Huwebes, Hulyo 14, 2022

r/NFL Top 100 Players of the 2021 Season - #40-31

Welcome to the reveal for players ranked 40-31 for the r/NFL Top 100 Players of the 2021 Season!

Players whose average rank landed them in places 40-31 are on this portion of the list revealed today. Players are associated with the team they finished playing for in 2021

Below you will see some write-ups from the rankers summarizing the players’ 2021 season and why they were among the best in 2021. Stats for each player are included below. Additionally, their ranks from previous years are available for y’all to see

METHODOLOGY

Link to more detailed writeup on our methodology

  • Step 1: A Call to Rankers right after the Super Bowl

  • Step 2: Rankers from each team nominated players to rank, with a 10 game minimum threshold. Players are associated with the team they played for in 2021

  • Step 3: The Grind. We instructed users to tier positions groups into T25, T50, etc based on 2021 regular season play only. This took several weeks as the rankers tiered each position group and discussed them. There were no individual player threads and no arbitrary position caps. Just questions and rankings.

  • Step 4: Users submitted their own personal Top 125 lists.

  • Step 5: User lists were reviewed by myself, u/mattkud , and u/MikeTysonChicken . The rankers were expected to answer questions about their lists. They were allowed to make any changes to their list, and were not forced to make any changes

  • Step 6: The Reveal… where we are now!

And without further ado, here are the players ranked 40-31 in the r/nfl Top 100 Players of the 2021 Season!

#40 - Jonathan Allen - Washington Football Team - Interior Defensive Line (IDL)

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

3rd highest pass rush win rate among DTs (20%)

Written by: u/zackgrizzy

The 2021 Washington Football Team (now Commanders), fresh off of a playoff berth and a promising offseason, were supposed to have a dominant defense highlighted by a relentless pass rush. That did not happen. Chase Young had a sophomore slump followed by an ACL injury. Montez Sweat had a broken jaw followed by infecting half of the team with COVID. The defensive line as a unit did not live up to expectations. Jonathan Allen, however, exceeded all expectations.

Allen recorded 9 sacks (10 per PFF), behind only Aaron Donald and Cam Heyward among interior defensive linemen. PFF graded Allen as the 3rd best interior defender in the league with a spicy 84.9 for the season, led by a 90.9 pass rush grade. Making the most of his pressures was probably Jon Allen's greatest strength this year - of his 34 QB pressures (2nd in the league among DT, by the way), 9 were sacks and 16 were QB knockdowns. In a league where you only get so many opportunities to hit the quarterback, you need to lay the wood any chance you get. Jonathan Allen gets that.

The numbers don't do it justice, though; Jon Allen was by far the best player on Washington's defense this year. Here's an example of a crucial drive that went nowhere almost entirely due to Jonathan Allen's contributions. Allen's most memorable play of the season is when he danced around the Giants' center and gave Daniel Jones a suplex that Brock Lesnar would be proud of. At one point in the season he even had the opportunity to show off his coverage skills to help the abysmal Washington pass defense.

Allen's most violent hit of the season was on Daron Payne's face. Don't worry, they made up, but really? If you put your finger in someone else's eyebrow, you should expect to get smacked. While this incident painted Allen in a negative light to many viewers, he was clearly the leader of the Washington defense this year. Despite only being in the league for 5 years, he carries himself like a seasoned 10-year vet. As a team captain, Allen almost always sets a perfect example for the rest of the team with his behavior and his performance. For an organization plagued by scandal after scandal, Allen's thoughtful answers in interviews (though maybe less thoughtful tweets) and steady demeanor provide a calming presence to keep the team steady. In a make-or-break 2022 for the Commanders, I hope to see Jonathan Allen continue to display excellence on and off the field.

#39 - Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams - Quarterback

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A 60 87 N/A N/A N/A 80​

Key Stat

1 of 4 QBs who were top 10 in DVOA, EPA/Play, Total QBR & ANY/A

Written by: u/PhAnToM444

Well, that's one way to shut all the haters up.

3rd in total yards. 2nd in touchdowns. 6th in passer rating. A Super Bowl win.

Matt Stafford came into a Rams team facing the all-to-familiar "just a QB away" problem, and good lord did he deliver. I'm both relieved and thrilled for Stafford that he could shed all of the doubt that many had cast over his career. It was just the Lions organization (I'm so sorry guys). Stafford can win in the playoffs. He is capable of producing a statistically elite season.

Though he had a rough stretch of about 3 games, there's not much bad you can say about Stafford's season. The only legitimate knock on him is really that he's good for exactly one arm punt a game, but he's shown time and time again he can shake it off and still pull through. And, quite frankly, after a few years of watching post-2018 Jared "bubble screen" Goff, I think every Rams fan welcomes a bit of Stafford hero ball. Aside from that, what is there to complain about?

He's incredibly well-rounded, a stone-cold badass, and bona fide leader in the locker room. He possesses an absolute cannon. He's clutch as hell. He can do whatever the fuck this was.

Going into next season, Stafford has every chance to run it back, with some personnel changes but relatively few net losses on the roster that he took all the way last year.

And he very well might, because Matt Stafford didn't hear no bell.

#38 - Stefon Diggs - Buffalo Bills - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
10 74 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

2nd most receiving yards against press coverage since 2020

Written by: u/fadoofthekokiri

Coming back down to Earth for 2021, Stefon Diggs was the most important non-Josh Allen player on the whole roster. He was 8th in receptions, 6th in yards, 5th in touchdowns, and 4th in least number of drops. These stats, however, come nowhere near telling the full story of how good a football player he was in our 2021 offense.

If you look at Diggs’ game log you’ll see the 7/114 game against Houston and the 8/162/1 game against the Jets. Outside of that it’s a whole lot of 5-10 catches for 60-90 yards. But those 5-10/60-90 games? That’s exactly what this team needed to go on another deep playoff run. For instance, the Washington game where Diggs had 6/62? Beasley went 11/98 and Sanders 5/94. The Chiefs game where he went 2/69? Knox went for 3/117, Moss 3/55, and Sanders 3/54. The Patriots game where he went 7/85/1? iMac got 11/125/1. These are the kinds of things that really get me as a Bills fan. Multiple receivers with a good game??? Multiple times in a season??? I’m still not used to it. It really is a thing of beauty to watch the Bills set the defense up all game using Diggs as a threat until they finally unleash him for a 30 yard reception.

Now, I understand that Josh Allen has a rather girthy part to play in all of this. That being said, his skyward trajectory has been brought along with the help of Stefon Diggs and 2021 was no different. The chemistry these two have built up, and continue to build upon with the rest of the roster, has made nocturnal emissions involvingJosh Allen hoisting the Lombardi feel all the more real.

I’m not going to pretend like I’m some film guru or that I can describe Diggs’ impressive season any better than actual videos of him playing. So here is Cover 1 (Bills’ best media group) breaking down him showing why he’s one of the best route runners in the NFL and his full 2021 NFL Highlight video.

#37 - De’Vondre Campbell - Green Bay Packers - Off-Ball Linebacker (LB)

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Third inside linebacker since the merger to achieve AP All-Pro 1st Team honors the first year after switching teams

Written by: u/sirvalkyerie

De'Vondre Campbell had a fantastic 2021 NFL season. He became the first Packer middle linebacker to be named AP 1st Team All Pro since Ray Nitschke. He was also the second highest graded linebacker by PFF, trailing only Micah Parsons. After a number of competent seasons in Atlanta, and a solid year in Arizona, Campbell has positioned himself as one of the cornerstones of a, presumably, elite Packers defense.

Campbell racked up the volume stats finishing top ten in tackles and top ten in turnovers by a linebacker, including an overtime interception of Joe Burrow in week five. But it wasn't just the volume that landed Campbell the first team nod. He has peak athleticism at 6'3" 240lbs that combined with high football IQ made him one of the best linebackers in the NFL in 2021.

Here's Campbell assigned one on one with Deebo Samuel. Campbell shoots the gap and brings down Deebo in the open field. Same game, Campbell tracks Sermon in the flat while keeping his eyes on Jimmy G the entire time before finally breaking on the ball and making a tackle for loss. But it's not just pass defense and motion men, how about some helmet clacking goalline stops against the Bears and Chiefs? Campbell wreaks havoc inside the box and all around the line of scrimmage, here he is making a game saving play by nearly picking off a screen pass from Baker Mayfield.

The Packers defense looks to be among the league's best with De'Vondre Campbell as a centerpiece. And that's with the return of All Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander to a team with fellow /r/NFL Top 100 selections Rasul Douglas and Rashan Gary, emerging young star Eric Stokes and star sacker Preston Smith. To shine so brightly on a defense with so much gleaming talent is a testament to De'Vondre Campbell's elite 2021 season.

#36 - Joey Bosa - Los Angeles Chargers - EDGE Rusher (EDGE)

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
25 45 N/A 27 37 N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

3rd most pressures among edge rushers since 2017 (313)

Written by: u/confederalis

In a year of ups and downs for the Chargers defense, Joey Bosa continued his impressive run of dominance, notching the fourth 10+ sack season of his career and earning the #36 spot on the r/NFL Top 100 List. A true all-around edge defender, the former top-3 pick continues to live up to expectations, shining as a rare bright spot for a line that struggled to both generate pressure and stop the run.

The story of Joey’s season revolves around how hard teams schemed around him. With around a 21% double team rate, good for the 4th highest among nominated edge defenders, opponents consistently tried to take Joey out of the play, respecting his skills while also putting all their focus on the rest of a historically bad run-stopping D-Line. Even a blind person could correctly choose between running the ball in Joey Bosa’s direction or Jerry Tillery’s. Bosa’s low stop-percentage is directly a result of other teams consistently running the ball to the middle and left, not even giving Joey the opportunity to make the tackle. However, even if his run defense could be suspect at times, he more than made up for it in his pass rushing. Bosa attained a 20.2% pass rush win rate, good for 7th among nominated edge defenders, and placing him firmly in the top right quadrant of the tried and true Pass Rush Win Rate vs Doubled % graph. He managed 11 sacks, 49 hurries, 68 pressures, and 6 forced fumbles, all while being schemed against this much. And if it weren’t for FIVE roughing the passer calls, many of which were clearly soft, Bosa’s numbers would have been even higher. Joey was pretty much the only capable body on that line and yet he still produced at an elite level, even while opponent offenses constantly focused on the opposite side of the field.

This graph from Brandon Thorn helps quantify the difference between high-quality sacks and coverage/clean-up sacks for pass rushers. As you can see, 7 of Joey’s 11 sacks were high quality and only one was coverage or clean-up, giving him a “Sack Score” much higher than others with higher sack totals. However, don’t just take my word for it, let’s analyze his tape. Against the Raiders, Joey uses a double move and swipe/chop to cleanly win his 1 on 1 rep and get a strip sack, essentially the definition of a high-quality sack. Similarly, against the Giants, he cleanly and efficiently wins his 1-on-1 against Nate Solder for another strip-sack (and then hits the Halo celebration so plus points). He did this against Lucas Niang and the Chiefs twice, both 1-on-1 reps, using a great quick rush and chop in the first and a ridiculous spin move in the second to get to the QB. Even on a play like this, Bosa uses a fantastic double move to blow past Leatherwood, only to get held on the play (without a call). Much more often than not, Joey Bosa’s sacks came in 1-on-1 reps in situations where he had to use his skills to get to the QB, without the help of things like stunts. He possesses some of the best fundamentals of any edge rusher in the league and it’s easy to see just by watching him play. Joey Bosa continued in 2021 as one of the league’s best edge rushers, and with the Chargers' defensive line completely upgraded in the offseason and taking the pressure off him, I expect an even bigger campaign in 2022 for the LA star.

#35 - Darius Slay Jr. - Philadelphia Eagles - Cornerback

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A 48 N/A 61 N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Lowest passer rating allowed in single coverage this season (25.6)

Written by: u/wrhslax1996

Darius Slay comes in at 35 on this year's list after playing his best football since 2017. If I'm being honest, I did not expect his 2021 season to be as good as it was. For starters, Slay turned 30, the magical age where players seem to suddenly drop off, in January 2021. Then when I factored in the Jonathan Gannon of it all, I really did not expect too much. Throughout most of his career, Slay has excelled as a man corner. That's how he made his name in Detroit and that's how he was deployed often during his first year in Philadelphia under Jim Schwartz. Gannon plays a much more zone-heavy defense than Schwartz deployed in 2020 and I honestly was not sure how Slay would acclimate. As it turns out, Slay was more than up to the challenge.

I'll start with some of the flashy plays that may not be indicative of elite cornerback play but are impossible to leave out of a write-up like this. Slay had an uncanny knack for scoring last year, notching 3 touchdowns. Two of these were right-place-right-time fumble recoveries against the Detroit Loins and the Denver Broncos. Again, not necessarily indicative of elite cornerback play but it's hard to talk about his season without at least mentioning those, especially the Denver return. He just had a nose for the ball and the end zone last year and it was a lot of fun to watch.

Now on to the actual cornerback play that made Slay elite. Let's start with Slay's 2 interception performance against the Carolina Panthers last year. The first INT there, as described by Fran Duffy (who you should follow on twitter by the way), is due to Slay playing his C2 corner role well. Slay immediately drops to the flat with his eyes absolutely locked on to Sam Darnold. He held in his zone just long enough to prevent Robby Anderson from getting open on his quick out and, when Darnold's clearly going for the hole shot between Slay and the safety, Slay covers the ground necessary to notch an athletic-ass interception. The second INT in that clip is a Cover 3 rep by the Eagles defense. This interception really highlights Slay's instincts and ability to read the field. Moore is a good wide receiver, but Slay is able to read that route the whole way and get an insane jump to get his second interception of the day. I mean, Slay isn't even in a position to make a play on that ball until it's 10 yards from hitting Moore in the hands. That's what we call elite cornerback play, brother. Moving on, I think this interception against the Saints may well be my favorite Slay rep from last season. Pre-snap, Slay is lined up off the LOS with an inside shade to funnel the WR to the boundary. He is remarkably patient in his backpedal and, the second he sees the WR break towards the sideline, Slay kicks it into 3rd gear to jump the route, intercept the ball, and score his third (!!!) defensive touchdown of the year. This one was intelligence, instinct, and sheer athleticism combining into an immensely fun play.

It's not all about the interceptions, however. Watch his instincts working against Terry McLaurin. Slay is in off coverage here. This is important because McLaurin is one of the few guys whose athleticism can really give Slay fits at times. Because he's lined up so far off the LOS, he's not exactly in a great position to crash down on the stick concept that the WFT is running here. However, 30-year-old Slay still has an awful lot of juice and, the second he recognizes stick, he crashes down and breaks up the pass. He covered like 13 yards in a second.

It had been so long since I'd seen even average CB play in Philly. I had to live through the Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher years. I had to live through Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby. Having Slay as an Eagle has been a wonderful change and I can not wait to see what he does in 2022.

#34 - Lane Johnson - Philadelphia Eagles - Offensive Tackle

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A 55 80 22 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Only player from the 2013 1st round draft class still with original team

Written by: u/wrhslax1996

2021 was, in my opinion, Lane Johnson's best NFL season to date. Better than 2018, better than 2019, and arguably even better than his 2017 1st team all-pro season. It is my belief that, had Lane not missed some time, he would have been a top 25 player on this year's list. I also firmly believe that he should have been the unanimous 1st team all pro right tackle last year. I don't think that anyone even came close to matching what he did on the field. What makes last year even more impressive is that he played as well as he did one year removed from his ankle allegedly "collapsing" and requiring season-ending surgery. Lane's season was full of stellar run blocking and elite pass blocking and I'm gonna show you a buttload of clips to prove it.

I'll start with his run blocking because Lane put on a hole-opening clinic each and every week. Let's begin with him mauling a linebacker on this G-T counter. The first thing to highlight here is how fast his get-off is and how quickly he is able to accelerate to the second level. He rides Jack Driscoll's block for a split second before exploding upfield to pop the shit out of a linebacker who only just started flowing towards the play. Lane is one of the most insane athletes I've ever seen play football and it's plays like this (where he covers some serious ground in no time at all) that show what a special talent he is. If you stick a slightly less athletic RT on the field for that play, Hurts goes absolutely nowhere. This next clip against the Washington Football team shows how physically imposing Lane is in the run game. The way he explodes off the LOS and how he initiates contact exclusively when/how he wants to is one thing, but his ability to keep his target framed between his shoulders is how he ends up driving fully-grown men downfield like they're nothing more than a well-lubricated shopping cart. If Lane squares you up, you're not getting out of it and it's part of what makes him an elite run blocker. Sometimes he puts his strength on display by tossing a man like a sack of potatoes. This play shows how well Lane understands leverage and how he excels at using his opponent's momentum against them. If your RT can just take his assignment out of the play completely within one second of the snap, you know you've got yourself a good one. Yeah the flashy second-level blocks and the displays of brute strength are fun, but you know what really gets me going? A RT who can reliably reach a 3T and take him out of the play. This play is impressive for a two reasons. Firstly, he is able to use his quick get-off (sorry but that's going to be something I mention in most every clip because it's a big part of what makes him ELITE) to get to a player flowing away from where Lane is initially lined up. Notice how he doesn't waste a single step and how, even though he crosses his right leg over his left on the first step, he maintains his balance and flips his hips the instant he initiates contact. That type of body control is not something you typically see in someone as large as Big Johnson. The second impressive thing about this play is how he initially fights for control of the 3T's play-side shoulder. Lane is smart enough to recognize that he's not going to have the leverage to seal the 3T off, so in a split second he opts to just ride the defender's momentum straight across the RB's face while changing his focus to the defenders left shoulder to completely take his assignment out of the play.

While his run blocking is insane, pass protection is where the big fella really shines. Lane pass blocks like a cocky asshole and I think it's my favorite thing about him. He knows he's better than whichever EDGE he draws and he effectively goads them into trying some stupid fancy shit that never works because he is smarter, faster, and stronger than basically everyone he faces. Let's start with a clip montage from the Eagles game against San Francisco. One thing you'll notice in a lot of these clips is that Lane loves to flash his hands well before he ends up actually taking on contact. This is one of his goading tactics that works like a charm. By flashing his hands, he fools opposing EDGE rushers into thinking that he has misread the pass rush. At this point, the pass rusher will usually actually try to attack the early hands and vulnerable arms but it's all part of Lane's plan. He resets his hands, absorbs the contact when it comes, and uses the long runway he gives himself with his kickslide to drop the anchor and give the QB hours in the pocket. The other clip I really want to highlight in there is at the 0:28 mark. Lane explodes out of his stance and almost gets beat by a pretty nice cross chop by the DE. However, his lateral quickness lets him recover quickly and attack the right shoulder of the pass rusher and he does not give up another inch. Lane wins off the snap 9 times out of 10. The 1 out of 10 times he doesn't, he wins because he is able to use his obscene athleticism and nastiness to win in other ways. His pass sets and his bag of tricks to recover are where he differentiates himself from most OTs, in my opinion. Speaking of unique recoveries/pass protection reps, here he is mirroring a Maxx Crosby inside spin. Crosby absolutely exploded onto the scene in 2021 and his expert use of the spin move played a large role in his emergence. Lane, always the diligent scout, reads the spin the whole way and, rather than take the cheese and bite on the outside shoulder, he simply mirrors the spin and beats Crosby to the spot. This is flashy, possibly unnecessary, and absolutely amazing all at the same time. Finally, I have to talk about his explosiveness one more time. As a 31-year old RT with a serious history of ankle injuries, the fact that he moves as well as he does out of his stance is mind-boggling. I mentioned earlier that he just wins off the snap 9 times out of 10, and this rep shows why. He can always beat an opposing EDGE to their spot because he simply moves faster.

That's a pretty long write-up so I think I'll call it. In summary, Lane is elite as fuck and was the best RT in football last year. Also, he scored a touchdown and that just shivered my timbers. Eagles OL is the best OL and Lane is a big reason why.

#33 - Tyreek Hill - Kansas City Chiefs - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
28 N/A 24 83 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

1 of 2 players with 70 receiving yards per game each of the last 5 season

Written by: u/Ownange

Tyreek Hill is commonly associated with speed, and for good reason. He is, with only a few rivals, the fastest player in today's NFL if not the history of Football. But you knew that. However, Tyreek has more than that one dimension to his game. He has elite tracking of a deep ball, he just always knows where it's going and gets himself in position to make the catch anytime Mahomes chucked it deep, even overshooting it and coming back to get John Johnson III to overrun the pass and give himself a free run for the TD. Another underrated aspect of Tyreek Hill is his jump ball/contested catch ability. Tyreek will put his body on the line, and absorb hits through contact or jump outrageously high to moss guys.

Tyreek's greatest aspect, however, is a compliment of some of the dimensions above. His routes are spectacular. Here's the Browns being so afraid of him beating them over the top that three of them flip their hips incredibly early, he puts on the brakes for a first and more. Tyreek consistently scores on slants and Outs because just by faking a deep route, he gets any defender terrified of giving up 6, where he then uses his breakaway speed to get TONS of Yards after catch. And remember that contested catch ability? Yeah, combine that with his threat over the top, and his agility to stop on a dime, and he can do things like this incredible play vs the chargers. All of these clips were from TWO MINUTES of Tyreek hill tape, I'll leave the full tape study on Tyreek's routerunning on this hyperlink if you want to watch Tyreek do great things for 8 minutes.

Now, the film is great and all, but let's dive into the numbers for a minute.

Tyreek Hill has now made 6 consecutive pro bowl appearances, that's more than Rob Gronkowski has total, and Tyreek did it in 6 seasons. Tyreek finished 7th in the league in Receiving Yards, T-3th in broken tackles among WR's with 10, behind Deebo and CeeDee, and he was tied with Kupp. He tied for 9th in receiving touchdowns, sharing the team lead with Kelce. When Targeting Hill, Mahomes had a Passer Rating of 103.7, which would have been 4th among all QB's this season between Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins. Tyreek was all around an elite WR, who could do anything and everything asked of him, breaking off big plays, dinking and dunking his way down the field, and he will be instrumental in both mentoring Jalen Waddle, and giving Tua an elite set of weapons for next season in Miami.

#T31 - Jordan Poyer - Buffalo Bills - Safety

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Lowest passer rating allowed (15.1) among safeties with 500 coverage snaps, lowest yards allowed (61), lowest yards per reception allowed by 3 yards (1st with 4.7 yards per reception 2nd best safety 7.6)

Written by: u/fadoofthekokiri

To start off the Jordan Poyer writeup, I have to acknowledge the great work by Uber Hansen at Cover 1 for breaking down what Poyer has meant for this team and what his future looks like. 2021 had Poyer produce 5 interceptions, 9 passes defended, 3 sacks, and 93 tackles. As Hansen points out, this does not come close to showing what Poyer does on the field as a 1st Team All-Pro. 5 interceptions are more than Brian Dawkins’ best year, 3 sacks matched Polamalu’s best, and 93 tackles is 8 more than Ed Reed ever had.

None of that is to say that he is better than those guys, and that is certainly not what UberHansen is implying here. But it goes to show how all over the field this guy was - as a 3rd alternate for the pro bowl… Much like the Stefon Diggs writeup I’m not going to pretend like I know more than people that do this for a living so go check out Hansen’s article here or you can watch this video breakdown of what makes our safeties so important or even this video that Poyer released talking about his issues with addiction

All in all, Poyer has climbed the list of my own personal favorite Bills that I’ve seen play. He (and Hyde) are what our entire defense revolves around and 2021 was no different than previous years other than the fact that he somehow played better. Go Bills!

#T31 - Creed Huphrey - Kansas City Chiefs - Center

Previous Ranks

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A​

Key Stat

Highest graded offensive rookie season since 2014 by PFF (91.9)

Written by: u/Ian_Udani

Creed Humphrey came out of the box ready as a day 1 starter for the Chiefs as a rookie. Unlike the majority of rookie linemen, Creed didn't just hang on for life getting battered and schooled throughout the season, instead he dominated the opposition. Creed played as one of the best centers in the league. He was very strong at the point of attack and quick to recognize pressures and reacting appropriately. He really shined in run blocking where he was quick on his feet as he routinely got to the 2nd level on his way to earning a PFF best 93 run blocking grade. Its almost surreal how easy he made it look at time getting off his first block to get up field and delivery another block on a backer or safety, especially as only a rookie

However, I think the most impressive thing about Creed this season was his level of consistency. Usually most rookie linemen will have a dominant game or two but usually have an equal amount of games where they look completely lost. Centers need to be the smartest guys on the line in order to coordinate the blocking schemes of the rest of the line, and often that only comes with experience. As a 22 year old rookie, only allowing 1 QB hit over a 17 game season while guiding a unit that gave up the third least amount of sacks is damn impressive. Only 2 centers since the merger have made a Pro Bowl before the age of 24, and Humphrey probably shoulda been there this year. Unfortunately name rec usually trumps all for OL and Humphrey is just too young to get that yet. PFF graded Humphrey as their best center of the year, and for good reason

His ranking this high is clearly deserved and I would bet that he has multiple Pro bowls and All Pros in his future, especially as players like Jason Kelce age out of the league. Patrick Mahomes can feel safe knowing he’s got a young stud center snapping him the ball for the foreseeable future

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