Top 100 NFL Players of 2016: 30-21

30. OT. Terron Armstead

When it comes to athleticism, we’ve pretty much known this guy was a freak since he ran a 4.71 at his NFL combine. For a tackle that is simply unheard of. He’s 6’5 and 305 pounds and runs faster than a lot of linebackers and tight ends. He finally put everything together in 2015 and simply looked like an absolute superstar. He’s quick enough to deal with any speed rusher and mirror them step for step and he is at his best in the running game when he can fly to the 2nd level and devour linebackers.

29. DE. Cameron Wake

Cameron Wake is 1 of the very best in the league. He only played in 7 games due to injury, but those 7 games were all he needed to rack up 7 sacks. Wake is a speed rusher that gives opposing tackles all kinds of fits with his elite acceleration and 4.5 speed. That kind of speed at 270 pounds can be deadly. Had Wake not gotten hurt he might have led the league in sacks or been very close. He’s starting to get up there in age so you never know how a player will recover from injury once they start getting older but if he’s back to form in 2016 The Dolphins won’t miss Oliver Vernon too much.

28. QB. Drew Brees

The most underrated player in the NFL last year just might have been Drew Brees. He quietly had 1 of the best years of his career, but because of the Saints’ team success or lack thereof, it went unnoticed. The Saints weren’t very good as a team last year, but it wasn’t because of Brees. The fact that Brees was able to lead the Saints to 7 wins with the defense they had was incredible. The 2015 Saints might be the worst defense in the history of the NFL. Tom Brady couldn’t have got that team to the playoffs last year. The offense also had issues that Brees had to overcome. The run game was non-existent in the 4 games Ingram didn’t play in and Colston officially became useless and washed up. Yet somehow Brees turned Watson into a legitimate option at tight end and some guy named Willie Snead into a decent number 2 receiver. In 11 seasons prior to 2015 Watson had 1 year where he caught more than 50 balls but last season he was able to catch a career-high 74 due to the high level Brees was playing at. This dude is still very much an elite QB and in 2015 he put the rest of the league on notice that he isn’t done yet.

27. RB. Adrian Peterson

Like Gurley, if we’re talking purely running with the football and nothing else, Peterson is the right after Gurley as the best in the NFL. Even as he starts to get older, his elite skill set has allowed him to remain one of the most productive players in the NFL. He lead the league in rushing for another year in 2015 and it wouldn’t shock me at all if he did it again in 2016. Peterson is that rare back that can both hit the home run anytime time he touches the ball or run over a linebacker that meets him in the box. He’s also still extremely dangerous in the open field as he can still easily make defenders miss. Peterson isn’t flawless however. He needs to clean up the issues he had with fumbling last year. It was a problem that plagued him early in his career that he seemed to have rectified but those issues reared up again in 2015. He is not nor has he ever been much of threat as a receiver besides catching screen passes and little dump passes out of the backfield and despite his size and physicality he doesn’t maximize it as a pass blocker.

26. RB. Todd Gurley

Gurley broke the streak of running backs not being taken in the 1st round in last year’s draft and it turned out to be a great decision by the Rams. Gurley only played in 13 games and still finished 3rd in the league in rushing yards and 5th in rushing TDs and that was after a slow start as he kinda had to feel his way through and get comfortable. But once he did there was no doubt Gurley is already among the elite at his position. Gurley reminds me of Peterson when he first got started. He’s not quite that fast in terms of his pure speed, but everything else looks pretty similar. I’ll even go this far. If we’re talking purely as a runner then I think Gurley is better than even Bell. This dude is the best athlete at the position. He’s fast, quick, and at times looks like a world class hurdler leaping over defenders. He posses both the ability to make defenders miss and break their tackles. He runs with a lot of power and finishes runs. As great as the physical tools are with Gurley what was most impressive about him in 2015 was his vision. Most rookie backs just don’t have that kind of vision when they enter the league. Gurley carried the Rams offense despite playing along side one of the worst passing attacks and quarterback situations in the NFL. Week in and week out everyone knew that to stop the Rams they had to stop Gurley and he still was very effective.

25. CB. Richard Sherman

Sherman got off to a bit of a slow start really early in the year, but it wasn’t long until he was back to his regular dominant self. There might not be a better corner in the NFL at executing press coverage. Sherman is able to physically and mentally beat up on receivers. Sherman has elite size and length for the position at 6’3. He also has great ball skills and if you test him he will intercept you. Sherman has great zone instincts. He’s effective in run support and is a good tackler.

24. CB. Chris Harris Jr.

I thought Chris Harris was the best cornerback period in 2014 and he followed it up with another strong year. Outside of playing against Antonio Brown no WR has had any real success against this guy. You can make a case that Norman and Sherman do some things better than Harris but what separates him from them is his ability to cover anywhere on the field at a high level. Harris can cover in the slot, on the right sideline or the left sideline it really doesn’t matter. At 5’10 just under 200 pounds some might consider him undersized but he plays a lot bigger than his measurements. Harris is also very good in run support. He’s a sure tackler and doesn’t go to sleep on run plays and let receivers just block him with no effort like a lot of corners do.

23. DT. Geno Atkins

Atkins had a monster season in 2015 and resembled the player he was in 2012. He had 42 tackles and 11 sacks and was driving force for a tough Bengals defense. Atkins doesn’t have prototypical size at only 6’1, 300 pounds he’s incredibly quick and active and uses that to be a disruptive penetrating force in the middle. Atkins is 1 of the elite interior pass rushers in the game and his play against the run isn’t too shabby either.

22. DT. Muhammad Wilkerson

In 5 seasons Wilkerson has established himself as 1 of the games best defensive lineman. We already knew he was force inside but I had no clue he was versatile enough to spend time on the edge and still be a force. Due to the Jets lack of true edge rushers, that can make a difference and a surplus of interior guys that can they were forced to experiment with Wilkerson and Richardson on the edge some and Wilkerson more than held his own. But he’s still probably at his best inside where his athleticism truly gives him an advantage over guards. As good as he is at rushing the passer, Wilkerson is also a very effective run stopper that utilizes his long arms and big hands to control gaps, shed blocks, and make plays.

21. RB. Le’Veon Bell

I know he got hurt last year, but based on what he did before he got hurt and what he did in 2014, Bell still holds the title for best back in the league in my opinion. There is no better all-around player at the position in the league. As a runner Bell has speed, quickness, and acceleration along with power that makes him able to succeed as both an elusive runner that can make defenders miss or a power runner capable of breaking tackles and succeeding in short yardage situations. But he’s much more than just a runner. He blocks well and excels as a receiver both out of the back field and when asked to split out. There just isn’t any aspect of the game Bell doesn’t thrive in.

Twitter: @The_Coach_Buck