If there is one thing that people like, it is lists and rankings. That is why so many writers use them. There are power rankings, top fives and pretty much anything else you can think of. Recently, Scouts, Inc. released it's 2011 player ratings and listed the players based on rating from 1-200.
Of those 200, four are members of the Arizona Cardinals. The first is receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who lands at number ten overall.
A lot of attention has been drawn to the new contract Fitzgerald has, and rightly so. He will be making more money than any other position player and almost everyone in the league. However, the fact of the matter is that he is still rated a tep 10 guy.
Here is what Scouts said:
Fitzgerald has quickly risen to arguably the most electric receiver in the NFL. He brings a rare combination of size, speed, athleticism and receiving skills. He is a good route runner who can sink his hips to get in and out of his breaks with good foot quickness and a burst to separate from defenders and has a gear coming out to maintain the separation.
Fitzgerald's biggest asset is his ability to adjust and make acrobatic catches. He has good run skills after the catch and can turn a short catch into a long touchdown with a single missed tackle. He is competitive to the ball when in a crowd and will elevate to high-point the catch.
Strangely enough, he was not the highest rated receiver in the league. That distinction belongs to Andre Johnson, who comes in at number seven.
It is hard to put one player over the other, at least between the two. Both are built similarly and are as good as anyone else in the hands department. Actually, what surprised me was the age factor. I never realized that Johnson is older than Fitz.
Honestly, but with bias, if I were to pick a receiver first, it would be Fitz every time. He has proven himself, he has turned into a leader and continues to put up impressive numbers. He even elevated his game in the postseason to heights he had not previously seen.He has that in his back pocket while Johnson has yet to get a whiff of the playoffs.
So what do you think? Should Fitz be higher or lower? I don't know how much higher overall I would put him, but I would, in fact, put him ahead of Andre Johnson.