NFL1000: Ranking the Top 1,000 Players from Week 1

Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season brought out a lot of interesting (initial) truths.

Cam Newton is just as good as he was last year, and the NFL still can’t figure out how to officiate helmet-to-helmet contact. More pressing for Newton and his Carolina Panthers was the fact they still couldn’t solve the Denver Broncos defense, and that gave the Super Bowl champs a 1-0 mark to start the new season.

Both the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks learned that offensive line concerns can quickly break up a dominant offense. While the Seahawks barely beat the Miami Dolphins at home, Russell Wilson’s health may be a constant source of concern this season. And Bruce Arians is still trying to figure out what went wrong against the New England Patriots. The Pittsburgh Steelers, another perennial Super Bowl contender, had no such worries, working over the Washington Redskins on Monday night with a balanced offense and a defense that showed improvement.

First-time starting quarterbacks learned what their predecessors already knew—that a signal-caller's job is a lot easier if he has a great running game and a dynamic defense. Denver’s Trevor Siemian and the Philadelphia Eagles' Carson Wentz both did, but the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott had to transcend his surroundings to a point—the New York Giants’ redefined front four rocked the league’s best offensive line and held rookie Ezekiel Elliott in check, and the Cowboys walked away with a loss to Big Blue—though the Cowboys clearly have faith in the rookie signal-caller.

And from the sublime to the ridiculous…how about that Los Angeles Rams offense? Yeesh. You’re supposed to move the ball forward, not sideways, guys.

There are many ways to dissect and learn from what the NFL presents on the field every week, and Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 player rating system goes as deep as any to tell you just what’s going on out there.

With a 16-person crew of experienced evaluators, we'll comb through the game tape each week to bring you concise, clear evaluations of every player in the NFL. We'll tell you which rookies are rising and which undrafted players are coming out of nowhere to make an impact. We'll tell you which players are rising and falling in performance and why.

There is no predetermined narrative with these grades. No mysterious "clutch factor." No tweaked-out quarterback ratings that defy explanation. Our grades are based on pure scouting, and lots of it. We grade the key criteria for each position based on a series of attributes and add in a score for positional importance.

In the case of a tie, our scouts ask "Which player would I want on my team?" and adjust accordingly.

Is it a subjective process? Of course—that's what scouting is and, as we like to say, ties are no fun.

Each player is evaluated and graded by our crack team of scouts, who possess more than 100 combined years of experience in playing, front-office work, coaching and media. Cian Fahey, John Middlekauff, Alex Kirby, Mark Schofield, Duke Manyweather, Ethan Young, Joe Goodberry, Charles McDonald, Zach Kruse, Derrik Klassen, Jerod Brown, Ian Wharton, Kyle Posey, Mark Bullock, Chuck Zodda and Doug Farrar have watched tape for months to bring you these grades, and we'll be bringing you player grades based on the game action every week.

Here are the NFL1000 player grades for Week 1 of the 2016 NFL season.

Methodology

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

The NFL1000 team of scouts was given a series of important attributes to grade for every player in their positional review. Using a grading scale starting at 0 and going up to anywhere from 10 to 40 based on the position and the attribute, our scouts have graded each player contingent on their own expertise and countless hours of tape review over the years. Our evaluators were given specific positional assignments based on their proven fields of expertise. 

• Doug Farrar: Lead scout/centers
• Cian Fahey: Quarterbacks
• John Middlekauff: Running backs/fullbacks
• Alex Kirby: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Mark Schofield: Wide receivers/tight ends
• Duke Manyweather: Offensive tackles
• Ethan Young: Offensive guards
• Joe Goodberry: Defensive ends
• Charles McDonald: Defensive tackles
• Zach Kruse: 3-4 outside linebackers
• Derrik Klassen: 4-3 outside linebackers
• Jerod Brown: Inside linebackers
• Kyle Posey: Cornerbacks
• Ian Wharton: Cornerbacks
• Mark Bullock: Safeties
• Chuck Zodda: Special teams

Every NFL player with snaps in offensive and defensive roles is observed and graded, based on a multi-tiered process that marks specific attributes per position. As we're combing through All-22 footage to assess each performance, there are additional factors to consider.

We'll adjust for opponent, based on the obvious notion that the cornerback we're grading is doing a better job if he's shutting down Antonio Brown than if he's negating the efforts of a seventh-round rookie receiver.

• Was Brown's performance against the Redskins in Week 1 mitigated by the fact that defensive coordinator Joe Barry didn't put Josh Norman on Brown for most of the game, and safety help seemed to be missing on several of Brown's receptions?
• Was A.J. Green's amazing game against Darrelle Revis rendered a bit less so because Revis may be losing a step?
• Were the efforts of Miami's defensive line reduced in an evaluative sense because Seattle's offensive line was a disaster?
• Should Newton's allegedly "losing" performance against the Broncos be seen in the context of the defense he was facing, and the help he had around him? You bet.

We take these types of things into consideration every week.

We'll also adjust for players with multiple responsibilities in the course of a game and over the course of time. Think of J.J. Watt or Michael Bennett on the defensive line and how they seamlessly switch from gap to gap. Or how cornerbacks such as Chris Harris and Tyrann Mathieu dominate outside and in the slot. Or how receivers such as Doug Baldwin and Larry Fitzgerald bedevil those cornerbacks from multiple field positions.

That's more important than ever in today's NFL, and we pay attention to it.

We will not adjust for injuries. If a player is underperforming because of an injury, that's part of his performance, fair or unfair, and it needs to be graded accordingly.

Grading any player is a subjective process, but with a series of attributes per position and a specific direction as to what to grade and how, we'll work to make it as definitive as possible.

Quarterbacks

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

The beating Newton took in Week 1 only served to overshadow the quality of his performance. The 2015 MVP was the most impressive player in Week 1 because of how he reacted to the pressure that Wade Phillips' pass rush generated. Newton just held off Jameis Winston and Aaron Rodgers. Winston's performance was flawless even though he had an interception. The interception was a result of a miscommunication with his receiver. Rodgers made two of the best plays of the week for touchdown throws to Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. 

Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers played to their established expectations. Andrew Luck did too. Luck's return was highlighted by excellent decision-making and accuracy on a variety of deep throws.

Maybe the most surprising performance of Week 1 was that of Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill lost a huge touchdown throw to a Kenny Stills drop early in the game but later ran for a touchdown. His offense didn't score many points. That wasn't Tannehill's fault, though. What made Tannehill's performance so impressive was his consistency throwing with accuracy against impending hits while making good decisions. He felt pressure well, recognizing when the Seahawks blitzed and when they rushed three. Against the toughest defense in the league, Tannehill might have had the best performance of his career.

In the same game, Wilson struggled massively. He was responsible for two turnovers, both awful decisions on his part. The first was a wildly overthrown interception when Mario Williams wouldn't let him escape the pocket, the second a fumble on a running play where he pitched the ball to his running back while being tackled. Wilson got it to his running back, but the RB was expecting the ball to be placed in his chest, so he never grasped it. Those two rash decisions, combined with being limited with an ankle injury, meant Wilson was the biggest faller from our preseason rankings last week.

While Tannehill thrived at recognizing situations against the Seahawks, Kirk Cousins marred Monday Night Football by doing the opposite. Cousins racked up big yardage by constantly throwing the ball short of the first-down marker. The Steelers dared him to hold the ball by only rushing three repeatedly, but Cousins never recognized what the defense was doing. He released the ball too early, making it easy for the defense to swarm on the ball even as they repeatedly missed tackles in space. Cousins also had an awful interception when he threw the ball straight to Ryan Shazier despite having time and space in the pocket.

Jimmy Garoppolo was one of the bigger storylines of Week 1 as the Patriots upset the Cardinals in Arizona. Garoppolo made two really impressive plays, a late third-down conversion to Danny Amendola and a touchdown pass to Chris Hogan in the first quarter. The touchdown appeared to come after an audible and was perfectly thrown. For the majority of the game, Garoppolo was simply competent in a conservative role. Hence why his grade finished off closer to average than you might have expected.

Neither quarterback played well in the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals game. Andy Dalton repeatedly forced Green to adjust when he was open and couldn't handle pressure. Ryan Fitzpatrick was horribly inaccurate for the Jets.

Grading Scale

Acc: Accuracy (Graded out of 25)

Arm: Arm Strength (Graded out of 25)

Press: Pressure/run threat (Graded out of 20) (Pressure weighted at 15, run threat at 5)

Dec: Decision-making (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Quarterback Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Acc	Arm	Press	Dec	Pos	Ovr
1	Cam Newton	CAR	20	22	19	18	10	89
2	Jameis Winston	TB	19	20	18	19	10	86
3	Aaron Rodgers	GB	20	24	16	16	10	86
4	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	18	23	16	17	10	84
5	Philip Rivers	SD	20	20	17	16	10	83
6	Andrew Luck	IND	18	23	14	17	10	82
7	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	18	21	17	16	10	82
8	Drew Brees	NO	19	20	15	15	10	79
9	Eli Manning	NYG	19	19	14	16	10	78
10	Matthew Stafford	DET	17	22	14	15	10	78
11	Derek Carr	OAK	18	23	11	16	10	78
12	Carson Palmer	AZ	18	21	14	14	10	77
13	Brock Osweiler	HOU	18	21	14	14	10	77
14	Jay Cutler	CHI	17	23	14	13	10	77
15	Alex Smith	KC	18	18	14	16	10	76
16	Matt Ryan	ATL	16	19	14	16	10	75
17	Joe Flacco	BAL	15	22	14	14	10	75
18	Dak Prescott	DAL	15	18	15	16	10	74
19	Carson Wentz	PHI	16	18	14	15	10	73
20	Jimmy Garoppolo	NE	15	18	14	16	10	73
21	Russell Wilson	SEA	16	18	13	13	10	70
22	Blake Bortles	JAX	14	20	13	13	10	70
23	Tyrod Taylor	BUF	13	20	13	14	10	70
24	Marcus Mariota	TEN	15	18	14	12	10	69
25	Andy Dalton	CIN	13	18	11	14	10	66
26	Robert Griffin III	CLE	10	18	14	14	10	66
27	Kirk Cousins	WAS	17	17	10	9	10	63
28	Trevor Siemian	DEN	14	15	12	10	10	61
29	Ryan Fitzpatrick	NYJ	11	15	12	12	10	60
30	Shaun Hill	MIN	14	12	9	9	10	54
31	Blaine Gabbert	SF	9	16	10	9	10	54
32	Case Keenum	LA	9	16	9	9	10	53

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Sam Bradford—trade
• Tom Brady—suspension
• Teddy Bridgewater—injury
• Tony Romo—injury

Running Backs

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Many say it’s a passing league, and no position group learned this more than the running backs over the weekend. There were only two 100-yard rushers (Lamar Miller and DeAngelo Williams), who were both fantastic for their teams in big wins. But while the NFL leading rushers dominated on the ground, they both also produced in the air—Williams had six catches and Miller four—adding to the theme of the weekend, which was pass-game versatility. If you can't catch the ball in 2016, you better be able to run over defenders and dominate physically—or else you are probably on the bench. 

The weekend was full of guys dazzling in dual roles for their teams. With so many teams operating at high paces because of the emphasis on the passing game, it really benefits the starting back to be a three-down player. Matt Forte found the fountain of youth, showing it all against the Bengals, and was dominant in the pass game with 59 yards. He looked like the 2013 Chicago version. David Johnson was awesome on Sunday Night Football against one of the better defenses in the NFL and still didn’t get the football nearly enough. Luckily, he is an elite route-runner with a pass-happy coach. Another second-year player in Detroit, Ameer Abdullah, might be about to become one of the more dynamic dual-threat RBs in the NFL. From vets to second-year players, we saw one consistent theme—you better be able to catch the football out of the backfield, especially in these high-scoring affairs.

C.J. Anderson had a throwback performance on Thursday Night Football that reminded me of a younger Frank Gore, and Carlos Hyde is poised for a monster year with Chip Kelly if he can just stay on the field. We are in store for a locked-in Eddie Lacy year, and Melvin Gordon shed the bust label by Week 1 of his second season. I have to give mention to two old-school power running performances—LeGarrette Blount and Rashad Jennings were very good in wins.

I would expect more than two guys to have over 100 yards in Week 2, but don’t expect the big catch numbers from RBs to change anytime soon.

Grading Scale

In: Inside running (Graded out of 25)

Out: Outside running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Running Back Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	In	Out	Rec	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	David Johnson	ARI	20	20	18	17	6	81
2	Matt Forte	NYJ	21	19	18	17	6	81
3	C.J. Anderson	DEN	20	20	18	17	6	81
4	Carlos Hyde	SF	22	19	16	16	6	79
5	Lamar Miller	HOU	20	19	18	16	6	79
6	DeAngelo Williams	PIT	20	17	18	17	6	78
7	Spencer Ware	KC	20	18	18	16	6	78
8	Jonathan Stewart	CAR	19	20	15	17	6	77
9	Doug Martin	TB	20	17	16	18	6	77
10	Rashad Jennings	NYG	20	17	16	18	6	77
11	Ameer Abdullah	DET	18	19	19	15	6	77
12	Eddie Lacy	GB	21	16	15	17	6	75
13	Theo Riddick	DET	18	18	18	15	6	75
14	Danny Woodhead	SD	18	17	18	16	6	75
15	LeGarrette Blount	NE	20	16	15	17	6	74
16	Jeremy Langford	CHI	18	17	15	18	6	74
17	Isaiah Crowell	CLE	19	18	16	15	6	74
18	LeSean McCoy	BUF	17	19	16	16	6	74
19	Frank Gore	IND	18	17	16	17	6	74
20	Melvin Gordon	SD	20	18	15	15	6	74
21	Jalen Richard	OAK	21	17	15	14	6	73
22	Tevin Coleman	ATL	15	17	19	16	6	73
23	Devonta Freeman	ATL	19	17	15	16	6	73
24	Duke Johnson	CLE	18	17	17	15	6	73
25	Justin Forsett	BAL	17	18	16	16	6	73
26	DeMarco Murray	TEN	17	17	16	17	6	73
27	Thomas Rawls	SEA	17	17	17	16	6	73
28	Christine Michael	SEA	18	18	15	16	6	73
29	Arian Foster	MIA	17	16	18	16	6	73
30	Mark Ingram	NO	18	17	16	16	6	73
31	Charcandrick West	KC	16	17	18	16	6	73
32	Latavius Murray	OAK	18	17	15	16	6	72
33	Bilal Powell	NYJ	18	15	16	17	6	72
34	Charles Sims	TB	15	17	19	15	6	72
35	Darren Sproles	PHI	16	17	18	15	6	72
36	Shane Vereen	NYG	17	17	17	15	6	72
37	Jeremy Hill	CIN	18	17	15	16	6	72
38	Ezekiel Elliott	DAL	17	18	15	16	6	72
39	Todd Gurley	LA	17	18	15	15	6	71
40	T.J. Yeldon	JAX	18	15	15	17	6	71
41	Tyler Ervin	HOU	16	18	16	15	6	71
42	Ryan Mathews	PHI	18	17	15	15	6	71
43	James White	NE	16	16	17	16	6	71
44	Alfred Morris	DAL	17	17	16	15	6	71
45	Matt Jones	WAS	18	16	15	16	6	71
46	Chris Thompson	WAS	17	17	16	15	6	71
47	Shaun Draughn	SF	16	17	16	15	6	70
48	Chris Johnson	ARI	16	15	15	18	6	70
49	Terrance West	BLT	16	17	16	15	6	70
50	Adrian Peterson	MIN	17	17	15	15	6	70
51	Giovani Bernard	CIN	17	15	15	16	6	69
52	James Starks	GB	16	16	16	15	6	69
53	Kenjon Barner	PHI	16	16	16	15	6	69
54	Denard Robinson	JAX	14	16	16	15	6	67
55	Derrick Henry	TEN	15	14	17	15	6	67
56	Andre Ellington	ARI	15	15	16	14	6	66
57	C.J. Prosise	SEA	14	16	16	14	6	66
58	DeAndre Washington	OAK	16	15	14	14	6	65
59	Matt Asiata	MIN	15	15	14	15	6	65
60	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	15	14	15	14	6	64
61	Ben Cunningham	LA	14	14	14	15	6	63
62	Devontae Booker	DEN	14	14	14	14	6	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Le'Veon Bell—suspension
• Jamaal Charles—injury
• Chris Ivory—inactive

Fullbacks

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

There were only two 100-yard rushers over the weekend, and that directly affects the amount of playing time the fullbacks get. With so many teams running more spread formations, the old-school fullback is on the field even less than before.

Kyle Juszczyk is one of the Ravens' more consistent players and will always be targeted in the passing game. He had a solid game with two catches.

While Marcel Reece is suspended, Jamize Olawale will continue to see goal-line carries, getting an easy touchdown run in New Orleans.

The most versatile fullback of all, Mike Tolbert, did not have a great Week 1, but that more than likely was a reflection of the dominant Denver defense. Old-school fullbacks did open some holes for their running attacks, such as Malcolm Johnson for Cleveland and Anthony Sherman for the Chiefs. Both had solid games. 

Grading Scale

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 50)

Run: Running (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Receiving (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Fullback Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Blk	Run	Rec	Pos	Ovr
1	Andy Janovich	DEN	45	22	9	4	80
2	Kyle Juszczyk	BAL	44	15	12	4	75
3	Jamize Olawale	OAK	42	18	10	4	74
4	Malcolm Johnson	CLE	43	15	11	4	73
5	Anthony Sherman	KC	44	15	10	4	73
6	John Kuhn	NO	42	17	9	4	72
7	Jay Prosch	HOU	42	16	9	4	71
8	Keith Smith	DAL	42	17	8	4	71
9	Derek Watt	SD	42	16	8	4	70
10	Jalston Fowler	TEN	42	15	8	4	69
11	Zach Line	MIN	42	15	8	4	69
12	Aaron Ripkowski	GB	43	15	7	4	69
13	Michael Burton	DET	42	15	8	4	69
14	Mike Tolbert	CAR	40	15	8	4	67
15	James Develin	NE	42	12	9	4	67
16	Glenn Gronkowski	BUF	41	10	10	4	65
17	Paul Lasike	CHI	41	11	8	4	64
18	Patrick DiMarco	ATL	40	10	8	4	62

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Marcel Reece—suspension

Wide Receivers

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Some of the league's top receivers turned in impressive performances in Week 1, including some in a losing effort.

Julio Jones caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown and displayed some of his impressive traits throughout the afternoon, getting separation on his routes and picking up yards after the catch. Larry Fitzgerald shined in Arizona's loss to the Patriots, coming up with some critical catches in the fourth quarter to help the Cardinals get into field-goal range at the end of the game.

Jordy Nelson made his return to NFL action after his knee injury, and he did show the ability to get separation on his routes coming out of cuts. Despite their loss to the Raiders, Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead shined for the Saints, with Cooks hauling in an impressive 98-yard touchdown on a vertical route where he displayed excellent route-running skills, winning against the press at the line of scrimmage. Snead was very effective working in the middle of the field, including an impressive post route from the slot where he shook the defender at the line of scrimmage, as well as two clutch catches on New Orleans' final drive.

Dez Bryant, on the other hand, was stymied by the Giants defense and was only targeted a handful of times. On Monday night, Antonio Brown shined against Washington, while Tavon Austin, fresh off signing a contract extension, struggled to get open and only hauled in four of his 12 targets.

For the Bengals, Green's 12-catch, 180-yard performance led the league in receiving yardage, and the veteran receiver also added a touchdown reception during his afternoon. Green was the only player in the NFL this week with double-digit receptions.  

Grading Scale

Route: Route running (Graded out of 25)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards after catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Wide Receiver Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	A.J. Green	CIN	23	24	17	14	8	86
2	Julio Jones	ATL	22	22	17	16	8	85
3	Larry Fitzgerald	ARI	22	22	16	17	8	85
4	Antonio Brown	PIT	23	23	17	14	8	85
5	Odell Beckham Jr.	NYG	22	22	16	15	8	83
6	Doug Baldwin	SEA	21	22	16	16	8	83
7	Jordy Nelson	GB	21	20	16	17	8	82
8	Dez Bryant	DAL	21	21	15	15	8	80
9	Mike Evans	TB	21	20	16	15	8	80
10	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	21	20	16	14	8	79
11	Michael Floyd	ARI	21	21	15	14	8	79
12	Jordan Matthews	PHI	22	23	16	10	8	79
13	Demaryius Thomas	DEN	20	21	14	16	8	79
14	Julian Edelman	NE	21	20	17	12	8	78
15	DeSean Jackson	WAS	21	20	16	13	8	78
16	Kelvin Benjmain	CAR	19	21	16	14	8	78
17	Brandin Cooks	NO	21	21	15	12	8	77
18	John Brown	ARI	20	19	16	14	8	77
19	Golden Tate	DET	20	21	16	12	8	77
20	Danny Amendola	NE	20	22	13	14	8	77
21	Randall Cobb	GB	20	21	16	11	8	76
22	Pierre Garcon	WAS	18	19	16	15	8	76
23	Mohamed Sanu	ATL	21	19	18	10	8	76
24	Brandon LaFell	CIN	20	20	14	14	8	76
25	Donte Moncrief	IND	22	20	14	12	8	76
26	Jarvis Landry	MIA	18	18	14	18	8	76
27	Marvin Jones	DET	21	19	15	12	8	75
28	Sterling Shepard	NYG	20	20	14	13	8	75
29	Kenny Britt	LA	19	20	17	11	8	75
30	Keenan Allen	SD	19	21	15	12	8	75
31	Jamison Crowder	WAS	19	18	18	12	8	75
32	Willie Snead	NO	21	19	16	10	8	74
33	Steve Smith Sr.	BAL	19	20	12	15	8	74
34	Mike Wallace	BAL	18	22	16	10	8	74
35	Ted Ginn	CAR	19	18	17	12	8	74
36	Devin Funchess	CAR	18	20	16	12	8	74
37	Eddie Royal	CHI	19	19	17	11	8	74
38	Emmanuel Sanders	DEN	19	20	13	14	8	74
39	Davante Adams	GB	20	21	15	10	8	74
40	T.Y. Hilton	IND	20	19	13	14	8	74
41	Phillip Dorsett	IND	19	21	14	12	8	74
42	Allen Hurns	JAX	22	19	15	10	8	74
43	Stefon Diggs	MIN	20	17	15	13	8	73
44	Jermaine Kearse	SEA	18	21	15	11	8	73
45	Terrelle Pryor	CLE	21	18	12	14	8	73
46	Terrance Williams	DAL	19	20	15	11	8	73
47	Will Fuller	HOU	20	17	18	10	8	73
48	Michael Thomas	NO	19	20	15	11	8	73
49	Victor Cruz	NYG	19	18	15	13	8	73
50	Brandon Marshall	NYJ	21	18	14	12	8	73
51	Michael Crabtree	OAK	20	21	15	9	8	73
52	Vincent Jackson	TB	18	19	14	13	8	72
53	Philly Brown	CAR	18	20	16	10	8	72
54	Tavon Austin	LA	18	18	18	10	8	72
55	Anquan Boldin	DET	17	19	14	13	8	71
56	Nelson Agholor	PHI	20	20	13	10	8	71
57	Torrey Smith	SF	18	19	14	12	8	71
58	Cole Beasley	DAL	21	18	15	9	8	71
59	Jeremy Maclin	KC	18	19	14	12	8	71
60	Seth Roberts	OAK	16	15	14	18	8	71
61	Kevin White	CHI	18	16	15	13	8	70
62	Jeremy Kerley	SF	17	16	16	13	8	70
63	Justin Hardy	ATL	18	18	15	11	8	70
64	Sammy Watkins	BUF	19	18	12	13	8	70
65	Brice Butler	DAL	18	17	14	13	8	70
66	Allen Robinson	JAX	19	17	14	12	8	70
67	Brian Quick	LA	18	18	16	10	8	70
68	Chris Hogan	NE	18	17	15	12	8	70
69	Eric Decker	NYJ	19	18	13	12	8	70
70	Quincy Enunwa	NYJ	17	17	13	15	8	70
71	Dorial Green-Beckham	PHI	18	18	15	11	8	70
72	Josh Huff	PHI	19	16	16	11	8	70
73	Quinton Patton	SF	18	18	15	11	8	70
74	Tajae Sharpe	TEN	19	20	12	11	8	70
75	Tyler Lockett	SEA	19	15	16	11	8	69
76	Ty Montgomery	GB	17	18	17	9	8	69
77	Charles Johnson	MIN	19	17	16	9	8	69
78	Eli Rogers	PIT	19	20	11	11	8	69
79	Josh Doctson	WAS	16	18	14	13	8	69
80	Breshad Perriman	BAL	17	18	13	12	8	68
81	Chris Conley	KC	17	18	13	12	8	68
82	Adam Thielen	MIN	18	19	13	10	8	68
83	Sammie Coates	PIT	18	18	12	12	8	68
84	Travis Benjamin	SD	18	18	12	12	8	68
85	Adam Humphries	TB	19	16	13	12	8	68
86	Jaron Brown	ARI	18	19	12	10	8	67
87	Andre Johnson	TEN	19	17	11	12	8	67
88	Jared Abbrederis	GB	16	16	15	11	8	66
89	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	21	18	10	9	8	66
90	Rishard Mathews	TEN	18	18	10	12	8	66
91	J.J. Nelson	ARI	17	18	12	10	8	65
92	Tyreek Hill	KC	15	16	14	12	8	65
93	Harry Douglas	TEN	16	17	13	11	8	65
94	Chris Moore	BAL	15	14	14	13	8	64
95	Andrew Hawkins	CLE	18	14	10	14	8	64
96	Corey Coleman	CLE	14	17	12	13	8	64
97	Andre Roberts	DET	16	16	15	9	8	64
98	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	15	15	17	9	8	64
99	Amari Cooper	OAK	14	14	14	12	8	62
100	Ryan Grant	WAS	15	17	13	9	8	62
101	Kamar Aiken	BAL	18	14	11	10	8	61
102	Albert Wilson	KC	15	17	10	11	8	61
103	Kenny Stills	MIA	18	15	10	10	8	61
104	Tyler Boyd	CIN	14	15	12	11	8	60
105	Jordan Norwood	DEN	16	12	10	14	8	60
106	Leonte Carroo	MIA	15	15	10	12	8	60
107	Malcolm Mitchell	NE	14	15	11	12	8	60
108	Dontrelle Inman	SD	14	15	12	11	8	60
109	Paul Richardson	SEA	16	16	10	10	8	60
110	Robert Woods	BUF	17	14	9	11	8	59
111	Braxton Miller	HOU	13	16	12	10	8	59
112	Ricardo Louis	CLE	13	12	10	14	8	57
113	Jaelen Strong	HOU	12	12	10	12	8	54
114	Rashad Greene	JAX	10	13	12	10	8	53
115	Cody Core	CIN	12	12	10	10	8	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Martavis Bryant—suspension
• Pharoh Cooper—inactive
• Josh Gordon—suspension
• Jeff Janis—zero snaps
• Louis Murphy—injury
• Laquon Treadwell—zero snaps
• Marquess Wilson—injury

Tight Ends

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

With Rob Gronkowski and Tyler Eifert sidelined, other tight ends had a chance to shine.

We witnessed another steady performance from Greg Olsen on opening night, including an impressive shoestring catch to get the Panthers into field-goal range late in the first half. Jason Witten was steady as ever for the Cowboys, although there were moments when he struggled to handle Olivier Vernon when blocking in the running game.

Jordan Reed was impressive in an individual effort against the Steelers, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins tallied a spectacular touchdown catch against the Falcons. In Seattle, Jimmy Graham was limited in his return to action, while Luke Willson was quietly effective, handling the bulk of the load at that position for the Seahawks.

In addition to hauling in a touchdown pass from Eli Manning, Larry Donnell showed some improved blocking skills against the Cowboys, including some nice blocks in the running game and a great chip block to protect his quarterback.

In the AFC, Travis Kelce led all tight ends with 74 yards receiving, catching six of the seven passes thrown his way. Julius Thomas pulled in five throws from Blake Bortles for 64 yards and a touchdown, but he struggled on his route running and in picking up yardage after the catch. 

Grading Scale

Route: Route running (Graded out of 20)

Hands: Hands (Graded out of 25)

YAC: Yards after catch (Graded out of 20)

Blk: Blocking (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Tight End Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Route	Hands	YAC	Blk	Pos	Ovr
1	Greg Olsen	CAR	18	22	17	22	6	85
2	Jason Witten	DAL	17	21	16	21	6	81
3	Jordan Reed	WAS	18	21	16	19	6	80
4	Kyle Rudolph	MIN	16	21	15	23	6	81
5	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	17	19	17	20	6	81
6	Luke Willson	SEA	16	20	16	21	6	79
7	Richard Rodgers	GB	17	20	15	20	6	78
8	Jermaine Gresham	ARI	17	20	16	19	6	78
9	Zach Miller	CHI	16	20	17	19	6	78
10	Zach Ertz	PHI	16	21	15	20	6	78
11	Larry Donnell	NYG	16	20	14	21	6	77
12	Jared Cook	GB	15	20	13	22	6	76
13	Cameron Brate	TB	15	21	17	17	6	76
14	Vernon Davis	WAS	16	17	17	20	6	76
15	Jacob Tamme	ATL	16	19	16	18	6	75
16	Eric Ebron	DET	16	20	14	19	6	75
17	Travis Kelce	KC	19	20	14	16	6	75
18	Jimmy Graham	SEA	16	22	16	15	6	75
19	Coby Fleener	NO	17	19	15	17	6	74
20	Brent Celek	PHI	13	19	14	21	6	73
21	Dwayne Allen	IND	17	20	12	17	6	72
22	Jesse James	PIT	15	18	12	19	6	70
23	Vance McDonald	SF	16	19	10	19	6	70
24	Delanie Walker	TEN	15	18	15	16	6	70
25	Virgil Green	DEN	15	18	12	18	6	69
26	Marcedes Lewis	JAX	13	17	15	18	6	69
27	Josh Hill	NO	14	16	14	19	6	69
28	Troy Niklas	ARI	13	16	12	21	6	68
29	Charles Clay	BUF	15	16	14	17	6	68
30	Jack Doyle	IND	15	19	10	18	6	68
31	Tyler Higbee	LA	15	18	10	19	6	68
32	Antonio Gates	SD	14	16	14	18	6	68
33	Dennis Pitta	BAL	14	17	13	18	6	68
34	Lance Kendricks	LA	14	16	12	19	6	67
35	Clive Walford	OAK	14	18	12	17	6	67
36	C.J. Uzomah	CIN	12	17	13	18	6	66
37	Julius Thomas	JAX	13	17	9	21	6	66
38	Austin Hooper	ATL	14	17	10	18	6	65
39	Hunter Henry	SD	14	17	10	18	6	65
40	David Morgan II	MIN	11	14	10	22	6	63
41	Martellus Bennett	NE	13	17	11	16	6	63
42	Luke Stocker	TB	10	13	12	22	6	63
43	Ryan Griffin	HOU	14	16	10	16	6	62
44	Rhett Ellison	MIN	10	14	10	22	6	62
45	Brandon Myers	TB	12	14	13	17	6	62
46	Cole Wick	DET	12	13	10	20	6	61
47	Stephen Anderson	HOU	14	16	12	13	6	61
48	Will Tye	NYG	11	16	10	18	6	61
49	Darren Fells	ARI	10	14	9	21	6	60
50	Crockett Gillmore	BAL	13	15	10	16	6	60
51	Ed Dickson	CAR	11	15	10	18	6	60
52	Logan Paulsen	CHI	10	15	10	19	6	60
53	C.J. Fiedorowicz	HOU	14	15	11	14	6	60
54	Geoff Swaim	DAL	10	16	10	17	6	59
55	Garrett Celek	SF	12	14	9	18	6	59
56	Levine Toilolo	ATL	9	12	12	19	6	58
57	Randall Telfer	CLE	10	12	10	20	6	58
58	Jordan Cameron	MIA	11	16	10	15	6	58
59	Lee Smith	OAK	14	12	10	15	6	57
60	Anthony Fasano	TEN	10	12	10	16	6	54
61	Gary Barnidge	CLE	12	8	10	16	6	52
62	Tyler Kroft	CIN	10	12	10	13	6	51

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tyler Eifert—injury
• Gavin Escobar—limited snaps
• Rob Gronkowski—injury
• Niles Paul—limited snaps
• Andrew Quarless—suspension
• Nick Vannett—inactive
• Brandon Williams—limited snaps

Left Tackles

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

There was good left tackle play in Week 1.

The Thursday night game between the Panthers and Broncos featured a healthy Russell Okung, who showed physical dominance in the run game and refined technique in pass protection. Okung appeared to be healthy and rejuvenated, and it showed in his performance.

In the Browns and Eagles matchup, which featured two of the best in the NFL, Joe Thomas and Jason Peters. Thomas looked like his usual self, making his 145th consecutive start. Thomas did it all, as he was smooth in pass protection and even showed a new way to win with using his aggression. Thomas also showed good power in the run game, finishing defenders. With the exception of a couple of false-start penalties, Peters looked to be back in form after an injury-plagued 2015 campaign. Peters showed physical dominance in the run game and controlled aggression in pass pro.

An up-and-comer that was fun to watch was Charles Leno of the Chicago Bears. Leno is average size (6'3", 305 lbs) but has a large skill set in both the run game and in pass protection. Leno showed crafty technique run blocking against the talented Texans defense and showed that he could keep rushers off balance with switching up his pass set. Leno will be a player I continue to keep up with. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Left Tackle Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Joe Thomas	CLE	22	23	17	20	8	90
2	Tyron Smith	DAL	22	21	19	18	8	88
3	Jason Peters	PHI	22	21	19	17	8	87
4	Russell Okung	DEN	22	24	17	15	8	86
5	Trent Williams	WAS	21	20	18	18	8	85
6	Andrew Whitworth	CIN	22	20	18	17	8	85
7	David Bakhtiari	GB	23	24	16	14	8	85
8	Donald Penn	OAK	21	23	18	14	8	84
9	Joe Staley	SF	20	20	17	18	8	83
10	Ryan Clady	NYJ	22	20	15	17	8	82
11	Charles Leno	CHI	20	21	16	16	8	81
12	Terron Armstead	NO	22	16	15	19	8	80
13	King Dunlap	SD	20	23	15	14	8	80
14	Cordy Glenn	BUF	21	19	16	15	8	79
15	Eric Fisher	KC	18	22	16	15	8	79
16	Taylor Decker	DET	20	20	15	15	8	78
17	Alejandro Villanueva	PIT	19	20	14	16	8	77
18	Anthony Castonzo	IND	20	17	15	16	8	76
19	Ronnie Stanley	BAL	20	15	15	17	8	75
20	Jake Matthews	ATL	19	18	14	15	8	74
21	Kelvin Beachum	JAX	20	17	16	13	8	74
22	Ereck Flowers	NYG	19	16	16	14	8	73
23	Jared Veldheer	ARI	16	19	16	14	8	73
24	Cyrus Kouandjio	BUF	19	17	14	15	8	73
25	Donovan Smith	TB	18	17	15	14	8	72
26	Greg Robinson	LA	16	16	18	14	8	72
27	Branden Albert	MIA	18	15	14	16	8	71
28	Chris Clark	HOU	17	20	13	13	8	71
29	Taylor Lewan	TEN	17	16	14	15	8	70
30	Michael Oher	CAR	16	16	15	14	8	69
31	Matt Kalil	MIN	16	16	14	14	8	68
32	Cam Fleming	NE	16	16	14	12	8	66
33	Bradley Sowell	SEA	14	14	12	13	8	61

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Right Tackles

Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

With a 10-game suspension being held above his head, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson showed in his performance why Philadelphia extended his contract with the amount of money it did. Johnson was solid in both the run game and in pass protection.

Mitchell Schwartz may have had his best game of his career in terms of finishing blocks in the run game. Schwartz showed the ability to sustain and strain both the point of attack and on the back side, which allowed some big cutback runs in Kansas City's huge comeback win over division foe San Diego.

A performance worth highlighting is Marshall Newhouse against the Cowboys. Newhouse has taken a lot of criticism the past two seasons as the starting right tackle for the Giants, but he played a fairly clean opening game against the Cowboys, often looking comfortable in pass protection and generating movement in the run game. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Right Tackle Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Lane Johnson	PHI	23	23	17	17	7	87
2	Marcus Gilbert	PIT	23	22	17	17	7	86
3	Mitchell Schwartz	KC	22	24	16	16	7	85
4	Riley Reiff	DET	21	22	18	17	7	85
5	Bryan Bulaga	GB	22	22	17	14	7	82
6	Ryan Schraeder	ATL	20	22	18	15	7	82
7	Donald Stephenson	DEN	20	19	16	16	7	78
8	Derek Newton	HOU	20	20	15	15	7	77
9	Zach Strief	NO	19	21	16	13	7	76
10	Morgan Moses	WAS	19	18	16	15	7	75
11	Ja'Wuan James	MIA	18	18	18	14	7	75
12	Trenton Brown	SF	19	17	17	14	7	74
13	Mike Remmers	CAR	17	21	16	13	7	74
14	Rob Havenstein	LA	18	19	16	14	7	74
15	Marshall Newhouse	NYG	20	19	14	13	7	73
16	Joe Barksdale	SD	19	19	14	14	7	73
17	Jordan Mills	BUF	18	18	16	14	7	73
18	Ben Ijalana	NYJ	20	17	14	14	7	72
19	Matt McCants	OAK	18	18	15	14	7	72
20	Demar Dotson	TB	18	17	15	15	7	72
21	Menelik Watson	OAK	17	19	15	13	7	71
22	Bobby Massie	CHI	16	17	16	15	7	71
23	Doug Free	DAL	17	19	16	12	7	71
24	Garry Gilliam	SEA	17	16	16	14	7	70
25	Cedric Ogbuehi	CIN	18	15	13	17	7	70
26	Joe Reitz	IND	16	18	16	13	7	70
27	Jermey Parnell	JAX	16	17	15	14	7	69
28	Brent Qvale	NYJ	16	19	13	13	7	68
29	Marcus Cannon	NE	16	15	15	14	7	67
30	D.J. Humphries	ARI	17	15	13	14	7	66
31	Jack Conklin	TEN	17	15	14	13	7	66
32	Austin Pasztor	CLE	15	18	13	12	7	65
33	Ricky Wagner	BAL	17	16	13	12	7	65
34	Andre Smith Jr.	MIN	14	16	14	13	7	64

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Offensive Guards

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Guard play in Week 1 was a bit of a throwback, as several players with previous success who struggled last year looked sharp.

Andy Levitre tops the list. He got consistent push against Tampa Bay and showed off impressive power and balance in pass protection. And holy Orlando Franklin. Talk all you want about Melvin Gordon, but San Diego’s run game was so effective because of the holes Franklin (and right guard D.J. Fluker to a lesser extent) were able to create.

Larry Warford also looked like he could be back to the high level of play we saw his rookie year, which is good to see as injuries derailed his 2015 season. His raw power gave the Colts front some big issues this week. 

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Offensive Guard Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Marshal Yanda	BAL	21	23	19	17	7	87
2	Evan Mathis	ARI	23	21	17	17	7	85
3	Trai Turner	CAR	20	21	20	16	7	84
4	John Miller	BUF	23	20	18	15	7	83
5	Mike Iupati	ARI	23	21	19	13	7	83
6	Zack Martin	DAL	19	20	19	17	7	82
7	Kelechi Osemele	OAK	18	23	18	15	7	81
8	Andy Levitre	ATL	22	19	17	16	7	81
9	Orlando Franklin	SD	18	23	20	12	7	80
10	T.J. Lang	GB	19	22	16	16	7	80
11	Jack Mewhort	IND	20	20	18	14	7	79
12	Clint Boling	CIN	19	20	17	16	7	79
13	Kyle Long	CHI	18	19	17	18	7	79
14	David DeCastro	PIT	18	20	17	16	7	78
15	Quinton Spain	TEN	17	21	18	15	7	78
16	Josh Sitton	CHI	17	19	17	18	7	78
17	Larry Warford	DET	18	21	18	13	7	77
18	Richie Incognito	BUF	19	18	18	14	7	76
19	Andrew Norwell	CAR	17	21	17	14	7	76
20	Justin Pugh	NYG	18	17	16	17	7	75
21	D.J. Fluker	SD	17	19	18	14	7	75
22	Brandon Brooks	PHI	17	17	15	19	7	75
23	Joel Bitonio	CLE	17	16	16	18	7	74
24	Shawn Lauvao	WAS	17	19	18	12	7	73
25	Allen Barbre	PHI	19	16	16	15	7	73
26	Joe Thuney	NE	17	15	15	18	7	72
27	Ramon Foster	PIT	18	19	17	11	7	72
28	Alex Boone	MIN	15	16	18	16	7	72
29	Brandon Scherff	WAS	17	17	17	14	7	72
30	Max Garcia	DEN	16	20	17	12	7	72
31	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	KC	16	17	13	19	7	72
32	Jeff Allen	HOU	16	18	17	14	7	72
33	Mark Glowinski	SEA	15	16	15	18	7	71
34	Chris Chester	ATL	15	17	15	17	7	71
35	Ted Karras	NE	16	18	17	13	7	71
36	Denzelle Goode	IND	16	17	17	14	7	71
37	James Carpenter	NYJ	16	18	17	13	7	71
38	Andrew Tiller	SF	17	18	17	12	7	71
39	Laremy Tunsil	MIA	17	15	15	16	7	70
40	Jermon Bushrod	MIA	14	16	17	16	7	70
41	J'Marcus Webb	SEA	14	17	17	15	7	70
42	John Greco	CLE	16	17	14	16	7	70
43	A.J. Cann	JAX	16	17	16	14	7	70
44	Rodger Saffold	LA	15	16	15	17	7	70
45	Xavier Su'a-Filo	HOU	15	18	14	16	7	70
46	John Jerry	NYG	15	16	16	15	7	69
47	Chance Warmack	TEN	15	17	17	13	7	69
48	La'el Collins	DAL	16	14	19	13	7	69
49	Ali Marpet	TB	15	13	16	18	7	69
50	Kevin Zeitler	CIN	14	16	17	15	7	69
51	Andrus Peat	NO	12	17	17	15	7	68
52	Kevin Pamphile	TB	15	17	16	13	7	68
53	Senio Kelemete	NO	14	17	17	13	7	68
54	Gabe Jackson	OAK	14	16	17	13	7	67
55	Laken Tomlinson	DET	13	15	16	16	7	67
56	Brian Winters	NYJ	15	14	15	16	7	67
57	Michael Schofield	DEN	17	14	16	12	7	66
58	Brandon Fusco	MIN	16	13	14	16	7	66
59	Lane Taylor	GB	16	14	15	14	7	66
60	Jamon Brown	LA	14	16	16	12	7	65
61	Zane Beadles	SF	15	13	15	15	7	65
62	Alex Lewis	BAL	16	13	14	14	7	64
63	Luke Joeckel	JAX	13	15	14	15	7	64
64	Tim Lelito	NO	12	15	15	14	7	63
65	Jahri Evans	NO	13	16	16	11	7	63
66	Earl Watford	ARI	12	14	15	14	7	62
67	Cody Wichmann	LA	13	14	14	14	7	62
68	Parker Ehinger	KC	11	15	14	13	7	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Anthony Davis—limited snaps
• Joshua Garnett—inactive
• Germain Ifedi—inactive

Centers

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

Since it's the inaugural Week 1 edition of NFL1000, it's good to start with a few centers who showed great improvement over their 2015 tape in the new season's opener. Broncos center Matt Paradis did his part to keep quarterback Trevor Siemian clean, cleared his man out on fullback Andy Janovich's touchdown and showed what proper technique can do for a lineman's power. Paradis tied with Weston Richburg and Ryan Kalil for second on our center list behind Travis Frederick.

Detroit's Travis Swanson, whose 2015 tape showed a guy with tremendous base athleticism but fundamentals all over the place, was much stronger against the Colts in Week 1, especially in the run game. Detroit had a number of explosive plays in their 39-35 win, and Swanson walled off his defenders well in the run game. He still gets pushed back too easily in pass protection, but this game showed a series of steps forward.

A couple of newcomers to the position also played well. The performance of Seattle's Justin Britt may have gone unnoticed in the debacle that the Seahawks offensive line was against the Dolphins on Sunday, but he continued his strong preseason performance by showing excellent agility on pulls, strength at the point of attack and an increased understanding of the position. Britt recently told me that making line calls gives him a new level of involvement, and it shows up on the field. If only he could clone himself...

Similarly, Cleveland's Cameron Erving did well in his first regular-season start at center replacing Alex Mack. Yes, he needs some more time with the little things that make centers truly great, but he is a plus athlete in every dimension, and if he keeps going this way, he'll join Mack in Browns lore as one of the franchise's best at the position.

The other center in Ohio? That's a bit of a problem. The Bengals beat the Jets on Sunday, but Russell Bodine lost a lot of battles to Leonard Williams, and that's not a one-week thing. Cincinnati offensive line coach Paul Alexander has said there's a "witch hunt" around Bodine, but the tape doesn't lie. Bodine must become much stronger in all his fundamentals before his power can take root.

Two rookies, Indianapolis' Ryan Kelly and Chicago's Cody Whitehair, also performed well, and you can read about them in the Rookie Review slideshow.

Grading Scale:

Pass: Pass protection (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run-blocking (Graded out of 25)

Power: Power (Graded out of 20)

Agl: Agility (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Center Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Power	Agl	Pos	Ovr
1	Travis Frederick	DAL	21	22	18	14	6	81
2	Weston Richburg	NYG	20	21	16	16	6	79
3	Ryan Kalil	CAR	19	22	17	15	6	79
4	Matt Paradis	DEN	22	21	13	17	6	79
5	Ryan Kelly	IND	19	20	14	18	6	77
6	Eric Wood	BUF	16	20	18	16	6	76
7	Max Unger	NO	19	20	16	15	6	76
8	Joe Berger	MIN	17	20	17	16	6	76
9	JC Tretter	GB	20	17	15	17	6	75
10	Matt Slauson	SD	17	20	18	14	6	75
11	Travis Swanson	DET	16	20	16	17	6	75
12	Jeremy Zuttah	BAL	16	19	16	17	6	74
13	Rodney Hudson	OAK	16	21	18	13	6	74
14	Nick Mangold	NYJ	18	22	16	12	6	74
15	Cameron Erving	CLE	17	18	16	17	6	74
16	Maurkice Pouncey	PIT	17	19	16	14	6	72
17	Justin Britt	SEA	17	18	15	16	6	72
18	Brandon Linder	JAX	17	19	16	13	6	71
19	Mitch Morse	KC	15	17	14	18	6	70
20	Alex Mack	ATL	16	20	16	12	6	70
21	Cody Whitehair	CHI	15	18	15	16	6	70
22	Ben Jones	TEN	16	18	16	13	6	69
23	David Andrews	NE	17	16	15	15	6	69
24	Anthony Steen	MIA	17	16	15	15	6	69
25	Jason Kelce	PHI	16	17	12	17	6	68
26	Greg Mancz	HOU	15	19	16	12	6	68
27	A.Q. Shipley	ARI	16	16	16	13	6	67
28	Kory Lichtensteiger	WAS	15	17	16	13	6	67
29	Joe Hawley	TB	15	17	12	15	6	65
30	Tim Barnes	LA	16	14	15	13	6	64
31	Daniel Kilgore	SF	16	14	15	12	6	63
32	Russell Bodine	CIN	14	17	11	9	6	57

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Mike Pouncey—injury

3-4 Defensive Ends

Steven Ryan/Getty Images

Muhammad Wilkerson leads this position in Week 1, as he joined his Jets teammates in feasting on the Bengals offensive line. Wilkerson had his way, ending up with 1.5 sacks and some very good tape against the run. J.J. Watt returned from injury, and even though he looked rusty, he's still better than most at his position. We'll get our first look at Joey Bosa in Week 2, as the Chargers activated him this week.

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap explosion (Graded out of 15)

Rush: Pass rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run defense (Graded out of 30)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

3-4 Defensive End Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Muhammad Wilkerson	NYJ	13	20	25	18	6	82
2	Cameron Heyward	PIT	13	17	26	14	6	76
3	Calais Campbell	ARI	12	13	24	18	6	73
4	DeForest Buckner	SF	12	19	22	14	6	73
5	J.J. Watt	HOU	12	18	20	15	6	71
6	Jurrell Casey	TEN	9	17	22	15	6	69
7	Corey Liuget	SD	12	17	20	14	6	69
8	Stephon Tuitt	PIT	12	15	21	14	6	68
9	Arik Armstead	SF	11	19	19	13	6	68
10	Carl Nassib	CLE	12	14	18	18	6	68
11	Chris Baker	WAS	12	16	21	12	6	67
12	Timmy Jernigan	BAL	11	16	20	12	6	65
13	Ziggy Hood	WAS	9	16	22	12	6	65
14	Quinton Dial	SF	9	19	18	11	6	63
15	Derek Wolfe	DEN	8	14	20	14	6	62
16	Jared Crick	DEN	9	13	21	13	6	62
17	Ricardo Mathews	PIT	9	13	19	14	6	61
18	Mike Daniels	GB	9	16	17	12	6	60
19	Xavier Cooper	CLE	10	12	16	15	6	59
20	Leger Douzable	BUF	9	17	14	13	6	59
21	Ricky Jean Francois	WAS	8	14	16	12	6	56
22	Allen Bailey	KC	9	11	17	12	6	55
23	Frostee Rucker	ARI	10	12	17	10	6	55
24	Karl Klug	TEN	9	10	17	12	6	54
25	Mitch Unrein	CHI	8	12	16	12	6	54
26	Lawrence Guy	BAL	8	10	16	12	6	52
27	Robert Nkemdiche	ARI	10	10	15	10	6	51
28	Jaye Howard	KC	8	12	13	11	6	50
29	DaQuan Jones	TEN	8	10	13	10	6	47

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Henry Anderson—injury
• Sheldon Richardson—suspension

4-3 Defensive Ends

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

This wasn't a week where one player blew up the stat sheet, but three defensive ends stood out in the first week of the season. Olivier Vernon continued his dominance with an all-around good performance. He was disruptive against the run, applied pressure as a pass-rusher and made life hard for a good Cowboys offensive line. Michael Bennett was his usual self, as he defended the run from all over the defensive line and ruined many of the Dolphins' offensive drives. Lastly, in the only blowout from Sunday, Brandon Graham helped the Eagles defense shut down the Browns. Graham had a complete performance throughout the game. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run defense (Graded out of 25)

Snap: Snap explosion (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

4-3 Defensive End Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Snap	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Olivier Vernon	NYG	22	23	18	18	7	88
2	Michael Bennett	SEA	23	20	17	18	7	85
3	Brandon Graham	PHI	22	22	15	16	7	82
4	Cliff Avril	SEA	20	16	17	17	7	77
5	Jason Pierre-Paul	NYG	21	16	17	11	7	72
6	Carlos Dunlap	CIN	20	16	13	15	7	71
7	William Hayes	LA	16	21	12	15	7	71
8	Frank Clark	SEA	17	14	17	16	7	71
9	Charles Johnson	CAR	16	19	15	13	7	70
10	Danielle Hunter	MIN	18	15	16	13	7	69
11	Mario Williams	MIA	18	16	15	13	7	69
12	Robert Quinn	LA	17	15	18	12	7	69
13	Jabaal Sheard	NE	17	16	14	13	7	67
14	Ezekiel Ansah	DET	15	13	15	16	7	66
15	Robert Ayers	TB	16	15	15	13	7	66
16	Ryan Delaire	CAR	15	17	14	13	7	66
17	Connor Barwin	PHI	17	13	16	12	7	65
18	Chris Long	NE	12	19	14	13	7	65
19	Cameron Wake	MIA	16	12	16	13	7	64
20	Devin Taylor	DET	12	15	13	16	7	63
21	Trey Flowers	NE	15	16	12	13	7	63
22	Jared Odrick	JAX	12	18	10	16	7	63
23	Andre Branch	MIA	12	16	13	15	7	63
24	Dante Fowler	JAX	12	15	14	14	7	62
25	Everson Griffen	MIN	13	14	14	14	7	62
26	Adrian Clayborn	ATL	16	12	12	14	7	61
27	Brian Robison	MIN	12	16	12	13	7	60
28	Mario Addison	CAR	14	12	15	12	7	60
29	Margus Hunt	CIN	14	16	11	12	7	60
30	Paul Kruger	NO	12	13	14	13	7	59
31	Jack Crawford	DAL	12	15	12	13	7	59
32	Dwight Freeney	ATL	16	10	14	11	7	58
33	Kony Ealy	CAR	14	12	13	12	7	58
34	Yannick Ngakoue	JAX	10	13	16	12	7	58
35	Ethan Westbrooks	LA	16	14	10	11	7	58
36	Jason Jones	MIA	15	13	10	12	7	57
37	Vinny Curry	PHI	13	13	12	12	7	57
38	Cameron Jordan	NO	12	13	12	12	7	56
39	Denico Autry	OAK	12	14	11	13	6	56
40	Cassius Marsh	SEA	13	12	13	11	7	56
41	Michael Johnson	CIN	12	15	12	9	7	55
42	Kerry Hyder	DET	14	11	10	13	7	55
43	William Gholston	TB	12	15	10	11	7	55
44	Noah Spence	TB	12	8	15	12	7	54
45	Benson Mayowa	DAL	13	9	12	13	7	54
46	Vic Beasley	ATL	9	7	14	12	7	49
47	Eugene Sims	LA	9	12	8	13	7	49
48	Wallace Gilberry	DET	8	12	8	12	7	47

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Kasim Edebali—limited snaps
• Terrence Fede—limited snaps
• Randy Gregory—suspension
• Howard Jones—limited snaps
• DeMarcus Lawrence—suspension
• Rob Ninkovich—suspension
• Derrick Shelby—limited snaps
• Jacquies Smith—injury
• Darryl Tapp—limited snaps
• Kerry Wynn—limited snaps

Defensive Tackles

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

The NFL has a plethora of defensive tackle talent, and it was all on display through Week 1. Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had arguably the best performance, tallying three tackles and a sack against the Atlanta Falcons while blowing up a handful of other plays. McCoy and Akeem Spence were impressive, as they shut down the Falcons rushing attack. On the flip side, Grady Jarrett played well for the Falcons, as he continues to establish himself as an ascending, young talent at nose tackle.

Minnesota's pair of defensive tackles, Sharrif Floyd and Linval Joseph, were key in dominating the Titans' new "exotic smashmouth" offense. The duo played a key role in holding Tennessee to just 2.9 yards per carry. 

Jacksonville's Roy Miller outplayed high-priced free-agent acquisition Malik Jackson as he continues to be the main cog in a stifling Jaguars run defense. Green Bay's Letroy Guion had a dominant performance against the run, making Brandon Linder's life hell Sunday.

Damon Harrison and Jonathan Hankins dictated what the Cowboys could do on the ground, limiting Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott to just 51 yards on 20 carries.

Grading Scale

Snap: Snap explosion (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run defense (Graded out of 25)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Defensive Tackle Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Snap	Rush	Run	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Aaron Donald	LA	24	24	23	14	6	91
2	Geno Atkins	CIN	25	22	23	15	6	91
3	Fletcher Cox	PHI	23	24	22	15	6	90
4	Ndamukong Suh	MIA	22	22	23	15	6	88
5	Gerald McCoy	TB	20	22	24	15	6	87
6	Dontari Poe	KC	22	19	23	14	6	84
7	Kawann Short	CAR	21	19	23	14	6	83
8	Michael Brockers	LA	19	19	23	14	6	81
9	Malcom Brown	NE	19	19	22	15	6	81
10	Brandon Williams	BAL	19	16	24	15	6	80
11	Linval Joseph	MIN	19	16	24	15	6	80
12	Kyle Williams	BUF	19	20	21	14	6	80
13	Sharrif Floyd	MIN	21	19	20	13	6	79
14	Johnathan Hankins	NYG	19	17	23	14	6	79
15	Damon Harrison	NYG	18	14	25	15	6	78
16	Grady Jarrett	ATL	19	16	21	15	6	77
17	Leonard Williams	NYJ	17	18	22	14	6	77
18	Alan Branch	NE	19	17	20	15	6	77
19	Nick Fairley	NO	20	18	19	14	6	77
20	Malik Jackson	JAX	19	18	20	13	6	76
21	Corbin Bryant	BUF	19	18	20	13	6	76
22	Tom Johnson	MIN	20	19	18	12	6	75
23	Dominique Easley	LA	22	18	17	12	6	75
24	Roy Miller	JAX	18	13	24	14	6	75
25	Steve McLendon	NYJ	16	15	23	15	6	75
26	Tyrone Crawford	DAL	18	17	20	14	6	75
27	Brandon Mebane	SD	18	15	23	13	6	75
28	Vince Wilfork	HOU	15	16	22	15	6	74
29	Rodney Gunter	ARI	16	17	20	15	6	74
30	Bennie Logan	PHI	17	17	20	13	6	73
31	Haloti Ngata	DET	18	17	19	13	6	73
32	Sylvester Williams	DEN	17	16	20	13	6	72
33	Jack Crawford	DAL	18	18	17	13	6	72
34	Akiem Hicks	CHI	17	17	18	13	6	71
35	Caraun Reid	SD	17	17	18	13	6	71
36	Vernon Butler	CAR	17	19	17	12	6	71
37	Star Lotulelei	CAR	18	15	18	14	6	71
38	Jay Bromley	NYG	17	15	19	13	6	70
39	Jonathan Babineaux	ATL	17	16	18	13	6	70
40	Domata Peko	CIN	17	15	19	13	6	70
41	Eddie Goldman	CHI	17	16	18	13	6	70
42	Ahtyba Rubin	SEA	16	14	19	14	6	69
43	Letroy Guion	GB	15	14	20	14	6	69
44	Danny Shelton	CLE	16	14	19	14	6	69
45	Cedric Thornton	DAL	17	15	19	12	6	69
46	Paul Soliai	CAR	15	13	22	12	6	68
47	Clinton McDonald	TB	15	13	19	14	6	67
48	Akeem Spence	TB	15	13	20	12	6	66
49	Zach Kerr	IND	16	14	16	14	6	66
50	Jarran Reed	SEA	16	14	17	13	6	66
51	Jihad Ward	OAK	16	13	17	14	6	66
52	Earl Mitchell	MIA	15	17	16	12	6	66
53	Javon Hargrave	PIT	16	15	17	12	6	66
54	Tony McDaniel	SEA	16	14	16	13	6	65
55	David Parry	IND	14	13	17	14	6	64
56	A'Shawn Robinson	DET	15	14	17	12	6	64
57	Hassan Ridgeway	IND	16	15	15	12	6	64
58	Maliek Collins	DAL	17	13	14	13	6	63
59	Vincent Valentine	NE	14	14	17	12	6	63
60	Adolphus Washington	BUF	14	15	15	12	6	62
61	Tyeler Davison	NO	14	15	14	13	6	62
62	Tyson Jackson	ATL	14	13	17	12	6	62
63	Beau Allen	PHI	14	13	17	11	6	61
64	Dan Williams	OAK	14	12	16	13	6	61
65	Courtney Upshaw	ATL	14	13	16	11	6	60
66	Jordan Philips	MIA	14	13	16	11	6	60
67	Mike Purcell	SF	13	13	17	10	6	59
68	Abry Jones	JAX	13	12	16	11	6	58
69	John Jenkins	NO	14	11	15	11	6	57
70	Quinton Jefferson	SEA	14	14	12	11	6	57
71	Darius Latham	OAK	13	12	14	12	6	57
72	Al Woods	TEN	13	11	16	11	6	57
73	David Onyemata	NO	13	12	13	10	6	54

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Tyson Alualu—inactive
• Michael Bennett—zero snaps
• Andrew Billings—injury
• Kenny Clark—limited snaps
• Marcell Dareus—suspension
• Sheldon Day—limited snaps
• Adam Gotsis—limited snaps
• Ra'Shede Hageman—inactive
• Austin Johnson—zero snaps
• Ian Williams—injury

3-4 Outside Linebackers

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Week 1 in outside linebacker play began with the Denver Broncos assaulting Cam Newton and ended with the San Francisco 49ers hardly needing to pressure Case Keenum in one of the worst quarterback performances in recent memory.

In between, we were treated with the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers sending wave after wave of edge pressure, and several other teams—including the Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, just to name a few—struggling to disrupt opposing quarterbacks.

The Texans were led by a dominating performance from Jadeveon Clowney, who blew up play after play with power and speed from a variety of rush positions. The former top pick was our top outside linebacker in Week 1. The Packers survived a scare from the Jacksonville Jaguars, partly due to a creative pressure scheme that often featured outside linebackers Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, Julius Peppers and Datone Jones on the field and rushing the passer at the same time.

Other standout performances included Jerry Hughes (No. 2 OLB), Derrick Morgan (No. 3) and Markus Golden (No. 5), three edge players who were all over the field in Week 1 as both rushers and run-stoppers. While superstars Khalil Mack and Von Miller weren't always dominant in their debuts, both were able to positively influence the game when provided the opportunity. Outside linebackers for the Steelers, Chiefs, Bears, Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns had disappointing starts to the 2016 season. 

Grading Scale

Rush: Pass rush (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run defense (Graded out of 25)

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top Possible Score of 100

3-4 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Rush	Run	Cvg	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jadeveon Clowney	HOU	23	22	10	23	7	85
2	Jerry Hughes	BUF	22	22	14	18	7	83
3	Derrick Morgan	TEN	22	22	11	20	7	82
4	Von Miller	DEN	20	21	12	21	7	81
5	Markus Golden	ARI	18	22	10	22	7	79
6	Whitney Mercilus	HOU	20	19	11	22	7	79
7	Khalil Mack	OAK	17	22	10	20	7	76
8	Clay Matthews	GB	17	20	12	20	7	76
9	Nick Perry	GB	18	21	9	21	7	76
10	Shane Ray	DEN	18	18	11	20	7	74
11	Shaquil Barrett	DEN	19	17	11	19	7	73
12	Chandler Jones	ARI	17	20	9	18	7	71
13	DeMarcus Ware	DEN	20	16	9	19	7	71
14	John Simon	HOU	18	17	11	17	7	70
15	Datone Jones	GB	17	18	9	19	7	70
16	Ahmad Brooks	SF	18	18	11	16	7	70
17	Jerry Attaochu	SD	18	17	8	20	7	70
18	Melvin Ingram	SD	17	16	11	18	7	69
19	Lorenzo Alexander	BUF	16	17	11	18	7	69
20	Trent Cole	IND	17	17	10	18	7	69
21	James Harrison	PIT	15	15	13	18	7	68
22	Brian Orakpo	TEN	15	18	10	18	7	68
23	Leonard Floyd	CHI	17	15	11	17	7	67
24	Terrell Suggs	BAL	16	17	9	18	7	67
25	Albert McClellan	BAL	16	17	10	18	7	67
26	Erik Walden	IND	16	18	8	17	7	66
27	Tank Carradine	SF	14	17	11	17	7	66
28	Julius Peppers	GB	15	16	8	19	7	65
29	Ryan Kerrigan	WAS	14	17	9	18	7	65
30	Preston Smith	WAS	18	13	9	18	7	65
31	Lamarr Houston	CHI	15	19	7	17	7	65
32	Willie Young	CHI	13	18	11	16	7	65
33	David Bass	TEN	14	17	10	17	7	65
34	Tamba Hali	KC	15	16	9	17	7	64
35	Eli Harold	SF	13	18	10	16	7	64
36	Nate Orchard	CLE	17	13	9	17	7	63
37	Joe Schobert	CLE	13	16	11	16	7	63
38	Lorenzo Mauldin	NYJ	16	13	10	17	7	63
39	Za'Darius Smith	BAL	14	16	10	16	7	63
40	Matt Judon	BAL	13	16	9	17	7	62
41	Sam Acho	CHI	13	14	12	16	7	62
42	Dee Ford	KC	15	15	9	16	7	62
43	Jarvis Jones	PIT	13	17	7	17	7	61
44	Emmanuel Ogbah	CLE	14	14	9	17	7	61
45	Arthur Moats	PIT	8	15	12	18	7	60
46	Robert Mathis	IND	13	15	9	16	7	60
47	Trent Murphy	WAS	12	15	10	16	7	60
48	Kevin Dodd	TEN	13	15	9	16	7	60
49	Lerentee McCray	BUF	10	15	10	17	7	59
50	Frank Zombo	KC	11	17	6	17	7	58
51	Kyler Fackrell	GB	13	13	10	14	7	57
52	Anthony Chickillo	PIT	9	13	10	16	7	55
53	Alex Okafor	ARI	11	10	9	18	7	55
54	Kyle Emanuel	SD	9	14	5	17	7	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Armonty Bryant—suspension
• Elvis Dumervil—injury
• Justin Houston—injury
• Jordan Jenkins—inactive
• Shaq Lawson—injury
• Aaron Lynch—suspension
• Pernell McPhee—injury
• Aldon Smith—suspension

4-3 Outside Linebackers

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The most notable aspect of this week's performances was that Thomas Davis was worked over in the run game against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos utilized a fullback often and with great success. Each time Broncos fullback Andy Janovich met Davis in the hole, Janovich won. Davis had trouble winning the strength and leverage battle with Janovich, forcing him out of plays. Though aside from being abused by the fullback, Davis was mostly himself.

DeAndre Levy made a nice return to the NFL this week. Levy missed the entire 2015 season due to injury, but he has returned to form. In 2014, Levy was revered as one of the best linebackers in the league, primarily for his coverage skills. If Week 1 is any indication, that will be the case again in 2016.

Levy did play a part in giving up a late touchdown to Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle, but he was exceptional in coverage up until that point, proving he could chip off the line, flow in space from assignment to assignment and carry players up the field. Complementary to his coverage ability, Levy had a solid day against the run, especially when given some space.

Another NFC linebacker seems to be fading out of the picture instead of working his way back into it. Mychal Kendricks appears to be in the doghouse of Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, possibly in the same way cornerback Eric Rowe was. Rowe, a talented cornerback who could not get comfortable in Schwartz's scheme, was shipped off to New England.

Kendricks is still on the team, though, instead being relegated to getting snaps only in base sets. Schwartz does not appear to trust Kendricks' intelligence and ability to pick up assignments in coverage. While understandable, Kendricks offers a level of playmaking that many others at his position just do not. He will be one of the most intriguing cases to follow this season.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run defense (Graded out of 25)

Rush: Pass rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 25)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

4-3 Outside Linebacker Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Bruce Irvin	OAK	21	22	13	22	6	84
2	K.J. Wright	SEA	22	21	12	23	6	84
4	Lavonte David	TB	21	23	11	22	6	83
5	Anthony Barr	MIN	22	21	11	21	6	81
6	DeAndre Levy	DET	23	20	9	22	6	80
7	Sean Lee	DAL	20	21	11	21	6	79
8	Telvin Smith	JAX	20	23	7	22	6	78
9	Thomas Davis	CAR	22	14	12	24	6	78
10	Nigel Bradham	PHI	21	20	8	22	6	77
11	Dont'a Hightower	NE	19	18	12	19	6	74
12	Shaq Thompson	CAR	20	19	7	20	6	72
13	De'Vondre Campbell	ATL	18	20	8	17	6	69
14	Chad Greenway	MIN	16	20	7	19	6	68
15	Jonathan Casillas	NYG	18	18	7	16	6	65
16	Vincent Rey	CIN	20	16	7	15	6	64
17	Koa Misi	MIA	20	12	7	16	6	61
18	Malcolm Smith	OAK	12	16	8	18	6	60
19	Devon Kennard	NYG	12	18	7	17	6	60
20	Daryl Smith	TB	16	17	7	14	6	60
21	Michael Morgan	SEA	12	18	7	17	6	60
22	Stephone Anthony	NO	13	15	7	16	6	57
23	Mychal Kendricks	PHI	13	15	7	15	6	56
24	Mark Barron	LA	17	13	6	13	6	55
25	Craig Robertson	NO	13	15	6	14	6	54
26	Justin Durant	DAL	12	14	7	15	6	54
27	Karlos Dansby	CIN	13	12	7	15	6	53
28	Philip Wheeler	ATL	12	14	6	15	6	53
29	Kyle Van Noy	DET	9	13	11	14	6	53
30	Michael Mauti	NO	12	13	7	13	6	51
31	Kyle Wilber	DAL	10	13	7	14	6	50
32	Paul Worrilow	ATL	10	14	6	13	6	49
33	Dan Skuta	JAX	8	13	6	15	6	48
34	Jelani Jenkins	MIA	10	11	5	12	6	44

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Vontaze Burfict—suspension
• Myles Jack—zero defensive snaps
• Barkevious Mingo—zero defensive snaps
• Jaylon Smith—injury

Inside Linebackers

Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images

Week 1 of the NFL season kicked off with the Carolina Panthers traveling to play the Denver Broncos. As expected, the best linebacker on the field that night was...Denver's Todd Davis.

Davis managed to outplay teammate Brandon Marshall as well as the best linebacker in the league, Carolina's Luke Kuechly. Davis grades out in the top 10 for his ability to diagnose Carolina's offense and react quickly to a powerful run game. The Broncos are in search of the next stud linebacker to pair with Marshall, and the answer may have presented itself early. If Week 1 is any indication, the Broncos should have no trouble at inside linebacker despite the losses from 2015.

Sunday's slate of games brought unexpected performances throughout the league. The typical names at linebacker were relatively underwhelming given what many have come to expect from players like Seattle's Bobby Wagner and Baltimore's C.J. Mosley. The differences were apparent in every game, with many players struggling to get off blocks or redirect to the ball.

The players who graded out well were consistently around the ball, often cleaning up plays on the edge that others simply seemed disinterested in making. Players like Tampa Bay's Kwon Alexander or Chicago's Jerrell Freeman earned themselves high marks for their willingness to travel sideline to sideline in an effort to hit and make plays. 

Of note, multiple linebackers recorded interceptions in Week 1, but the play was often a mistake by the quarterback. While being in the right place at the right time is a function of preparation, some of the quarterback decisions in Week 1 were atrocious. Of course, we'll give an extra pat on the back for making the plays that come to you, but it would be naive to not point out that many quarterbacks were inaccurate in their first week.

Make the plays that come your way and go track down the ones that don't. The highest-graded Week 1 linebackers are following that mantra.

Grading Scale

Pass: Pass defense (Graded out of 25)

Run: Run defense (Graded out of 35)

Rush: Pass rush (Graded out of 15)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 15)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Inside Linebacker Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Pass	Run	Rush	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Jerrell Freeman	CHI	21	33	12	14	6	86
2	Ryan Shazier	PIT	23	32	10	13	6	84
3	Jamie Collins	NE	22	29	13	13	6	83
4	Danny Trevathan	CHI	19	32	13	13	6	83
5	Kwon Alexander	TB	20	33	10	14	6	83
6	NaVorro Bowman	SF	19	32	10	13	6	80
7	Todd Davis	DEN	21	31	9	12	6	79
8	Luke Kuechly	CAR	20	30	10	13	6	79
9	Benardrick McKinney	HOU	19	28	14	12	6	79
10	Chris Kirksey	CLE	19	29	13	11	6	78
11	Eric Kendricks	MIN	23	28	9	12	6	78
12	Jordan Hicks	PHI	20	29	10	12	6	77
13	Preston Brown	BUF	18	29	12	12	6	77
14	Zach Orr	BAL	18	28	13	12	6	77
15	Kevin Minter	ARI	20	30	8	12	6	76
16	Ray-Ray Armstrong	SF	21	29	8	11	6	75
17	David Harris	NYJ	17	30	10	12	6	75
18	Jake Ryan	GB	20	29	8	12	6	75
19	Max Bullough	HOU	20	28	8	12	6	74
20	Deion Jones	ATL	18	27	10	13	6	74
21	Su'a Cravens	WAS	22	25	10	11	6	74
22	Paul Posluszny	JAX	17	30	8	12	6	73
23	Will Compton	WAS	19	26	8	13	6	72
24	Bobby Wagner	SEA	17	28	9	12	6	72
25	Sio Moore	IND	19	29	8	10	6	72
26	Brandon Marshall	DEN	20	24	10	11	6	71
27	Avery Williamson	TEN	16	27	10	12	6	71
28	Antonio Morrison	IND	19	27	8	11	6	71
29	Alec Ogletree	LA	20	26	8	10	6	70
30	Kelvin Sheppard	NYG	17	28	8	11	6	70
31	Kiko Alonso	MIA	17	25	10	11	6	69
32	Mason Foster	WAS	20	25	7	11	6	69
33	Gerald Hodges	SF	16	28	8	10	6	68
34	Denzel Perryman	SD	18	27	9	8	6	68
35	Zach Brown	BUF	16	26	9	11	6	68
36	C.J. Mosley	BAL	18	25	10	8	6	67
37	Demario Davis	CLE	15	26	8	12	6	67
38	Brian Cushing	HOU	15	28	8	10	6	67
39	Darron Lee	NYJ	17	25	8	10	6	66
40	Wesley Woodyard	TEN	14	27	8	11	6	66
41	Ben Heeney	OAK	17	27	8	8	6	66
42	Anthony Hitchens	DAL	13	28	7	12	6	66
43	Derrick Johnson	KC	16	28	8	7	6	65
44	Jatavis Brown	SD	19	23	7	10	6	65
45	Manti Te'o	SD	16	28	8	6	6	64
46	Sean Weatherspoon	ATL	14	26	7	11	6	64
47	D'Qwell Jackson	IND	15	25	7	10	6	63
48	Tahir Whitehead	DET	13	27	7	10	6	63
49	Erin Henderson	NYJ	15	23	8	11	6	63
50	Deone Bucannon	ARI	16	24	8	9	6	63
51	Lawrence Timmons	PIT	14	25	7	10	6	62
52	Rey Maualuga	CIN	15	24	7	10	6	62
53	Blake Martinez	GB	14	22	7	10	6	59
54	James Laurinaitis	NO	14	22	7	10	6	59
55	Justin March	KC	16	20	8	8	6	58

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Rolando McClain—suspension

Cornerbacks

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

The first week of NFL action proved to be a challenge for numerous top-flight cornerbacks. Marquee matchups began as early as opening kickoff between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, and they continued through two Monday Night Football contests.

Some, such as Richard Sherman and Chris Harris Jr., carried their stellar play from previous seasons into 2016. But others weren't as fortunate to get off on the right path to a successful campaign.

New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis fell victim to one of the NFL's best wide receivers, Cincinnati Bengals wideout A.J. Green. Green caught 12 of 13 targets for a whopping 180 yards and one touchdown against the Jets secondary. Revis wasn't responsible for all of that, but he did allow two first downs in press coverage and couldn't close the gap on a blown zone-coverage snap that led to Green's 54-yard touchdown catch. Revis has clearly lost speed since his prime, and Green exploited his physical decline.

Prized Oakland Raiders free-agent cornerback Sean Smith also had a rough first week. He struggled to stay with New Orleans Saints receivers Brandin Cooks and Michael Thomas, and Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio benched him in the third quarter after he gave up a 98-yard touchdown pass. The Raiders secondary continued to fall apart after Smith's departure. Smith is normally one of the better cover corners in the league, and the Raiders are dependent on his talent already. He must play better moving forward.

One of the best AFC performances of the week came from Tennessee Titans cornerback Jason McCourty. He locked down the Minnesota Vikings receivers, allowing just two receptions on eight targets. He was especially effective in press coverage, allowing one completion on five targets and helping stifle Charles Johnson and Stefon Diggs. Though it wasn't enough to lead the Titans to a victory, the team must be happy its top defensive back is playing well already.

As mentioned above, Sherman carried his stellar performance over to Week 1. He was the only cornerback in the NFC to go without a blown coverage. That's rare air to be in and will likely be done only a few times this year.

The NFC had three surprises this week from P.J. Williams, DeShawn Shead and Damarious Randall. The trio played outstanding in Week 1 in their respective roles. Williams, Shead and Randall were targeted 13 times between them and gave up a combined two catches. Each of them broke up a pass, and Shead was the lone corner who did not surrender a first down. 

Three cornerbacks who disappointed were Washington's Bashaud Breeland and two veterans from the NFC North, Tracy Porter and Terence Newman. Breeland drew the best receiver in the game; you can't fault him too much. Not many can go toe-to-toe and hold their own against Pittsburgh Steelers star Antonio Brown. In Newman's case, he went up against Titans rookie Tajae Sharpe, and Sharpe made him look bad. Newman was targeted six times, surrendered four catches and had six blown coverages. He also gave up a pair of first downs.

In Porter's case, he couldn't handle the speed of Texans rookie wideout Will Fuller, who ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash at February's combine. While Porter's targets look good—only four of eight catches surrendered—he gave up a touchdown. It could've been more if Houston signal-caller Brock Osweiler hadn't overthrown the ball a couple of times. Porter also allowed a first down and had seven blown coverages. If not for his interception to open the game, his grade would've been much lower.

Nolan Carroll of the Eagles just missed out on this list after playing one of his worst games ever. He failed to meet high expectations and put up a doughnut in Week 1 with six blown coverages and two surrendered first downs.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

React: Reaction/recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Cornerback Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	React	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Richard Sherman	SEA	27	24	18	9	9	87
2	Chris Harris Jr.	DEN	26	25	18	7	9	85
3	Jason Verrett	SD	26	25	18	6	9	84
4	Tramaine Brock	SF	25	25	17	7	9	83
5	Janoris Jenkins	NYG	24	26	16	6	9	81
6	Jimmie Ward	SF	24	24	17	7	9	81
7	Damarious Randall	GB	25	24	17	6	9	81
8	DeShawn Shead	SEA	24	24	16	8	9	81
9	Patrick Peterson	ARI	26	26	16	4	9	81
10	Desmond Trufant	ATL	24	23	18	6	9	80
11	Jason McCourty	TEN	25	23	18	5	9	80
12	Josh Norman	WAS	24	24	16	7	9	80
13	Bradley Roby	DEN	23	24	17	6	9	79
14	Brent Grimes	TB	24	19	18	8	9	78
15	P.J. Williams	NO	24	21	17	7	9	78
16	Darius Slay	DET	23	23	15	6	9	76
17	Sam Shields	GB	23	22	15	6	9	75
18	Rashard Robinson	SF	23	21	17	5	9	75
19	Tyvon Branch	ARI	22	21	16	7	9	75
20	Johnathan Joseph	HOU	24	19	16	6	9	74
21	Prince Amukamara	JAX	22	23	14	5	9	73
22	Brandon Carr	DAL	22	20	15	6	9	72
23	Josh Shaw	CIN	18	20	19	6	9	72
24	Jeremy Lane	SEA	19	21	16	6	9	71
25	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	NYG	24	21	12	5	9	71
26	Jimmy Smith	BAL	20	22	14	6	9	71
27	Stephon Gilmore	BUF	22	20	15	5	9	71
28	Darrelle Revis	NYJ	22	17	14	8	9	70
29	Delvin Breaux	NO	19	21	15	6	9	70
30	Morris Claiborne	DAL	21	19	15	6	9	70
31	Jalen Ramsey	JAX	18	20	16	6	9	69
32	Aqib Talib	DEN	22	20	14	4	9	69
33	Tyrann Mathieu	ARI	19	21	14	6	9	69
34	Robert Alford	ATL	20	20	15	4	9	68
35	Jalen Mills	PHI	19	19	15	6	9	68
36	Alterraun Verner	TB	18	18	16	7	9	68
37	Dontae Johnson	SF	20	19	15	5	9	68
38	Davon House	JAX	21	19	14	5	9	68
39	Antonio Cromartie	IND	22	17	15	5	9	68
40	Adam Jones	CIN	19	19	15	5	9	67
41	Jacoby Glenn	CHI	19	18	15	6	9	67
42	Marcus Peters	KC	20	20	14	3	9	66
43	Bene Benwikere	CAR	17	17	17	6	9	66
44	Brandon Flowers	SD	18	16	18	5	9	66
45	Kevin Johnson	HOU	18	19	13	7	9	66
46	William Gay	PIT	20	17	15	5	9	66
47	Marcus Williams	NYJ	20	18	14	5	9	66
48	Ronald Darby	BUF	19	20	13	5	9	66
49	Trumaine Johnson	LA	18	17	14	7	9	65
50	Casey Hayward	SD	19	17	14	6	9	65
51	Lamarcus Joyner	LA	16	17	16	7	9	65
52	Trae Waynes	MIN	17	19	15	5	9	65
53	Patrick Robinson	IND	20	17	15	4	9	65
54	Logan Ryan	NE	18	18	15	5	9	65
55	Bashaud Breeland	WAS	19	19	14	4	9	65
56	Malcolm Butler	NE	16	18	15	6	9	64
57	Vernon Hargreaves	TB	16	17	16	6	9	64
58	Robert McCain	CAR	16	15	17	7	9	64
59	Phillip Gaines	KC	18	19	13	5	9	64
60	Dashaun Phillips	WAS	17	16	16	6	9	64
61	Captain Munnerlyn	MIN	14	16	17	7	9	63
62	Jude Adjei-Barimah	TB	15	17	16	6	9	63
63	De'Vante Harris	NO	18	15	16	5	9	63
64	Ross Cockrell	PIT	20	18	10	5	9	62
65	Brian Poole	ATL	16	15	16	5	9	61
66	Ron Brooks	PHI	15	15	17	5	9	61
67	Joe Haden	CLE	16	15	15	6	9	61
68	Kareem Jackson	HOU	17	15	13	6	9	60
69	Buster Skrine	NYJ	16	17	14	4	9	60
70	Steven Nelson	KC	17	15	15	4	9	60
71	Nickell Robey-Coleman	BUF	16	17	15	3	9	60
72	Shareece Wright	BAL	17	15	12	7	9	60
73	Jamar Taylor	CLE	15	16	13	6	9	59
74	Bryce Callahan	CHI	16	13	15	5	9	58
75	Xavien Howard	MIA	16	14	10	9	9	58
76	Bobby McCain	MIA	15	16	13	5	9	58
77	Quinten Rollins	GB	17	12	14	6	9	58
78	Sean Smith	OAK	16	15	12	6	9	58
79	Tramon Williams	CLE	17	14	12	5	9	57
80	Byron Maxwell	MIA	18	15	8	7	9	57
81	Sean Davis	PIT	14	14	13	6	9	56
82	Leon Hall	NYG	14	14	14	5	9	56
83	Nevin Lawson	DET	13	14	15	5	9	56
84	A.J. Bouye	HOU	14	15	13	5	9	56
85	Quandre Diggs	DET	13	13	16	4	9	55
86	Perrish Cox	TEN	16	14	11	5	9	55
87	Eli Apple	NYG	15	13	13	5	9	55
88	Leodis McKelvin	PHI	14	14	13	5	9	55
89	Tavon Young	BAL	14	15	12	5	9	55
90	Justin Coleman	NE	13	15	12	5	9	54
91	Chris Lewis-Harris	CIN	14	14	12	5	9	54
92	Brandon Williams	ARI	12	13	13	7	9	54
93	Anthony Brown	DAL	12	14	13	5	9	53
94	David Amerson	OAK	14	15	10	5	9	53
95	James Bradberry	CAR	13	12	13	5	9	52
96	Mackensie Alexander	MIN	12	12	13	6	9	52
97	Coty Sensabaugh	LA	13	12	10	8	9	52
98	Brice McCain	TEN	13	15	12	3	9	52
99	Deiondre' Hall	CHI	13	11	12	7	9	52
100	Tracy Porter	CHI	13	12	12	5	9	51
101	Orlando Scandrick	DAL	12	12	13	4	9	50
102	Terence Newman	MIN	13	11	13	4	9	50
103	Darryl Morris	IND	13	13	10	5	9	50
104	Dre Kirkpatrick	CIN	14	12	10	4	9	49
105	LaDarius Gunter	GB	11	12	11	5	9	48
106	Nolan Carroll	PHI	10	12	12	4	9	47
107	D.J. Hayden	OAK	10	11	8	5	9	43
108	Ken Crawley	NO	10	9	8	3	9	39

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Darius Butler—injury
• Vontae Davis—injury
• Xavier Rhodes—injury

Free Safeties

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

There weren't too many standout performances at the free safety position. Darian Stewart was the top performer after having a solid week in coverage against a tricky Panthers attack that can be confusing for safeties with multiple formations and play-action fakes. He made one highlight-reel hit. Working from deep on the opposite side of the field, Stewart read run on a shovel pass and charged down to the line of scrimmage to land a stunning hit on Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert. 

On the other end of the scale, Seahawks safety Earl Thomas ranked at the bottom of the group, which is surprising given his talents. He graded out as the top free safety coming into the season but had a terrible game against the Dolphins. He missed three tackles and was fortunate Kenny Stills dropped what should have been a long touchdown pass. Thomas was the deep safety in the middle of the field and got lost trying to track the ball in the air.

Houston's Andre Hal is perhaps the best free safety you've never heard of. He was sharp in coverage against Chicago. He constantly buzzed down and took away hot routes underneath for opposing quarterback Jay Cutler, forcing him to hold on to the ball and look elsewhere while Watt and Clowney closed in on him. He was also reliable over the top, stopping Cutler from taking many deep shots.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 30)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 30)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 10)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Free Safety Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Darian Stewart	DEN	25	25	8	17	8	83
2	Devin McCourty	NE	25	25	7	17	8	82
3	Isa Abdul-Quddus	MIA	24	26	7	17	8	82
4	Harrison Smith	MIN	25	25	6	16	8	80
5	Eric Reid	SF	23	24	7	17	8	79
6	Darian Thompson	NYG	24	24	7	16	8	79
7	Rodney McLeod	PHI	22	25	6	17	8	78
8	Andre Hal	HOU	25	25	4	14	8	76
9	Reggie Nelson	OAK	23	23	5	17	8	76
10	Mo Alexander	LA	21	24	6	17	8	76
11	George Iloka	CIN	21	23	7	17	8	76
12	Rashad Johnson	TEN	23	23	6	16	8	76
13	Dexter McCoil	SD	21	23	6	17	8	75
14	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	GB	24	24	6	12	8	74
15	Michael Mitchell	PIT	21	21	6	17	8	73
16	Ibraheim Campbell	CLE	20	21	7	16	8	72
17	Tre Boston	CAR	21	23	6	13	8	71
18	Byron Jones	DAL	19	22	7	15	8	71
19	Glover Quin	DET	20	19	6	17	8	70
20	Kevin Byard	TEN	21	19	6	16	8	70
21	Chris Conte	TB	19	19	7	17	8	70
22	Lardarius Webb	BAL	19	20	7	16	8	70
23	T.J. Green	IND	19	19	6	17	8	69
24	DeAngelo Hall	WAS	18	19	6	16	8	67
25	Ricardo Allen	ATL	19	17	6	17	8	67
26	Duron Harmon	NE	19	17	6	17	8	67
27	Dwight Lowery	SD	17	18	6	16	8	65
28	Justin Simmons	DEN	17	16	6	17	8	64
29	Adrian Amos	CHI	17	16	7	15	8	63
30	Ron Parker	KC	18	18	6	13	8	63
31	Tashaun Gipson	JAX	16	17	5	16	8	62
32	Marcus Gilchrist	NYJ	17	19	6	12	8	62
33	Jairus Byrd	NO	16	17	5	16	8	62
34	Corey Graham	BUF	15	18	6	15	8	62
35	Nat Berhe	NYG	14	15	7	15	8	59
36	Earl Thomas	SEA	13	16	5	13	8	55

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None

Strong Safeties

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Miami's Reshad Jones was the best safety on the field in a game that contained Seahawks pair Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas. He played sound fundamental football, reading the correct keys, reacting quickly and, most importantly, making good tackles. He took away the Seahawks' bootleg pass to the flat on more than one occasion, which is usually a staple play that gets Seattle a solid gain each time. He had one mistake, biting down on a deep crossing route and leaving the outside corner one-on-one on a go route, but Russell Wilson was under pressure and overthrew the pass. 

Eric Berry must have been disappointed in his performance against the Chargers on Sunday. There were a couple of times the Chiefs safety took false steps, and on one occasion, he had to grab and hold on a corner route in the red zone to save a sure touchdown after being beaten. Wide receiver blocks uncharacteristically pinned him inside a couple of times. The performance suggested he needed to knock off some early-season rust, but he did have flashes of his normal self.

Buccaneers safety Bradley McDougald struggled in the first half against the Falcons, but he bounced back with a strong performance in the second half and particularly in the fourth quarter. He got turned around on a deep shot to Julio Jones but managed to recover and break up the pass. Later on, he did an excellent job of taking away a slant to Jones, leading Matt Ryan to hold on to the ball too long and get sacked. The strong fourth-quarter performance earned him a grade just outside of the top 10.

Grading Scale

Cvg: Coverage (Graded out of 25)

Rec: Recovery (Graded out of 25)

Slot: Slot/LB (Graded out of 20)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 20)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Strong Safety Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Cvg	Rec	Slot	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Reshad Jones	MIA	22	23	18	18	6	87
2	Shawn Williams	CIN	19	21	18	18	6	82
3	T.J. McDonald	LA	21	22	16	16	6	81
4	Kam Chancellor	SEA	18	20	18	18	6	80
5	Eric Weddle	BAL	21	18	17	18	6	80
6	Antoine Bethea	SF	19	19	16	17	6	77
7	Micah Hyde	GB	18	18	17	17	6	76
8	Robert Golden	PIT	18	18	17	17	6	76
9	Kemal Ishmael	ATL	18	18	17	16	6	75
10	Keith McGill	OAK	17	19	16	17	6	75
11	Bradley McDougald	TB	19	18	16	15	6	74
12	Da'Norris Searcy	TEN	17	15	18	17	6	73
13	Andrew Sendejo	MIN	18	17	16	16	6	73
14	Aaron Williams	BUF	17	18	16	16	6	73
15	Daniel Sorensen	KC	17	18	16	16	6	73
16	Barry Church	DAL	16	17	17	16	6	72
17	Derrick Kindred	CLE	17	17	16	16	6	72
18	Mike C Adams	IND	17	17	16	16	6	72
19	Tony Jefferson	ARI	15	16	17	17	6	71
20	Patrick Chung	NE	17	18	15	15	6	71
21	Kenny Vaccaro	NO	17	20	13	14	6	70
22	Jaquiski Tartt	SF	17	17	15	15	6	70
23	Jordan Poyer	CLE	16	17	15	16	6	70
24	Morgan Burnett	GB	13	16	18	16	6	69
25	Quintin Demps	HOU	15	17	15	16	6	69
26	J.J. Wilcox	DAL	17	16	14	16	6	69
27	Rafael Bush	DET	15	16	16	16	6	69
28	David Bruton	WAS	16	17	15	14	6	68
29	Daimion Stafford	TEN	14	14	17	17	6	68
30	Harold Jones-Quartey	CHI	15	16	15	16	6	68
31	Jonathan Meeks	BUF	15	16	15	16	6	68
32	Eric Berry	KC	16	15	15	15	6	67
33	T.J. Ward	DEN	17	19	12	13	6	67
34	Tyvon Branch	ARI	15	16	14	16	6	67
35	Malcolm Jenkins	PHI	14	16	15	16	6	67
36	Tavon Wilson	DET	13	16	16	16	6	67
37	Winston Guy	IND	16	17	13	15	6	67
38	Landon Collins	NYG	14	15	16	15	6	66
39	John Cyprien	JAX	15	14	16	15	6	66
40	Jahleel Addae	SD	14	15	15	15	6	65
41	Anthony Levine	BAL	14	16	13	16	6	65
42	Duke Williams	BUF	13	15	14	16	6	64
43	Roman Harper	NO	15	14	14	15	6	64
44	Kurt Coleman	CAR	14	13	15	13	6	61
45	Calvin Pryor	NYJ	14	13	14	13	6	60

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Eddie Pleasant—limited snaps

Kickers

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Dan Bailey put in a game for the ages, and if he had been able to attempt a 60-plus-yard kick in the final seconds, it might have challenged Justin Tucker's 2013 performance against the Detroit Lions as the best regular-season game by a kicker in history. Bailey was perfect on the day, displaying tremendous leg strength on 54- and 56-yard makes—the latter of which was a career long—as well as booming his kickoffs through the end zone. This is the kind of performance you want from an elite kicker. 

Jason Myers of the Jacksonville Jaguars makes a surprise entrance into the top two, as the second-year player showed a big leg and strong technique in his first game after a rookie season in which he struggled on extra points. Myers has always had the leg strength to be a star, but he must repeat this performance on a consistent basis to warrant consideration as a top NFL kicker.

The next four names read as a who's who of NFL kickers—Stephen Gostkowski, Adam Vinatieri, Dustin Hopkins and Justin Tucker. No surprises from this bunch, as they all started the season strong, with Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell also showing he is poised to make a jump in his second year.

Unfortunately, the season got off to a rough start for Blair Walsh, who missed his first two field-goal attempts, as well as an extra point, after his critical miss in the Minnesota Vikings' playoff loss against the Seahawks last year. Walsh should get three to four weeks of rope, as he seemed to figure things out as the game went on, but he needs to build on the four field goals he made in Week 1, including a 50-yarder.

Grading Scale

Pwr: Kick power (Graded out of 40)

Acc: Kick accuracy (Graded out of 40)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 10)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Kicker Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Pwr	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Dan Bailey	DAL	39	40	5	3	87
2	Jason Myers	JAX	37	37	5	3	82
3	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	35	38	5	3	81
4	Adam Vinatieri	IND	33	37	5	3	78
5	Dustin Hopkins	WAS	35	35	5	3	78
6	Justin Tucker	BAL	36	34	5	3	78
7	Chris Boswell	PIT	34	35	5	3	77
8	Mason Crosby	GB	34	34	5	3	76
9	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	34	33	5	3	75
10	Roberto Aguayo	TB	33	34	5	3	75
11	Matt Bryant	ATL	29	34	5	3	71
12	Cairo Santos	KC	28	35	5	3	71
13	Ryan Succop	TEN	32	30	5	3	70
14	Patrick Murray	CLE	32	30	5	3	70
15	Nick Novak	HOU	26	35	5	3	69
16	Phil Dawson	SF	29	31	5	3	68
17	Mike Nugent	CIN	29	30	5	3	67
18	Caleb Sturgis	PHI	33	26	5	3	67
19	Matt Prater	DET	34	25	5	3	67
20	Josh Lambo	SD	30	28	5	3	66
21	Brandon McManus	DEN	27	30	5	3	65
22	Graham Gano	CAR	28	28	5	3	64
23	Connor Barth	CHI	27	29	5	3	64
24	Steven Hauschka	SEA	34	22	5	3	64
25	Chandler Catanzaro	ARI	31	24	5	3	63
26	Wil Lutz	NO	29	23	5	3	60
27	Andrew Franks	MIA	33	19	5	3	60
28	Dan Carpenter	BUF	29	22	5	3	59
29	Randy Bullock	NYG	30	20	5	3	58
30	Nick Folk	NYJ	32	16	5	3	56
31	Blair Walsh	MIN	28	15	5	3	51

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• Josh Brown—suspension
• Greg Zuerlein—no kicks attempted

Punters

Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

Marquette King was the star of Week 1, showing above-average power and hang time, as well as the ability to move the ball around the field horizontally. King had a strong showing in the preseason, and this could be the start of a breakout year for the Oakland punter. 

Blue-chip punters Brett Kern, Sam Martin and Pat McAfee all find themselves in the top five in Week 1, with Martin's booming kicks notching him a perfect rating for distance. He averaged 58.8 yards per punt over four punts. McAfee was strong directionally this week, while Kern gave the type of balanced performance that helped him become one of the top punters in the league last season.

At the bottom of the list, Kansas City Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt had a disappointing start to his season, with well-below-average leg strength, as well as subpar hang time and directional placement. He should bounce back quickly, but it was a difficult way to start the year for a punter who is typically slightly above average.

Drew Butler of the Arizona Cardinals also struggled and has not shown NFL-caliber leg strength for nearly a year now. His ball placement was below average as well. Jeff Locke of the Minnesota Vikings saw similar ratings but was slightly better with his directional punting abilities. New England's Ryan Allen and Seattle's Jon Ryan, two punters who are typically above average, struggled slightly, with below-average games for players of their caliber.

Grading Scale

Dist: Kick distance (Graded out of 20)

Hang: Kick hang time (Graded out of 20)

Acc: Kick accuracy (Graded out of 45)

Tkl: Tackling (Graded out of 5)

Pos: Positional value (Graded out of 10)

Ovr: Top possible score of 100

Punter Rankings Week 1

Rank	Player	Team	Dist	Hang	Acc	Tkl	Pos	Ovr
1	Marquette King	OAK	19	17	38	3	3	80
2	Chris Jones	DAL	16	20	35	3	3	77
3	Brett Kern	TEN	18	17	35	3	3	76
4	Sam Martin	DET	20	17	33	3	3	76
5	Pat McAfee	IND	15	16	38	3	3	75
6	Johnny Hekker	LA	14	15	40	3	3	75
7	Lachlan Edwards	NYJ	18	19	31	3	3	74
8	Pat O'Donnell	CHI	11	18	38	3	3	73
9	Thomas Morstead	NO	18	17	32	3	3	73
10	Andy Lee	CAR	20	19	27	3	3	72
11	Britton Colquitt	CLE	18	15	33	3	3	72
12	Donnie Jones	PHI	17	18	31	3	3	72
13	Colton Schmidt	BUF	10	13	43	3	3	72
14	Bryan Anger	TB	18	19	28	3	3	71
15	Brad Nortman	JAX	19	20	26	3	3	71
16	Matt Darr	MIA	13	16	35	3	3	70
17	Tress Way	WAS	15	15	33	3	3	69
18	Jordan Berry	PIT	19	15	29	3	3	69
19	Sam Koch	BAL	11	15	37	3	3	69
20	Jacob Schum	GB	13	17	32	3	3	68
21	Bradley Pinion	SF	13	18	30	3	3	67
22	Kevin Huber	CIN	15	15	30	3	3	66
23	Shane Lechler	HOU	17	14	29	3	3	66
24	Brad Wing	NYG	19	15	24	3	3	64
25	Matt Bosher	ATL	9	15	33	3	3	63
26	Ryan Allen	NE	12	14	31	3	3	63
27	Jon Ryan	SEA	15	14	28	3	3	63
28	Jeff Locke	MIN	10	13	32	3	3	61
29	Drew Kaser	SD	6	10	37	3	3	59
30	Drew Butler	ARI	11	16	25	3	3	58
31	Riley Dixon	DEN	11	12	27	3	3	56
32	Dustin Colquitt	KC	5	13	28	3	3	52

Notable Omissions/Not Graded This Week

• None