Brandon Graham rated as a top edge defender by Pro Football Focus
The accolades for Brandon Graham keep rolling in.
Recently, Pro Football Focus rated Brandon Graham as the second-best edge defender for the 2016 season. This continues to prove what Philadelphia Eagles fans already know. Graham is a beast. Only Khalil Mack of the Oakland Raiders ranked higher.
These guys dominate vs both the run and pass pic.twitter.com/w9zVWqYrSe
— PFF (@PFF) July 11, 2017
It’s nice to see Graham get the recognition that he deserves for being one of the top players in the NFL.
Reaching the next level
Anyone who saw an Eagles game last year can tell you that Graham was a force. He was a constant disruption in the backfield and would regularly be in the quarterback’s throwing lanes. If you only looked at the box score, you wouldn’t know that Graham played as well as he did. In order to take that next step and really be “Elite,” Graham he’ll probably need to put up some more impressive numbers.
Philadelphia Eagles
As mentioned, Khalil Mack was rated as the top player on this list, probably due to the fact that he’s had 30 sacks over the course of the past three seasons. Graham’s 29 sacks have come over the course of seven seasons.
If Graham, in 2017, is able to convert more of the pressure he’s consistently been able to create into sacks, he’ll continue to be recognized throughout the NFL.
Aside from the personal recognition he’l receive, there are some other benefits. A higher sack total can only help the team. The Eagles will be breaking in some new secondary players, and the less time that they’ll need to stay in coverage the better. Being able to rely on the defensive line is going to be absolutely critical for this defense.
It’s almost time…
Most are expecting the Eagles’ defensive line to be able to wreak some serious havoc this year. Graham is expected to be a major part of this team’s defensive success, but he won’t have to do it alone. Guys like Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, and Chris Long will help take a lot of the pressure off of him. All he’ll need to do is play his game and be the force that all Eagles fans already know he’s capable of being.