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#9 Overall, Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams, #3 Quarterback
2025 Pre-Season Rank #26, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #31, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #37, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #37, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #59, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #67. Peak Period: 2021-25.
A change of scenery can change the perception.
Matthew Stafford was a Lion for 12 years, racking up passing yards but only a few wins. A Pro Bowl participant once in Detroit, Stafford was entrenched as a second-tier QB. The Rams traded for him, and he became a Super Bowl Champion in his first year in Los Angeles, gaining national recognition. Articles were written (and scoffed at) proclaiming him a Hall of Famer, but his play in L.A. has now placed him not only in the conversation, but to many pundits, a lock.
Much of that came from last season’s performance, where for the first time in his career, he led the NFL in Passing Yards and Touchdown Passes, but most importantly, he won the MVP. He also rocketed up the all-time lists, and is currently 6th in Passing Yards (64,516) and 7th in Touchdown Passes (423), and another monster year will move him even higher. Considering who he has to pass to, that seems very doable.
If Stafford wins a Super Bowl in 2026, and he is favored to do so, get the bust ready now.
Modern Positional Average
Modern Positional Average
Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey (2019), Ty Law (2019), Ed Reed (2019), Charles Woodson (2021), Darrelle Revis (2021) & Ronde Barber (2021)
Note that in 2019, all Defensive Backs were grouped together, and were Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins, Ty Law, Ed Reed and Aeneas Williams. Cornerbacks and Safeties were split in 2020, but kept at four in both categories to keep everything modern. Last year, Barber and Revis entered and with Bailey, Law & Reed entering in the same year, we have six comprsing the Modern Positional Average. As we progress forward, Interception numbers will likely decline as elite Corners are rarely thrown to.
Here are the statistics that we are using based on the last group of Cornerbacks to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Games Played: 205.3
- Approximate Value: 139
- Approximate Value per Games Played: 0.6771
- Games Started: 199.2
- Approximate Value per Games Started: 0.6979
- Approximate Value per Five-Year Peak: 70.8
- Approximate Value’s Best Five Results: 74
- Top Five Defensive Player of the Year Finishes**: 4
- Pro Bowls: 7.8
- First Team All-Pros*: 3.5
- Interceptions: 51.7
- Interceptions Five-Year Peak: 26.5
- Top Five Interception Finishes**: 10
- Combined Tackles: 898.2
- Combined Tackles Five-Year Peak: 347.3
- Super Bowl Wins: 1.5
- Super Bowl Appearances: 1.2
*This is an aggregate of the Top Five finishes (5th = 1, 4th = 2, 3rd = 3, 2nd = 4th, 1st = 5)
**This is a reminder that the All-Pros we use are from the AP.
#13 Overall, Khalil Mack: Los Angeles Chargers, #5 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Pass Rusher
2025 Pre-Season Rank #8, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #12, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #14, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #19, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #26, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #29. Peak Period: 2015-19.
Oakland. Chicago. Los Angeles.
Everywhere Khalil Mack goes, Khalil Mack dominates.
The Outside Linebacker made history last season as the first player to secure three Pro Bowls on three different teams, when he added Pro Bowl number nine in year three with the Chargers. The celebrated pass-rusher has 113 career Sacks, a Defensive Player of the Year Award (2016 with the Raiders), the longevity, the consistency, and the dominance that the PFHOF would want.
He may not dominate the defensive headlines like he used to, but Mack remains the “Mack.”
