10 Rams make PFF’s top 101 players of 2025
Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua were both in the top 10 of PFF’s 2025 rankings of the top 101 players

Cameron DaSilva

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2026/02/20/rams-nfl-top-players-rankings-pff-stafford-nacua/88763745007/

Even though they came up short in the NFC Championship Game, the Los Angeles Rams were unquestionably one of the two or three best teams in the league last season. Their special teams and defensive units let them down against the Seattle Seahawks but collectively, the Rams were as talented as anyone.

Pro Football Focus’ latest rankings from the 2025 season back up that notion. PFF ranked the top 101 players from this past season and the Rams were all over the list. They had 10 players selected, led by Matthew Stafford at No. 6 and Puka Nacua at No. 2.

None of the Rams’ representatives were terribly surprising, but it is good to see Poona Ford, Kobie Turner and Kevin Dotson all getting the recognition they deserve as top-60 players in the NFL.

Stafford and Nacua were the highest-ranked players at their respective positions, with only Myles Garrett (No. 1) finishing ahead of Nacua on the overall list. Here’s where each Rams player ranked in the top 101.

89. WR Davante Adams

83. OLB Byron Young

82. RB Kyren Williams

71. OT Alaric Jackson

68. OLB Jared Verse

59. NT Poona Ford

58. DT Kobie Turner

46. RG Kevin Dotson

6. QB Matthew Stafford

2. WR Puka Nacua

PFF named Stafford its 2025 MVP after his 46-touchdown season, also leading the NFL with 4,707 passing yards.

The PFF MVP and NFL MVP is the highest-ranked quarterback in this year’s PFF 101. His 91.9 PFF passing grade and 7.7% big-time throw rate paced the position. It was the first time in Stafford’s career that he earned a PFF overall grade above 90.0, setting a career high at 38 years old.

Nacua went over 2,000 yards receiving when including the playoffs, only the second receiver ever to eclipse that mark. The other? Cooper Kupp in 2021, also with the Rams.

Nacua put up a 2,047-yard season when including the playoffs, one of the most impressive years ever for a wide receiver. He led all receivers with a 96.1 PFF receiving grade, and his 3.57 yards per route run average was more than a full yard better than any other receiver not named Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

It was a stellar season for several Rams players, as evidenced by PFF’s list. They made up nearly 10% of the rankings, which is jarring. The rival Seahawks had eight, for comparison.

Adam Schefter@AdamSchefter
Sources: the Los Angeles Rams are promoting pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase to offensive coordinator, and making QB coach Dave Ragone the co-offensive coordinator/QB coach.

Scheelhaase interviewed for five head coaching jobs during this hiring cycle.

But now, the NFL’s final OC opening has been filled in a uniquely LA way.

Between 2018 and 2021 – Robert Woods had just under 500 yards rushing and 5 TDs on the ground.

After the departure of Tavon Austin in 2017, coach McVay implemented his role to Woods and he not only filled in, but excelled! He led the league in on the ground as a receiver pic.twitter.com/nf5RDLJyJ9

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) February 18, 2026

The Truth About ICE’s Violent Tendencies
Recently released emails show that after Trump was elected, a dangerous trend arose—and DHS leadership didn’t think it was a problem.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a70397582/ice-violence-email-release/?taid=6995a9cef7b4510001c15d1e&utm_campaign=trueanthemTWESQ&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter

Avery fine scoop from Politico tells us that the upper echelons of ICE knew that the grunts were getting out of hand long before their wilding spree in Minneapolis.

Top Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials knew as early as March of last year that officers were using dramatically more force against civilians and the targets of their enforcement operations, months before ICE and Border Patrol officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Internal emails obtained as part of a Freedom of Information Act request from the liberal-leaning watchdog nonprofit American Oversight show that top officials knew the amount of force—be it lethal force or non-lethal efforts to physically restrain or subdue people or neutralize threats—used by ICE officers was rapidly rising after President Donald Trump took office and that incidents were occurring nationwide.
Well, I’m sure that was coincidental.

Caleb Vitello, at the time the official tasked with overseeing field and enforcement operations at ICE, was informed on March 20 that ICE officers had reported 67 incidents where they had used force in the first two months of Trump’s term, according to the emails. In the same time frame in 2024, that number was 17 incidents, representing a nearly four-fold increase.

It must be considered axiomatic by now that the president’s only real gift in politics is recognizing and energizing the worst instincts of everyone he touches, and a MacGyver-esque talent for finding the worst possible use for every institution at his disposal through which the members of his cult can exercise those worst instincts. It is his superpower. Combine an administration filled with the president’s poison with an armed militia operating in the field and what did anyone expect?

Any optimism must be found in the knowledge that someone somewhere within the bureaucracy has retained enough of a conscience to release these emails. One can only hope they did so in the hope of reining in this disastrous and un-American venture beyond decency. In related news, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is bailing out. She will not be the last.

***

ICE officials knew use of force was rising well before Minneapolis shootings
Internal agency emails show a surge in reports of ICE officers using more force going back nearly a year, but DHS leadership did not see it as a concern to be addressed.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/17/ice-officials-use-of-force-00782501

Top Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials knew as early as March of last year that officers were using dramatically more force against civilians and the targets of their enforcement operations, months before ICE and Border Patrol officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

Internal emails obtained as part of a Freedom of Information Act request from the liberal-leaning watchdog nonprofit American Oversight show that top officials knew the amount of force — be it lethal force or non-lethal efforts to physically restrain or subdue people or neutralize threats — used by ICE officers was rapidly rising after President Donald Trump took office and that incidents were occurring nationwide.

Caleb Vitello, at the time the official tasked with overseeing field and enforcement operations at ICE, was informed on March 20 that ICE officers had reported 67 incidents where they had used force in the first two months of Trump’s term, according to the emails. In the same time frame in 2024, that number was 17 incidents, representing a nearly four-fold increase.

Days before, Vitello was informed that the use of force in the first two weeks of March alone had quadrupled compared with the same timeframe the year before, per another email.

The Department of Homeland Security has insisted that officers are complying with the standards set forth in their training and that officers continue to practice “incredible restraint” in using force. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the documents, which were shared first with POLITICO.

The contents of the emails challenge the administration’s assertions and efforts from its backers in the wake of the Minneapolis shootings to downplay incidents involving ICE’s use of excessive force by arguing that such cases were infrequent.

“These are hard issues that we should spend time talking about, because they’re tragic and awful, but also, thankfully, rare,” Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said at a Thursday oversight hearing about the response to Minneapolis.

The FOIA request also turned up incident reports from operations across the country where officers used force during arrests and apprehensions. They include one March 10 incident where Border Patrol and ICE officers smashed a woman’s car windows as they sought to apprehend two unauthorized immigrants. One of the unauthorized immigrants was tased and then needed to receive medical attention due to vomiting and some scratches. At least one person in the reports from Trump’s first two months in office died as a result of an encounter with immigration officers.

The emails and incident reports show that cases of ICE and Border Patrol using force go beyond isolated instances circulating on social media and surges in major cities such as Minneapolis. They also show that agency leadership has been aware that nationwide, the agency’s officers are using more aggressive tactics as the Trump administration has sought to increase the number of deportations of unauthorized immigrants.

The emails and documents also do not reflect particular urgency on the part of ICE leadership to respond to that trend, either by directing more training or by establishing whether the increase tracks with a general increase in enforcement and deportation operations.

Instead, they show how ICE and DHS officials looked to publicly discuss a different trend — that assaults against officers are also at all-time highs. The March 20 email to Vitello highlights that assaults against ICE officers had more than quadrupled during the same time period that use of force had also increased.

The email indicated that ICE leadership was keen to prosecute those cases, with a unit chief writing to Vitello that a team in a regional office could “package up a summary of the needed elements of the crime, definitions of what constitutes assault, etc with the intent of broadcasting to the workforce in an effort to drive more presentations for prosecution.”

Officials, confronted with questions about ICE’s tactics, have insisted the officers receive adequate training and blamed officials in Democratic-led states and cities for stoking tensions.

As recently as January, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rejected suggestions ICE officers were using excessive force.

“Our ICE agents are following the law and are running their operations according to training,” Noem told reporters on Jan. 15 when asked if there were cases ICE had crossed the line.

Chioma Chukwu, the executive director of American Oversight, said in a statement that the documents paint a “deeply troubling picture of the violent methods used by ICE.”

The documents’ release comes as Democrats and some Republicans are looking to secure major changes to ICE tactics and training as part of negotiations to fund DHS and end the partial government shutdown. Lawmakers on the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees last week questioned acting ICE chief Todd Lyons, who replaced Vitello as acting director, over concerns about ICE’s use of force and other tactics nationwide.

“It’s clearly evident that the public trust has been lost,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said at a hearing Thursday. To restore trust in ICE and Border Patrol, they must admit their mistakes, be honest, and forthright with their rules of engagement, and pledge to reform.”

The documents also revealed more details about how ICE agents were told how to navigate another controversial legal question: whether ICE agents need judicial warrants to enter homes. That question has been a sticking point in funding talks between Democrats and the administration.

A slidedeck from July included notes about the administration’s controversial move to allow ICE to enter homes with only an administrative warrant — ones issued by an agency, not a court — in order to apprehend and deport unauthorized immigrants with final orders of removal.

The slides contradicted the guidance of a May memo from Lyons, which said that agents could use I-205 forms — which apply to those with final orders of removal authorizing an immigrant’s deportation from the United States — to enter homes.

But instructor notes that accompanied the slidedeck, completed in July, indicate that instructors were advised to tell participants if specifically asked about I-205 forms that the policy is “under review.” That suggests that the policy was not as iron tight as previously believed.

The administration has said it has the legal basis to enter homes with only administrative warrants. Congressional Democrats have insisted ICE still needs a warrant signed by a judge to enter homes.

About the discrepancy, Chukwu said it “suggests ICE knows its practices are deeply problematic — and is deliberately hiding the ball to avoid public scrutiny.”

Blake Corum's breakout sophomore season was fueled by his breakaway ability and tough running, creating an efficient 1-2 backfield punch with Kyren Williams:https://t.co/rc9jI2WtBj

— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) February 18, 2026

Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
The Rams have made their first in-house signing of the offseason, bringing OL David Quessenbery back on a one-year extension.

ryan anderson@RLAndersonLAFB
DQ has played at LT and RT (some guard) through his long NFL career.

Certainly a backup to Alaric Jackson, who dealt with a blood clotting issue last season. My guess is Warren McClendon’s job is safe.

wv wrote:

If i really boil the 2025 season down to its essence, for ‘me’ it was — Stafford and Puka.

Lots of other stuff goin on, but that is what i will remember.

And like the Martz team, this one was a play or two away from a Ring.

w
v

To me it was a few big things, good and bad. None of this is a startlingly unusual take.

* Stafford had about the best year a Rams qb has ever had since I first started watching them.

* Nacua is the Rams offensive Warner Bros. style Tasmanian Devil

* This is about as good a Rams OL we’ve seen since 99/2000 and it’s made out of bargain parts. Ryan Wendell may be the best Rams OL coach since the famous Hudson Houck of the old Robinson/Dickerson days, and his signature OL included (when it had Hill at guard) 2 1st rounders, a 2nd, and a 3rd, the 3rd rounder being Jackie Slater, one of the best of all time. The Rams 2025 OL in its final form, with McClendon at ROT, consisted of 2 UDFAs, a 2nd rounder, a 5th rounder, and a 4th round trade.

* Rams defense got figured out and its effort to use a recycled secondary didn’t work in the end, though still it had its moments

* I have never seen special teams cost them so many games

Congrats on the amazing career @robertwoods! The 1st real mold of the “McVay style” of WR! Tough! Dual threat – No matter how the ball gets in his hands. Excels! Lethal blocker!

I was so lucky to witness some of his greatest highlight plays while in stadium such as below pic.twitter.com/XEXZngZgKQ

— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) February 17, 2026