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https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-linebacker-rankings-all-32-units-entering-the-2020-nfl-season
NFL linebacker rankings: All 32 units entering the 2020 NFL season
By Steve Palazzolo
Jul 21, 2020The PFF unit-ranking series moves to the linebacker position as we look forward to the 2020 season. The NFL’s best linebacking corps have both high-end players and depth, and that’s what we leaned on when putting together this ranking. Here are the best linebacking groups in the NFL heading into 2020.
32. Los Angeles Rams
With Cory Littleton moving on in free agency, the Rams have a big hole to fill in the back seven. Littleton has earned the fifth-best coverage grade over the last three years, and there’s no immediate replacement on the roster to fill that role.
While he played on the edge in his time in Chicago, Leonard Floyd could take some snaps at linebacker. Floyd hasn’t topped a 61.4 pass-rush grade over the last three years, but he’s been solid against the run and in coverage over his four-year career. So, look for some creativity when it comes to Floyd’s role with the team.
The rest of the unit is wide open, starting with a pair of 2018 draft picks in Micah Kiser and Travin Howard. Kiser has just one snap to his name, while Howard saw the field for 102 snaps last year, grading at 60.7 overall.
Kenny Young comes over from Baltimore where he’s graded in the 50s across two years and 480 snaps. Troy Reeder returns after a rough 28.6 grade as a rookie on his 298 snaps. The Rams also add former seventh-rounder Clay Johnston, who was off to a great start with an 83.1 grade and five pass breakups through six games before a knee injury ended his season.
If Floyd really gets grouped with the edge rushers, there is not a more inexperienced linebacking corps in the NFL.
Read more of PFF’s unit rankings here: Offensive line rankings | Wide receiver rankings | Tight end rankings | Defensive line rankings | Linebacker rankings
I will add some more rankings.
Agamemnonhttps://www.pff.com/news/nfl-offensive-line-rankings-all-32-units-entering-the-2020-nfl-season
NFL offensive line rankings: All 32 units entering the 2020 NFL season
By Steve Palazzolo
Jul 6, 2020The PFF play-by-play grading gives us a unique perspective regarding offensive line play, and with the 2020 season upon us, it’s time to rank the best offensive lines in the NFL. While star power has an impact, the best offensive lines have depth across the starting five and often with their backups, so those teams will be ranked higher. Of course, finding five strong starters is a challenge, and even some of the better offensive lines will enter the season with question marks.
Here are the best offensive lines in the NFL heading into the 2020 season.
25. Los Angeles Rams
No offensive line took as big of a step back as the Rams, a team that dropped from one of the league’s best to 31st during the 2019 regular season. They had eight linemen pass protect at least 250 times and only left tackle Andrew Whitworth put up a pass-blocking grade better than 61.6. Whitworth took a step back overall, grading at 72.8, his lowest since 2008. He remains as one of the better tackles in the league, and he’s been fantastic since joining the Rams, but he’ll turn 39 years old during the season.
At right tackle, Rob Havenstein’s regression remains a mystery. He had four solid seasons under his belt, including an 83.6 overall grade that ranked seventh among tackles in 2018. Last season, however, he posted a 50.9 grade that ranked 81st out of 89 qualifiers. If the Rams are going to get back on track, it must start with Havenstein.
The interior of the line saw huge turnover last season as left guard Rodger Saffold and center John Sullivan needed to be replaced, but the youth movement has gotten off to a slow start. At left guard, Austin Corbett and Joseph Noteboom both saw significant snaps, with Corbett posting the better grade at 51.8, good for 71st among guards. Right guard Austin Blythe saw his grade drop from 73.4 (12th) to 50.3 (76th) last season, so much like Havenstein, a return to form is crucial for the Rams.
Center Brian Allen finished 26th among centers with a 58.6 grade, and his biggest issue was pass protection, where his 45.4 grade ranked 33rd out of 35 qualifiers. David Edwards should also be in the mix for playing time after posting a 61.0 grade on 689 snaps as a rookie while fellow 2019 draft pick Bobby Evans remains a developmental option after a 49.4 grade on 479 snaps at right tackle last season.
Development is the key word for the Rams as they’re rolling it back with last year’s 31st-ranked unit, but with five players all within their first three years in the league, Los Angeles is expecting improvement from at least a few of them.
Agamemnonhttps://www.pff.com/news/nfl-wide-receiver-rankings-all-32-units-2020-nfl-season
NFL wide receiver rankings: All 32 units entering the 2020 NFL season
By Steve Palazzolo
Jul 13, 2020The PFF unit ranking series continues with the wide receivers as we prepare for the 2020 season. When analyzing wide receiver units, there’s a delicate balance between identifying teams with elite No. 1 options and those groups that run three or four deep. In today’s NFL, most teams employ three receivers as starters and the ability to put three legitimate threats on the field makes life difficult for opposing defenses. Here are the best receiver units heading into 2020.
17. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams have had one of the most efficient receiving groups in the league over the last few years, and last season they tied for the sixth-best receiving grade at 78.9.
Robert Woods has progressed to become one of the best receivers in the league since joining the Rams in 2017 — his 80.4 receiving grade ranked 14th last season. Woods has been “open” on 67.0% of his single-coverage targets since 2017, fifth-best in the NFL during that time. Right behind him in that department is Cooper Kupp, who has been open on 65.2% of his targets (sixth-best in the NFL), and he has posted a receiving grade of at least 76.0 in all three seasons.
Having two of the league’s best route-runners has elevated the Rams offense during the Sean McVay era, though downfield speed is a question mark with Brandin Cooks being traded to the Texans. Second-rounder Van Jefferson will compete for that role and he has the speed to get down the field, though he must improve his ability to deal with contact. Josh Reynolds is also in the mix — he’s been a solid No. 4 option over the last two years, posting receiving grades of 65.6 and 66.5. While Woods and Kupp are strong at the top of the depth chart, replacing Cooks will be difficult as he contributed over 1,200 yards during the 2018 Super Bowl year. This offense works best when it can threaten defenses down the field.
Agamemnonhttps://www.pff.com/news/nfl-tight-end-rankings-all-32-units-entering-the-2020-nfl-season
NFL tight end rankings: All 32 units entering the 2020 NFL season
By Steve Palazzolo
Jul 14, 2020The tight end units are top-heavy this season, as there are many teams with strong options but also many with massive question marks. It’s crucial to have playmakers at tight end in today’s NFL, and it’s clear that some teams were lacking dynamism and overall speed last season. To rank these units, we balanced star players along with depth at the position. Here are the top tight end units heading into 2020.
5. Los Angeles Rams
The tight ends became a huge part of the Rams’ passing attack last season, finishing with 1,168 receiving yards, fifth-most of any tight end group in the league.
Tyler Higbee broke out to produce the third-best receiving grade among tight ends (90.1) while catching over 80% of his targets and averaging 5.8 yards after the catch per reception. Gerald Everett finished with the ninth-best receiving grade (78.9), making the duo the only teammates to rank within the top 10. Everett is also one of the most elusive tight ends in the league, as he forced 13 missed tackles on just 37 receptions last season.
Johnny Mundt played 170 snaps for the Rams, as well, doing his best work in the run game where his 72.4 grade ranked seventh among tight ends. The Rams also added Brycen Hopkins to the mix this offseason, and the fourth-rounder adds even more speed to the unit — he was the best vertical tight end threat in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he ran a 4.66 at the scouting combine.
Hopkins is more of a big slot receiver with “move” tight end potential, but he adds a nice depth and is more of a long-term play. The Rams have one of the best pass-catching tight end units in the league, and they may be called upon even more given the team’s uncertainty at the outside wide receiver position.
Agamemnonhttps://www.pff.com/news/nfl-defensive-line-rankings-all-32-units-entering-the-2020-nfl-season
NFL defensive line rankings: All 32 units entering the 2020 NFL season
By Sam Monson
Jul 20, 2020The PFF unit ranking series moves to the defensive line as we look forward to the 2020 season. It’s important to note that all interior defensive linemen and edge defenders have been grouped together for this exercise, so teams that run a base 3-4 will include their outside linebackers (edge defenders) in this writeup, and they will not be featured with the linebackers. The best defensive lines have both high-end players and depth, and that’s what we leaned on when putting together this ranking. Here are the best defensive lines in the NFL heading into 2020.
8. Los Angeles Rams
The Rams don’t just have the best defensive lineman in the NFL in Aaron Donald, but they have arguably the best player in the NFL, period. By any measure, Donald is by far the best pass-rusher in football, owning the best pressure rate, pass-rush win rate and PFF grade of any player at any position over more or less any period of time since he entered the league. He had 80 total pressures in 2019 after posting a league-leading 106 in 2018. The team’s problem has been assembling a supporting cast capable of helping Donald maximize his impact.
Last season, Dante Fowler Jr. was at least capable of cleaning up the havoc Donald caused inside, but with Fowler now in Atlanta, somebody else needs to step up. Samson Ebukam has been a solid run defender and an average pass-rusher, and he could be pushed for playing time by Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who is entering Year 3 after barely playing but flashing rush ability when he has.
Inside, the Rams retained Michael Brockers after it looked like he was headed elsewhere in free agency — but only after they signed A’Shawn Robinson from the Lions, which feels a little redundant. Both players are run-focused nose tackles without the pass-rushing versatility to play alongside each other.
Greg Gaines adds to the run-stuffing expertise along the Rams’ line, while Sebastian Joseph-Day saw almost 500 snaps last season and graded solidly across the board. Third-round rookie Terrell Lewis should have a good chance to start on the edge, but his PFF grade never matched the enticing physical tools he flashed in his lone season starting at Alabama.
AgamemnonI disagree with the WR group. We are still top 5 overall.
How does he rank our CBs? If he predicts it truthfully, we should probably be ranked 30-32 best. Outside of Jalen Ramsey, it is not real good.
That is all the groups they do so far.
Agamemnon
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