UA-59049186-1 Top 100 NFL Players Of 2016: 90-81 - Good if it Goes

Top 100 NFL Players Of 2016: 90-81

90. Calais Campbell

NFL: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

It was a another fine season for Calais Campbell in 2015. He’s no longer the Cardinals best defender anymore and looks to be heading towards the back end of his career, but at 6’8, 300 pounds he’s still a huge force on the interior for the Cardinals defense. Campbell’s massive frame and tree trunk arms make him a perfect fit to be a 5 technique end for a 3-4 defense and he’s been a prototype for the position for years now. He’s 1 of the best in the league at stacking and shedding and resetting the line of scrimmage. He’s more than just a run stuffer as Campbell has established himself as 1 of the best interior pass rushers around. Last season marked the 7th straight season he’s recorded 5 sacks or more in a season. That’s impressive for an interior pass rusher.

89. Lamar Miller

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Miller has developed into one of the premiere backs in the game. At 225 pounds, he has good size for the position yet is also one of the fastest backs in the league as well. His speed is really good but his acceleration is even better and is probably his best trait. The big question about Miller is: can he truly be a feature back that can carry an offense as he was underused in Miami the past two seasons? He’s a capable catcher out of the back field as well.

88. NaVarro Bowman

49ers Photos @49ers.com

After missing the entire 2014 season with an injury, Bowman bounced back nicely in 2015. As a run defender, it was like Bowman never missed any time at all. He led the NFL in total tackles and simply would not be denied when chasing down ball carriers. It sucks that he had to come back to such a depleted defense and a new coaching staff that was in over its head, but of all the problems San Francisco had in 2015, Bowman was definitely not 1 of them. My only concern was that his coverage ability definitely declined from what we’re used to seeing from him. However, that was somewhat to be expected because he did a miss an entire season with a torn ACL. I expect him to be a lot better in coverage in 2016.

87. Greg Olsen

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It was another 1,000 yard season for Olsen, who has now firmly established himself as 1 of the premiere players at the position. Olsen is 6’6 with 4.5 speed and has the ability to make things happen when he gets his hands on the ball. He averaged a whopping 14.3 yards per catch in 2015 and proved to be one of the most explosive tight ends in football. He carried the Panthers’ passing attack as the key focal point of their air game and Cam’s go to target.

86. Sheldon Richardson

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Sheldon Richardson had 5 sacks in only 11 games and that was a down year to be honest. He missed the first 4 games due to suspension and just never found a real rhythm to me for the majority of the year. But in terms of talent, Richardson has god-given gifts that are on par with a guy like Aaron Donald. He’s 1 of the most athletic interior defenders in the game. His get off is fantastic and he can get up into opposing guards and neutralize them in a hurry. He plays with relentlessness and active hands that he utilizes very well to shed blocks and penetrate into the backfield.

85. Kam Chancellor

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It was a weird year for Chancellor due to a lot of factors. He missed all of camp, preseason, and the 1st 2 games of the season with a holdout and he miss a few other games due to injury so he only played in 11 games. But when Chancellor is healthy and at his best, he’s still 1 of the best safeties in the game. Chancellor is a 6’3, 230-pound safety who can drop the hammer on opposing ball carriers and receivers. He’s scheme-limited in terms of his coverage ability, but unlike other box safeties, Chancellor does a good job in underneath coverage such as buzzing or covering the flat areas and does have the ability to cover tight ends.

84. Jonathan Joseph

NFL 2012: Dolphins vs Texans SEP 09

Joseph turned back the clock in 2015 and had 1 of his best seasons at the age of 31. It seemed like Joseph’s days of playing at a pro bowl level were over. but he was 1 of the best corners in the NFL in 2015, which played a huge role in the Texans being an elite defense a year ago. Joseph was at his best in man coverage and utilized the speed he somehow hasn’t managed the lose yet to blanket opposing receivers. I don’t know if Joseph can duplicate the season he had last year as a 32-year-old corner in 2016, but if he can the Texans will have a shot at being the NFL’s best defense.

83. Devin McCourty

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McCourty first entered the league as a corner back and was a pretty decent player, but since moving to safety, he’s become a great player. With the exception of Tyrann Mathieu, there really isn’t a better overall coverage safety in the NFL. You could make a case that guys like Jenkins and Thomas are better in zone but I factor in all aspects of coverage and McCourty has the ability with his cornerback background to man up receivers if necessary and does a solid job.

82. Carlos Dunlap

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Carlos Dunlap had his best season yet in 2015 as he racked up 13.5 sacks and emerged as 1 of the premiere pass rushers in the NFL. Before 2015, Dunlap was always a good player that showed flashes of the potential to be a great. As a rookie, he had 9.5 sacks in just 12 games and I along with others felt like he was well on his way to being the next great thing in the NFL. However, injuries and inconsistent play kept him from truly breaking out over the years that would follow. But in 2015 he put it all together. He played in all 16 games and was a driving force behind the Bengals being 1 of the better defenses in the NFL. At 6’6, 280 pounds with his skill set, he’s simply too much for tackles to deal with.

81. Allen Robinson

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Robinson had a major breakout season in 2015. He’s developed into a really good all-around receiver. He can make plays down field, run after the catch, and is a big time red zone threat. There were concerns coming out of college that despite Robinson’s good size and elite leaping ability that he didn’t have great ball skills and wasn’t enough of a hands catcher to be a go to guy and he has put all of that criticism to bed. Robinson had 14,000 yards and 14 TDs in just his 2nd year. There is no where to go but up for this guy.

Twitter: @The_Coach_Buck

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