2 Philadelphia Eagles players ranked on NFL’s Top 100 list
By Ryan Quigley
Two Philadelphia Eagles players have been unveiled on the NFL’s Top 100 list.
With the 2017 NFL Draft in the rear-view, NFL Network has begun unveiling its annual Top 100 players list. So far, two Philadelphia Eagles players have already been ranked.
Unfortunately, neither player is ranked even close to as highly as they should be.
Defensive end Brandon Graham was ranked at No. 93 on the list, which is maddeningly low for such an impactful player. Despite only recording 5.5 sacks in 2016, he still finished the season as one of the most disruptive edge rushers in the NFL. He was named a second-team All-Pro for the first time in his career last season.
Graham was given a glowing review by Pro Football Focus after being ranked as the ninth-best player in the NFL on their Top 101 players list.
"Brandon Graham generates as much pressure as any other pass-rusher in football, but will never get the credit for it he deserves because he just doesn’t finish well enough and convert enough of those pressures into sacks. Graham hurried the opposing QB this season 83 times, more than every player not named Khalil Mack. However, he only got home six times to finish the play then and there. Pressure in and of itself, though, is impactful — and hugely beneficial to a defense. In Week 8 against Dallas, Graham didn’t notch a sack, but he pressured rookie quarterback Dak Prescott 11 times, and was a huge reason for Prescott’s worst game of the year at that point.Graham can still improve on his finishing, but even if he doesn’t, we need to appreciate the impact he already has and not focus on the area of improvement when evaluating his play — because that way is losing sight of the forest for the trees."
Along with Graham, safety Malcolm Jenkins was ranked at No. 90 on the list, which, once again, is extremely low for one of the best safeties in the NFL. Last season, Jenkins registered 72 combined tackles, a sack, nine pass deflections and three interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns). While Jenkins had somewhat of a “down” year by his standards, his versatility and leadership make him an invaluable asset to the Eagles’ secondary.
It’s pretty hard to understand why Graham and Jenkins were ranked so low on the list, but that’s just one more chip on their shoulders going into the 2017 season.