Pro Football Focus Grades All 31 2016 First-Round Draft Picks

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Best

1. Jack Conklin, RT, Titans (Michigan State)
Snaps: 1,001

PFF overall grade: 89.2

One of the surprises of the season, Jack Conklin has been excellent for the Titans. Tennessee certainly gives him (and LT Taylor Lewan) more help than many offensive tackles receive, minimizing the snaps they spend isolated on an island against elite pass-rushers, but that results in the two doing what they do best: dominating on the ground with power. Conklin has surrendered only two sacks all season and been penalized only twice.

2. Joey Bosa, DE, Chargers (Ohio State)
Snaps: 507

PFF overall grade: 88.8

Finally getting on the field in Week 5, Joey Bosa has looked like a dominant force for the Chargers. He has 54 total QB pressures on the season, playing a mixture of defensive end and outside linebacker for the Chargers—that’s a comparable pressure total to Jason Pierre-Paul, but on almost 300 fewer snaps. Bosa has looked like a star from day one, and even if he doesn’t get any better, he has been a ready-made Pro-Bowl caliber player for San Diego.

3. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys (Ohio State)
Snaps: 712

PFF overall grade: 86.3

If you haven’t been paying attention, Ezekiel Elliott has been doing pretty well for Dallas. He leads the league in rushing with over 1,600 yards, is averaging 5.0 yards per carry, almost 3 yards per carry after contact, and has scored 15 rushing touchdowns behind the league’s best offensive lines. It’s hard to find much fault with Elliott’s rookie year—though four fumbles on carries is a little more than you’d like to see—and he should be a big part of the Cowboys’ playoff push.

4. Jalen Ramsey, CB, Jaguars (Florida State)
Snaps: 990

PFF overall grade: 83.1

The first half of the season saw Jalen Ramsey flash big potential, but over the past few weeks, he has begun to look more like a shutdown corner. Over the past four weeks, in fact, he has been the league’s highest-graded cornerback, allowing just 12 of the 35 passes (34.3 percent) thrown into his coverage to be caught, picking off two of them and breaking up another eight.

Worst

1. Germain Ifedi, OL, Seahawks (Texas A&M)
Snaps: 777

PFF overall grade: 37.6

Germain Ifedi has been one of the league’s worst offensive linemen in his rookie season, playing guard on a team that seems stacked with them. He has surrendered 38 total QB pressures (tied for fourth-most among guards), despite playing only 12 games, and been flagged eight times. His run blocking has at least been passable, but his pass protection needs to improve immeasurably for him to be a viable starter.

2. Darron Lee, LB, Jets (Ohio State)
Snaps: 593

PFF overall grade: 38.8

Darron Lee has all the athleticism and measurables in the world, but it’s looking less and less likely that there is a football player operating the controls. He is the lowest-graded rookie linebacker in the league and has allowed a passer rating of 132.9 when thrown at in coverage. In fact, the only area PFF measures that Lee has graded well in is discipline, thanks to just two penalties on the season.

3. Paxton Lynch, QB, Broncos (Memphis)
Snaps: 174

PFF overall grade: 40.2

Since midseason, Paxton Lynch received one more opportunity to get on the field, with an injury to Trevor Siemian giving him the start in Week 13 against Jacksonville. He was arguably worse than his previous start, completing only 12 passes for 104 yards (just 4.3 yards per attempt). Lynch may be the QB of the future in Denver, but everything he has shown so far says that future is a long way off.

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