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The list of best in the NFL continues to come out from a number of outlets.
This week, Pro Football Focus released their Top 50 players heading into 2018, here is their explanation:
Rather than confuse matters with another list of 101 players, we have cut it down to the best 50 players in the game as we head into the 2018 season, chosen by the PFF team and informed by grading, statistics and schematic context.
That lead to the list being released and low and behold, there were no Arizona Cardinals on it.
Which was interesting given the edge rushers, cornerbacks and wide receivers on it.
Now, David Johnson not being involved makes sense, he wasn’t involved in 2017 except for a handful of plays, but there are huge expectations for him heading into 2018. The only running back that made the top 50 was Le’Veon Bell.
Wide receivers that made the list:
50. A.J. Green
47. Odell Beckham Jr.
39. Michael Thomas
35. Deandre Hopkins
4. Antonio Brown
3. Julio Jones
If we go back to my top five wide receivers heading into 2018, Brown was one, Jones two, Michael Thomas three and Beckham Jr. was four. Neither Keenan Allen or Larry Fitzgerald made the list, so the only complaints I would have are Hopkins and Green, but they are both phenomenal players.
The edge rushers and corners are where I lose some of the understanding.
48. Melvin Ingram
42. Williams Jackson III
41. A.J. Bouye
37. Demarcus Lawrence
32. Marshon Lattimore
31. Tre’Davious White
29. Chris Harris Jr.
25. Brandon Graham
19. Calais Campbell
17. Jalen Ramsey
16. Joey Bosa
13. Cameron Jordan
11. Casey Hayward
8. Von Miller
7. Khalil Mack
Now, Mack and Miller are one and two, I don’t feel like that can be argued. Bosa has been an amazing impact player while we all know how good Campbell is. But, are they both better than Chandler Jones?
Graham, Lawrence and Ingram I can comfortably say no, which would put Jones at five at the worst, putting him in the top 25 overall.
Meanwhile at cornerback, for me, well we will get to that later this week, but is Peterson the eighth worst corner in the league?
What do you think? Is there no Arizona Cardinals player among the top 50 in the NFL?