PFF: Top 101 players of 2019; 4 Gophers make the list

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12. TYLER JOHNSON, WR, MINNESOTA
An absolute monster at the catch point, Johnson actually finished the year with the highest overall grade among all receivers in 2019. He was unstoppable on a bevy of routes, but he particularly excelled on go-route concepts where he hauled in 17 catches for 445 yards and nine touchdowns. Each of his go-route receptions converted a touchdown or first down, and he finished with the 12th-most contested catches (16) on only the 34th-most contested catch opportunities. Johnson was a hard man to bring down, and he even racked up 240 yards after contact with a defender, not just total yards after the catch, proving how tough he was to bring down last season.

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His spectacular plays are at the forefront of the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ 2019 highlight reel, and his career year likely paves the way for a high draft pick after two consecutive seasons with at least 1,160 yards and 12 touchdowns.


34. TANNER MORGAN, QB, MINNESOTA
Morgan’s high-end performances were among the best in the nation, and actually, the highest-graded outing from a Power-5 quarterback against a Power-5 defense was his game against Penn State in which he carved up the Nittany Lions' defense. He avoided negative plays at a high rate and piled up the ‘NFL throws’ targeted at least 10 yards downfield this season. He still finished with the country’s 25th-ranked adjusted completion percentage, and his highs — like that against Purdue and Penn State — certainly give hope for even higher highs in 2020. He didn’t field a game grade lower than 62.0 against Power-5 defenses and had three single-game grades well above the PFF elite threshold in his dominant season at the helm of the Minnesota offense.


61. ANTOINE WINFIELD JR., S, MINNESOTA
Playing with arguably the nation’s top football IQ, Winfield Jr.’s pedigree as the son of a former NFL great showed in his final season for the Gophers. He finished the year with an elite coverage, pass-rush and overall grade, finding himself towards the highlight-reel just the same as he made the necessary, routine plays to keep his Minnesota defense in it. Winfield finished with seven interceptions and an additional pass breakup on just 22 targeted passes in coverage, and he routinely made plays that weren’t even in his coverage. Chipping in with another nine pressures, including three sacks, Winfield’s down-to-down reliability saw him finish with a career-high in nearly every advanced metric this season.

72. RASHOD BATEMAN, WR, MINNESOTA
Bateman cemented his name in the 2019 record books with a dramatic one-handed catch that was certainly in the running for the best catch of the season when he snared a deep go route at the goal line against South Dakota State for a touchdown.

Rashod_Bateman_1.gif


That wasn’t his only spectacular play of the year, but it certainly was in line with the best catches of the 2019 season as he dominated opposite Tyler Johnson. He finished the year with an average yards per catch figure of 20.3 and was just one of four receivers to see 50 or more catches and still average above 20.0 yards per catch, joining Dyami Brown, Ja’Marr Chase and Ceedee Lamb. That’s quite a list of talented playmakers.

www.pff.com

101 best players in college football from 2019 | NFL Draft | PFF

With the end of the 2019 college football season comes the PFF College 101 – a list that outlines the top college football players from an outstanding 2019 season.
www.pff.com www.pff.com
 

I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more attention. Thanks for posting PF. Awesome accolades for each player. Someone put a lot of time into this. Crazy that Tanner's game against Purdue was not his highest graded performance against a power 5 defense. Unless they are saying Purdue doesn't have a power 5 defense...…
 

BTChamp said:
I'm surprised this hasn't gotten more attention. Thanks for posting PF. Awesome accolades for each player. Someone put a lot of time into this. Crazy that Tanner's game against Purdue was not his highest graded performance against a power 5 defense. Unless they are saying Purdue doesn't have a power 5 defense...…
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maybe the 4 sacks in the Purdue game hurt his grade, as he only had one against PSU
 

The mention about TJ’s ability to survive contact , YAC reminds of how much I disagree with some of the scouts saying he lacks size. He’s tall enough, he’s very solidly built and he can elevate which mitigates that “lack of size” to a huge degree and we saw it again and again in games. He‘ll be fine against most defensive backs. Very interested to see his combine numbers.
 

I still vividly remember the crowd's oohs and aahs when they showed the replay of Johnson's 1-handed TD catch against Penn St.
 


"Each of his go-route receptions converted a touchdown or first down"

Thanks Capt. Obvious, PFF!!! Wow a "go-route" (a bomb on the playground) all resulted in 1st downs or TDs. SHOCKING!

Even if it turns into a back shoulder fade....shocking stat PFF.
 


That throw that Tanner made on the TJ TD vs Penn State....if that were Tua, Fields, Herbert, or any of the other hyped QBs, people would be drooling over it, and talking about it being “NFL throw,” etc. He made throws of that caliber all year long, despite the “weak arm.”
 

PitinoFan said:
That throw that Tanner made on the TJ TD vs Penn State....if that were Tua, Fields, Herbert, or any of the other hyped QBs, people would be drooling over it, and talking about it being “NFL throw,” etc. He made throws of that caliber all year long, despite the “weak arm.”
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Tanner throws with a lot of touch and timing and at times I think think some see those gentle arcs and occasional wobbles and misinterpret it as a weak arm. He doesn’t have a giant arm but he doesn’t really need that to be effective, obviously. Someone rifling in a pass at extreme velocity is impressive but if the accuracy isn’t there or the receiver doesn’t have elite eye hand coordination that can at times be an issue.

How many times have we seen him place passes where only the WR can get it? Or catch it in perfect stride fifteen, twenty yards+ down field? That’s elite. And, a case can be made he throws a more catchable ball particularly for college receivers than someone always throwing those Favre fastballs.
 




Pompous Elitist said:
The mention about TJ’s ability to survive contact , YAC reminds of how much I disagree with some of the scouts saying he lacks size. He’s tall enough, he’s very solidly built and he can elevate which mitigates that “lack of size” to a huge degree and we saw it again and again in games. He‘ll be fine against most defensive backs. Very interested to see his combine numbers.
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The way TJ is viewed reminds me a lot of how Marion Barber III was viewed coming out of college. He wasn't drafted till the 4th round but had a productive pro career. Similar to TJ he didn't have the top end speed or measurables that pro teams drool over but he was a really good player.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
The mention about TJ’s ability to survive contact , YAC reminds of how much I disagree with some of the scouts saying he lacks size. He’s tall enough, he’s very solidly built and he can elevate which mitigates that “lack of size” to a huge degree and we saw it again and again in games. He‘ll be fine against most defensive backs. Very interested to see his combine numbers.
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Miller's comment "he's not big" is the real head-scratcher to me on his negative critique of Johnson. The speed question will be resolved at the combine, but there's enough film on Johnson to see that he's clearly big enough and strong enough for a WR at the next level.
 

PitinoFan said:
That throw that Tanner made on the TJ TD vs Penn State....if that were Tua, Fields, Herbert, or any of the other hyped QBs, people would be drooling over it, and talking about it being “NFL throw,” etc. He made throws of that caliber all year long, despite the “weak arm.”
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I love TM2 and wouldn’t go as far as to call his arm “weak”, but even his coach has said “he doesn’t have the best arm”.
 



It makes you wonder what football programs look at in recruiting? None of the Gopher players who made the list were highly recruited with the exception of Bateman, and that came late in the cycle. Morgan playing for a helmet school would be the 2nd coming. Same with Rashod.
 

BroncoRedux said:
It makes you wonder what football programs look at in recruiting? None of the Gopher players who made the list were highly recruited with the exception of Bateman, and that came late in the cycle. Morgan playing for a helmet school would be the 2nd coming. Same with Rashod.
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Well, the only solution is for the Gophers to become a helmet school.
 

Spoofin said:
I love TM2 and wouldn’t go as far as to call his arm “weak”, but even his coach has said “he doesn’t have the best arm”.
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When I read the original quote I took it as a sarcastic remark referencing the chatter that he had a weak arm. I thought it might have become an inside joke with the team because obviously he has a fine arm. He has a quick release and is accurate, both of which are more important than having a canon for an arm.
 

WAGopher said:
When I read the original quote I took it as a sarcastic remark referencing the chatter that he had a weak arm. I thought it might have become an inside joke with the team because obviously he has a fine arm. He has a quick release and is accurate, both of which are more important than having a canon for an arm.
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Possible, but in the same quote he said TM2 was 6-feet tall and bald as his other two characteristics so I didn't read it as 1/3 sarcastic but more so of a "measurables don't always matter" statement. However, I couldn't agree with the rest of your post more --- TM2 is awesome. Smart, Accurate, and most of all a Winner ---- he just finds ways to win. I don't really care what the strength of his arm is, but there does seem to be some consensus that it may not be the strongest.
 

Spoofin said:
Possible, but in the same quote he said TM2 was 6-feet tall and bald as his other two characteristics so I didn't read it as 1/3 sarcastic but more so of a "measurables don't always matter" statement. However, I couldn't agree with the rest of your post more --- TM2 is awesome. Smart, Accurate, and most of all a Winner ---- he just finds ways to win. I don't really care what the strength of his arm is, but there does seem to be some consensus that it may not be the strongest.
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So if you don’t care about the strength of his arm why you talking about it?
 

GopherGuy20 said:
So if you don’t care about the strength of his arm why you talking about it?
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Because the post he was responding to mentioned it? But you don't care about that now do you?
 

I sure loved watching those four players, especially Morgan. He seems underrated, even at 34. But somehow we've got to find a way to properly honor linemen. Nothing good fur Minn would have happened this season without the every week excellence of the O-line. At least once per game there would be a giant human scrum with the pile slowly moving forward for 10 or 15 yards. that was Top100 stuff.
 

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