NFL Top 100 players of 2018

#31. Trent Williams

#32. Tyron Smith

#33. Rob Gronkowski

#34. Chandler Jones

#35. Earl Thomas

#36. LeSean McCoy

#37. Landon Collins

#38. A.J. Bouye

#39. Matt Ryan

#40. Ezekiel Elliott

Williams missed ten games over the last two season, but when he is healthy, he is my number one offensive tackle in the league. He is similar to Clowney, in terms of putting fear into opponents’ hearts when he moves towards them and he dominates in pass pro as well.

Right behind Williams, I have the second guy, who I consider to be competing for that top tackle spot. Smith has missed three games in each of the last two seasons and Dak felt his lack of presence (see six sacks given up by his backup versus Adrian Clayborn). Let’s see if he can back to his 2015/16 form.

Like I said, there is no tight-end who is more physically dominating than Gronk. I still believe he is a tremendous player and I remember him completely taking over the Steelers game in week 15. However, he hasn’t played a full NFL season since 2011 and his physical gifts will relinquish soon.

Chandler Jones was already a nightmare for offensive tackles, but his 2017 season was phenomenal. He led the league in sacks (17) and tackles for loss by a wide margin at 28 total (seven more than the next-closest). Yet, his total pressure numbers were not quite as high as the pass rushers ahead of him.

While I don’t believe he is the best overall safety in the league anymore, Thomas is still the premier center-fielder in those one-high safety schemes. His range to make plays on the ball outside the numbers as well as the way he races up and leverages himself from that free safety spot is outstanding.

Shady has probably been the most elusive runner in the league since Marshall Faulk. The way he can cut on a dime and set defenders up in the open field is still the best in football. Last season, McCoy carried the Bills to a playoff seed, as Buffalo relied heavily on him with almost 350 touches.

Collins’ ranking on the actual player’s list took a massive bump due to the Giants lackluster season, but he is still one of the top players in that role.

Collins had a forgettable rookie campaign, in which the G-Men asked him to play a lot of single-high, but once they limited him to one side of the field or let him drop down, he has become a beast at racing up against the run and making plays in coverage.

I don’t want people to fail at giving Bouye the credit he deserves just because he plays on the opposite side of Jalen Ramsey. He had a phenomenal season, allowing a league-low passer rating of 31.6 and not surrendering a single touchdown, outshining his partner in crime for stretches.

Matty Ice couldn’t quite reproduce the numbers from his MVP season the prior year, but he was still one of those guys just outside the elite quarterback range. I can’t remember someone having that much bad luck in one season. Seven of the 12 interceptions he threw came off the hands of one of his receivers.

Zeke missed six games due to suspension in 2017 and saw a big drop in his ranking, from number seven overall to outside the top 50. However, I still see him as a top-five running back in football. His combination of explosiveness and power is unmatched.