The newly-released ‘PFF50’ includes four former Badgers

Yesterday ProFootballFocus released their “PFF50: The NFL’s 50 best players entering the 2020 season” and included four former Badgers…

J.J. Watt

NCAA Football: Northwestern at Wisconsin
Wisconsin Badgers defensive tackle J.J. Watt (99) celebrates while holding a rose following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Camp Randall Stadium. Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

J.J. Watt had a four-season stretch in his career that rivaled Aaron Donald’s before injuries started to bite deep and derail things, but Watt has still shown glimpses of that dominance since those setbacks. In 2018, he played a full year and earned a PFF grade above 90.0. He was on track to accomplish that feat again last season before a torn pectoral muscle ended his regular season, and his return in the playoffs wasn’t quite at the same level. At his best, Watt is still a dominant force in the league, and the only question about that is his health, rather than his level of play.