Looking at Washington Huskies to watch using Pro Football Focus grades

Pro Football Focus has 13 games worth of data on the No. 2 Washington Huskies. PFF, in addition to conventional stats, reflects high level play by the Pac-12 champs coached by Kalen DeBoer.

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For PFF, a grade in the 60s is average, 70s are above average, 80s are good, and 90s are elite.

Inside Texas looks at the top players for the Huskies who have played at least 100 snaps in each PFF category.

Offense – No. 9 QB Michael Penix Jr. – 90.8

The Heisman Finalist and prolific passer was one of the best players in all of college football this season. On his way to New York, Penix Jr. completed 66 percent of his passes for 4218 yards and 33 touchdowns over nine interceptions.

Passing Offense – No. 9 QB Michael Penix Jr. – 90.2

It’s no surprise that a 4000-yard passer has a good grade for passing plays. But there are a number of Huskies who are above the 75.0 threshold including elite wide receivers Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk. Fellow wideouts Germie Bernard, Jalen McMilan, and Giles Jackson are above the 75.0 threshold.

Pass Blocking – No. 55 LT Troy Fautanu – 87.8

An explosive passing offense has been boosted by quality play along the line of scrimmage. The Huskies O-line won the Joe Moore Award recently, which is given annually to the top offensive line in the country. The five-some is anchored by Fautanu, who though he isn’t protecting the left-handed Penix’s blindside, has been a huge part of the Huskies’ successes.

Three other Husky O-linemen have marks above 65.0, including guards Julius Buelow and Nate Kalepo and center Parker Brailsford.

Rushing Offense – No. 7 RB Dillon Johnson – 89.2

The Washington passing attack gets most of the attention, but Dillon Johnson enjoyed a 1000-yard season in DeBoer’s system. Johnson, a Mississippi State transfer, rushed 201 times for 1113 yards and 14 touchdowns, giving the Huskies multiple scoring threats within the red zone.

For comparison, Jonathon Brooks’ grade in this same metric prior to his injury was 91.5.

Run Blocking – No. 72 C Parker Brailsford – 80.3

Technically, Brailsford is behind backup wide receiver Denzel Boston, but Boston only has 53 run blocking snaps compared to Brailsford’s 316. You have to search a bit to find consistent quality, especially among offensive linemen. After Brailsford, the next highest run blocking grade among starting Huskie O-lineman comes from Buelow. His mark is 60.3. Right tackle Roger Rosengarten has a 59.3 grade. Fautanu is at 57.9. Kalepo is at 55.4.

Defense – No. 5 LB Edefuan Ulofoshio – 86.5

Ulofoshio is one of five Husky regulars with grades above 80.0 along with EDGE Bralen Trice, DB Kamren Fabiculanan, LB Carson Bruener, and DL Tuli Letuligasenoa. Six additional contributors are above 70.0.

Run Defense – No. 91 DL Tuli Letuligasenoa – 90.3

Letuligasenoa, like Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat, has a run defense grade above 90. While Sweat has been more of a complete defender against the run and the pass, Letuligasenoa has been comparable when just against the run. However, no other player has a grade above 80 on the Huskies when it comes to stopping the rush.

Tackling – No. 5 LB Edefuan Ulofoshio – 78.0

The sixth-year senior is having a career year in his final season in Seattle. Ulofoshio has 83 tackles, second on the team, plus 6.0 TFL and 3.0 sacks. He’s also forced a fumble and recorded a pick-six. Dominique Hampton, who has the most tackles for Washington this season with 93, has a tackling grade of 72.7 which includes a missed tackle percentage of 13.9.

Pass Rush – No. 8 EDGE Bralen Trice – 88.9

Kelvin Banks and Christian Jones will have their work cut out for them against Trice, who is one of the best pass-rushers in the nation. Trice has 5.0 sacks and 8.5 TFL on the year as part of a 41-tackle season.

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Pass Coverage – No. 5 LB Edefuan Ulofoshio – 91.0

Ulofoshio is one of three Husky regulars above 85.0. Opponents have an NFL passer rating of 59.6 when targeting him in coverage. Carson Bruener has a seasonlong grade of 90 while Kamren Fabiculanan has an 87.6 mark. Three of the main contributors in the Washington secondary have a grade above 70.0.