FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2015

“PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS: GRADING THE 2015 DRAFT” FEATURING CRIS COLLINSWORTH DEBUTS MONDAY, APRIL 27 AT 5:30 PM ET ON NBCSN

Pro Football Focus’ College Analysis Applied to 2015 NFL Draft: “Every Play. Every Player. Every Game.”

One-Hour Special Features Jameis Winston/Marcus Mariota Breakdown, Most Overrated and Underrated Players & “The Pro Football Focus Draft” – Best Players and Which Teams Should Select Them

Collinsworth, Pro Football Focus Majority Owner, Uses PFF Data to Supplement His SNF Game Preparation

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 22, 2015 –With the 2015 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, NBC Sports Group will take a never-before seen look at the league’s annual selection meeting through the prism of Pro Football Focus’ exclusive and proprietary grading system on Pro Football Focus: Grading the 2015 Draft, debuting Monday, April 27, at 5:30pm ET on NBCSN.

The new, one-hour show features NBC’s Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth, the majority owner of Pro Football Focus (PFF), alongside host Paul Burmeister, and PFF analysts Steve Palazzolo, Neil Hornsby and Sam Monson. Collinsworth, a 15-time Sports Emmy Award winner, uses PFF’s data as part of his weekly SNF game preparation.  Nearly half of NFL clubs work directly with Pro Football Focus to use its play-by-play and player grading analytics.

“Every Play. Every Player. Every Game.”

To prepare for the 2015 NFL Draft, Pro Football Focus watched every play of every draft-eligible player from the 2014 college season and assigned a grade for every play, every game and for the full season. In addition, PFF graded every player and position group from all 32 NFL teams, and has determined each team’s areas of strength, weakness and need. PFF is the only company offering such detailed analysis.

“Like our entire Sunday Night Football crew, I am always searching for new ways to improve our broadcast,” said Collinsworth. “Last summer, I discovered Neil Hornsby’s Pro Football Focus site, which grades every NFL player, on every play, in every game.  His brilliant team of 90+ analysts has now expanded that research to include every NCAA FBS team.  I was so impressed; I bought the majority share in the company.  Now we will bring those 35,000 man hours of research to the public on NBCSN with our first comprehensive look at the 2015 NFL season and the upcoming draft.  This compelling data is used by NFL and NCAA teams in game preparation, and we hope fans find it enjoyable.  It has proven invaluable to me in my Sunday Night Football preparation.”

“As a former producer of 12 NFL Drafts, I can only wish I would have had every play of every player’s final season of college football analyzed and graded,” said Fred Gaudelli, coordinating producer of NBC’s Sunday Night Football. “No one else covering this or any prior draft can make this claim. NFL Draft fans are in for a treat with Pro Football Focus’ complete analysis of the Class of 2015 and the 32 NFL teams that will select them.”

Among the highlights from the show:

– How Jameis Winston compares with Marcus Mariota…and a look at the differences between Winston’s two seasons at Florida State:

  • Was Winston’s interception total indicative of his play in 2014?
  • Does Mariota really protect the football better than Winston?
  • Which QB is more accurate?

– “The PFF Draft” – The Best Players and Which Team Should Select Them

– Most Overrated and Underrated Players in the 2015 Draft Class

– Beyond the Sack — The PFF metric for grading pass rushers:

  • Finding the next J.J. Watt, Justin Houston or Gerald McCoy (PFF’s top three NFL pass rushers in ‘14) based on PFF’s advanced analysis and film study

– Is there a first-round quality cornerback in the 2015 Draft Class?

– How will NFL teams replace big free agent losses like Darrelle Revis?

– DeMarco Murray doesn’t play here anymore – what’s the value of an NFL running back?

– Is there another Malcolm Butler? The undrafted Patriots CB who made the Super Bowl- winning interception and where the hidden gems are in this year’s class.

Since 2007, Pro Football Focus has analyzed the performance of every player on each snap, grading their performances against others at the same position, in categories including pass blocking efficiency, run stop percentage, and “elusive rating” (for running backs).

–NBC SPORTS GROUP–