Qbert
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PFF Senior Analyst Sam Monson released his top 101 players heading into the 2016 season last week, and with it, we saw plenty of discussion about who the best players in the league are on both sides of the ball. Here we are going to focus in on the offensive talent in the NFC, and highlight the top 10 players on offense in that conference, starting off with a certain signal-caller from Green Bay.
1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers (No. 8 overall in Monson’s 101)
Okay, so he wasn’t the best offensive player in the NFC in 2015, but it was a rare down year for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Our 12th-ranked quarterback in overall grade (80.8), Rodgers had his moments, with multiple Hail Mary passes to drag a struggling Packers’ offense back into the game against the Lions, and in the playoffs against the Cardinals. The true greatness of Rodgers can be found over the balance of his career, where he graded as one of the top two quarterbacks in 2011, 2012, and 2014. Injury limited him to just 592 snaps in 2013, but he still finished the year tied for sixth in terms of overall grade.
2015 wasn’t his best season, but it would be silly to drop him based on one year when his play has shown him to be arguably the best quarterback in the league over the past five years. The fact that he still ranked inside the top-12 quarterbacks in football during a “down year,” both for him and the Packers’ offense, is a testament to his play, and the expectation is that he will return to the top of the mountain in 2016.
2. Julio Jones, WR, Falcons (9)
We’re in the middle of an era in football where the best receivers in the league aren’t just players who can make plays downfield, but guys you can feature 15+ times a game in order to maximize their impact. Like Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown in the AFC, Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons is the type of playmaker you want to force the ball to in space, like on wide receiver screens and crossing routes, allowing him make defenders miss. Jones forced 20 missed tackles as a receiver in 2015, more than all but three other players at the position, on his way to a league-leading 1,871 yards.
If you were building a wide receiver in a lab, Jones would be the guy you would make. Physical at the catch point and agile enough to make defenders miss in space and run past them, his physical skill-set helped him have one of the most complete route trees in the NFL last year, with at least 10 receptions on seven different types of route. His most successful route was the crossing route, though, picking up 375 yards and four touchdowns on 24 receptions.
3. Tyron Smith, OT, Cowboys (12)
For almost a decade, the poster boy for left tackle play in the NFL has been Cleveland Browns star pass-protector Joe Thomas. With the former Wisconsin Badger getting older, though, it might be time for Tyron Smith of the Cowboys to take his place as the top tackle in the league. Thomas edged him out (94.3 to 93.3) in terms of overall grade last year, thanks to a superior season as a pass-blocker, but in the running game, Smith had no peers. At 96.8, no offensive tackle in the league was within three points of his run-blocking mark, as Smith led the way for the dominant Dallas offensive line.
There is room for him to grow as a pass-blocker, but it’s an area where he has trended upwards over the course of his career. After allowing eight sacks, two hits, and 20 hurries as a rookie back in 2011, he allowed just five sacks, three hits, and 14 hurries in 2015. Considering that the only season he finished with a negative grade in pass protection was when he moved from right tackle to left tackle (2012), it’s clear that he is on the verge of becoming the best OT in all of football. Need more proof? Last season, he didn’t allow a single sack, hit, or hurry in six of the 16 games he played in. If he can continue to improve slightly in that role, he should overtake Thomas as the best at the position.
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1. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers (No. 8 overall in Monson’s 101)
Okay, so he wasn’t the best offensive player in the NFC in 2015, but it was a rare down year for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Our 12th-ranked quarterback in overall grade (80.8), Rodgers had his moments, with multiple Hail Mary passes to drag a struggling Packers’ offense back into the game against the Lions, and in the playoffs against the Cardinals. The true greatness of Rodgers can be found over the balance of his career, where he graded as one of the top two quarterbacks in 2011, 2012, and 2014. Injury limited him to just 592 snaps in 2013, but he still finished the year tied for sixth in terms of overall grade.
2015 wasn’t his best season, but it would be silly to drop him based on one year when his play has shown him to be arguably the best quarterback in the league over the past five years. The fact that he still ranked inside the top-12 quarterbacks in football during a “down year,” both for him and the Packers’ offense, is a testament to his play, and the expectation is that he will return to the top of the mountain in 2016.
2. Julio Jones, WR, Falcons (9)
We’re in the middle of an era in football where the best receivers in the league aren’t just players who can make plays downfield, but guys you can feature 15+ times a game in order to maximize their impact. Like Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown in the AFC, Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons is the type of playmaker you want to force the ball to in space, like on wide receiver screens and crossing routes, allowing him make defenders miss. Jones forced 20 missed tackles as a receiver in 2015, more than all but three other players at the position, on his way to a league-leading 1,871 yards.
If you were building a wide receiver in a lab, Jones would be the guy you would make. Physical at the catch point and agile enough to make defenders miss in space and run past them, his physical skill-set helped him have one of the most complete route trees in the NFL last year, with at least 10 receptions on seven different types of route. His most successful route was the crossing route, though, picking up 375 yards and four touchdowns on 24 receptions.
3. Tyron Smith, OT, Cowboys (12)
For almost a decade, the poster boy for left tackle play in the NFL has been Cleveland Browns star pass-protector Joe Thomas. With the former Wisconsin Badger getting older, though, it might be time for Tyron Smith of the Cowboys to take his place as the top tackle in the league. Thomas edged him out (94.3 to 93.3) in terms of overall grade last year, thanks to a superior season as a pass-blocker, but in the running game, Smith had no peers. At 96.8, no offensive tackle in the league was within three points of his run-blocking mark, as Smith led the way for the dominant Dallas offensive line.
There is room for him to grow as a pass-blocker, but it’s an area where he has trended upwards over the course of his career. After allowing eight sacks, two hits, and 20 hurries as a rookie back in 2011, he allowed just five sacks, three hits, and 14 hurries in 2015. Considering that the only season he finished with a negative grade in pass protection was when he moved from right tackle to left tackle (2012), it’s clear that he is on the verge of becoming the best OT in all of football. Need more proof? Last season, he didn’t allow a single sack, hit, or hurry in six of the 16 games he played in. If he can continue to improve slightly in that role, he should overtake Thomas as the best at the position.
Continue reading...
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