Sliding in right under the wire once again, it’s time to look at the previous episode of NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2017 and see how the players did in selecting this team.
As I’ve already stated in previous installments, we’re averaging a solid 4-5 new members to the list in each 10-spot and 40-31 is no exception. Exactly five new players or guys who weren’t ranked in 2016 made the list. Without counting them up, I estimate we’ve had at least 30 new players this year, which means we’ve knocked about 30 guys off last year’s list.
Let’s take a look.
40. Vic Beasley, LB, Atlanta Falcons
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 39 tackles, 15.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, one pass defense
No. 40 is a high debut for Beasley, but when you lead the NFL in sacks, you’re going to get a lot of attention. There were legitimate concerns after Beasley was drafted in 2015 that he might be heading to bust territory. He shut all that up in a hurry and was a key reason the Falcons made it to the Super Bowl. Now if he could have just picked up one more sack… While I’ve come here to praise Beasley, I still say 40 might be about 10 spots too high. Sure, he did lead the league in sacks, but this was a down year in sackage in the NFL. When 15.5 is the top mark, that means something is off. That something is probably J.J. Watt missing the season injured. We’ll talk more about that later down the page.
39. Bobby Wagner, MLB, Seattle Seahawks
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 168 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, three passes defended, one interception
That’s not a type-o. Wagner had 168 tackles last season which, while being a career high, isn’t a surprising stat since he averaged 135 tackles a season before last year. He’s one of the most consistently underrated players in the league and it’s a damn shame it took him this long to end up on the list. If he’s overshadowed by other players on the Seahawks defense, it’s probably just because he keeps his mouth shut. Ranking wise, Wagner should be a Top 20 player if not a Top 10 player. This is too low.
38. Fletcher Cox, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
Last year: No. 49
2016: 43 tackles, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two pass defenses
Cox is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL and it seems no matter who Philadelphia plugs in at head coach and defensive coordinator, he always finds a way to get into the oppnent’s backfield backfield. No. 38 is probably about 10 spots too low for Cox, especially when you see a couple of the guys the players ranked above him.
37. Aqib Talib, CB, Denver Broncos
Last year: No. 34
2016: 33 tackles, 12 passes defended, three interceptions, one defensive touchdown
Talib is the perfect example of how a player can be trouble and not only keep a job in the NFL, but thrive in it. He’s unquestionably one of the best corners in the game and this No. 37 ranking is probably dead on. He’s also a game-changer, a guy that knows where the end zone is when he gets the ball in his hands. The fact that he put up those numbers last year after getting shot (or, you know, shooting himself) in the leg in the offseason is kind of nuts.
36. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 61 receptions, 593 yards, 24 rushes, 267 yards, three touchdowns, 39 kick returns, 592 yards, two touchdowns, 14 punt returns, 384 yards, one touchdown
Does Hill deserve to be on the Top 100 list? I think that’s debatable. Does he deserve to be No. 36? Hell no. He’s a tremendous weapon and an exciting player, but just at the wide receiver position alone, you’re going to rank him ahead of Doug Baldwin, Julian Edelman, T.Y. Hilton, Dez Bryant, Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson, Larry Fitzgerald and Jarvis Landry? That’s ridiculous. I guarantee Kansas City would trade Hill for any of those players (with the exception of Fitzgerald because of his age) straight up. Hill maybe should sneak into the list at No. 98 or something. Not in the Top 40.
35. J.J. Watt, DE, Houston Texans
Last year: No. 3
2016: eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery
The only person more incredulous about Watt making the list this year than me is Watt himself. Watt tweeted, “I played three games… this list is a joke.” A healthy Watt is, without question, a member of this list. Hell, before this year he’d never been ranked lower than 12th. But he’s right, he doesn’t deserve to be on it and his presence, along with Adrian Peterson’s in the 90s, knocked some deserving players off it.
34. Kam Chancellor, Safety, Seattle Seahawks
Last year: No. 32
2016: 81 tackles, one forced fumble, eight passes defended, two interceptions
Chancellor is the kind of player that plays so hard he hurts himself half the time. Over the last two seasons he’s missed seven games due to being banged up. He’s an elite player in the league, a freak athlete and just damn fun to watch. Of all the guys on Seattle’s defense, he might be the most important and his hold out, and the team’s performance without him in 2015, proved that.
33. DeMarco Murray, RB, Tennessee Titans
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 293 carries, 1,287 yards, nine touchdowns, 53 catches, 377 yards, three touchdowns
Murray’s foray in Philadelphia cost him a year on the list, but he’s back after moving on to the Tennessee Titans and reigniting his career. Murray piled up these numbers in spite of sharing a backfield with rookie Derek Henry, who piled up 110 carries, 490 yards and five touchdowns of his own.
32. Marcus Peters, CB, Kansas City Chiefs
Last year: No. 65
2016: 45 tackles, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, 20 passes defended. six interceptions
In two years Marcus Peters has caused 16 turnovers. Let that sink in. That’s the beginning of a potential NFL Hall of Fame career right there. And while you can say his eight picks, 26 passes defended and one forced fumble as a rookie might be an outlier (he led the league in interceptions in 2015), the fact that he picked off six passes and forced a fumble last year shows that just may be how good this kid is. Like potentially the best ever, good. Is 32 too low? It’s hard to argue that for a second-year player, but if he does anything close to those stats again in 2017, start firing up the forge.
31. Matt Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 65.3 completion percentage, 4,327 yards, 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 37 rushes, 207 yards, two touchdowns
Unless your name is Brady, Manning or Rodgers, it’s hard to get the love you deserve on this list. Position players like to recognize their own and there’s nothing really wrong with that. Stafford, without Calvin Johnson, had no drop-off in performance whatsoever, proving that he had a lot to do with Johnson’s elite status as a wideout. Where would I rank him? Around 15 or so.
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