Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ defensive lineman Julian Howsare has been named the CFL’s top performer for Week 5, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
The 32-year-old native of Altoona, Pa. played 49 defensive snaps in his team’s 51-38 win over the Toronto Argonauts, recording one defensive tackle, one pass knockdown, and one sack. He was given an individual grade of 91.0.
The six-foot-three, 255-pound defender has played 104 career regular-season CFL games over seven seasons, recording 203 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, 34 sacks, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and one touchdown.
Kenny Lawler was named the highest-graded offensive player of the week, earning a score of 89.3. He recorded six receptions for 207 yards and three touchdowns, including a career-long catch of 79 yards.
The Tiger-Cats also had the highest-graded offensive line of the week, earning a group grade of 70.1. Coulter Woodmansey, who moved from guard to centre this season, earned the top individual score at 76.9, followed by right guard Liam Dobson (74.2) and right tackle Quinton Barrow (64.4).
The CFL partnered with PFF for the first time ahead of the 2023 season. The company uses game footage to review every player on the field and grades their individual performances on a scale from zero to 100.
The league unveils the top-graded players from PFF each week. Offensive and defensive players must play a minimum of 25 snaps to be eligible and special teams players must play at least 10. Ties are broken by the number of snaps played.
The top-graded players from each position were as follows for Week 5.
- QB | Bo Levi Mitchell | Hamilton | 83.4
- RB | Ante Milanovic-Litre | Hamilton | 84.7
- REC | Kenny Lawler | Hamilton | 89.3
- OL | Coulter Woodmansey | Hamilton | 76.9
- DL | Julian Howsare | Hamilton | 91.0
- LB | Derrick Moncrief | Calgary | 85.5
- DB | Damon Webb | Calgary | 86.4
- RET | Isaiah Wooden | Hamilton | 90.8
- K/P | Lewis Ward | Ottawa | 78.0
- ST | Jaylen Smith | Winnipeg | 90.4
Below are the top-graded performances of the season dating back to Week 1.
- 91.6 | W3 | QB | Davis Alexander | Montreal
- 91.0 | W5 | DL | Julian Howsare | Hamilton
- 90.8 | W1 | QB | Nathan Rourke | BC
- 90.5 | W3 | DL | Caleb Sanders | Saskatchewan
- 90.3 | W3 | DL | Malik Carney | Saskatchewan
- 90.2 | W4 | LB | Geoffrey Cantin-Arku | Montreal
- 89.7 | W3 | DL | Micah Johnson | Saskatchewan
- 89.3 | W5 | REC | Kenny Lawler | Hamilton
- 88.9 | W1 | REC | Samuel Emilus | Saskatchewan
- 87.5 | W4 | DL | Bryce Carter | Ottawa
