So here they are. The much-requested depth charts – or at least the beginning of the series. And this time they are back for good. We’ll give you one a day from now (which should take us close to the start of training camp) and try and update the published ones as frequently as possible, at least up to Week 1 of the regular season.
As usual, please read the associated notes below (and on the individual articles) as the devil is usually in the detail. However, if you do see mistakes or have comments, I’d encourage you to post them in the comments section of each article (or below if it relates to the entire series). If you believe that information is definitive (and not just your opinion) it would be great if you could post a link.
For example, if the head coach has just come out and said X player will be given the first opportunity to win the starting job, it would be really helpful if you could give me a quick way to verify it. If we work together on this we can produce an extremely accurate and definitive set of depth charts that will hopefully be useful for everyone.
Key Points
1. We are not trying to recreate the entire roster and place every undrafted free agent and their comings and goings. The charts will currently include: anyone who played in the NFL last year, 2014 draftees, and players from last year who would likely have played but for injury. As UDFA’s clearly move into contention for a roster spot we’ll include them, but not before.
2. The grade given is for now – it’s not a prediction of future development. While it’s primarily based on last year (or their last year of action) it does include more than just a nod to their career. For example, if a corner played well up until 2013 and then stunk, we’ll take account of his better years as well. Further, if you notice the occasional difference in grades between this set and our previous projected lineups series, it'll most likely be down to this being primarily my work, checked by Khaled, while the previous series was built through a different process. In many respects I'm keen to show there are differences. No one in PFF believes the overall grades are absolutely definitive and neither should you. For example, how should one weight the relative receiving and blocking skills of a tight end? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
3. Elite is as advertised. Broadly it’s the best 50 players in the NFL but that doesn’t mean its two or three from each position group across the board. There may be none or there may be seven or eight. That’s just the nature of it; some periods are good for one position, some others. Additionally, remember that our “Top 101 Players” series is based solely on their performance in 2013. These charts, as described above, take more than just last season into account.
4. The grade is for the position specified and doesn’t include their usefulness on special teams. So, for example, while we know Justin Bethel of Arizona is currently the best special teams player in football, his grade reflects only his play at cornerback.
5. 2013 was the first season we began to grade long-snappers and other special teams positions in unrivaled fine detail. We don’t just factor totally botched snaps into a long snapper’s grade, but snaps that are significantly off-line in any direction, whether that inaccuracy was compensated for by the punter or holder or not. A long-snapper’s grade will also be made up from his work on coverage units and can be harmed by missed tackles, poor lane-discipline among other factors.
6. Players over 30 years old are marked in bold.
Links to the charts as they post:
Follow Neil, Khaled and Gordon on Twitter: @PFF_Neil, @PFF_Khaled, @PFF_Gordon
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