NFL News & Analysis

Every USFL team's highest-graded players heading into Week 3

Birmingham, AL, USA; Pittsburgh Maulers linebacker Reuben Foster (10) tackles New Orleans Breakers running back Anthony Jones (6) during the second half at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

• Stallions' Alex McGough skyrockets to top of QB leaderboard: McGough earned an elite 91.3 game grade in Week 2 after making four big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays.

• Panthers' Breeland Speaks is a pass-rushing force early on: His 10 pressures lead the USFL, and no one has played more pass-rushing snaps (71) than him.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

PFF has you covered for all offseason leagues, in addition to grades and analysis for the NFL and college football. We'll be diving into every USFL team's highest-graded players each week. Let's get into the numbers ahead of Week 3.

Be sure to also check out our XFL highest-graded players.

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Birmingham Stallions

  1. QB Alex McGough (91.1)
  2. TE Jace Sternberger (86.9)
  3. DI Jordan Thompson (85.8)
  4. CB Brian Allen (81.6)
  5. LB Quentin Poling (79.7)

Alex McGough earned an elite 91.3 game grade in Week 2 after making four big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays. The former seventh-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks is now by far the USFL's highest-graded quarterback.

Jordan Thompson was a force against the run in Week 2, recording four stops to lead all interior defenders. He added three quarterback pressures (three hurries) to complete an all-around stellar day.


Houston Gamblers

  1. WR Justin Hall (89.3)
  2. WR Anthony Ratliff-Williams (75.3)
  3. LB Ronheen Bingham (69.2)
  4. OT Avery Gennesy (68.7)
  5. C Nick Buchanan (68.0)

Justin Hall debuted in Week 2 with 35 snaps, 28 of which he ran a route on. He caught both of his contested targets and forced four missed tackles. In all, he hauled in eight of his 12 targets for 110 yards and six first downs.

The 0-2 Gamblers lack 70.0-plus-graded players thus far, but despite Ronheen Bingham's only slightly above-average 69.2 grade, he has been a force as a pass rusher. His nine pressures through Week 2 are tied for second among all defensive players.


Memphis Showboats

  1. OT Jarron Jones (79.8)
  2. WR Vinny Papale (75.5)
  3. WR Ryan McDaniel (74.5)
  4. DI John Atkins (71.0)
  5. TE Daniel Helm (67.9)

Across 69 pass-blocking snaps this season, Jarron Jones has let up four pressures — none of which were sacks. His 70.2 run-blocking grade also ranks sixth among USFL tackles.

John Atkins is tied for first among USFL interior defenders in run stops (five) through two weeks. His average depth of tackle in the run game comes less than one yard past the line of scrimmage.


Michigan Panthers

  1. RB Reggie Corbin (89.7)
  2. EDGE Breeland Speaks (89.5)
  3. S Warren Saba (86.5)
  4. EDGE Tre Williams (77.9)
  5. CB Josh Butler (77.1)

After a lackluster Week 1, Reggie Corbin turned it on in Week 2 en route to 111 yards after contact, five forced missed tackles and a position-high 92.5 game grade.

No defensive player in the USFL has played more pass-rushing snaps than Breeland Speaks (71), and none have been more productive, either. His 10 pressures pace the league, and his 22.4% pass-rush win rate is the second-ranked mark among edge defenders.


New Jersey Generals

  1. DI Toby Johnson (82.0)
  2. LB Chris Orr (81.6)
  3. CB Christian Tutt (79.3)
  4. EDGE Hercules Mata'afa (79.3)
  5. CB DJ Daniel (77.9)

Toby Johnson holds onto his top spot from Week 1. His 80.1 run-defense grade is the best mark among interior defenders, buoyed by a 40.9% rate of positively graded run-defense snaps.

Chris Orr is the only USFL linebacker with 65.0-plus grades in coverage, in run defense and as a pass-rusher. That stems from six run stops (second), one catch allowed for six yards, and two quarterback pressures on just 10 pass-rushing snaps.


New Orleans Breakers

  1. TE Sage Surratt (86.0)
  2. RB Wes Hills (83.3)
  3. LB Vontae Diggs (81.4)
  4. QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (80.0)
  5. OG Kirk Kelley (79.0)

Sage Surratt has run a route on 73 of his 115 snaps through two weeks, hauling in a whopping 16 passes on 20 targets — including one contested catch in Week 2. He also leads all receivers in forced missed tackles (six).

A Week 2 interception vaults Vontae Diggs up to No. 3 on the Breakers leaderboard and gives him a 90.1 coverage grade across 41 coverage snaps thus far.


Philadelphia Stars

  1. DI Tyler Clark (90.2)
  2. OG Shamarious Gilmore (88.2)
  3. Di Jordon Scott (85.3)
  4. C C.J. Perez (83.0)
  5. CB Amani Dennis (80.2)

The USFL boasts a strong crop of interior defenders through two weeks, and Tyler Clark is at the top of that group. His 84.9 pass-rush grade (five pressures on 36 pass-rushing snaps) and 72.6 run-defense grade (one tackle for loss on 22 run-defense snaps) are both top-five marks at the position.

The league's highest-graded offensive lineman, Shamarious Gilmore boasts 85.0-plus marks as both a run blocker and a pass blocker. He has allowed two pressures on 88 pass-blocking snaps while earning a positive grade on 27.3% of his run-blocking snaps.


Pittsburgh Maulers

  1. LB Reuben Foster (89.9)
  2. LB Kyahva Tezino (86.4)
  3. OG Colby Thomas (79.6)
  4. DI Boogie Roberts (78.9)
  5. C Brayden Patton (76.9)

A former first-round pick, Reuben Foster leads the league in run-defense grade (91.3) on the back of seven tackles, three stops and one forced fumble in that facet.

Colby Thomas debuted for the Maulers in Week 2 with 46 snaps. Although he earned a sub-60.0 pass-blocking grade, his work in the ground game boosted his overall grade. He earned a positive mark on 29.4% of his run-blocking snaps in Week 2, the fourth-highest rate among all offensive linemen.

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