PFF position rankings once again proves Reed Blankenship is being overlooked

Once the Philadelphia Eagles traded safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson away, the secondary became Reed Blankenship's to run as the leader of the group.

Blankenship came out of college as an undrafted free agent in 2022 with the Eagles and quickly rose to become one of the top defenders on the team. It's one of the great underdog stories as he played a part in Philadelphia making the Super Bowl twice in three years and winning it all last year.

Despite his outstanding play, not many in the NFL realize how good he truly is. More evidence of that came out from PFF, which once again shows Blankenship isn't getting the love he deserves.

PFF ranks Blankenship outside the top 10 of safety rankings

PFF writer Zoltán Buday ranked the top 32 safeties in the NFL entering the 2025 season. Blankenship was not in the top 10, as Buday ranked him at 15 due to his decline in grade over the last three years.

"While Blankenship formed one of the best safety duos in the NFL with Gardner-Johnson in 2024, he was less effective individually compared to previous seasons. Nevertheless, his 69.5 PFF overall grade still ranked 29th in the NFL.

Blankenship's 78.8 PFF overall grade over the past three years places him 14th among safeties."

Last year, Blankenship had a down year in tackles, recording 78 compared to 113 in 2023, but achieved a career high in interceptions with four. He was stellar in the postseason as he racked up 27 tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in four games. His jersey from the Super Bowl is currently on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The statistics may not be to people's liking, but Blankenship has had a more significant impact on this defense both on and off the field. Back in March, Slay publicly endorsed Blankenship as the next man in line to lead the team if he left.

In a transitional time in Philadelphia, Blankenship must lead the young secondary players, including Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Sydney Brown, and rookie second-round pick Andrew Mukuba. Among the projected starters, Blankenship has the most experience of the group.

Blankenship will be tested early to have this secondary ready, but he has all the tools to be among the best safeties in the NFL. He is currently outside the top 10. Next year, that will be a different story.