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The Pro Football Focus team put together its list of the top 101 NFL players of 2019, and they’ve saved the best for last with two New Orleans Saints cracking the top 10: right tackle Ryan Ramczyk and wide receiver Michael Thomas. The Saints were one of two teams to send multiple players to the top 10, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers (represented by edge rusher T.J. Watt and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward).
Ramczyk was the highest-ranked offensive tackle on the list, and the second-best offensive lineman behind Philadelphia Eagles guard Brandon Brooks. Thomas placed highest of all wide receivers and trailed only San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle among all pass-catchers. Here’s what PFF had to say about Ramczyk’s rise to the top;
9. T RYAN RAMCZYK, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
This was a vintage season for right tackle play, and the best of them all was Ryan Ramczyk, who won PFF’s Best Run Blocking award over the regular season. Ramczyk’s run-blocking grade of 91.8 was the best among players who didn’t miss significant time, and as a pass blocker, he didn’t surrender a single sack all season. In total, Ramczyk allowed just 20 total pressures from 659 pass-blocking snaps, and he shut down some of the best pass rushers in the NFL, including blanking Houston’s J.J. Watt (albeit with a holding penalty) in the first week of the season.
Ramczyk put together an impressive resume in 2019, shutting down a ridiculous list of pass rushers including the elder Watt, Dallas Cowboys star DeMarcus Lawrence, and Chicago Bears sack artist Khalil Mack. Not bad for a junior college transfer who started one year at left tackle for Wisconsin before being picked by the Saints, and immediately moved to the right side.
As for Thomas: there isn’t much more to say in explaining his greatness, but PFF analyst Sam Monson took a shot at it:
8. WR MICHAEL THOMAS, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Michael Thomas smashed the all-time single-season receptions record in 2019, breaking Marvin Harrison’s mark with a week to spare and ending the year with 149 catches from just 180 targets (82.8%). On the season, quarterbacks passing to Michael Thomas had a passer rating of 123.3, and he did this despite Drew Brees missing five starts with an injured thumb. Thomas was one of the most dominant players in football because even though teams knew exactly what the Saints wanted to do, few could even put a dent in his production.
Here’s where all seven Saints players who made the cut ended up ranking:
- 8. WR Michael Thomas
- 9. T Ryan Ramczyk
- 21. LB Demario Davis
- 38. S Marcus Williams
- 45. EDGE Cameron Jordan
- 62. QB Drew Brees
- 76. T Terron Armstead
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