PFF linemen grades and different stuff.

I just look at PFF grades to see the kinds of things they tell us. These different sets of numbers just involve 2 entirely different issues.

SET 1.

In the first set, I look at PFF grades for offensive linemen drafted in round 1 from 2011 to 2014. The purpose is to find out how many struggle as rookies and how many play well in year 1. For that I look at all 3 positions.

Here;s that.

2014

1 2 STL Greg Robinson ,,, 78 out of 84 OTs
1 6 ATL Jake Matthews … 84 out of 84 OTs
1 11 TEN Taylor Lewan … 30 out of 84 OTs
1 16 DAL Zack Martin … 6 out of 78 OGs
1 19 MIA Ja’Wuan James … 80 out of 84 OTs

2013

1 1 KAN Eric Fisher … 70 out of 77 OTs
1 2 JAX Luke Joeckel … 57 out of 77 OTs
1 4 PHI Lane Johnson … 46 out of 77 OTs
1 7 ARI Jonathan Cooper … has yet to play
1 10 TEN Chance Warmack …46 out of 81 OGs
1 11 SDG D.J. Fluker … 40 out of 77 OTs
1 19 NYG Justin Pugh … 33 out of 77 OTs
1 20 CHI Kyle Long … 43 out of 77 OGs
1 31 DAL Travis Frederick … 8 out of 38 OCs

2012

Matt Kalil … 21 out of 80
Riley Reiff … 31 out of 80
David DeCastro …50 out of 81
Kevin Zeitler …12 out of 81

2011

Tyron Smith … 3 out of 78
Mike Pouncey … 19 out of 35
Nate Solder …34 out of 78
Anthony Castonzo … 41 out of 78
Danny Watkins …51 out of 78
James Carpenter …66 out of 78
Gabe Carimi …36 out of 78
Derek Sherrod .;..42 out of 78

So combined with my previous numbers.

Percentage ranked in top 12: 15%
Percentage ranked in top 20: 19%
Percentage ranked no higher than 30: 77%
Percentage ranked in the bottom 50%: 57%

BTW, this number sort of lines up with a study PFF did about whether or not rookie linemen perform well. They came up with about 18% of linemen playing well as rookies.

Remember 75, when the Rams drafted both Harrah and France in round 1? Those were the days. In fact they did not start as rookies. Both start in year 2 not year 1. These days, in comparison, is that you can’t justify a 1st round pick unless he starts as a rookie, so you are forced to regard 1st round linemen as instant starters. And—they’re not, as a rule. They don’t get the Harrah/France year on the bench. Or for that matter the Jackie Slater 3 years on the bench.

SET 2

Now for something completely different.

I look just at guards. The purpose is to see where they come from…how teams get them. Free agency? Lower draft pick? Higher draft pick? What I found is that years 2014 and 2013 are very different. There was actually this big change last year as more top guards came from higher rounds. The year before, there were more vets ranked high who came from lower rounds.That just tells me you can’t take one year as indicative.

2014:

Marshal Yanda …. round 2
Evan Mathis … round 3 … FA
T.J. Lang … round 4
Josh Sitton … round 4
Joel Bitonio … round 2
Zack Martin … round 1
Kelechi Osemele …. round 2
Brandon Brooks… round 3
Kevin Zeitler …. round 1
Brandon Linder … round 3
John Greco…. round 3 … FA (trade actually)
Kyle Long … round 1

2013:

Evan Mathis… round 3 …. FA
Josh Sitton … round 4 … FA
Louis Vasquez …. round 3 … FA
Larry Warford …. round 3
Travelle Wharton … round 3
Matt Slauson … round 6 … FA
Andrew Whitworth …. round 2
Brandon Fusco ,,, round 6
Geoff Schwartz …. round 7 … FA
Brandon Brooks … round 3
Ben Grubbs …. round 1 … FA
Ramon Foster … UDFA

2012:

Evan Mathis … round 3 … FA
Marshal Yanda …. round 2
Alex Boone …. UDFA
Brandon Moore …. UDFA
Mike Iupati … round 1
Josh Sitton …. round 4
Ben Grubbs …. round 1 …. FA
Jahri Evans …. round 4
Andy Levitre … round 2
Jon Asamoah … round 3
Rob Sims … round 4
Kevin Zeitler … round 1

So, 2014 is the year of younger, higher draft picks. 2013 is the year of FAs. What generalization can we make from that? None. Good linemen come from all over the place. AND you can’t take 1 year as indicative of how it’s done.