For the last 20 years, NFL fans have found PFF to be one of, if not the single most accessible and reliable databases of advanced analytics for the game they love. Throughout the years, Green Bay Packers fans have been lucky to find some of their favorite players near the top of the rankings in terms of player talent grades, rankings, and deep-dives.
To celebrate 20 years of the platform, PFF created a list of the greatest players it has tracked and ranked them by position, and the results might surprise you. Four former Packers made the list: WR Davante Adams, CB Casey Hayward, Slot CB Charles Woodson, and NT Damon "Snacks" Harrison.
Adams is likely the most resonant name of the four. The star receiver is on a surefire track for the Hall of Fame, largely due to the eight years, 73 touchdowns, and 8,121 receiving yards he accumulated as Aaron Rodgers' no. 1 target in Green Bay. He's closely followed by Woodson, who spent seven years in green and gold en route to four of his nine career Pro Bowl selections and the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009.
You might notice that two very significant names are missing from the list. Let's talk a little bit about why...
Two elite Packers, Aaron Rodgers and Micah Parsons, got snubbed.
No shade to PFF, as paring down the list of the greatest players of each position in the last 20 years sounds like an impossible task, but completing the list without Aaron Rodgers or Micah Parsons on the chart has to make Packers fans wonder if PFF is grading on a curve.
Let's start with Rodgers, who is third in total passing yards and passing touchdowns over the last 20 years of professional football. Although his curious off-field persona follows him through every conversation, there's no denying that Rogers is one of the defining quarterbacks of his generation. While it's hard to make the argument for Rodgers over Tom Brady, you can't say the same about the No. 2 QB on that team, Peyton Manning.
The argument largely lies in the fact that Manning has one more Super Bowl ring than Rodgers, but the fact remains that Rodgers had a higher career QBR and TD% with a lower INT%. Manning was a legendary talent and could handle his workload as well as anyone, but there's a strong argument that Rodgers is more efficient and, in turn, more effective overall.
As for Parsons, the argument is a bit more difficult to make from a statistical standpoint. He simply hasn't been in the league for as long as some of the players who ranked above him. Because of that, the Edge Rusher positions went to Myles Garrett, Khalil Mack, Von Miller, and T.J. Watt instead.
But if they put together an All-PFF team after 25 years? There's going to be a strong argument that Parsons belongs on the list... especially after the legendary comeback campaign he's about to go on while donning green and gold this year.
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