Top 101 Players – Syndication Server

Jaguars nowhere to be found on Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players list

Jacksonville was shut out from this year’s list after a league-worst 3-14 finish.

It was a disappointing season across the board for Jacksonville in 2021.

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence was held back (partially by his own mistakes and partially by the play of those around him), and the receiving corps ultimately disappointed after being decimated by injuries. Then on defense, the team showed improvement by the end of the season but was far from good enough to make up for everything else.

After registering a league-worst 3-14 finish, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Jaguars didn’t have any players among the league’s best. On Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 101 players in the NFL this year, Jacksonville was M.I.A.

It’s certainly not a surprise that there were no offensive players on this list. The highest-graded player that saw significant game time was receiver Laquon Treadwell, earning a 71.9 grade from PFF.

Defensively, Josh Allen could have had an argument to be here. His 78.6 season grade puts him within the range of some of the lower-graded players on the top 101. He finished with 7.5 sacks and a career-high 71 tackles, but he had problems with inconsistency. He had some huge games, but there were others where he was virtually a non-factor.

It’s not groundbreaking to say that bad teams tend to not have elite players, but this team’s lack of bona fide stars highlights how bad the roster situation has gotten. Jags fans can only hope the team isn’t omitted from this list next season.

Another player ranking list highlights Packers’ elite talent

The Packers placed eight players in Touchdown Wire’s top 101 players list entering the 2021 season.

The Green Bay Packers placed eight players in Touchdown Wire’s top 101 players list entering the 2021 season, highlighting the team’s impressive collection of individual talent.

Of the eight, four landed in the top 15. This is a team with elite players at important positions.

Here’s the list:

RB Aaron Jones, No. 67
DL Kenny Clark, No. 64
OLB Za’Darius Smith, No. 60
S Darnell Savage, No. 33
LT David Bakhtiari, No. 13
CB Jaire Alexander, No. 11
WR Davante Adams, No. 7
QB Aaron Rodgers, No. 2

Just like the list at Pro Football Focus, the Packers had an NFL-high four players in the top 15 of the rankings.

Matt LaFleur’s team won 26 games over the last two seasons and advanced to the NFC title game each year. Rodgers was the NFL’s MVP in 2020, while Adams, Alexander and Bakhtiari were all All-Pros.

The No. 1 player on the list was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who the Packers will face during the 2021 season.

Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield of Touchdown Wire compiled the rankings, based on the duo’s individual position rankings.

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Texas LT Samuel Cosmi listed as No. 33 overall player in college football

The latest top 101 college football player ranks from Pro Football Focus are out. The only Longhorn listed was Samuel Cosmi at No. 33.

The conclusion of each college football season is the start of many national media outlets evaluations. Who were the top football players in 2020? Continue reading “Texas LT Samuel Cosmi listed as No. 33 overall player in college football”

Oklahoma has 6 players make Pro Football Focus’ top-101 players from 2020 season

The Oklahoma Sooners once again finished on top of the Big 12 mountain in 2020. PFF ranked six of their players in their top 101 in 2020.

Many fans and media alike knew there were going to be growing pains when it came to the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 2020. Continue reading “Oklahoma has 6 players make Pro Football Focus’ top-101 players from 2020 season”

Marcus Williams among 8 Saints players on Top 101 list

The New Orleans Saints had eight players featured on a list of the top 101 best NFL players in 2020, including free safety Marcus Williams.

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The NFL released its annual Top 100 Players ranking as voted on by active players themselves, and the New Orleans Saints tied the Baltimore Ravens for the most total selections in the entire league (seven each).

Interestingly, another list breaking down the best players in the game today comes from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield. They recognized eight Saints as belonging in the top tier of NFL talent. However, they left out cornerback Marshon Lattimore (ranked at No. 76 on the NFL’s list) and running back Alvin Kamara (No. 42) while including center Erik McCoy, free safety Marcus Williams, and left tackle Terron Armstead. Here’s where each Saints player finished in Touchdown Wire’s rankings:

C Erik McCoy, No. 96
DE Cameron Jordan, No. 75
FS Marcus Williams, No. 54
LT Terron Armstead, No. 51
LB Demario Davis, No. 43
RT Ryan Ramczyk, No. 29
QB Drew Brees, No. 22
WR Michael Thomas, No. 7

Jordan being listed so low is an interesting choice. He’s not just one of the lower-ranked edge defenders overall, he’s one of the lowest-ranked members of his own team, which doesn’t match up with his consistent production (which Farrar and Schofield pointed out in their writeup). It’s tough to buy that he’s not a top-five player on the Saints’ roster.

Still, it’s great to see Williams and Armstead get their due credit. Except for a few high-profile mistakes in coverage, Williams has held down one of the toughest jobs in the NFL. He’s created more interceptions than any other Saints defensive back from 2010 to 2019, and he just started playing in 2017. Armstead is the most physically gifted member of the offensive line, and has put in the work at refining his technique to match it. He just needs to stay healthy long enough to catch more of the national spotlight.

So there isn’t much to nitpick on this list, except for Jordan’s 50-spots-or-so too-low placement. What’s up with that?

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3 current Saints players added to PFF’s All-Decade Top 101

New Orleans Saints players like Emmanuel Sanders, Terron Armstead, and Cameron Jordan made the All-Decade Top 101 from Pro Football Focus.

The team at Pro Football Focus has continued to update its All-Decade Top 101, ranking the best players in the NFL over the last ten years. And it shouldn’t surprise anyone that several New Orleans Saints have already made an appearance.

It’s quite a comprehensive piece — one-time Saints wideout Dez Bryant also cracked the list, at No. 75; embittered ex-Saints practice participant Brandon Marshall was also ranked at No. 61 — but so far, just three current Saints players have been recognized.

PFF is updating its list each day this week, with the final wave dropping on Thursday. So stay tuned to see whether big names like Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, or Alvin Kamara get listed.

One of the Saints rated highly by PFF hasn’t even played a down in New Orleans yet, which should get fans even more excited about his arrival. Let’s get started:

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5 Packers make PFF’s top 101 players list from the 2019 season

Five members of the Packers made PFF’s list of the top 101 players from the 2019 NFL season.

Five members of the Green Bay Packers cracked the top 101 players list from Pro Football Focus for the 2019 season.

Two players landed inside the top 40, while one new entry made the list just outside the top 50.

Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith, the team’s prized free-agent acquisition, was the highest-rated Packers player at No. 19. He led the NFL in total pressures with 93 and finished as the No. 2 edge player on the list, trailing only T.J. Watt.

Smith is the highest-ranking Packers player since Aaron Rodgers finished No. 3 on PFF’s list in 2016.

Receiver Davante Adams was the Packers’ highest-rated offensive player this year. He ended up at No. 33, 15 spots ahead of where he finished the 2018 season. Only three receivers (Michael Thomas, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones) finished higher on the list. Over 14 games, including the postseason, Adams caught 100 passes for 1,295 yards and seven scores.

Next up was running back Aaron Jones, who made the list for the first time. He came in at No. 56, making him the fourth-highest ranked running back in the NFL in 2019 – trailing only Nick Chubb, Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler. Jones scored 23 total touchdowns and finished with just over 1,700 total yards during a breakout season.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers made the list for a second straight year, but he dropped down to No. 83. PFF noted a declining level of consistency for Rodgers’ drop. He ranked in the top 50 last year.

Last but not least is defensive lineman Kenny Clark, who made the list for the third straight year. He finished at No. 97 in 2019, largely due to a midseason lull created in part due to several lingering injuries. He still finished with the second-most pressures (69) among interior defensive linemen, trailing only Aaron Donald.

Overall, the Packers had the No. 2 ranked edge defender, No. 3 ranked wide receiver, No. 4 ranked running back, No. 7 ranked quarterback and No. 8 ranked defensive lineman on the list.

The five total players making the list were the most by the Packers since the team had six in 2016. They had four last season.

Left tackle David Bakhtiari, who was the team’s highest-ranked player in 2018, didn’t make the top 101 list in 2019. He was named a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro.

Previous years

2018: David Bakhtiari (39), Aaron Rodgers (41), Kenny Clark (43), Davante Adams (48)

2017: David Bakhtiari (30), Kenny Clark (69), Mike Daniels (89)

2016: Aaron Rodgers (3), David Bakhtiari (20), Mike Daniels (68), Jordy Nelson (74), Bryan Bulaga (77), T.J. Lang (94)

2015: Mike Daniels (47), T.J. Lang (56), Josh Sitton (65)

2014: Aaron Rodgers (2), Jordy Nelson (30), Josh Sitton (35), Eddie Lacy (51), Randall Cobb (58), T.J. Lang (78), Mike Daniels (99)

2013: Josh Sitton (25), Jordy Nelson (39), Eddie Lacy (70)

2012: Aaron Rodgers (11), Clay Matthews (24), Casey Hayward (36), Sam Shields (93)

2011: Aaron Rodgers (1), Clay Matthews (38), Jordy Nelson (53), Bryan Bulaga (71), Josh Sitton (98)

2010: Aaron Rodgers (1), Josh Sitton (48), Tramon Williams (51), Clay Matthews (56), Desmond Bishop (82), Greg Jennings (87), Cullen Jenkins (98)

PFF names Ryan Ramczyk, Michael Thomas top-10 NFL players

New Orleans Saints tackle Ryan Ramczyk and wide receiver Michael Thomas went top 10 in the Top 101 Players of 2019 from Pro Football Focus.

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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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Bounce-back third year earns Marcus Williams a spot among top 40 NFL players

New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams has a bad rap among some vocal fans, but the experts at Pro Football Focus know he’s elite.

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New Orleans Saints free safety Marcus Williams has a bad rap among some fans. It’s because there’s this perception that he plays small in big moments — like his whiffed tackles on deep passes in last season’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers. There have been a handful of mistakes in critical moments from the 23-year-old starter, and a vocal contingent in Saints social media circles and fan forums are determined to zero in on those few bad plays against the 2,800-plus other snaps Williams has seen since the Saints drafted him.

To hear them tell it, Williams is an unreliable player who should be traded at the first opportunity. However, the analysts at Pro Football Focus are here to sweep that misconception away. Their snap-by-snap grading proved Williams isn’t just a good player; he’s one of the NFL’s best, ranking at No. 38 on their list of the top 101 players of 2019:

This season saw Marcus Williams return to the level of play that we saw from him as a rookie, and he ended the season with an overall PFF grade of 88.9. Williams was once again excellent in coverage and against the run, notching four interceptions and six pass breakups over the year. He also recorded 12 defensive stops, which is more than his previous two seasons in the league combined. He makes the PFF Top 101 for the first time in his career this season.

How’s that for busting a narrative? As the writeup suggests, Williams is a top-notch coverage safety around the league and has made improvements in run defense. It’s something that should have been expected, given the rare range Williams is gifted with as someone who can run from one sideline to the other with ease. What’s important is that Williams has successfully bounced back from a bad play that could have defined him: the Minneapolis Miracle, when he missed a last-second tackle to allow the game-winning score.

That’s how Williams’ 2017 rookie year ended. 2018 was supposed to have been the revenge tour, when he would develop into a game-changing weapon in the secondary. That didn’t happen, with the young safety visibly hesitating to bite on passes that he could have intercepted. It took a full season for Williams to put those bad vibes behind him, but now we can say with confidence that he’s arrived.

What happens next is unclear. Williams is headed for a contract year, and is one of the best and youngest players at his position. He’s tied Chicago Bears starter Eddie Jackson in interceptions (10) since 2017, and Jackson just set the market for safety contracts on a four-year, $58 million deal. Williams has rarely left the field for the Saints and has too often been the only defensive back making plays (his 10 career interceptions lead all Saints players from 2010 to 2019, by the way, and he’s only been in the league for three years).

He might be someone the Saints need to look at re-signing before his asking price rises even higher. Sure, he has some warts to his game — he must become a more consistent tackler, even if his missed tackle rate last year (14.5%) was near-average for his position. But the key takeaway here is that Williams is an ascendant talent, and his good plays outweigh his bad moments by a very, very wide margin. His game tape makes that obvious. Anyone telling you differently hasn’t put in the work to know.

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Terron Armstead clocks in on Pro Football Focus’ top 101 players of 2019

New Orleans Saints tackle Terron Armstead earned well-deserved recognition on the Top 101 NFL Players of 2019 list from Pro Football Focus.

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New Orleans Saints left tackle Terron Armstead has finished too many seasons as one of the NFL’s best at what he does, but lacking the accolades his peers enjoy. He wasn’t named to the Pro Bowl until 2018 (returning in 2019), and has only cracked the AP All-Pro list once (in 2018, as a second-team entry). Sure, Armstead’s lengthy injury history has hurt his reputation, but there’s few left tackles around who combine his all-world athleticism with painstakingly-polished technique.

However, Armstead finally got his due from the list of the top 101 players of 2019 from Pro Football Focus. Players 101 through 76 have been revealed so far, and plenty of Armstead’s Saints teammates should join him. but for now, he’s the only member of the black and gold to make the cut:

76. T TERRON ARMSTEAD, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

At his best, Terron Armstead is one of the best tackles in all of football, but an in-season injury affected his play and caused him to miss time. Even his absence showed how good he is, though, as Drew Brees completely changed his game when his reliable blindside protector wasn’t in the lineup by dramatically speeding up his release. Armstead surrendered just one sack all season, including the team’s lone playoff appearance, and the sack came in that game. In total, he allowed 24 pressures across more than 600 pass-blocking snaps and remains one of the best pass blockers in football.

While this was a drop from last year’s ranking (47), Armstead placed ahead of several tackles around the league, including Tennessee Titans bookends Jack Conklin (81) and Taylor Lewan (88), Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith (92), and Atlanta Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews (96). We’ll find out in the days ahead who the analysts at Pro Football Focus ranked ahead of Armstead, but it’s great to see him getting this well-deserved recognition. Now where will Ryan Ramczyk place?

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