The reigning Super Bowl champions have five players on Pro Football Focus’ list of the top-50 NFL players heading into the 2020 season. No teams have more players on the list than the Kansas City Chiefs. In addition, all of the Chiefs’ players are listed within the top-25 players.
This particular list seeks to use PFF grades and stats to determine how good a player is, regardless of position, heading into the upcoming season. They projected their outlook for 2020 based on an overview of previous stats and grades. Then they adjusted those projections based injuries and new circumstances surrounding the team.
Below you’ll find a look at what PFF’s Sam Monson had to say about each player and my thoughts on PFF’s ranking.
2. QB Patrick Mahomes
“If there’s a player who has a hope of rivaling Donald as the best in the league regardless of position, it’s likely Mahomes. What we’re seeing from the young quarterback has never been done before — not necessarily statistically, but stylistically. His feel for the game and ability to make special plays as a passer is absurd. Since Mahomes entered the league, his PFF passing grade on third-and-long alone is 91.4, and his passer rating is 125.3 — comfortably the best in the league. Nobody can do what Mahomes can right now, and 2020 should bring about an even better version than last year if he stays healthy.“
I have a feeling that Mahomes would’ve landed the No. 1 spot on this list had he stayed healthy. He only missed two games in the long run, but that shadow of doubt seems to be enough for Monson to rank Rams’ DT Aaron Donald over Mahomes at No. 1. Again, this list doesn’t take positional value into account, it’s merely a measure of how good a player is heading into the upcoming season. With that said, there’s no player in the NFL I’d rather have than Mahomes, regardless of position.
16. DL Chris Jones
“Chris Jones is another player looking to be the most destructive non-Aaron Donald interior pass-rusher in football. Over the past two seasons, only Donald and Cox have more total pressures among interior players than Jones, who has racked up 132 pressures and has the second-best PFF pass-rushing grade in the league, trailing only Donald among players at any position. Jones has shown, when healthy, he has the ability to take over and dominate games, as he was a big part of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory with multiple key plays.“
Jones has perhaps been the most important non-Mahomes player on the Chiefs over the past several seasons. He’s nearly unblockable on the defensive interior. His disruption and batted passes during Super Bowl LIV were as important as any of the key plays you might recall in the game. I wonder if Jones’ contract situation won’t have an impact on his performance again in 2020. Without a long-term deal in place, he could be once again looking to prove himself and not to Kansas City, but auditioning for another team in the league.
19. TE Travis Kelce
“Travis Kelce has become the prototype for modern-day receiving tight ends. While his blocking isn’t on the level of Rob Gronkowski or George Kittle, it’s still not bad, and he offsets this difference by being one of the best players the league has ever seen at his position after the catch. He can run like a wideout with the ball in his hands and has broken at least 10 tackles every season of his career, with a total of 91 over six seasons including the playoffs. Kelce has four-straight seasons with a PFF receiving grade of at least 87.0.“
George Kittle, who is ranked No. 5 in this list, disappeared in the postseason. Meanwhile, Kelce stepped up as a blocker and a receiver, with 632 receiving yards and four touchdowns on the way to a Super Bowl title. It’s hard for me to believe that Kelce’s future outlook for 2020 is significantly worse than Kittle’s. He’s set to continue making history, poised for a fifth-consecutive season with over 1,000 receiving yards, something no other tight end has achieved in NFL history.
22. WR Tyreek Hill
“There are receivers who have higher grades than Tyreek Hill on a down-to-down basis, but I’m not sure there’s anyone I would take over him if I were starting a team tomorrow. His combination of devastating speed and ball skills at the catch point is unrivaled in the NFL — he’s just a nightmare for opposing defenses. Only Julio Jones and Michael Thomas have gained more yards per route run than Hill over the past three seasons, and Hill has gained at least 1.4 yards per reception more than either player after the catch. Hill is one of the most game-breaking players in football and one of the best players in the league.”
Hill is the fourth WR on this list to Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and DeAndre Hopkins. I tend to believe that Hill still hasn’t reached his peak performance as a receiver in the NFL. If you look at the type of shape that he’s in this offseason, I think it’s safe to assume he’ll be in for a big year in 2020. Not many players can get their body in that type of shape during a regular offseason, let alone one like 2020 that has been entirely virtual thus far.
23. RT Mitchell Schwartz
“You could make an argument — as it seems I am with this list — that Mitchell Schwartz isn’t just the best right tackle in the league but the best overall tackle and possibly best offensive lineman in the league. His run to the Super Bowl was one of the greatest postseason performances of any player at any position in NFL history, but because he’s a right tackle, few people noticed. Schwartz pass-blocked for 142 snaps — with his team in obvious passing, hurry-up situations for much of it — and allowed just one hurry. He is an elite lineman.“
I’m actually a bit surprised that Schwartz is ranked so highly by PFF. He was recently named the most underrated player on the Chiefs’ roster by the same outlet. They’ve been one of his biggest supporters over the years, and they’re really high on his postseason performance last season. Still, this feels high for a player that’s considered underrated in NFL circles.
