Burny's Grading Process
- FFAstronauts
- Apr 21
- 3 min read
I'm going to be releasing some thoughts on the 2025 Draft class in the coming days and weeks. Here is my process and what how I grade players.
My grades and rankings are completely based on game film. I do not consider any analytics or production. I look for specific, translatable traits and reps and the more times a player shows them, the higher I will grade them. I will watch a player until I feel like I have a good understanding of all of their core positional traits. Usually this is around 5 games, sometimes more, but I don't grade a player until I have watched at least 3 games. I focus mostly on tape from the latest season, but I will go back to previous years to answer certain questions and see how players developed. The core positional traits I am looking for are below.
Core Positional Traits - Offense | Core Positional Traits - Defense |
QB | ID |
Arm strength (throws on a line/for distance) | Size (height, frame, length) |
Accuracy (consistency of ball placement) | Nose traits (balance, leverage, anchor, strength, DT take on) |
Arm talent (release, touch, arm angles) | Rush traits (get off, moves, bend, cornering, hand use) |
Anticipation (throwing receivers open, ball out on time/early) | Pursuit (effort, speed, angles) |
Base (Footwork timing, balance, stride, lower half mechanics) | Finish (Tackling) |
Pocket Awareness (Response to pressure, pocket movement) | Prototype - Jalen Carter |
Size (Height, frame) | ED |
Athleticism (Movement skills, speed, strength as a runner) | Size (height, frame, length) |
Decision making (processing reads, risk decisions, aggressive/tentative) | Power (Speed to power, shock in hands, power through contact, get off, edge setting) |
Consistency (volatility of process and performance) | Speed (burst, bend, cornering ability, hand use) |
Prototype - Trevor Lawrence | Coverage (feel in coverage, movement skills in space) |
RB | Polish (snap timing, moves) |
Power (tackle breaking, contact balance, leg drive, trucking/stiff arm) | Pursuit (effort, speed, angles) |
Elusiveness (forcing missed tackles, open field moves, stop/start ability, quickness of moves) | Finish (Tackling) |
Speed (burst, cornering ability, breakaway speed) | Prototype - Brian Burns |
Passing game (routes, hands, awareness, pass pro, YAC) | LB |
Tempo (setting up blocks, getting in and out of holes) | Size (height, frame, length) |
Vision (effiiciency of reading holes, willingness to take what is there) | Athleticism (movement skills, burst, change of direction, range) |
Size (height, frame) | Strength (playing through contact, balance) |
Prototype - Bijan Robinson | Run D (Vision, diagnosis, stack & shed, burst) |
WR | Pass D (Vision, diagnosis, zone drops, man against TEs/RBs) |
Size (height, frame) | Pursuit (effort, speed, angles) |
Releases (vs press & off, stack ability, physicality/play strength) | Tackling (stopping power, wrap up consistency, solo ability) |
Routes (precision of technique, sharpness of cuts, ability to manipulate leverage) | Ball skills (ability to play the ball, PBUs, INTs) |
Ball skills (Consistency of hands, ability to win in contested situations, highpointing, tracking) | Blitz ability (burst, timing, bend, moves, strength) |
YAC (Power, elusiveness, speed as a ball carrier, gadget usage) | Prototype - Luke Keuchly |
Prototype - Malik Nabers | CB |
TE | Size (height, frame, length) |
Size (height, frame) | Press traits (press, man coverage outside, zone coverage outside, vertical speed) |
In-Line traits (blocking willingness, blocking ability) | Off traits (off coverage, man and zone, stop/start, COD) |
Flex traits (route running, change of direction, beating man coverage) | Slot (stop/start, COD, physicality) |
Ball skills (Consistency of hands, ability to win in contested situations, highpointing, tracking) | Physicality (tackling, run fits, shedding blocks) |
YAC (Power, elusiveness, speed as a ball carrier, gadget usage) | Ball skills (awareness, ability to play the ball, highpointing, ball production) |
Athleticism (Speed, movement skills) | Athleticism (speed, COD, hips, feet) |
Prototype - Brock Bowers | Prototype - Christian Gonzalez |
OT | S |
Size (height, frame, arm length) | Size (height, frame, length) |
Pass traits (pass set, hand usage, balance, anchor) | Post traits (range, tracking, tackling, ball skills) |
Run traits (Burst off LOS, leverage, power) | Box traits (physicality, tackling, man coverage, underneath zone coverage) |
Athleticism (movement skills) | Slot traits (man coverage, physicality, awareness, run D, athleticism) |
Prototype - Tristan Wirfs | Physicality (playing thru blocks, run fits) |
IOL | Tackling (Stopping power, wrap up consistency) |
Size (height, frame, arm length) | Blitz ability (timing, burst, bend, strength, finish) |
Pass traits (pass set, hand usage, balance, anchor) | Prototype - Kyle Hamilton |
Run traits (Burst off LOS, leverage, power) | |
Athleticism (movement skills) | |
Prototype - Quentin Nelson |
The depth and breadth of a players' skillset will determine their grade, and it is a sliding scale with not all traits carrying equal weight. My most-valued traits are tackling for defensive backs, movement skills for linebackers, hand strength for defensive lineman, balance and leverage for offensive lineman, ball skills for receivers, route running for tight ends, tackle breaking for running backs, and arm talent for quarterbacks.
Comments