We’ve had a solid week to process the final list of the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2016 so it’s time to take a look back at which players were conspicuously absent. Other than Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton jumping up from No. 73 to No. 1 in this year’s poll and Adrian Peterson jumping from No. 62 to No. 5 the Top 10 of the Top 100 didn’t change a whole lot. There’s a good reason for that.
But injuries and playing on under-performing teams can knock players off the list completely. Guys that were Top 10 or even Top 20 players might be bumped after spending a year rehabbing a knee. Usually they’re back the next year so this list will not so much be about Top 100 snubs, but more about predicting guys that will either make a return to the list in 2017 or make their first appearance.
First off, lets get the former and current Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams out of the way. Only two Rams made the list (Aaron Donald at No. 14 and Todd Gurley at No. 22), but four more should have. Of those four, only two will be with the team in the 2016-17 season as the other two were a couple of the most sought-after free agents on the market this offseason.
Robert Quinn, Defensive End, Los Angeles Rams
2015:21 tackles, five sacks, three passes defended, three forced fumbles
This is the first year Quinn hasn’t made the list since 2013 (when he was No. 13. He was No. 44 in 2014) and that’s all due to being injured most of the year and banged up in the seven games he did start. Still, Quinn was on pace for his fourth consecutive double-digit sack season and there’s no one in the NFL better at stripping the ball from the quarterback. If Quinn plays in all 16 games of 2017, he’ll not only be back on the Top 100 list, he’ll be way high on the list with his teammates, Donald and Gurley.
Trumaine Johnson, Cornerback, Los Angeles Rams
2015: 71 tackles, 17 passes defended, one fumble recovery, seven interceptions, one return for a touchdown
Only Marcus Peters and Reggie Nelson had more picks in 2015 than Johnson. He was a ball vacuum in the secondary and a shut-down corner. His size, speed and ball skills make him a consistent problem, especially down the field and his consistency and discipline is what made the Rams keep him over his fellow corner, Janoris Jenkins, who we’ll talk about next. If the Rams had been good, both Johnson and Jenkins would have been on the list.
Janoris Jenkins, Cornerback, New York Giants
2015: 64 tackles, one forced fumble, 15 passes defended, three interceptions
Jenkins cashed in on the free agent market this season after being unable to work out a long-term deal with the Rams. On pure talent, he was the best corner on the Rams’ team and one of the top five in the league. Jenkins’ problem is exactly Johnson’s strengths, consistency and discipline. He could get bored and get beat, or gamble for a pick giving up a big play. But with that gambling spirit came some highlight plays, especially his week three pick of Carson Palmer in the end zone in the Rams’ win over the Arizona Cardinals.
James Laurinaitis, Linebacker, New Orleans Saints
2015: 109 tackles, one sack, one pass defended, one forced fumble, one interception and one safety
Laurinaitis has started every single game at middle linebacker for the Rams since he was drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft. That’s 112 starts out of 112. He’s consistently one of the best at his position and the most overrated as other linebackers who haven’t nearly put up the numbers he has in his seven-year career get the press and the votes. Laurinaitis has never made the Pro Bowl, but is the Rams all-time leading tackler in team history. This is a team whose history includes Jack Youngblood, Deacon Jones and Merlin Olson. He never, not once, had a season where he recorded fewer than 100 tackles. In fact, the 109 he posted in 2015 were the lowest total of his career. He had back-to-back seasons (2011-2012) where he had 142 tackles.
Next: We’ll actually discuss some guys who didn’t play for the Rams in 2015.
