TORONTO — There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle that is evaluating a football player.
One of them is their Pro Football Focus grade, which could indicate a trend or offer hope to fans that some of their favourite players are about to breakout.
Take Nathan Rourke‘s Week 12 performance as an example. The quarterback showed some of the playmaking that made him a special player before his departure south, offering fans a glimpse into what it could be like going forward.
There’s also Richard Leonard who simply had a dominant outing and his grade reflects just how good his performance for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was.
CFL.ca brings you five PFF Grades that standout from Week 12.
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PFF utilizes extensive review of game footage to provide additional context for every action on the field. Highly-trained PFF staff break down every game, player and play to provide over 200 unique data points, which are used to compile Player Grades – a numerical representation up-to-100 of performance at their specific position.
For more information on PFF, Player Grades, the Grading Scale and more, please visit pff.com/grades.
Nathan Rourke | QB | BC Lions | 86.9 rushing grade
It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but Rourke made strides in his second start back in the CFL that could spell optimism for Lions fans. After a 32.4 grade in Week 11, the pivot finished with an 86.9 rushing grade, tallying two first downs and four missed tackles.
As Rourke readjusts into the offence, his rushing skills will once again be a nice complement to the potentially explosive passing game that he showed he’s capable of back in 2022.
DaMarcus Fields | DB | Saskatchewan Roughriders | 79.8 coverage grade
Fields was excellent for the Riders in the game against the Toronto Argonauts. The defensive back was targeted six times but allowed only 27 passing yards and one first down while also forcing two incompletions.
Playing opposite interception leader Rolan Milligan Jr. will mean plenty of targets coming your way and Fields more than held his own.
Justin Hardy | WR | Ottawa REDBLACKS | 77.9 Receiving grade
Hardy earned his best grade of the season in Week 12 after catching 11 passes for 114 yards against the Lions.
The receiver added 56 yards after the catch and a mind-blowing eight first downs as the main chain-mover for the REDBLACKS.
Ralph Holley | DL | Toronto Argonauts | 79.2 Pass rushing grade
Holley controlled the line of scrimmage for the Argos in Week 12. The defensive lineman registered a sack, but also finished with a hit and three hurries against Saskatchewan’s passing offence.
The defender also won 20 per cent of his matchups while pressuring Trevor Harris on 16.7 per cent of the snaps.
Richard Leonard | DB | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 82.4 coverage grade
Leonard had as perfect of a game as a defensive back can have.
The veteran was targeted two times, forcing one incompletion and intercepting the other one, consequentially allowing zero catches, yards or touchdowns.