I worked so hard to get ahead of this thing and all it took was a single stumble and a weekend full of boxing and Father’s Day-ing to get screwed up again. The NFL Network has lapped me in its Top 100 Players of 2017, but I’m still going to sprint to the finish line.
I believe in myself.
Unlike previous installments, we only have only two players making their list debut this week. That means we’ll see plenty of familiar names on the list. Let’s see if the NFL Players screwed up any in Nos. 30-21.
30. Earl Thomas, Safety, Seattle Seahawks
Last year: No. 66
2016: 61 tackles, one fumble recovery, 10 passes defended, two interceptions, one defensive touchdown
The only thing odd about Thomas and this list is realizing the guy was No. 66 last year. That’s outrageous. Thomas has been one of the five best safeties in the league and arguably the best player on Seattle’s All-Star defense for years. Seattle ended up putting seven players on this list to lead the entire league. No. 30 is a lot closer to where he should land on this list, voted on by his peers, but I’d probably stick him closer to 22 or 21. Earl Thomas is such a gold standard for the position that Landon Collins, who made the list too, had one desire; to be ranked higher than Thomas.
29. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 96 catches, 1,321 yards, 12 touchdowns
Evans is a super star and as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to improve their roster, that star will just burn brighter. He’s the fourth wide receiver to have 1,000 yards in his first three seasons in NFL history and the fourth fastest man to reach 3,500 receiving yards as well. In three years he’s caught 27 touchdown passes and he’s only played with Jameis Winston at quarterback for the last two.
28. Landon Collins, Safety, New York Giants
Last year: Not Ranked
2016: 125 tackles, one fumble recovery, 13 passes defended, five interceptions
I had a first round grade on Landon Collins coming out of Alabama and was absolutely shocked when he fell to the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. It was the first pick of the second round, but still. Shock. When I put together my 2015 NFL Draft re-do next offseason, I suspect Collins will go significantly higher. If you’re wondering why we’ve had such a run of safeties over the top rounds of the last couple of drafts, guys like Collins and Thomas are the reason. They can change the game completely in a single play.
27. LeSean McCoy, RB, Buffalo Bills
Last year: No. 69
2016: 234 carries, 1,267 yards, 13 touchdowns, 50 catches, 356 yards, one touchdown
First off, NFL Network, let’s calm the hell down on the Barry Sanders’ comparisons. Shady McCoy is an elite running back, but that’s rarefied air you’re tossing around and there’s no reason to be ridiculous. That doesn’t make McCoy any less special, but he’s not Barry Sanders and he’s not Marshall Faulk. He does have great instincts and lateral quickness that most of his peers don’t possess. But Barry Sanders could take over a game single-handedly. Faulk could completely change the way a defense would be forced to play the Rams with a shift and take over the game too. Emmit Smith could. Adrian Peterson could just a year ago. I’ve seen some outstanding games from McCoy. I’ve never seen anything like that and if they did exist it would be back in 2013 when he led the league in carries (314) and in yardage (1,607).
26. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
Last year: No. 91
2016: 85 catches, 1,125 yards, four touchdowns
Kelce may not have found true love forever in his E! dating show, but he did hit the highest spot of his career on the Top 100 players list. He was probably the most dominant player at his position this season and recorded the second highest number of 100-yard games in the league. The only guy who caught more was the Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones. This was Kelce’s first 1,000-yard season but with the Chiefs shedding Jeremy Maclin, he’s probably a safe bet to hit it again in 2017. Adjust your fantasy football plans accordingly.
25. Joe Thomas, OT, Cleveland Browns
Last year: No. 23
To get any real love on this list when a player is on a bad team, he must literally be one of the best players at his position in the game. That’s why Joe Thomas is on the list. It’s also why he’s the only Cleveland Brown to make it. He has a perennial slot here in the 20s and it’s well-deserved. It’s just too bad the team he’s on hasn’t done enough to add any of his teammates.
24. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Last year: No. 17
2016: 64.7 completion percentage, 4,219 yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 72 rushes, 259 yards, one touchdown
Quarterbacks are just flatly undervalued on this list. If Wilson wasn’t on the Seahawks roster, they’d be a .500 team and Pete Carroll knows it. That’s why he coddles him. He has to. He’s the franchise. With Wilson, the Seahawks have made two Super Bowls, won one and compiled a 56-23-1 record. He’s never won less than 10 games in a season in his entire career. Wilson isn’t the No. 24 best player in this league. He’s a Top 10 player and a Top Five quarterback.
23. Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
Last year: No. 9
2016: 25 catches, 540 yards, three touchdowns
This is way too high for Gronk, who missed eight games and the entire playoff and Super Bowl run for the Patriots. Sure, in the games he played his was regular, dominating Gronk, the biggest mismatch in the NFL since Marshall Faulk in his prime. But placing injured guys on this list based on what they accomplished in years past is a mistake, I think. If anything, Gronk should be in the upper 20s the other way on this list, ranked 77 or lower. That’s not a shot. If the dude plays 16 games this season, he’ll be back in the Top 10 for next season. I think he’s the best tight end in the history of the sport.
22. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Last year: No. 21
2016: 64.4 completion percentage, 3,819 yards, 29 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, one rushing touchdown
Again, I’ll say it. QBs are too undervalued on this list. I write that with the full knowledge that Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan or Tom Brady will end up No. 1, but Roethlisberger should, in no way, be ranked out of the Top 15 when he plays 14 or more games in a season. Just like Wilson, he’s the reason the Steelers have been able to put up any winning season at all in the last seven seasons.
21. Richard Sherman, CB, Seattle Seahawks
Last year: No. 20
2016: 58 tackles, one fumble recovery, 13 passes defended, four interceptions
We end the 20s with Sherman who lands right about where he should be. That’s not a shot. To say that there are 20 players better than him in a 32-team league with 53 players apiece on each roster shows respect. Sherman is consistently one of the five best corners in the game and has more interceptions (30) and passes defended (97) than any other player since 2007.
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