For those interested, Pro Football Focus ran a story on ESPN (here for those with an Insider subscription) ranking all NFL rosters from 1-32. It has details on what tier each starter was rated by PFF in 2016, biggest strength, biggest weakness, statistical notables, best starter, worst starter, new starters, and rookies for each team. The Stanford notables:
* Austin Hooper apparently graded poorly (49.6) and is considered the second worst starter on the best roster in the NFL. [My main man Alex Mack is considered one of the seven elite offensive linemen in the entire league. We're now midway into the second decade of my effusive praise for him being validated. Get @ me BBKIA
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* Ty Montgomery led the league in yards per carry after contact (5.1) and broke 18 tackles on just 72 carries. He graded out as an average starter (73.2) on the 4th best roster in the league.
* That excellent roster also includes our own Blake Martinez as a starter. He graded out at the high end of the poor spectrum (59.2), making him the fourth worst starter on the Packers. But as with Hooper the important thing is: starter at a very young age on one of the best rosters in football.
* David DeCastro is another starter on one of the league's best rosters (#5). He graded out at a very high quality (85.9). The whole Steelers' OL graded in the 80s. Yowza. Beginning in Week 4, they allowed just 87 pressures, nine fewer than any other line.
* They sorta cheated for the Panthers (#10 roster in the league) and listed Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Stewart, Greg Olsen, Curtis Samuel, Devin Funchess, and Sammy Watkins as starters. [Yes, I know Sammy Watkins is on the Bills and not the Panthers. This is PFF's mistake, not mine.] On every given play one of those guys will have to be off the field, but I suppose that's close enough to a starter to list our man. He obviously has no grade as he's a new starter.
* Doug Baldwin (85.6) and Richard Sherman (84.1) both graded as very high-quality starters for the #11 roster
* Zach Ertz graded as an average starter (75.0) for an average roster (#15).
* Coby Fleener graded poorly (55.0) for the #20 roster. He's the weak link on the offense, but the defense is considerably weaker than the offense.
* Andrus Peat is the second weakest link on that Saints offense, right on the cusp of average (69.8). Obviously offense isn't the biggest problem when your second "worst" offensive starter is an average starter.
* Ryan Hewitt is on the high end of the average starter spectrum (77.1) for the #23 roster. Notably, his designation as a starter for the Bengals makes him one of only six starting fullbacks in the entire NFL. As we know, it's not a position most offenses use.
* Andrew Luck is the only player we have considered his team's best player, checking in with an elite 92.4 grade for the #26 roster in the league. That makes him the fourth best QB in the league last year after Brady, Ryan, and Rodgers. Not a Stanford fact but something I'm sure Luck fans will be interested in: PFF assesses the Colts' LT, LG, and C as being very good with the RG and RT being very bad.
* Henry Anderson is on the high end of the average starter spectrum (77.0) for that same Colts roster. The DL is an extremely weak link (along with cornerback and secondary receiving target), and PFF views Anderson as the only decent part about it. I have to wonder here about David Parry, would love to know how he graded and what his prospects of regaining a starting spot are after his transgressions.
* Ed Reynolds is on the high end of the average starter spectrum (78.4) for the #29 Browns. I hadn't realized he was in line to start. Cool.
* Joshua Garnett graded very poorly (#42.4) for the #30 roster (wooohoooo! Two rosters worse than ours!). He was spared from being named the worst starter on the team because fellow guard Zane Beadles is one of the ten worst starting offensive linemen in the league. Garnett is 12th worst according to PFF.
* Solomon Thomas is also listed as a starter for the Niners and of course doesn't have a grade. He joins a DL with an average starter in DeForest Buckner (and I think average is a good grade for a rookie DL, excited about him) and two bad ones in Aaron Lynch and Arik Armstead.
So there you have it: 16 players expected to start in the NFL this season (1 QB, 2 RB, 1 FB, 1 WR, 3 TE, 3 OL, 2 DL, 1 LB, 2 DB). Holy moly. What a fun time to be a Stanford fan.
* Austin Hooper apparently graded poorly (49.6) and is considered the second worst starter on the best roster in the NFL. [My main man Alex Mack is considered one of the seven elite offensive linemen in the entire league. We're now midway into the second decade of my effusive praise for him being validated. Get @ me BBKIA
]* Ty Montgomery led the league in yards per carry after contact (5.1) and broke 18 tackles on just 72 carries. He graded out as an average starter (73.2) on the 4th best roster in the league.
* That excellent roster also includes our own Blake Martinez as a starter. He graded out at the high end of the poor spectrum (59.2), making him the fourth worst starter on the Packers. But as with Hooper the important thing is: starter at a very young age on one of the best rosters in football.
* David DeCastro is another starter on one of the league's best rosters (#5). He graded out at a very high quality (85.9). The whole Steelers' OL graded in the 80s. Yowza. Beginning in Week 4, they allowed just 87 pressures, nine fewer than any other line.
* They sorta cheated for the Panthers (#10 roster in the league) and listed Christian McCaffrey, Jonathan Stewart, Greg Olsen, Curtis Samuel, Devin Funchess, and Sammy Watkins as starters. [Yes, I know Sammy Watkins is on the Bills and not the Panthers. This is PFF's mistake, not mine.] On every given play one of those guys will have to be off the field, but I suppose that's close enough to a starter to list our man. He obviously has no grade as he's a new starter.
* Doug Baldwin (85.6) and Richard Sherman (84.1) both graded as very high-quality starters for the #11 roster
* Zach Ertz graded as an average starter (75.0) for an average roster (#15).
* Coby Fleener graded poorly (55.0) for the #20 roster. He's the weak link on the offense, but the defense is considerably weaker than the offense.
* Andrus Peat is the second weakest link on that Saints offense, right on the cusp of average (69.8). Obviously offense isn't the biggest problem when your second "worst" offensive starter is an average starter.
* Ryan Hewitt is on the high end of the average starter spectrum (77.1) for the #23 roster. Notably, his designation as a starter for the Bengals makes him one of only six starting fullbacks in the entire NFL. As we know, it's not a position most offenses use.
* Andrew Luck is the only player we have considered his team's best player, checking in with an elite 92.4 grade for the #26 roster in the league. That makes him the fourth best QB in the league last year after Brady, Ryan, and Rodgers. Not a Stanford fact but something I'm sure Luck fans will be interested in: PFF assesses the Colts' LT, LG, and C as being very good with the RG and RT being very bad.
* Henry Anderson is on the high end of the average starter spectrum (77.0) for that same Colts roster. The DL is an extremely weak link (along with cornerback and secondary receiving target), and PFF views Anderson as the only decent part about it. I have to wonder here about David Parry, would love to know how he graded and what his prospects of regaining a starting spot are after his transgressions.
* Ed Reynolds is on the high end of the average starter spectrum (78.4) for the #29 Browns. I hadn't realized he was in line to start. Cool.
* Joshua Garnett graded very poorly (#42.4) for the #30 roster (wooohoooo! Two rosters worse than ours!). He was spared from being named the worst starter on the team because fellow guard Zane Beadles is one of the ten worst starting offensive linemen in the league. Garnett is 12th worst according to PFF.
* Solomon Thomas is also listed as a starter for the Niners and of course doesn't have a grade. He joins a DL with an average starter in DeForest Buckner (and I think average is a good grade for a rookie DL, excited about him) and two bad ones in Aaron Lynch and Arik Armstead.
So there you have it: 16 players expected to start in the NFL this season (1 QB, 2 RB, 1 FB, 1 WR, 3 TE, 3 OL, 2 DL, 1 LB, 2 DB). Holy moly. What a fun time to be a Stanford fan.
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