Two Carolina Panthers are on Pro Football Focus’ annual list of the top 101 players in the NFL.
Recently-retired inside linebacker Luke Kuechly came in at No. 40 on their list. Even though it wasn’t his best season and there’s a good chance he was playing in pain, he still ranked among the top five performers at his position. Here’s what they said about No. 59.
“The only year that he didn’t make the list was his rookie season, but from that moment on, he has been one of the best linebackers the game has seen. This season marked the first year since 2013 that his overall PFF grade dipped below 90.0 for the season, and yet it was still good enough to rank inside the top five among all linebackers, with more playing time than three of the four players ahead of him.”
All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey was the other Panther who made the cut. He came in at No. 24. They had him graded as the second-best receiving running back behind Austin Ekeler.
“He was third in the league in rushing yardage but topped 1,000 receiving yards on 116 catches. As a receiving back, only Austin Ekeler had a higher PFF grade, but McCaffrey’s rushing grade couldn’t quite match up to the best backs in the league this year.”
McCaffrey is currently the subject of an exhausting Twitter debate over whether or not the Panthers should pay him a long-term extension. Giving running backs huge contracts generally doesn’t pan out in the NFL. However, McCaffrey may be a unique case because of his receiving ability and importance for Carolina’s offense.
Team-building and market value aside, McCaffrey is now indisputably the best running back in football.
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