QB
Quarterback
Three things — how many points each dropback added, how accurate they were beyond what's expected, and how often the play succeeded.
Top 3 this season (2025)
- 1.Drake Maye94.0
- 2.Brock Purdy84.1
- 3.Matthew Stafford83.3
How grades work
Every NFL player on a 0-100 scale, computed from play-by-play data. Here's what goes into the number.
The scale
What each grade means
Examples are real player-seasons from the database. Click any name to see how their grade was built.
70–79
Pro Bowler / above-average starter
60–69
Quality starter
50–59
Average / rotational
below 50
Below average / backup
What gets measured
Each position has its own recipe
We measure the things that matter at each position. Plain English here; the exact weights live on the design-decisions page.
RB
Running back
Six factors — yards over expected on each carry, points added per attempt, success rate, receiving value, catch rate, and ball security.
Top 3 this season (2025)
- 1.James Cook75.5
- 2.Jaylen Warren74.3
- 3.Bijan Robinson73.9
WR
Wide receiver
Six factors — points per target, yards-after-catch beyond expected, separation from defenders, share of team targets earned, success rate when targeted, and ball security.
Top 3 this season (2025)
- 1.Puka Nacua88.6
- 2.Jameson Williams84.1
- 3.George Pickens82.7
TE
Tight end
Same six as receivers, with one twist — tight ends who are mostly blockers don't get penalized for low target volume. We classify each TE as receiving, balanced, or blocking based on usage.
Top 3 this season (2025)
- 1.Tucker Kraft91.0
- 2.Sam LaPorta80.8
- 3.Dalton Kincaid78.9
The pipeline
How a grade is built
Step 1
Pull the raw numbers
We take every play of the season — dropbacks, carries, targets — and toss out garbage time so blowouts don't pad the stats.
Step 2
Give partial credit on small samples
A guy with 8 great targets doesn't outrank a guy with 100 good ones. Small-sample numbers get pulled toward the position average until there's enough evidence.
Step 3
Compare to the field
We compare each player to others at the same position that season. Closer to average means closer to a 50. About two standard deviations above the field lands around a 90.
Known gaps
What we don't measure (yet)
- Opponent quality
A great game against the worst defense grades the same as one against the best.
- QB context for receivers
Great receivers stuck on terrible offenses look worse than the tape suggests. We flag this on the player page when it matters.
- Linemen and off-ball linebackers
Public play-by-play data isn't there yet. Offensive line, defensive line, and most LB work doesn't show up cleanly in the numbers.
- Special teams
Kickers, punters, returners, and coverage units are out of scope.
- Career trajectory smoothing
Each season is graded standalone — no carry-over from prior years and no aging curve baked in.
Where the data comes from
Open, reproducible, and the same data the analysts use
Every number on this site is computed from nflverse — the same public play-by-play and Next Gen Stats feeds used by ESPN charts, academic research, and most football analytics writing. There are no proprietary grades, no scout opinions, and no hidden inputs. If you re-run our pipeline you get the same numbers.