UA-59049186-1 Top 100 NFL Players Of 2016: 100-91 - Good if it Goes

Top 100 NFL Players Of 2016: 100-91

100. CB. Aqib Talib

talib

Talib’s reputation is a little overblown these days if you ask me, but he’s still 1 of the game’s most effective corners. He shows very good instincts in coverage and is very good at breaking on the ball and getting his hands on it. He’s proven many times throughout his career he can make big interceptions.

99. CB. Ronald Darby

NFL: Preseason-Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills

Darby had 1 of the most impressive rookie campaigns I’ve seen by a corner. Marcus Peters was the rookie corner that got all the attention because of his 8 interceptions, but Darby was by far the best corner of all the rookies in 2015 and already is pushing for top 10 status among his position group. Not only was he very good in coverage but he was a complete player mixing it up in the run game and was a very effective tackler.

98. CB. Vontae Davis

NFL: AFC Wild Card Playoff-Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts

You didn’t hear much about Vontae Davis in 2015, but that had more to do with him attempting to play through injury than him no longer being a good player. In 2014, when he was fully healthy, Davis was one of the top 5 corners in the game. Although he clearly wasn’t as effective in 2015, I factor in his career track record and the fact he was dealing with injury. Davis still belongs on this list and he will bounce back and have a big time year in 2016.

97. CB. Adam “Pacman” Jones

pacman

 Pacman Jones’ career has been filled with ups and downs and I don’t just mean on the field. However, he’s found a home in Cincinnati and over the past few seasons, he’s looked like the corner back many thought he could be coming out of college. Not a lot of corners looked better in man coverage in 2015 than Adam and I love the attitude and competitiveness the guy plays with. He will definitely need to keep a cooler head when things get tense on the field like they did near the end of that playoff game. Despite his great play on the field, Jones cost his team big with a penalty that just made some people point and say “I told you so.”

96. TE. Tyler Eifert

eifert

 Are there more physically gifted and athletic receiving tight ends out there than Eifert? Of course, but when you combine Eifert’s abilities as both a receiver and blocker, it’s clear he deserves to be this high on this list. First of all, Eifert isn’t lacking in terms of his ability to produce in the passing game he just isn’t an elite athlete for the position. That didn’t stop him from leading all tight ends in touchdowns with 13. He established himself as a scoring machine in 2015 and played a huge part with Andy Dalton having the best season of his career.

95. OG. David DeCastro

david decastro

When DeCastro came out of the draft, experts were calling him the best guard prospect since the great Alan Faneca. He got off to a slow start after getting hurt and missing most of his rookie year. In 2014, DeCastro really started to look like the player he was billed as and last year he really put things together. He holds his own with the best interior rushers in the game.

94. OLB. Whitney Mercilus

mercilus

In 2015, Texans fans were hoping for a young outside linebacker to breakout but I’m not sure if they were expecting it to be Mercilus. But as the Texans wait for Clowney to stay healthy and put together a full season, Mercilus has taken it upon himself to develop into the big time edge pass rusher and compliment to J.J. Watt the Texans defense needed. Mercilus played a huge role in Houston having the best defense during the second half of the regular season. At 6’4 and nearly 260 pounds, he has a great frame for the 3-4 outside linebacker position. He’s developed into a 2-way player that can impact the game as a run defender and a pass rusher. He thrived last year getting after the passer, flashing impressive acceleration out of his stance, ability to turn the corner and run the arc quickly and much improved hand play. As good as he was in 2015, there’s still plenty of room to grow.

93. OG. Trai Turner

trai turner

Turner really broke out and became a star in 2015. It was just his 2nd season and I believe he already has secured a spot in the top 5 at his position. Turner was an elite run blocker in 2015, mauling the way forward for either Stewart or even Cam on those QB dives and power. He also more than held his own in pass pro and looks very good anchoring inside.

92. DT. Marcell Dareus

marcell dareus

Dareus definitely had a down year in 2015, but a lot of that was due to the way he was utilized under Rex Ryan’s new regime. Dareus deserves some blame too as he seemed disinterested in times. Now perhaps that was because he didn’t like playing more as a 2-gap player, but in my opinion a real competitor will go out and give it their all even if they are playing in a scheme they don’t like. Dareus’ conditioning was a question mark last season as well. But despite all the negatives, this dude’s talent is still undeniable and I have to believe Rex and Rob Ryan are gonna find a way to better utilize his skill set and get him properly motivated to play at the level he did in 2014 were he was a top 5 interior defensive lineman in the NFL.

91. OLB. Terrell Suggs

T suggs

Suggs was the victim of an unfortunate season-ending Achilles injury that took him out early in the very first game of the year. Considering that he’s 33 and will turn 34 in October, it was hard for me to figure out where to rank Suggs. I have to assume that due to his age and injury there will be some drop off in his game. I also have to factor in that Suggs is 1 of the most fierce competitors to ever play in the NFL and if anybody can bounce back and play at a high level, it’s Suggs. The last time we saw him play was the 2014 season where he had 12 sacks and 61 tackles and was still setting the edge like no other 3-4 OLB in the NFL. Even if there is some drop off in his game as a pass rusher, Suggs should continue to dominate as a run stopper.

Twitter: @The_Coach_Buck

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