New for the 2025 NFL season, PFSN is grading players at every position with our series of Impact Grades. These metrics are crafted for each position and seek to measure how a player’s individual contributions impacted the game.
Using a traditional grading system scale, players are ranked at their position based on a weighted average of a series of position-specific metrics. An exactly average performance will get a 75 overall grade, which translates to a C on the grading scale.
Each week, PFSN will present the highest-graded player at each position with analysis on why that player excelled. Below, we take a look at the players who were at the top of their class in Week 5.
QB: Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
87.4, B+
Sam Darnold recorded the highest QB Impact score of Week 5, an 87.4, in the Seahawks’ defeat to the Buccaneers. For those wondering, Baker Mayfield ranked third at 84.5. Darnold’s grade is his highest in 81 career qualifying games.
He led all players this week with 0.74 EPA per dropback, including 0.66 EPA per dropback when pressured. That’s Darnold’s second-best EPA per dropback average when pressured in a game since 2019 (as far back as TruMedia tracks pressures), with his best coming two weeks ago vs. the Saints (1.15).
However, Seattle became the fourth team since 2023 to lose while having the player with the highest QBi grade in a single week. The Seahawks are actually the second team to suffer that fate already this season, with the New York Jets and Justin Fields falling in Week 1.
RB: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
90.4, A-
If the first month-plus of his career is any indication, seventh-rounder Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt will go down as one of the top recent NFL Draft steals. The Washington Commanders’ rookie has had the highest RB Impact grade in two games this season (also Week 1 vs. the Giants).
MORE: Commanders RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt Sets Wild Rookie Milestone
Sunday, against the Chargers, Croskey-Merritt had a 71.4% rushing success rate, tied with Kareem Hunt for the highest by any player this week. He also ranked third in average yards before contact (2.64) and yards after contact (5.29).
Croskey-Merritt has the highest RBi grade for the whole season at 94.2. That’s currently the second-highest season-long grade for a rookie RB since 2013, just behind De’Von Achane (95.9) in 2023.
WR: Stefon Diggs, New England Patriots
90.5, A-
The “Stefon Diggs Revenge Game” went as well as the New England Patriots could’ve hoped for. Diggs’ 90.5 grade was the first time he’s led all WRs in Impact Grade in a week since 2021 Week 10 when he was a member of the Bills. Overall, it’s the fifth time since 2019 that Diggs has had the highest WRi in a week.
Diggs averaged 6.35 yards per route and earned a 52.2% target share when he was on the field, both best among WRs this week. In fact, it was the highest on-field target share of Diggs’ career and the second-highest yards per route run figure.
Steph Diggs looks exactly like what New England hoped he would be when they signed him: A first down machine. 📈 pic.twitter.com/qprxQxsyys
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) October 8, 2025
Diggs also became the first Patriots WR to hold the highest WRi score in a week in our database, which dates back to 2019. The 31-year-old has experienced a remarkable revival thus far in Foxboro, ranking fourth in WRi for the season with a 90.9 (A-) grade.
TE: Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
91.1, A-
One of several Detroit Lions you’ll read about, Sam LaPorta led all tight ends with a 91.1 Impact Grade this week. It was the second-highest grade of LaPorta’s career, behind a 97.2 he earned in 2023 vs. the Saints.
LaPorta did his best work after the catch, piling up 42.8 YAC over expected. That was the second-most by a tight end in a game this season (Tucker Kraft had 45 in Week 2 vs. the Commanders). As a result, LaPorta averaged 4.0 yards per route, the second-highest in his career behind that Saints game (7.0).
OT: Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions
88.1, B+
Penei Sewell was again the highest-graded offensive lineman overall in Week 5. It’s the fifth time he’s been the highest graded offensive tackle in a week, and the third time he’s led all O-linemen. He accomplished both these distinctions earlier this season against the Ravens.
Sewell allowed zero pressures on 28 pass blocking snaps, and has allowed just three the entire season. He’s also yet to commit a penalty in 2025 and has the highest run blocking grade of any OL at any position.
G: Christian Mahogany, Detroit Lions
86.0, B
Christian Mahogany joined his All-Pro teammate in recording the highest OLi grade at his position. The second-year pro’s 86.0 OLi was his best grade to date. Mahogany didn’t allow a single pressure — his second clean pass protection game of the season (also Week 2 vs. the Bears). He also didn’t commit a penalty after doing so each of the last two weeks.
RELATED: Detroit Lions’ Week 5 Win Sees Extremely Rare Triple Position Dominance
With Mahogany and Sewell this week, the Lions had multiple position-leading linemen in OL Impact for the third time since 2019. Sewell and Graham Glasgow each led their positions in 2023 Week 16, while three Lions linemen (Sewell, Glasgow, and Frank Ragnow) led in 2023 Week 1.
C: Lloyd Cushenberry III, Tennessee Titans
86.7, B
Lloyd Cushenberry III led all centers with an 86.7 OLi grade in the Tennessee Titans’ first win of the season. Cushenberry pitched a clean sheet with no pressures allowed on 42 pass-blocking snaps. That was tied for the second-most pass-blocking snaps without a pressure allowed in Cushenberry’s career.
Cushenberry had allowed multiple pressures in each of his first four games this season, including four quick pressures (within 2.75 seconds) after giving up five of those during the entire 2024 season. However, Week 5 was a bounce-back for the veteran center, who ranks 20th in OLi after finishing 28th last season.
EDGE: Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
91.3, A-
In the Los Angeles Rams’ Thursday night defeat, Jared Verse recorded a 91.6 EDGE Impact grade. He didn’t have a sack, but four of his five pressures were quick pressures (within 2.75 seconds). That’s tied for the second-most by any EDGE in a game this season, trailing Abdul Carter’s five last week against the Chargers.
Verse also made five tackles in the run game, holding the 49ers to 1.2 yards per carry when he made the tackle. It’s the sixth instance this season of an EDGE making five-plus run tackles and holding the offense to no more than 1.2 yards per carry. Verse has one of the other games (Eagles averaged 0.0 yards per carry vs him in Week 3).
DT: Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans
89.3, B+
For the second straight week, Jeffery Simmons recorded the highest DT Impact Grade. It’s Simmons’ eighth time in his career leading all players in DTi grade for a week.
Simmons led all defensive tackles with seven pressures, while recording a position-best 35% pressure rate on true dropbacks (non-play action or screens). For the season, his 24 pressures are four more than any other DT this season.
Unsurprisingly, Simmons ranks first in DTi (91.0) through five weeks. It’s currently tied for his career-high grade, which he also accomplished in 2023. However, he ranked third that season behind Aaron Donald (98.1) and Quinnen Williams (93.2).
LB: Nate Landman, Los Angeles Rams
95.9, A
Rams linebacker Nate Landman had a 95.9 LBi grade against the 49ers. That’s the second-highest by any LB this season (Robert Spillane, 99.6 in Week 3) and the second-highest by a Rams LB since 2019 (Corey Littleton, 95.9 in 2019 Week 1).
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Landman made 14 tackles without a missed tackle, second-most this season behind Spillane’s 15 in Week 3. He also delivered four splash plays (1 TFL, 3 PBUs), tied for the third-most by a linebacker in a game all season.
Finally, his seven tackles in the run game resulted in an average gain of just 1.9 yards per carry for San Francisco.
CB: Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
86.9, B
Trent McDuffie ended up with the highest Cornerback Impact Grade for the week, our eighth-best cornerback game of the season. McDuffie allowed one catch on four targets for 13 yards, adding a pair of pass breakups and an interception. That all comes out to a QB rating allowed of 1.0, his lowest QB rating allowed in any game of his career.
The Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro is currently on pace for a career-best 84.7 season-long grade, which ranks 12th at the position. McDuffie has yet to allow more than 35 yards in coverage in a game this season, and hasn’t conceded a touchdown since the season-opener.
S: Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions
90.1, A-
Kerby Joseph rounds out the quartet of position-leading Lions this week with his 90.1 Safety Impact grade. Joseph recorded an interception and a PBU on his two targets, and four tackles with none missed.
Joseph leads the NFL with 12 interceptions since the start of last season, three more than any other player. For his career, when Joseph records a pick, the Lions are a remarkable 17-0.