Following the Jaguars’ Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the PFF numbers put Bhayshul Tuten at the top of the list on offense and Dennis Gardeck at the top on defense.
Tuten posted a 90.8 grade, the best offensive mark on the team. Walker Little wasn’t far behind among the Jaguars’ better-graded players, finishing at 75.6 after a clean pass-protection day in which he did not allow a single quarterback pressure.
His run-blocking grade came in at 77.8. Nate Boerkircher also landed in the top five on offense at 75.0, followed by Jakobi Meyers at 74.0 and Ezra Cleveland at 71.9.
On the defensive side, Gardeck led the way with an 85.3. Josh Hines-Allen checked in next at 80.7, with Rayuan Lane right behind him at 80.4.
Jahlani Tavai earned a 77.7, and Travon Walker rounded out the top five at 77.5. Hines-Allen and Walker were especially active up front, combining for six quarterback pressures and two sacks.
Gardeck added a pass breakup and two pressures.
At the other end of the board, Emmanuel Pregnon finished as the Jaguars’ lowest-graded player overall at 36.6. Tanner Koziol came in at 41.8, and Jaylon Jones posted a 48.2. Pregnon gave up two pressures, was penalized twice, and received a 47.7 run-blocking grade.
PFF’s grading system is useful for measuring performance, but it’s still just one part of the evaluation process. For reference, the scale breaks down this way: 39.9 or less is poor, 40-49.9 below average, 50-59.9 average, 60-69.9 above average, 70-79.9 good, 80-89.9 high quality, and 90.0 or higher elite.
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The new three-year, $46 million extension, with $32 million guaranteed, says plenty about how quickly Newsomes value has climbed. For Jacksonville, it is another reminder of how fast the league can shift around a player who was once on a short leash, and how a productive season can change the conversation before the calendar even gets too deep into the year. [Read more 🡒]