PFF: Final Grades, Best & worst

[top dawg]

Credit Anthony Rizzuti of Panthers Wire for the grades.

https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/lists/best-and-worst-pff-grades-from-panthers-2023-season/

Best:

Offense 

1. RB Chuba Hubbard: 77.2
2. RT Taylor Moton: 74.6
3. WR Adam Thielen: 72.7
4. LT Ikem Ekwonu: 67.4
5. WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette: 63.6

Defense 

1. DT Derrick Brown: 90.1
2. CB Jaycee Horn: 84.1
3. S Xavier Woods: 80.3
4. LB Frankie Luvu: 78.5
5. OLB Brian Burns: 74.1

 

Worst:

Offense

17. G Calvin Throckmorton: 50.6
18. G Austin Corbett: 47.9
19. TE Hayden Hurst: 44.7
20. G Nash Jensen: 34.7
21. G Chandler Zavala: 26.2

Defense

21. OLB DJ Johnson: 50.4
22. DL DeShawn Williams: 50.0
23. LB Kamu Grugier-Hill: 48.6
24. CB D’Shawn Jamison: 47.2
25. CB CJ Henderson: 45.4

 

Some thoughts:

I have always said that Chuba is undervalued in this place. He's a hard runner and obviously hard worker as his game has seen progress every season. It's not to say that there aren't more talented backs, but I wonder what Chuba would do behind a better line. In any event, keeping him seems like a no-brainer for a league largely gone to RBBC.

Ickey would probably be an excellent guard. He had a bit of a  sophomore slump---some terrible...what looked to be lapses---but he's a talented enough run blocker, and would also likely thrive as a guard where he wouldn't have to think so much or move his feet as much (which appears to be athletically challenging for him). Even after all that, he was never overall terrible, unlike what some may have proclaimed. As a guard, he would greatly strengthen the interior which was quite frankly awful too much of the time (as anyone can gather by simply looking at the worst grades on offense).

Smith Marsette seems like a keeper to me. He's solid in the return game, and he can give an offense a spark a few plays per game. As a four or five, I don't know if you can do much better. He plays with heart, which was lacking in the receiving department in 2023. 

What can Brown do for you? Get you a 100 tackles. Should be our priority on defense. 

From some perspective Horn may be the biggest question mark in terms of what do we do with him.

The problem with Burns is that he wants to get paid more than what he's displayed on the field. He's earned a solid payday, just not a bank-breaking payday. We can let him rob us, or we can do the sensible thing which is tag him and let him test the market. If he can find someone willing to pay what he thinks he's worth, let them do just that and take the compensation. 

I don't believe that we should overpay for Luvu either, but he's earned a solid payday and a lengthier stay.

 

 

Edited January 11 by top dawg

[Jay Roosevelt]

Chandler Zavala 

[pantherj]

21 minutes ago, Jay Roosevelt said:

Chandler Zavala 

26.2

[jb2288]

Man.... When 4 of your 5 worst players started at G and the 5th was one of your supposed big offseason playmaking signings.... Plus one of the OL in the top 5 is a bit questionable.... Just no chance for anyone to succeed on offense this year. 

 

Defense is super encouraging. If Jaycee somehow gets the injury bug out of his system, we have a very solid core of young guys to build around. Think Xavier is the oldest on that list and he's only like 28

[ECHornet]

We badly need a receiving threat TE. It would help Bryce a ton. Hurst was very disappointing. 

[MGH1989]

How in the fug does Ickey have such a high grade?

Not that it was not already obvious, but Panthers Guard play was the worst in the NFL.

[Panthers Fan 69]

Not a Fu king chance icky was graded that good. Not a Chance. 

[Shocker]

The ultimate kick a dead horse post,  please find a life

[top dawg]

4 minutes ago, Shocker said:

The ultimate kick a dead horse post,  please find a life

I think that it's more about your own outlook than anything else. Take your own medicine.

[top dawg]

1 hour ago, Jay Roosevelt said:

Chandler Zavala 

Really big ugly. 

[CPF4LIFE]

43 minutes ago, MGH1989 said:

How in the fug does Ickey have such a high grade?

Not that it was not already obvious, but Panthers Guard play was the worst in the NFL.

Ickey is low key an elite run blocker. A lot of the big runs come off him making key blocks. Its really night and day how much better he is in run blocking than pass block. So When he has games where he doesn't struggle pass blocking he is top tier. 

[Xtreme]

Still not sure why we kept Henderson. 

[MHS831]

2 hours ago, Jay Roosevelt said:

Chandler Zavala 

Seriously--I did not know you could score in the 20s.  I thought if your chin strap was snapped and you didn't shi t your pants you got a 30.

[MHS831]

1 hour ago, ECHornet said:

We badly need a receiving threat TE. It would help Bryce a ton. Hurst was very disappointing. 

Ricci was showing signs in that area before IR, and Tremble flashed during Green Bay, but no, we had to have Thomas out there to meet our penalty quota. Still, not enough production to have either penciled in as the cure.  I never saw Hurst as a big time TE, but apparently, Fitterer thought he was going to be our #1.  I do think we need a stud--to help block at times and to get open at times.