Von Miller named to 2017 PFF mid-season All-Pro Team

Pro Football Focus released their mid-season NFL All-Pro team today. Not surprisingly, no members of the Broncos’ offense made an appearance. Though I’d argue that Ron Leary got snubbed and deserved at least an Honorable Mention at right guard.

Defense is another story, though, as the face of the Broncos franchise is here to represent the good guys. Von Miller is PFF’s highest graded edge defender with a typically impressive 92.6 overall grade. Unfortunately, the Broncos’ excellent CBs Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. also didn’t get even Honorable Mentions.

The Vonster is on pace for a 16 sack season, which would be the 2nd highest sack total of his career. He also leads the NFL with 47 QB pressures so far this season, 3 more than any other player. But what you might not expect based on those stats and Miller’s reputation is that pass rushing isn’t actually his highest graded metric according to PFF. While Von’s 89.5 pass rush grade is superb, it’s currently second fiddle to his impressive 92.0 run defense grade.

That 16.1 pass-rush productivity mark is especially impressive considering two factors: First, Miller’s QB hunting buddy DeMarcus Ware retired this offseason, resulting in more focus on Von and more double teams, triple teams, and chip blocks heading his way. Shaquil Barrett has been a pretty good replacement for Ware, but it just isn’t the same. Second, the Broncos’ interior pass rush has been spotty at best, allowing QBs to step up in the pocket and buy time for themselves. But despite all of that, Von’s still getting a generous share of the pressures, hits, and sacks.

It’s also worth noting that both of the honorable mentions behind Miller are fellow AFC West pass rushers: Melvin Ingram of the Chargers and Khalil Mack of the Raiders. And that doesn’t even include the Chargers’ Joey Bosa or the Chiefs’ Justin Houston.

The AFC West is truly a scary place to play quarterback, but the most dangerous wolf in this pack lives in Denver. The Broncos are truly lucky to have Von Miller.