Lists are made to foster discussion, and there are few lists that foster more discussion than the NFL Network’s annual Top 100. NFL players are asked to rank their favorite players, the results are tabulated, and the 100 most popular from the player-generated votes are revealed, 10 at a time. It’s an interesting view into how the players think, and the corresponding shows are valuable in how the players break down their own performances and the performances of others, but even the players make some… “interesting” decisions.
Here are nine ways the list went wrong in 2019.
Over-valuing wide receivers
There were 20 receivers on the 2019 list. One in five of the total. Do you mean to tell me that of the NFL’s 100 best players, one in five of them are receivers? No offense to guys like Julian Edelman (No. 90), Jarvis Landry (No. 84), and Robert Woods (No. 76), but as you go down this list of grievances, are these players really more valuable than the ones who didn’t make the cut? We think not.
Shunning slot defenders altogether
Yeah, this is a problem. When NFL teams are playing nickel defense about 60% of the time and dime defense another 13% of the time as they did in 2018, per Football Outsiders, that means the old “base defense” of four defensive backs is actually more of an exotic sub-package. Slot defenders are starters in the modern NFL, and the best slot defenders are marquee players who deserve… well, any credit at all. And they didn’t get it on this list. Where’s Denver’s Chris Harris, the pre-eminent slot defender of all time?
Where’s Indy’s Kenny Moore, who had a fabulous breakout season? Bryce Callahan? How about Dolphins rookie DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, who played everywhere from defensive line to free safety and allowed an opponent passer rating of 53.4 when he was in the slot? I’m surprised the players didn’t think more of their brethren who excel in the fifth and sixth defensive back positions.
My feelings on the subject are as follows:
Wait… there’s only ONE offensive guard?
When Dallas’ Zack Martin popped up at 59 overall, that felt right. And one assumed there would be more guards, until there weren’t. Which is kind of ridiculous. New England’s Shaq Mason allowed one sack and 20 total pressures in 1,202 total snaps and was an amazing run-blocker, especially as the Patriots expanded their power game late in the season. Rookie Quenton Nelson of the Colts gave up two sacks early in the season and none thereafter, with 24 total pressures. And he did this to Jadeveon Clowney, who ranked 63rd:
Browns left guard Joel Bitonio allowed just one sack and 13 pressures last season with a mid-season switch in offensive philosophies and a rookie quarterback in Baker Mayfield who left the pocket a lot. Several guards are among the NFL’s 100 best players, and the position was ignored in a relative sense.
Wait… there’s only ONE center?
Putting Jason Kelce of the Eagles in the Top 100 makes sense, as he’s the best center in the game right now—though he should be higher than 72. But where’s Rodney Hudson of the Raiders? Where’s Ryan Kelly of the Colts? Centers never get the credit they deserve, but for only Kelce to be on this list at his position isn’t fair. If the players wanted more room for these undervalued positions, I have two spots that should have been open…
Kirk Cousins and Jared Goff? Why?
It’s not that Cousins and Goff had bad seasons in 2018, per se—it’s just that their offenses and targets were designed for success in ways that weren’t as advantageous for other quarterbacks, and both Cousins and Goff showed vulnerabilities when the plan didn’t go as… well, planned. Goff, who ranked 32nd on the list, had a fairly massive drop in efficiency after receiver Cooper Kupp was injured, and Cousins (ranked 78th) continued his career-long issues under pressure. They’re both good players, but are they top 100 players? It’s a tough argument to make.
Putting Todd Gurley over Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott
Todd Gurley had a pretty nice season for the NFC champs, gaining 1,251 yards on the ground, leading the NFL with 17 touchdown runs, and adding 59 catches for 589 yards and four touchdowns. He deserved to be on the list, though his injury situation made him increasingly unavailable as the season (and postseason) went on. But to put him fifth overall seems like a bit of a reach, especially ahead of Giants rookie Saquon Barkley (No. 16) and Ezekiel Elliott (No. 18) who did more for their teams. Barkley did more with a passing game that was falling down all around him, and Elliott led the league in rushing despite an injury-plagued offensive line. If you’re going to put any running back in the top 10, Barkley would be the better choice, and Elliott deserves that high spot more than Gurley does.
Fletcher Cox and Russell Wilson in the 20s
Last season, per Pro Football Focus, two defensive players put up more than 100 total pressures, and neither of them were edge rushers. Aaron Donald, voted the best player in the NFL (which I agree with), and Fletcher Cox, who ranked 28th on the list despite a season in which he had 11 sacks, 25 quarterback hits and 65 quarterback hurries, 28 tackles, 10 assists and 33 stops,. And yet, he ranked 28th overall. I could add something else here, but the man himself got it right.
As for Wilson, he ranked 25th overall after a season in which he threw a career-high 35 touchdown passes, and was the NFL’s most prolific deep-throwing quarterback (15 touchdowns and one interception on passes of 20 or more air yards)… on just 427 passing attempts.
We are confused by this.
Dropping Matt Ryan 40 spots
Perhaps Ryan was affected by player perception of his 2017 season, when the Falcons replaced Kyle Shanahan with Steve Sarkisian, and the offense had predictable trouble finding the end zone. But Ryan had an impressive comeback season in 2018, with similar stats to his 2016 MVP season, and he still dropped from 29 to 69 in this year’s list. Maybe it was a makeup call for the overcooked ranking last season, but it doesn’t represent the remarkable season he had last year.
No defensive backs in the top 20
When you have a list where Titans safety Kevin Byard doesn’t make it at all, and he’s the best at his position in the game today, that says a lot. It also says a lot that Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore is ranked 22nd, when he perfectly executed Bill Belichick’s man concepts all season—up to, and including in, the Super Bowl. Gilmore was the highest-ranked defensive back on this list, but in a year where passing was more important than ever, the guys who can actually shut a passing game down should have been given higher praise.
