Top NFL Players at Each Position in 2016
As the NFL regular season comes to an end, let’s take a look at the most impressive players at each position this season. Today we’ll start with the top 5 players at each position on offense, tomorrow we’ll give our top 5 players at each position on defense, and Wednesday we’ll wrap it up with our top 5 finalists for the MVP.
Quarterbacks:
1) Tom Brady: You can debate whether or not Tom Brady deserves the MVP with having missed the first 4 games this season, but it’s hard to make the argument that he wasn’t the best in the league in his time played. With a ridiculous 28:2 TD to interception ratio and an 11-1 record this season, Brady gets top honors in this group.
2) Matt Ryan: Not far behind Brady was Ryan, leading the Falcons to a 2 seed in the NFC and a first round bye. Ryan put up monster numbers with over 4,900 yards and a 38:7 TD to interception ratio while leading the league in total QBR by a slight margin over Brady.
3) Aaron Rodgers: Yes, Rodgers started slow en route to a 4-6 record, but the way Rodgers closed the season was simply brilliant. Even with the slow start, Rodgers led the Pack to a division title behind 4,400 yards, 40 TD’s, and 7 INT’s. He once again proved the Packers are never out until they are mathematically eliminated, so long as he is running the show.
4) Derek Carr: Carr led the raiders to a 12-3 record before breaking his leg, and they had a shot at the #1 seed going into week 17 thanks to his brilliance this season. With 3,900 yards and a 28:6 TD to interception ratio in 15 games, Carr took the next step to the truly elite in the league. Watch for him to be near the top of this list for years to come.
5) Dak Prescott: What Dak accomplished as a rookie this season is simply unbelievable. Yes, he had the league’s leading rusher, and yes he had the league’s best offensive line, and yes he had a lot of weapons, but for a rookie to post a 13-3 record with a 23:4 TD to interception ratio, while finishing 3rd in the league in total QBR is enough to earn a spot on this list no matter who the supporting cast is. Dallas struck gold when they took Dak in the 4th round, and they are set up for quite a future with him and Elliot.
Apologies to: Matt Stafford, Russell Wilson, and Drew Brees
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Running Backs:
1) Ezekiel Elliot: We can debate all day whether or not Elliot is the best running back in the league or benefits from a great offensive line, but there is no debating the fact that he led the league in rushing by over 300 yards while sitting out week 17, or that he scored 15 rushing TD’s, or that he was a driving force in Dallas’s resurgence this season. His receiving numbers weren’t as impressive as some other backs lower on this list, but he was the best runner in the league this season.
2) Le’Veon Bell: What Bell accomplished in 12 games this season are numbers most backs can only dream of in 16 games. Sounds a bit like Tom Brady when you put it that way. Despite missing 4 games, Bell was 5th in the league in rushing and added 75 catches for over 600 yards. Nobody contributed more on a per game basis than Bell this season, and his excellence is what led the Steelers to 7 game winning streak to end the season.
3) David Johnson: Johnson put up some mind boggling receiving numbers for a running back, in addition to rushing for over 1200 yards and 16 TD’s. Johnson largely carried the Cardinals this season on his own, and it’s hard to imagine how much more he could do if he had a better supporting cast. There is no debating the top 3 are head and shoulders above the rest, the only debate is which order you put them in.
4) Demarco Murray: Murray had a resurgent season in Tennessee with almost 1300 yards and 9 TD’s. Murray took a ton of pressure off Mariota, and helped lead the Titans to a 9-7 record and a near playoff berth. Watch out for Tennessee next season if they continue to build upon what they did this season.
5) LeGarrette Blount: This spot could have gone to a number of guys, but it is hard to leave Blount off the list with his league leading 18 touchdowns. Blount was a major reason why the patriots were able to start 3-1 even without Tom Brady, and had a career year this year for the 14-2 Patriots.
Apologies to: Jordan Howard, Jay Ajayi, LeSean McCoy, and Devonta Freeman
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Wide Receivers:
1) Antonio Brown: Brown may have solidified the top spot on this list with his brilliant reach for a TD in the final seconds against the Ravens to win the division. Once again Brown put up huge numbers with 106 catches in just 15 games, and added 12 TD’s.
2) Odell Beckham Jr: OBJ was a roller coaster this season in the media, but his production didn’t suffer. He was Eli’s favorite target, racking up 101 catches and 10 TD’s while leading the Giants to a wild card spot. Setting his antics aside, his play was near the top for his position this season.
3) Julio Jones: Julio was the most dominant receiver when healthy this season, but injuries caused him to miss 2 games and slow him down in others. Still he was 2nd in the league in receiving with over 1,400 yards, and even when he was slowed with injuries he posed such a threat that Matt Ryan was able to take advantage of healthier targets.
4) Mike Evans: Evans continues his ascension to one of the top receivers in the league with over 1,300 yards and 12 TD’s. He was Winston’s favorite target, and nearly helped lead a building Tampa Bay team to a wild card. As Evans continues to produce at this level, Tampa will continue to rise in the NFC.
5) Jordy Nelson: Perhaps the biggest reason for the Packers 6-0 finish was the connection between Jordy and Rodgers. Jordy led the league with 14 TD catches and was 6th with over 1,200 yards. He was a driving force in the final 6 games, with Rodgers completing over 80% of his passes targeted for Nelson in that stretch
Apologies to: T.Y. Hilton, Larry Fitzgerald, , and Doug Baldwin
Dan Powers-USA TODAY Sports
Tight Ends:
1) Travis Kelce: With Gronk missing most of the season, this award was up for grabs and Kelce took advantage with over 1,200 yards to lead all tight ends for the 2 seed Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce was Alex Smith’s favorite target, and will be a matchup nightmare for KC opponents in the playoffs.
2) Greg Olsen: Olsen had a bit of an up and down year for an up and down Carolina team, but still managed 80 catches for over 1,000 yards. Olsen remains Cam’s top target each year, and seemingly gets better with age.
3) Jimmy Graham: Graham really took off this year for Seattle and showed why they invested so much in him with the trade from New Orleans. Graham had nearly 1,000 yards and was Wilson’s bail out target all year on scrambles and broken plays.
4) Kyle Rudolph: Rudolph really showed his potential this season for a Vikings team that stormed out of the gates only to end up with an 8-8 record. Rudolph was Bradford’s favorite target and had a career year with 83 catches for 840 yards and 7 TD’s. He was one of few bright spots on Minnesota’s offense.
5) Jason Witten: There were some other tight ends with bigger numbers than Witten, but with Witten’s 69 catches for 673 yards, he was a major reason why Dak was able to operate so effectively. Not only was Witten his usual reliable self with his receiving, he was also a major contributor as a blocker for Elliott.
Apologies to: Zach Ertz, Delanie Walker, and Jordan Reed
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
For simplicity purposes, we will group all offensive lineman together, and rather than doing a top 5 for each position we will do the top 10 offensive linemen overall:
1) Joe Thomas: Once again Joe Thomas was the best in the game for the otherwise terrible Cleveland Browns. If nothing else, Browns QB’s get elite blindside protection.
2) Tyron Smith: Outside of Thomas, Tyron is the gold standard of offensive linemen. His dominance in run blocking and pass protection is a major reason why Zeke and Dak were so comfortable this season.
3) Kelechi Osemele: Osemele was arguably the best free agent singing this off season as he anchored Oakland’s offensive line. He was simply dominant at the guard position and made things much easier for Carr.
4) Zach Martin: Martin has become arguably the top guard in the league playing on the right side of Dallas’s offensive line, and figures to be the standard at guard for years to come at only 25 years old.
5) Donald Penn: Oakland’s blindside protector this year was brilliant up until the point where he allowed a hit on Carr on the play Carr broke his leg. Aside from that, Penn played a nearly flawless season.
6) Travis Frederick: Frederick has become the standard in the league at the center position for Dallas. With Dallas boasting 3 of the top 6 linemen in the league this season, it’s no wonder why they were so easily able to control the tempo of games.
7) Marshal Yanda: Before Zach Martin, Yanda was the gold standard of guards in the NFL for Baltimore. He has since been passed by Martin and Osemele, but is still one of the most dominant linemen in the game.
8) Alex Mack: Another brilliant free agent signing for Atlanta, Mack made the line such an improvement for Matt Ryan and was a major reason why he was able to be so dominant this season.
9) Trent Williams: Trent would be higher on this list if not for a 4-game suspension, but when he played this season for Washington he was easily one of the best. Even with a 4-game suspension his play was enough to earn a spot on this list.
10) Matt Paradis: Denver’s center earns the award for best name on this list as we share a name. Denver’s offensive line was as a whole a mess this season, but Paradis took a step forward as one of the best centers in the game this season
Apologies to: Andrew Whitworth, Jake Conklin, Taylor Lewan, and TJ Lang
Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Kickers:
1) Justin Tucker: Tucker only missed 1 kick all season for Baltimore as he was 38-39 on field goal attempts and 27-27 on PAT’s. He was also 10-10 on field goals from 50+ yards. He was the best a no one else was close.
2) Matt Bryant: Bryant missed just 3 of his 37 field goal attempts, 2 of which were from 50+ yards, and was 56-57 on PAT’s for Atlanta’s high powered offense.
3) Matt Prater: His signature kick this season was a 58 yarder vs Minnesota to force overtime in a game Detroit went on to win, but aside from that he was also very reliable, converting 86% of his field goals and missing just 2 PAT’s.
4) Adam Vinatieri: Vinatieri was once again brilliant for the Colts as he converted 27 of his 31 field goal attempts and made all 44 PAT attempts. He also made 7 of 9 from 50+ yards. Some guys just get better with age
5) Blair Walsh: Just kidding. The actual #5 is Dan Bailey. Bailey wasn’t quite his usual self as a sniper this season, missing 5 of his 32 attempts, but 3 of those 5 misses were from 50+ yards and were a bit out of his range. He also converted all 46 of his PAT attempts.
Apologies to: Caleb Sturgis, Cairo Santos, and Mason Crosby
Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
What do you think? Who did we miss? Who did we include who shouldn't have made it? Comment and let us know! Stay tuned for more current sports stories. Don't forget to follow us on social media. You can find us on Facebook, Instagram @beyondthemetrics, and Twitter @byondthemetrics
