qualifying edge defenders.
Edge Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears
Honorable Mention: Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings
Same Mack, different day. Only J.J. Watt has had more singular pass-rushes earn the highest grade possible on the PFF scale. Mack’s 90.8 overall grade would mark his fifth straight season earning a grade over 90.0.
DI Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
Honorable Mention: Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
We don’t care about the ‘low’ sack total (even though five is still a lot for a DT). Donald’s added a new dimension to his game this season – edge rushing. 52 of his 476 snaps this year have come outside the tackles. Donald has earned an overall grade over 90.0 in every single season of his career.
DI Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
Honorable Mention: Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons
It really doesn’t matter where Campbell lines up, he’s going to make plays. After lining up primarily on the edge last year, the veteran has kicked back inside to free up snaps for Josh Allen and hasn’t missed a beat. His 42 pressures lead all interior defensive linemen in the NFL.
LB Eric Kendricks, Minnesota Vikings
Honorable Mention: Jamie Collins Sr., New England Patriots
Kendricks has been the best linebacker in the NFL through the first eight weeks of the season. His 23 run stops lead the NFL while his 10 forced incompletions are four more than any other linebacker in the league. That’s a pretty good run/pass combo.
LB Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
Honorable Mention: Corey Littleton, Los Angeles Rams
It’s the same Kuechly we know and love. He’s missed only three tackles on 70 attempts so far this year and has two picks along with four pass breakups.
CB Marcus Peters, Baltimore Ravens
Honorable Mention: Jonathan Jones, New England Patriots
Even though the Rams dealt him away for seemingly pennies, it wasn’t because of Peters’ on-field. He’s allowed only 11 catches on 265 coverage snaps this season – the fewest receptions per coverage snap of any starting cornerback in the league. He’s also picked off three passes, including a pick-six in his first game with the Ravens.
CB Quinton Dunbar, Washington Redskins
Honorable Mention: Casey Hayward Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
Dunbar has flashed a handful of individual dominant performances in the past, but he has finally put it all together for an extended stretch this season. He’s picked off three passes, broken up three more and allowed only 204 yards in his coverage all season.
S Justin Simmons, Denver Broncos
Honorable Mention: Anthony Harris, Minnesota Vikings
Simmons has been a PBU machine this season. After only three total pass breakups in his first three seasons, Simmons already has seven this year. That’s three clear of the next closest safety in the league. He’s also only missed two tackles on 49 attempts on the year.
S Marcus Williams, New Orleans Saints
Honorable Mention: Devin McCourty, New England Patriots
After a lackluster sophomore campaign, Williams has bounced back in a big way in Year 3. On 13 targets so far, he’s allowed a grand total of 51 yards and a passer rating of 42.9. That’s a far cry from the 115.6 passer rating he allowed last year.
FLEX: S Kareem Jackson, Denver Broncos
Honorable Mention: S Eric Weddle, Los Angeles Rams
Jackson enters Week 9 with an impressive 82.6 overall grade and a 77.7 coverage grade playing over 100 defensive snaps at free safety, box safety and slot cornerback for the Broncos.
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