With the annual controversy over who made it in and who didn’t to the 2020 NFL All-Pro first and second teams, we decided to use our Offensive Share Metric grades to build our own offenses. There were several surprises in our first team, with the likes of Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, and Michael Thomas nowhere to be seen. Will it be the same for our NFL All-Pro second team?
As before, we’re using the minimum requirements for each position as provided by NFL Next Gen Stats, as well as a requirement that each player has played a minimum of 10 games.
Here’s your 2020 NFL All-Pro second team as decided by PFN OSM. The PFN OSM 2020 NFL All-Pro first team can be found here.
QB: Russell Wilson – Seattle Seahawks – 29.99 OSM grade
Before I go into why Russell Wilson is our NFL All-Pro second team QB, we have a disclaimer.
Matthew Stafford is the second-highest graded quarterback, however, he doesn’t meet the minimum game requirement due to injury. At the halfway point of the season, he was the highest-graded QB, and the Lions’ demise in the second half of the season shows the value of his contribution to their offense.
There can be no doubting Russell Wilson’s contribution to his team’s success.
Despite taking a league-leading 48 sacks, Wilson is the top 5 quarterback in a number of statistics. He is fifth in passer rating and had the third most touchdowns. His completion percentage above expectation was good enough for fourth in the league.
If our NFL All-Pro second team need to come from behind to win, Wilson is our man. He has the most fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives in the NFL.
The Seattle Seahawks are primed for a Super Bowl run, and that is down to the efforts of Wilson.
RB1: Frank Gore – Buffalo Bills – 20.55 OSM grade
There has been lots of positivity about the Buffalo Bills running game this season. A large amount of that has been attributed to rookie back, Devin Singletary, and quarterback Josh Allen making plays with his legs as well as his arm.
However, veteran running back Frank Gore is still making plays and has picked up a lot of tough yardage to keep the ball rolling for the Bills. He has the third-best OSM grade of any running backs and is our RB1 in the NFL All-Pro second team.
When I talk about picking up tough yardage, Gore has had to plow through the third most 8-man box defenses in the NFL. Unlike some backs, like Le’Veon Bell, Gore doesn’t dance around behind the line of scrimmage, he just bulldozes his way through, spending the third least amount of time behind the LOS this year.
His 599 yards this season helped put him third on the all-time rushing yards leaderboard.
An NFL All-Pro second team honour from PFN isn’t a bad accolade either.
RB2: Raheem Mostert – San Francisco 49ers – 20.21 OSM grade
If you were to ask most people the question “who leads the NFL in yards per carry?”, they would probably answer with Christian McCaffrey. You may get a Derrick Henry or a Nick Chubb thrown in there. They’d be wrong.
Raheem Mostert leads the way with 5.6 yards per carry. He’s been a dynamic playmaker for a San Francisco 49ers offense that has been fun to watch for large parts of 2019.
He hasn’t found yards against soft defenses either, with over 30% of his snaps coming against 8-man boxes.
His efficient play has led him to 772 yards off 137 carries with eight touchdowns. It’s also led him to a place in our NFL All-Pro second team.
WR1: Cooper Kupp – Los Angeles Rams – 38.41 OSM grade
After their Super Bowl run last season, much was expected of the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. Inconsistent quarterback play from Jared Goff, combined with a frustrating ground game, has seen a disappointing campaign.
One player who hasn’t disappointed the Rams faithful is Cooper Kupp. The second-year wide receiver leads the team in receiving yards, despite having fewer intended air yards than teammates such as Brandin Cooks.
Kupp has been making big plays for the team all season. He’s a top 10 receiver in the NFL for catch percentage and in creating separation. His yard after the catch differential against expectation is higher than any of his teammates.
If the Rams want to return to Super Bowl contention next season, the rest of the team need to raise their game to meet his.
WR2: Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints – 38.31 OSM grade
Michael Thomas is a stud. Let’s not be fooled into thinking his position in the NFL All-Pro second-team here means he’s the fourth-best wide receiver in the league. It just means he’s not been as responsible for his team’s offensive performance as other players have for theirs.
Thomas recorded career-high receptions (185), yards (1725), and yards per game (107.8) in 2019. He led the NFL in receiving yards and receptions, breaking records on the way. The closest receiver to him this season in receiving yards, Julio Jones, had over 300 yards less.
It’s a lot easier to do all that when you’re the primary focus of your offense. Thomas accounted for 41.34% of the New Orleans Saints air yard this season. Only Courtland Sutton of the Denver Broncos was targeted more.
Thomas makes it natural to target him. He led the league in catch percentage. Despite facing the third most pressure at the time of the snap, he still managed to create 2.6 yards of separation.
TE: Kyle Rudolph – Minnesota Vikings – 41.61 OSM grade
Kyle Rudolph had fallen out of the conversation as one of the top tight ends in the NFL. The likes of Zach Ertz, Travis Kelce, and George Kittle were the tight ends who were primed to step up and take on Rob Gronkowski’s role as the dominant player at the position following the New England Patriots star retired.
Rudolph has had a quietly brilliant season in 2019 and that performance is reflected in his OSM grade and his spot in our NFL All-Pro second team.
He has caught almost everything that has been thrown at him this season. He led the league in catch completion percentage, setting a career-high of 81.3%. He is one of the top 10 tight ends in terms of creating separation. He’s put that to good use with six touchdowns, tied for fourth-most from the tight end position.
He added to that total on Sunday night, though maybe don’t mention that in New Orleans.