We’ve only just caught our breathe at PFF after a hectic season and an incredible Super Bowl. But before we fully turn our attention to the future (and in particular free agency) this week we’re going to look at the season that has just gone by via our unique PFF Signature Stats.
Where better to start than the stat that started it all, our Pass Rushing Productivity.
For those who don’t know, the PRP looks not only at how many sacks a defensive player gets, but also the hurries and hits and compares that number to the amount of times they actually rushed the passer to see who was the most productive.
Let’s see who topped out at the edge rusher positions.
Rank | Name | Team | Pass Rush Snaps | Total Pressure | PRP |
1 | Justin Houston | KC | 444 | 85 | 15.7 |
2 | Robert Ayers | NYG | 235 | 46 | 15.2 |
3 | Pernell McPhee | BLT | 347 | 64 | 14.4 |
4 | Ryan Kerrigan | WAS | 440 | 72 | 13.0 |
5 | James Harrison | PIT | 209 | 34 | 12.9 |
6 | Connor Barwin | PHI | 349 | 52 | 12.2 |
6 | Junior Galette | NO | 433 | 67 | 12.2 |
8 | Cameron Wake | MIA | 427 | 65 | 12.1 |
8 | Ezekiel Ansah | DET | 416 | 64 | 12.1 |
10 | Von Miller | DEN | 485 | 71 | 11.8 |
10 | Charles Johnson | CAR | 476 | 72 | 11.8 |
10 | Elvis Dumervil | BLT | 389 | 55 | 11.8 |
And the table above makes pretty reading for the agent of Justin Houston who is scheduled for free agency should he avoid the franchise tag. Not only one of the most complete players in football, he’s a dynamic pass rusher who made many a right tackle wish they were elsewhere on a Sunday afternoon.
Perhaps more interesting, though, are two of the guys behind him. Both Robert Ayers and Pernell McPhee aren’t traditional edge rushers in that, in sub-packages especially, they’ll line up all over the defensive line (particularly inside). They owe a pat on the back for how they’ve been used, but also deserve plenty of praise for getting pressure in areas where traffic can really slow you down.
Rookie Watch
While no rookie made the Top 10, one did crack the Top 25. That player? Well it turned out to be Aaron Lynch (though Jonathan Newsome would have made the Top 20 if he had the 200 qualifying snaps rushing the passer). Lynch gave the 49ers a return with the 24th-highest PRP of all edge rushers, a stark comparison to Ahmad Brooks who would finish 79th out of 92 qualifying candidates.
Top on the Team
One last thing to look at is who was the most productive edge rusher on each team and where that ranked.
Rank | Name | Team | Pass Rush Snaps | Total Pressure | PRP |
1 | Justin Houston | KC | 444 | 85 | 15.7 |
2 | Robert Ayers | NYG | 235 | 46 | 15.2 |
3 | Pernell McPhee | BLT | 347 | 64 | 14.4 |
4 | Ryan Kerrigan | WAS | 440 | 72 | 13.0 |
5 | James Harrison | PIT | 209 | 34 | 12.9 |
6 | Junior Galette | NO | 433 | 67 | 12.2 |
6 | Connor Barwin | PHI | 349 | 52 | 12.2 |
8 | Ezekiel Ansah | DET | 416 | 64 | 12.1 |
8 | Cameron Wake | MIA | 427 | 65 | 12.1 |
10 | Charles Johnson | CAR | 476 | 72 | 11.8 |
10 | Von Miller | DEN | 485 | 71 | 11.8 |
12 | Cliff Avril | SEA | 432 | 64 | 11.5 |
13 | Aldon Smith | SF | 213 | 31 | 11.2 |
14 | Akeem Ayers | NE | 219 | 31 | 11.1 |
15 | Dwight Freeney | SD | 372 | 53 | 11.0 |
16 | Mario Williams | BUF | 454 | 60 | 10.8 |
17 | Jason Babin | NYJ | 263 | 36 | 10.6 |
18 | Sam Acho | ARZ | 174 | 24 | 10.5 |
19 | Clay Matthews | GB | 372 | 48 | 10.4 |
20 | Erik Walden | IND | 279 | 35 | 10.0 |
21 | Osi Umenyiora | ATL | 274 | 35 | 9.9 |
21 | Jeremy Mincey | DAL | 395 | 50 | 9.9 |
21 | Everson Griffen | MIN | 514 | 64 | 9.9 |
24 | William Hayes | SL | 296 | 37 | 9.8 |
25 | Barkevious Mingo | CLV | 202 | 25 | 9.5 |
26 | Carlos Dunlap | CIN | 524 | 62 | 9.3 |
27 | Khalil Mack | OAK | 439 | 52 | 9.1 |
28 | Derrick Morgan | TEN | 381 | 43 | 8.9 |
29 | Jared Allen | CHI | 522 | 58 | 8.6 |
30 | Whitney Mercilus | HST | 380 | 40 | 8.2 |
31 | Jacquies Smith | TB | 299 | 28 | 7.6 |
32 | Andre Branch | JAX | 209 | 17 | 6.5 |
The most interesting spots are those at the bottom. Where the need for Jacksonville to find an impact pass rusher is made abundantly clear with Andre Branch their “stud”, while the Bucs will wonder how their investment in the edge rush position saw them finish with the second-lowest finisher courtesy of an undrafted free agent who they picked up in preseason. Food for thought as we enter free agency and draft season.
As ever with stats, they will not tell the full story. We’d recommend a PFF Premium package that takes more things into account such as nature and speed of pressure and whether it came blocked or unblocked. Find out more about a Premium Subscription here.
Follow Khaled on Twitter: @PFF_Khaled