NFL News & Analysis

PFF Record Book — Offense: Highest-graded seasons at every position

F3332B September 27, 2015: Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones #11 during an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX Atlanta defeated Dallas 39-28 Albert Pena/CSM

• An MVP season to remember: Aaron Rodgers' 2020 campaign stands as the best quarterback season in PFF's history.

• Julio Jones dominated with the Falcons: The future Hall of Famer is in the record book for his 2016 season and has earned a 90.0-plus receiving grade five times in his career.

• A long, storied career anchoring the Eagles' line: Jason Kelce earned a 94.1 overall grade during Philadelphia's 2017 championship run to put himself in the PFF record book.

Estimated Reading Time: 5 mins


The PFF database is a vast expanse of grades and statistics encompassing nearly two decades' worth of NFL action. The goal has always been to help better understand the game of football and bridge the gap between the past and present generations.

PFF data goes as far back as 2006, which may be a small sample size of the game’s entire history but serves as a tremendous asset in determining which performances truly stand the test of time.

These are the official PFF grading records for every position on offense.


Quarterback

Offensive Grade: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (95.1; 2020)

Passing Grade: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (94.7; 2020)

In the first of Rodgers’ back-to-back MVP seasons, he was a maestro orchestrating the Packers' offense. His 95.1 PFF grade in 2020 beat out other all-time-great seasons from both Tom Brady (2016) and Peyton Manning (2007). Rodgers also holds five of the top 25 passing grades, the most of any quarterback.

Rushing Grade: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (93.6; 2021)

Allen’s impressive athleticism has earned him the two highest-graded rushing seasons from a quarterback (2021 and 2022), even surpassing Lamar Jackson’s 2019 MVP campaign (90.5). Amid the plethora of talented dual-threat quarterbacks around the league, Allen and Jackson are the only ones to have more than one season ranking in the top 15.


Running Back

Offensive Grade: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (92.4; 2012)

Rushing Grade: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (92.5; 2012)

The highest-graded season by a running back understandably coincides with the last time a non-quarterback won MVP. That season, Peterson came just nine yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record. The former Vikings great is one of two players with three or more seasons earning a 90.0-plus rushing grade, the other being Marshawn Lynch.

Receiving Grade: Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions (94.1; 2015)

With a backfield comprised of Riddick, Ameer Abdullah and Joique Bell, the 2015 Lions weren’t exactly a powerhouse toting the rock. However, Riddick emerged as a serious receiving threat out of the backfield with defenses focused on trying to contain the tandem of Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate.

Pass-Blocking Grade: Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars (93.1; 2013)

In his final season in Jacksonville, MJD was asked to do it all. At 28 years old, Jones-Drew finished as the only running back in PFF history to allow no pressures on 100 or more pass-blocking snaps.


Wide Receiver

Offensive Grade: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (93.5; 2016)

Receiving Grade: Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (93.4; 2016)

The former Falcons legend and future Hall of Famer has been one of the most dominant forces on the outside for nearly a decade. Jones not only comes away with the highest-graded season by a receiver in PFF history but also the record for most seasons earning a 90.0-plus receiving grade (five). No other receiver has more than three.


Tight End

Offensive Grade: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (94.4; 2019)

Receiving Grade: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (94.3; 2019)

Kittle surpassed tight end royalty in Travis Kelce (93.6; 2020), Rob Gronkowski (91.9; 2011) and Jason Witten (91.8; 2007) to secure the receiving grade record at the position. Only once in his six-year career has Kittle failed to surpass an 87.0 receiving grade, an indication that he is more than capable of sustaining this level of play deep into his career.

Run-Blocking Grade: Steve Heiden, Cleveland Browns (94.0; 2008)

The late 2000s were the golden age of the blocking tight end, per PFF data. Since 2010, just three players have broken into the 20 highest-graded run-blocking seasons by a tight end. Only 0.2 grading points separate Heiden from the next best graded season: Jeff King’s 93.8 grade for the Panthers that same year.


Tackle

Offensive Grade: Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers (96.6; 2021)

Run-Blocking Grade: Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers (97.7; 2021)

Since reestablishing himself with the 49ers in 2020, Williams has all but cemented his place in Canton. The 12-year veteran has put together three straight seasons of 91.0-plus offensive grades, including his PFF record-breaking performance in 2021. William’s 96.6 offensive grade that season is not only the best by any lineman on record but also the highest earned by any player since PFF’s inception.

Pass-Blocking Grade: David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Packers (94.6; 2017)

Bakhtiari may have missed four games in 2017 due to injury, but he finished the season on as strong of a run as PFF has ever seen from a tackle in terms of pass protection. In that season, Bakhtiari went 11 straight games with an 82.0-plus pass-blocking grade, allowing just one sack and 12 total pressures.


Guard

Offensive Grade: Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons (95.0; 2022) & Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles (95.0; 2013)

This past season, Lindstrom tied Mathis’ 95.0 offensive grade, a PFF record set back in 2013. Along with the aforementioned Trent Williams, Lindstrom and Mathis join Jonathan Ogden as the only four offensive linemen to reach a 95.0-plus offensive grade.

Run-Blocking Grade: Logan Mankins, New England Patriots (94.9; 2008)

The title of PFF’s top run-blocking guard is declared by just 0.1 grading points. Mankins’ 2008 season (94.9) just barely edged out Evan Mathis’ 2013 campaign (94.8). The next-highest-graded season — Wyatt Teller (2020) — is more than 1.2 grading points lower.

Pass-Blocking Grade: Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers (94.9; 2014)

The Packers have another elite pass blocker on this list to go along with Bakhtiari. Sitton’s 2013 and 2014 seasons rank as the two highest-graded pass-blocking campaigns from a guard in PFF history. In 2014, Sitton allowed zero sacks and just 11 total pressures, setting the pass-blocking grade record for all offensive linemen in the process.


Center

Offensive Grade: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles (94.1; 2017)

Run-Blocking Grade: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles (94.8; 2017)

The heart of the Philadelphia offensive line slots into the PFF record books for his outstanding performance during the Eagles' 2017 championship campaign. Kelce’s elite ability as a road grader is what allowed him to take this record, previously set by Nick Mangold in 2008. His 94.8 run-blocking grade is more than 1.5 grading points above the next-highest-graded season — Creed Humphrey‘s 2021 campaign.

Pass-Blocking Grade: Nick Mangold, New York Jets (94.0, 2006)

As it stands, Mangold’s 2006 pass-blocking grade is the oldest grading record on the books. In his rookie season, Mangold set the mark for best pass-blocking center, allowing zero sacks and just four total pressures. Although he never hit that peak again, Mangold maintained one of the most consistent pass-blocking grades in PFF history, grading out at 75.0 or higher in nine of his 11 seasons.

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