Latest news with #DaltonWasserman
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFF names two Notre Dame stars, Jeremiyah Love and Leonard Moore, as top-10 players in ‘25
Notre Dame football enters the 2025 season with extremely high expectations, and part of that is due to having more than a few stars on the team according to Pro Football Focus. Two of their writers, Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick, helped put together the top-50 players of college football for this coming year, and two Irish stars made the early portion of their list. First it was running back Jeremiyah Love, who was their No. 4 overall player, and top at the position. PFF's metrics had Love as the 'second-most-valuable running back in college football in 2024.. his fantastic athleticism allow him to run through or hurdle defenders, making him a threat to score from anywhere on the field.' It almost impossible to critique their assessment, as Love is one of the top players nationally, regardless of position. The other Notre Dame star to make the list was cornerback Leonard Moore, who is viewed as the No. 6 best player in the country. The rising sophomore dominated during his first year on campus, as he was the 'third-most-valuable cornerback in college football.' It was noted that he is able to 'mirror(s) receivers at an elite level.' While both Love and Moore are know commodities, there are other Notre Dame players that could crack this list by the end of the year. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see one of the sophomore defenders (Bryce Young or Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa) make the jump into stardom this fall. The Irish are loaded with talent, and are in line to have another big season.
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Was Buccaners' Todd Bowles ranked in PFF's top 10 returning coaches?
Pro Football Focus has done a lot to get fans ready by providing a lot of preview material for the upcoming 2025 season. Within that they have discussed nearly every position, but now they are moving onto the coaches of the teams in which fans get to watch roam the sidelines of their favorite teams. PFF wanted to rank the top 10 returning incumbent NFL coaches in 2025. Dalton Wasserman explained his approach to the process, explaining, "Players ultimately decide who wins and loses football games, but coaching plays a massive part in optimizing their performance. There certainly isn't a shortage of excellent head coaches, both old and young, in the NFL, and we're ranking the best among them. This will be a ranking of head coaches returning to their incumbent positions in 2025. Newly hired coaches — Aaron Glenn, Mike Vrabel, Liam Coen, Pete Carroll, Brian Schottenheimer, Ben Johnson and Kellen Moore — will not be included." For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Todd Bowles earned the team their fourth straight NFC South division title. In the process, he helped coach the team back from being outside the playoff picture completely to being at the top of the division once again. So, where would he be ranked? That's the thing, he did not crack the top ten. This may not be surprising, especially when you look and see that the rankings did not include the reigning Coach of the Year, Kevin O'Connell. No coaches from the division made the rankings as a whole, but former Saints coach and current Broncos coach Sean Payton did earn the second-ranked spot.
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Was Vikings' Kevin O'Connell ranked in PFF's top 10 returning coaches?
Pro Football Focus has done a lot to get fans ready by providing a lot of preview material for the upcoming 2025 season. Within that they have discussed nearly every position, but now they are moving onto the coaches of the teams in which fans get to watch roam the sidelines of their favorite teams. PFF wanted to rank the top 10 returning incumbent NFL coaches in 2025. Dalton Wasserman explained his approach to the process, explaining, "Players ultimately decide who wins and loses football games, but coaching plays a massive part in optimizing their performance. There certainly isn't a shortage of excellent head coaches, both old and young, in the NFL, and we're ranking the best among them. This will be a ranking of head coaches returning to their incumbent positions in 2025. Newly hired coaches — Aaron Glenn, Mike Vrabel, Liam Coen, Pete Carroll, Brian Schottenheimer, Ben Johnson and Kellen Moore — will not be included." For the Minnesota Vikings, their coach, Kevin O'Connell, is coming off a 2024 campaign that saw him take a backup quarterback in Sam Darnold and go 14-3. In the process, he would earn Coach of the Year honors and is now poised to start sculpting the next piece of quarterback clay in 2025, J.J. McCarthy. So, where would he be ranked? That's the thing, he did not crack the top ten. You will have to see the rankings for yourself, but we will mention that the Lions' Dan Campbell came in ninth. No other NFC North coaches were ranked, of course, not the first-year head coach Ben Johnson. That being said, though, not having O'Connell coming off a coach of the year performance is a bit puzzling.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eagles Edge Rusher Wrongly Named As 'Make or Break' Candidate
Eagles Edge Rusher Wrongly Named As 'Make or Break' Candidate originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Is it too early to say that a third-year edge rusher is entering a "make or break season? Even if that player is coming off an excellent postseason? Advertisement That's the question (or two) surrounding Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Nolan Smith. The former first-round pick from the 2023 draft enjoyed last year's breakout postseason when he recorded a league-high four of his 6.5 total sacks in the playoffs. Most analysts would consider Smith a 'bigger breakout' candidate. Not someone in a pressure cooker. Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman isn't one of those analysts. Wasserman highlighted Smith as a "make-or-break" candidate for the team heading into 2025. "Smith's make-or-break candidacy isn't an indictment of his NFL resumé as much as it is an indication of the Eagles' need for him to be a star," Wasserman said. "The team lost veteran edge defenders Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham this offseason, making Smith a sure-fire starter for the first time in his career." Advertisement Smith is set to play a significant role on the Eagles defense this year. He needs to produce at a high level if Philadelphia is to have any chance of fielding an elite defensive line. The organization is confident he can reach that mark this year. Despite tearing his triceps in Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles strongly believe in Smith's work ethic and abilities. And to us? And to Philly? That would make him a "re-breakout" candidate, not a "make-or-break" candidate this season. Related: Eagles Called Potential Landing Spot For All-Pro Safety Related: Eagles Defense Called 'Miles Ahead' of Last Year's Top Unit This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
49ers Running Back Room Clears Top 15 in Recent Rankings
49ers Running Back Room Clears Top 15 in Recent Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The San Francisco 49ers are hoping for a resurgent season in 2025 from running back Christian McCaffrey. What the 49ers need is the 2023 version of McCaffrey, who led the league with 1,459 rushing yards and added 14 rushing touchdowns. He caught 67 passes for 564 yards with another seven touchdown catches. Advertisement Expectations are sometimes different from reality, especially when McCaffrey is recovering from two separate injuries that sidelined him for 13 games last season. But regardless of McCaffrey's recent injury history, the San Francisco backfield is ranked No. 12 in ProFootballFocus' recent grades. "The 49ers are one of the hardest teams to project for this list, given Christian McCaffrey's recent injury history," wrote PFF's Dalton Wasserman. "Across 2022 and 2023, he was the NFL's highest-graded running back. His injuries in 2024 limited him to just 167 snaps and a 71.3 PFF overall grade. McCaffrey is supremely talented, but he enters his age-29 season with more questions than ever. "Isaac Guerendo did a decent job in spot duty last season, earning a 67.2 PFF rushing grade. The team also added fifth-round rookie Jordan James, who recorded an elite 95.7 PFF rushing grade over the past two seasons at Oregon." Advertisement Don't expect McCaffrey to be reintroduced to the offense slowly; however, that is the custom sometimes when players return from injury. Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak thinks McCaffrey will be fine if the team is smart with his usage. "You're always cognizant of the reps you're putting on guys, especially in practice, when we do that with Christian all the time, we monitor his reps, and you have to be smart when you're in games," Kubiak continued. "You have to be cognizant of how much they're out there. Related: Analyst Concerned for Christian McCaffrey 'Workload' for 49ers This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
