• Sam Darnold earns the top quarterback spot: His 75.1 overall grade is a career high, and his 14 big-time throws are tied for the fifth-most in the NFL.
• Lions defenders represented at every position group: Detroit’s defense ranks sixth in EPA per play, and for good reason.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
We're at the halfway mark (or near enough) of the season, so PFF will dive into each division and present the best players at every position thus far. After diving into the AFC, we'll head into the NFC North, where the Detroit Lions lead with 14 selections.
QUARTERBACK: Sam Darnold, Vikings
There may be some surprise that Jared Goff isn’t the nod here, but the grades just don’t match the production in his case. Darnold has surprised pretty much everyone with his play (career-high 75.1 overall grade) and is fifth in the league for completions over 20 yards in the air (16).
RUNNING BACK: Josh Jacobs, Packers
It was between Jacobs and David Montgomery, but Jacobs has been the guy in Green Bay, leading the division in forced missed tackles and yardage. He replaced Aaron Jones, who himself is having a nice year.
WIDE RECEIVER: Justin Jefferson, Vikings; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions; Jayden Reed, Packers
At the start of the year, Jefferson and St. Brown would have been penciled in here, and there is no surprise about their inclusion. The third spot was tougher, but ultimately the excellent production of Reed in the slot won him out.
TIGHT END: Sam LaPorta, Lions
LaPorta hasn’t lived up to his rookie year, but he’s still got the highest receiving grade of all the NFC North tight ends at a 75.8 receiving grade. His only real competition for this slot is Josh Oliver given his blocking prowess (74.4 pass-blocking grade).
LEFT TACKLE: Christian Darrisaw, Vikings
It’s unfortunate for Darrisaw that his season is now over, as he was the best left tackle by some distance. His 81.4 overall grade marked his third straight season notching an overall mark of 80.0 or better.
LEFT GUARD: Teven Jenkins, Bears
Jenkins has developed into an above-average guard. Outside of one bad game against the Rams, he’s having another good year with a 73.9 overall grade.
CENTER: Frank Ragnow, Lions
Consistently one of the best centers in the league, Ragnow looks in no danger of being called anything but best center in the NFC North for a while. His 81.5 overall grade ranks fifth among qualifying centers.
RIGHT GUARD: Kevin Zeitler, Lions
Zeitler has fit in seamlessly with the Lions and has amassed the highest grade of all guards in the division at 78.9 overall. That mark would be his best since 2016.
RIGHT TACKLE: Penei Sewell, Lions
There isn’t a division better stacked with right tackles than the NFC North. Sewell is arguably the best in the league, but both Zach Tom and Brian O’Neill look ready to push him if his play slips. All three have posted overall grades of 82.2 or higher.
EDGE DEFENDER: Aidan Hutchinson, Lions; Jonathan Greenard, Vikings
Hutchinson was on pace to rewrite the record books before his injury. As it is, he still has more pressures than anyone except for Nick Bosa and deserves this selection. Greenard was a good player in Houston but he’s enjoying the best period of his career right now, leading the NFL with 48 pressures.
DEFENSIVE INTERIOR: Alim McNeill, Lions; Levi Onwuzurike, Lions
Picking McNeill, the highest-graded interior defender in the division at 80.4 overall, was easy. Finding a partner for him was not. No other interior defender in the league has graded above 69.0 overall, with all four teams hoping to get more production from the spot.
LINEBACKER: Jack Campbell, Lions; Eric Wilson, Packers
This year has proven quite the turnaround for Campbell, who has taken his 52.1 overall rookie grade and jumped it all the way up to 80.1 for the best mark in the division. Wilson is just able to hold off the challenge of Blake Cashman in one of the better divisions for linebackers.
CORNERBACK: Jaire Alexander, Packers; Jaylon Johnson, Bears; Brian Branch, Lions
We’ve cheated a bit here, as we wanted to get all three safeties on the field. The work Branch does as a slot corner (79 snaps) allowed for this. On the outside, Alexander and Johnson are the only two at the position with coverage grades above 70.0.
SAFETY: Xavier McKinney, Packers; Kerby Joseph, Lions
With the aforementioned Branch and Evan Williams, this division is loaded at safety. We haven’t even mentioned Kevin Byard, who would probably get onto every other divisional team. As it is, Joseph and McKinney both have those blue elite marks next to their name with 90.7 and 90.0 overall grades, respectively.
KICKER: Jake Bates, Lions
PUNTER: Daniel Whelan, Packers
KICK RETURNER: Kalif Raymond, Lions
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sione Vaki, Lions
It was tough choosing between Bates and Will Reichard, and we couldn’t fault anyone who disagrees with the selection. Whelan has built off a strong rookie year with a 78.1 punting grade.
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