All News & Analysis

Sig Stats: PRP, Edge Defenders

2014-Sig-Stats-PRP-EDWe’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

 

 

 

All Featured Tools

Subscriptions

Unlock the 2023 Fantasy Draft Kit, with League Sync, Live Draft Assistant, PFF Grades & Data Platform that powers all 32 Pro Teams

$31 Draft Kit Fee + $8.99/mo
OR
$89.88/yr + FREE Draft Kit