PFF’s Top 50 NFL Players Noticeably Excludes a Prominent Ex-Cal player

Two former Cal players make the top-50 list but one omission is a head-scratcher

Two former Cal player are fairly high on Pro Football Focus' rankings of the top 50 NFL players heading into the 2020 season, but one ex-Cal player is mysteriously missing from this list.

PFF uses its metrics derived from grading every play to determine its rankings. The list is meant to reflect the a player's ability, regardless of position, at this moment.  It does not measure the impact that player has on the team's success, so quarterbacks get no more or less credit than an offensive lineman in the rankings.

The PFF top-50 introduction included this information:

This list is not about how valuable players are, but rather about how good they are, regardless of position. A guard, cornerback, receiver or even a running back has just as good a chance to appear on this list as a quarterback does.

We started from the standpoint of a multiyear look at their grading before making adjustments based on situation, relevant injuries and new circumstances that could change a player's future outlook. Sample size was factored in as well as any suggestion of decline from players reaching the latter stages of their careers.

Not surprisingly Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is ranked No. 1, and ranking Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes No. 2 

We will hold off on discussing the ex-Cal player who is noticeably absent from this list until after we note the two former Cal players are among PFF's top 50 for 2020.

Coming in at No. 21 is New Orleans Saints defensive end (or edge) Cameron Jordan. 

No. 21 on the PFF50:

Cameron Jordan pic.twitter.com/hKxUB9dWtJ

— PFF (@PFF) June 1, 2020

Here is what PFF said about Jordan:

Somehow, Cameron Jordan remains one of the most underrated players in all of football. He has elevated his game to the level of the Khalil Macks and Von Millers of the world, yet he rarely appears in the same breath as them. Over the past three seasons, only Aaron Donald and Von Miller have more total pressures than Jordan’s 222, and he also has 15 batted passes over that time — the third-most in the league. He is a dominant force for the Saints and one of the best defenders in football.

The other Cal alum in the top 50 is Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who is just two spots below Jordan at No. 23. 

No. 23 on the PFF50

Mitchell Schwartz pic.twitter.com/6LtsU90Sk2

— PFF (@PFF) June 1, 2020

PFF had this to say about Schwartz:

You could make an argument — as it seems I am with this list — that Mitchell Schwartz isn’t just the best right tackle in the league but the best overall tackle and possibly best offensive lineman in the league. His run to the Super Bowl was one of the greatest postseason performances of any player at any position in NFL history, but because he’s a right tackle, few people noticed. Schwartz pass-blocked for 142 snaps — with his team in obvious passing, hurry-up situations for much of it — and allowed just one hurry. He is an elite lineman.

It is interesting to note that Jordan and Schwartz were teammates at Cal from 2007 through 2010 under Jeff Tedford, and both were starters in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Surprisingly, the Bears went 5-7 in 2010 when both were stars.

So which prominent players were omitted?

Former Cal star and 2016 No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff is not in the top 50, but that is only mildly surprising. He struggled a bit in 2019, and he has not done enough to prove he will be a star in 2020.

No, the big surprise is the omission of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Granted, he did not have a great season in 2019, ranking only 14th in the NFL in passer rating. But he led Green Bay to the playoffs where the Packers beat Seattle before losing to the San Francisco 49ers. 

Rodgers still has highest career passer rating in history, and to leave him off the top 50 despite the presence of six other quarterbaks on the list seems odd.

Of course, these ranking are based on metrics used to grade every play, and metrics can lead to some strange conclusions.

We probably should have seen this coming when Rodgers' performance in 2019 was ranked only the 83rd-best by any NFL player for that season by PFF. 

Here is part of what PFF said about Rodgers back in February when it graded players for their 2019 performances:

Overall, Rodgers is still capable of those sensational games, but his baseline has slipped from where it once was, and he ended the year ranked seventh in overall PFF grade at the position. At his best, Rodgers has been the No. 1 player on this list in multiple seasons, and while he has slipped from that level, he is still good enough to be one of the best 101 players in the league.

Tom Brady did not make the top 101 of PFF's ranking of 2019 performances, yet was ranked as the 24th-best player heading into 2020.

Rodgers is probably headed for the Hall of Fame, but maybe the Packers were looking at the PFF metrics when they drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the first round. 

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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