Pro Football Focus player grades

[aubiefifty 12,914]

auburn.247sports.com

 

Pro Football Focus player grades, snap counts, superlatives for Auburn in 2017 (offense)

Brandon Marcello

5-6 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama —The regular season is in the books.

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Our partners at Pro Football Focus graded every single game this season across college football, and thanks to the access to the database, we have compiled the grades, snap counts and more superlatives for Auburn's offensive players throughout the season.

A staff of 300-plus experts review game film of every single team and player. The grades assigned to players are simple — and are not necessarily similar to the coaches' grades handed out in the Auburn meeting room (keep this in mind). These grades are utilized to project future pro potential. Much like in academics, players are awarded grades between 0 to 100. A grade of 85 or higher is an NFL-caliber rating, while a grade between 80 to 84 is considered “very good.” Below average grades range from 50-60.

RELATED: PFF player grades, snap counts on defense

These are the grades and snap counts for every player to play on offense for Auburn this season.

Auburn offense

1. RB Kerryon Johnson, 88.8 (5th nationally); 566 snaps
2. OG Braden Smith, 88.7 (3); 895
3. WR Ryan Davis, 81.9 (65); 545
4. OT Darius James, 81.7 (70); 640
5. C Casey Dunn, 81.5 (23); 643
6. OT Austin Golson, 80.0 (103); 894
7. QB Jarrett Stidham, 80.0 (54); 888
8. OG Mike Horton, 79.6 (91); 398
9. OG Marquel Harrell, 78.0 (113); 500
10. OT Prince Tega Wanogho Jr., 74.8 (178); 668
11. WR Will Hastings, 74.2 (217); 257
12. RB Kam Martin, 73.6; 118
13. FB Tre' Threat, 73.4; 2
14. FB Chandler Cox, 72.1 (9); 504
15. FB Spencer Night, 69.6; 81
16. WR Griffin King, 68.9; 56
17. OG Wilson Bell, 68.3; 64
18. QB Malik Willis, 67.6; 55
19. OT Tyler Carr, 67.2; 49
20. OT Prince Micheal Sammons, 66.8; 8
21. QB Devin Adams, 65.6; 11
22. WR Darius Slayton, 61.7 (376); 481
23. WR Marquis McClain, 61.2; 57
24. C Kaleb Kim, 60.6; 51
25. TE Tucker Brown, 60.3; 193
26. TE Caleb King, 60.1: 1
27. WR Kyle Davis, 58.3; 188
28. WR Noah Igbinoghene, 57.7; 64
29. RB Devan Barrett, 57.5; 44
30. OT Bailey Sharp, 56.8; 22
31. WR Eli Stove, 52.6 (415); 361
32. FB Keenan Sweeney, 51.9; 13
33. Nate Craig-Myers, 50.0 (451); 640
34. WR Sal Cannella, 47.6; 150
35. RB Kamryn Pettway, 46.3; 181
36. RB Malik Miller, 45.6; 80
37. TE Jalen Harris, 44.2 158

• Seven offensive players rated in the "very good" category and two (Kerryon Johnson and Braden Smith) were in the "elite" category.
• Ryan Davis caught 78 of the 93 passes in which he was targeted. He caught six touchdown passes and forced 18 missed tackles by defense.
• Running back Kerryon Johnson caught every pass thrown at him (24).
• Johnson forced 54 missed tackles, which is by far the most on the team and ranked 12th among running backs nationally. He fumbled only once: the momentum-shifting turnover at the SEC Championship Game against Georgia.
• Will Hastings caught 20 of 33 targeted passes for three touchdowns. Two of the passes thrown his direction resulted in two interceptions. He forced four missed tackles.
• Braden Smith and Darius James were the two best run blockers on the team with grades of 86.1 and 85.8, respectively, to ranks in the top 10 nationally in their positions as run blockers.
• James led all players with four penalties.
• Austin Golson played all five positions along the offensive line and still managed to score an 80, which is one step below "elite" on the scale.
• Jarrett Stidham's eight fumbles hurt his grade. He also dodged seven tacklers as the season progressed and he started running the ball more often on RPO plays.
• Eli Stove caught 28 of 37 passes thrown his direction and forced 11 missed tackles, mostly on run plays in which he was the jet-sweep option.
• Darius Slayton caught 23 of 61 passes thrown his direction, but the deep passes are naturally expected to have a lower success rate. He caught five touchdown passes, forced four missed tackles and one pass thrown his direction resulted in an interception.
• Nate Craig-Myers caught 12 of 20 passes in which he was the main target. One of those passes resulted in an interception. He also accounted for three penalties, the most among all receivers.

[corchjay 5,311]

Interesting numbers however I have no clue what they mean.  Most shocking for me is how many snap NCM was in on (640) and only 12 catches... yeeesh.  Maybe he was bumped up on special teams or something for snaps.  

[LKEEL75 2,558]

Golson is only behind Stidham when it comes to snaps taken.  That is incredible.

[Linayus 676]

Braden and Austin should both have good pro careers. I really wish they had another year at Auburn with our current offensive scheme. *sigh*

[Dual-Threat Rigby 7,266]

we gotta use NCM more 

[corchjay 5,311]

2 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

we gotta use NCM more 

Looks like we use him a lot to block just not very many passes thrown his way

[DAG 29,634]

3 minutes ago, corchjay said:

Looks like we use him a lot to block just not very many passes thrown his way

Which is criminal 

[corchjay 5,311]

3 hours ago, DAG said:

Which is criminal 

Why?  Because of high school ratings?  He hasn’t proven to have elite hands or ability to get open.  He’s still young tho keep getting better 

[DAG 29,634]

13 minutes ago, corchjay said:

Why?  Because of high school ratings?  He hasn’t proven to have elite hands or ability to get open.  He’s still young tho keep getting better 

How do you know he doesn't have elite hands? I have seen him drop one legit pass thrown to him in the Bama game I believe. He made up for it on the next One. Seriously? Slayton by far doesn't have elite hands, yet how many passes get thrown to him. The issue is NCM is a big WR, therefore, he gets regulated to blocking on the outside. I just don't see how you can even say someone doesn't have elite hands when they barely get the opportunity to get passes. Clearly, he is doing something right, as he is always on the field more than Hastings who some of y'all feel has elite hands and agility.

[corchjay 5,311]

2 minutes ago, DAG said:

How do you know he doesn't have elite hands? I have seen him drop one legit pass thrown to him in the Bama game I believe. He made up for it on the next One. Seriously? Slayton by far doesn't have elite hands, yet how many passes get thrown to him. The issue is NCM is a big WR, therefore, he gets regulated to blocking on the outside. I just don't see how you can even say someone doesn't have elite hands when they barely get the opportunity to get passes. Clearly, he is doing something right, as he is always on the field more than Hastings who some of y'all feel has elite hands and agility.

I said neither or any of those other then he’s proven he doesn’t have elite hands.   Where have you seen that he does have elite hands? I can see from games he can’t get open. I just was asking why it’s criminal he isn’t thrown the ball?  You’d like the QB to just try to fit it in there for him to get his chances?  

[DAG 29,634]

17 minutes ago, corchjay said:

Why?  Because of high school ratings?  He hasn’t proven to have elite hands or ability to get open.  He’s still young tho keep getting better 

And please don't sit there and tell me, the coaches see it in practice. This would not be the first time or even second time that Gus mischaracterized talent 

[corchjay 5,311]

1 minute ago, DAG said:

And please don't sit there and tell me, the coaches see it in practice. This would not be the first time or even second time that Gus mischaracterized talent 

I would assume they do what they think gives the offense the best chance to score 

[DAG 29,634]

Just now, corchjay said:

I said neither or any of those other then he’s proven he doesn’t have elite hands.   Where have you seen that he does have elite hands? I can see from games he can’t get open. I just was asking why it’s criminal he isn’t thrown the ball?  You’d like the QB to just try to fit it in there for him to get his chances?  

I never said anything about elite hands. You are the one who brought up elite hands. Let me tell you something. None of our WR's IMO have proven to have "elite" hands. What I did say was that it is criminal that NCM, probably the best athlete on the field besides KJ, doesn't get more opportunities. IMO, you need to try to find your athletes and give them a chance to make a play. That is what athletes do. They make plays. Whether they are open or not. Mike Williams wasn't open very much at clemson but he was a playmaker. 

 

[DAG 29,634]

Come on now. Look at the 34-second mark. This is what I want to see more out of our WRs. The ability to win the 1 on 1 battle

[DAG 29,634]

Go to :36 seconds. JS and NCM should be doing this time and time again. That should be a bread and butter play for them. 

[DAG 29,634]

One more video...Sammie Coates. Yes, he had speed. Yes, he can run pass people. BUT look at some of these catches. He is being a playmaker. NM doesn't care if there is a guy or two on him. He is trusting his playmaker to make a play. We have to find this next year. We have the talent to do it or "potential."

 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 7,266]

On 12/8/2017 at 10:08 PM, DAG said:

Come on now. Look at the 34-second mark. This is what I want to see more out of our WRs. The ability to win the 1 on 1 battle

Yeah thats the biggest red flag for this passing offense to me. You cant make an entire passing game built around only throwing to wide open targets. NM was so good deep because he put it in spots to where receivers either catch it or drop it. Stidham only unloads these long streaks/posts as a formality and to receivers who arent meant to make tough catches. He and Gus need to develop a report for giving NCM and KD type receivers the chance to make a play. Those are two transcendent talents who should be able to completely dominate every cornerback every play. But we rather see screens, chunking out of rhythm passes, double reverses, and a few crossing routes. Gus and Lindsey are gonna have to come out with something new for me to think we can bust through this glass ceiling and beat down these elite teams consistently 

[Mikey 14,867]

Quoting: " Stidham only unloads these long streaks/posts as a formality and to receivers who arent meant to make tough catches."

You haven't watched Slayton this year, have you? He has 24 catches, averaging 23.9 yards per catch. If that's not unloading downfield I don't know what is.

[mcgufcm 3,740]

I'm of two minds on this. For one, it does seem to me that NCM is under-utilized. Go back to the LSU game. We worked plays into the gameplan for Canella as a replacement for Kyle Davis' big body, but Canella is both less physical and less solid as a receiver than NCM. I'd say that's an example of getting a guy involved if you want to get him involved. I think we were better offensively at the end of the year putting plays in with NCM in mind. It makes the entire passing game work better when you get all your receivers involved in the gameplan.

On top of that, since the Marshall-Coates-Williams season, we have been reluctant to throw into tight one-on-ones. Some WRs specialize in getting separation horizontally. Jerry Rice was the best I've ever seen at that, but that's Ryan Davis or Will Hastings as well. Some WRs, however, are open vertically. Meaning, even if there is no separation, if the DB is tailing the WR, the WR has the advantage in a jump ball. Randy Moss is the best high pointer I've ever watched, but that's what Mike Williams and Deon Cain made a living doing at Clemson over the last few years. I'll agree that NCM needs to work on his control and burst in and out of breaks. That creates separation. But we also need to play to his size and athleticism, elevate the throw and take advantage of him being able to create space for jump balls. Getting him involved is only going to make Ryan Davis and Darius Slayton more dangerous, and from what we've seen on the field, it's a much much better plan than forcing the ball to Canella or some of our other fringe receivers.

[AU64 10,122]

I read over and over that JS does not like to throw to receivers who are not open.    Gus hates turnovers (with good reason) and JS apparently does not like to put the ball up and hope the WR will make the play. .  They call 'em 50:50 balls for a reason....mostly the wrong guy is gonna catch the ball about half  the time. 

The way for NCM to make an impact is to get open.

Otherwise, when NCM is in his blocking mode, he's a big help to guys like Davis and we shouldn't downplay that contribution.   

[DAG 29,634]

4 hours ago, AU64 said:

I read over and over that JS does not like to throw to receivers who are not open.    Gus hates turnovers (with good reason) and JS apparently does not like to put the ball up and hope the WR will make the play. .  They call 'em 50:50 balls for a reason....mostly the wrong guy is gonna catch the ball about half  the time. 

The way for NCM to make an impact is to get open.

Otherwise, when NCM is in his blocking mode, he's a big help to guys like Davis and we shouldn't downplay that contribution.   

That is not realistic to be wide open all the time. If JS only hope is to pass to wide open guys, he is going to have a very hard time adapting to the NFL, where guys are rarely wide open. Carson Wentz makes a living throwing the ball in tight areas and on timing routes. That means the ball is released well before the receiver breaks and most times the defender is right on his hip.

[AU64 10,122]

4 minutes ago, DAG said:

That is not realistic to be wide open all the time. If JS only hope is to pass to wide open guys, he is going to have a very hard time adapting to the NFL, where guys are rarely wide open. Carson Wentz makes a living throwing the ball in tight areas and on timing routes. That means the ball is released well before the receiver breaks and most times the defender is right on his hip.

Not disputing what you say....just noting the comments I read on AUC and other places......which by observation seem to be more or less on target.  After the first few games, hit INTs have been about zilch so that might explain things....for now at least. 

His passing stats are pretty impressive so I'm gonna let him do it the way he wants to.....and leave it up the NCM to earn a few more catches....JMO.

[DAG 29,634]

1 minute ago, AU64 said:

Not disputing what you say....just noting the comments I read on AUC and other places......which by observation seem to be more or less on target.  After the first few games, hit INTs have been about zilch so that might explain things....for now at least. 

His passing stats are pretty impressive so I'm gonna let him do it the way he wants to.....and leave it up the NCM to earn a few more catches....JMO.

Doing it his way won’t get us to the next level. Always room for improvement and he definitely can improve. People forget we are a 3 loss team. Yes, we improved leaps and bounds , but we still got a ways to go.

[mcgufcm 3,740]

Doing it that way didn't pan out for us against Clemson or LSU or UGA in round two. Clemson had the same struggle against our defense the last two years, but if you're going to unlock the offense against great defenses, you have to attack through a diverse run game (inside, outside, and including QB run) and with a passing game that attacks at all levels (short, intermediate, and deep) and for all "open" receivers (whether they are creating separation in route running or through size/leaping). If we are excluding categories from that, we're limiting the offense at the outset and making our offense easier to defend.

[AU64 10,122]

8 minutes ago, DAG said:

Doing it his way won’t get us to the next level. Always room for improvement and he definitely can improve. People forget we are a 3 loss team. Yes, we improved leaps and bounds , but we still got a ways to go.

Possibly......but he got us past the ball hawks at Bama, LSU and Georgia with no INTs....and funny thing to me is that his four INTs were against the 4 worst teams we played.  

On the other hand....could do without those fumbles which about broke my heart in two games. 

As he himself noted, he has a ways to go and for his first full season,  some of which was played with RB issues....he progressed quite well.