If you spend five minutes on NFL Twitter or watch any Sunday Night Football broadcast, you’re going to see a number pop up next to a player's name that looks like a high school chemistry grade. That’s the PFF rank. People treat it like the gospel or absolute garbage. There is rarely an in-between.
But what is PFF rank, really?
It’s not just a stat. Honestly, calling it a stat is kinda misleading because it’s actually a subjective observation turned into a number. Pro Football Focus (PFF) employs a small army of analysts who watch every single player on every single play of every single game. They aren't just looking at the box score. They don't care if a quarterback threw a 50-yard touchdown if the ball was a wobbler that the receiver had to bail him out on. They care about the process.
The Gritty Reality of the Grading Scale
Basically, every player starts a play with a grade of zero. It’s neutral. If they do exactly what they are supposed to do—like a guard making a standard block—they stay at zero. If they do something incredible, like a pancake block that opens a massive lane, they get a positive grade ranging from +0.5 to +2.0. On the flip side, if they whiff or get their quarterback killed, they get dinged with a negative grade.
At the end of the game, these raw points are normalized. They get mapped to a 0-100 scale.
A PFF rank in the 90s? That’s elite. You’re looking at Aaron Donald in his prime or Justin Jefferson on a heater.
High 80s is "Pro Bowl" territory.
70s? That’s a solid starter.
If a player is sitting in the 50s, they are essentially a backup-level talent who is probably struggling to keep their job.
👉 See also: Why the 2025 NFL Draft Class is a Total Headache for Scouts
The thing is, the rank you see on the screen is a comparison. If a player is "Ranked 1st at IDL," it means their cumulative grade is the highest among all Interior Defensive Linemen who have played a certain percentage of snaps.
Why the NFL Actually Cares (Even if Fans Don't)
You might think this is just for fantasy football nerds. It isn't. All 32 NFL teams subscribe to PFF’s data.
Think about it from a scout's perspective. You can’t watch every single snap of every single prospect or opponent. PFF provides a shortcut. Coaches use it to identify "hidden" gems—players whose box score stats look mediocre but whose "process" is actually high-level.
Take a cornerback. A corner might have zero interceptions in a season. To a casual fan, that looks like a bad year. But if PFF rank shows him as the #3 corner in the league, it's because quarterbacks are so afraid of him they won't even throw his way. He’s "winning" his reps without ever touching the ball. That’s the nuance that traditional stats like tackles or sacks totally miss.
The "Eye Test" vs. The Spreadsheet
There is a lot of friction here. Critics, including some former players and coaches, hate PFF rank. They argue that the analysts don't know the specific play call or the "assignment."
✨ Don't miss: Liverpool FC Chelsea FC: Why This Grudge Match Still Hits Different
If a safety gets burned for a touchdown, the PFF analyst might give him a -1.5. But what if the linebacker was supposed to have underneath coverage and blew it? PFF admits they aren't in the huddle. They are grading based on "expected" football logic.
Cris Collinsworth, who actually owns a majority stake in PFF, often defends the system by saying it’s the most consistent way to measure performance across different eras and teams. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than just looking at yards.
How a PFF Rank is Born: The Process
- Two analysts watch every play. They grade independently.
- A "Pro Coach" reviewer checks the work. This is usually a third, more senior analyst.
- The grades are finalized.
- Data is adjusted for context. A sack against a backup tackle isn't weighted the same as a sack against Trent Williams.
It’s an insanely dense process. By the time you see that "84.2" on your screen, multiple people have scrutinized every second of that player's performance.
PFF Rank Misconceptions
One major mistake people make is looking at a single game rank and assuming it defines a player. It doesn't. Variance in football is wild. A great player can have a 40.0 grade because they had a flu or just a bad matchup. The real value of PFF rank is the "season-long" or "multi-year" trend.
Also, the rank is position-specific. You can't compare a 90.0 grade for a Punter to a 90.0 grade for a Quarterback. They are playing entirely different games. The "Rank" tells you where they sit in their specific bucket.
🔗 Read more: NFL Football Teams in Order: Why Most Fans Get the Hierarchy Wrong
The Financial Impact of the Rank
Believe it or not, these numbers are starting to show up in contract negotiations. Agents use high PFF ranks to argue that their client is "undervalued" by traditional metrics. If a pass rusher has 15 "pressures" but only 2 sacks, the agent will point to the PFF rank to show that the production is coming—the sacks are just a matter of time.
It’s shifting the economy of the NFL. It’s making teams realize that "disruption" is often just as valuable as the "finish."
How to Use This Information
If you want to actually use PFF rank to understand the game better, stop looking at the top 5. Everyone knows who the top 5 players are.
Look at the guys ranked 15th through 40th. These are the "glue" players. If your team has a bunch of offensive linemen ranked in the 70s (High Quality Starter), you probably have a top-tier offense even if you don't have a superstar.
- Check the "Snaps" count. A high rank on 50 snaps is meaningless. A high rank on 800 snaps is a star.
- Look for "Premium Positions." A high rank at Left Tackle or Cornerback is worth way more to a team's win probability than a high rank at Running Back.
- Watch for "Red Grades." Any rank below 60 is a liability. If a team has two or three starters in the 40-50 range, that’s where the opposing coordinator is going to attack.
Practical Steps for Fans and Analysts
Don't just take the number at face value. If you see a weird PFF rank, go back and watch the "all-22" film if you can. Often, you'll see that the player was doing something subtle—drawing a double team, forcing a quick throw—that didn't show up in the broadcast but justified the grade.
Next time you see a ranking, look at the "Efficiency" metrics PFF provides alongside it, like "Yards per Route Run" for receivers or "Pass Rush Productivity" for edge defenders. These smaller stats usually explain why the overall rank is what it is. Use the rank as a starting point for a conversation, not the final word on a player's talent.
Follow the movement of these ranks over a four-week span to see which players are "ascending" or hitting a wall. That's how you spot a breakout before it happens on the scoreboard.