NFL Top 100 Players of 2019

#41 to #50

41. Harrison Smith

42. Keenan Allen

43. Philip Rivers

44. Matt Ryan

45. DeForest Buckner

46. Mike Evans

47. Tyron Smith

48. Trent Williams

49. Davante Adams

50. Earl Thomas

There are two young safeties who I believe deserve to be put ahead, but after those, I think Harrison Smith is still the OG at the position. The Vikings safety was so far ahead of everybody out there in 2017 and even last year he was playing at a very high level, despite their defense declining. Nobody sets the edge in the run game and patrols the middle in coverage the way Smith does.

The next receiver on my list is Keenan Allen from the Chargers. He might not be the fastest or strongest guy out there, but he is the most slippery route-runner in the league. It is so tough to get your hands on him and he can leave defenders behind in the dust when coming out of his breaks. His totals dipped a little last season due to a banged-up hip at the end of the year.

Right behind Allen, we find his quarterback Phil Rivers, who had another phenomenal season in 2018. While I’m a little concerned by what I saw from him in that Divisional Round game against the Patriots, when they dared him to beat them outside the numbers, he was excellent throughout the regular season. I’m talking about 28-of-29 performances against the Cardinals and furious comebacks against the Steelers and Chiefs.

Once again I felt like was splitting hairs between two veteran quarterbacks and while I gave Rivers the slight nod here, I believe Matt Ryan might be the most underrated signal-caller in the entire league. Since winning the MVP trophy in 2016, all he has done is come up one Julio Jones catch short of beating the eventual Super Bowl champions after a 2017 regular season that was filled with bad luck interceptions and come just short of another 5000-yard season while tossing 35 TDs compared to just seven INTs last year.

At 45 we have another rising star, who is only starting to receive the attention he deserves. While the 49ers defense was atrocious for most of last season, ranking near the bottom in most statistical categories, one guy stood out and the fact he did in that situation makes it even more impressive. DeForest Buckner was one of the most disruptive interior D-linemen in the league, racking up a third of San Fran’s sacks (12) and putting up 17 TFLs.

Another extremely productive guy who doesn’t get the love he deserves is Mike Evans. The Bucs’ big wideout quietly finished just behind Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins with 1524 receiving yards for his fifth straight season over 1000 in five years in the league. While he is a monster in the red-zone and jump-ball situations, his 17.7 yards per catch are even more impressive.

That brings me to my next discussion between two guys at the same position. When healthy Tyron Smith and Trent Williams are the best all-around offensive tackle in the NFL. They are incredibly large human beings, who can take edge defenders for a ride, are really tough to get around in the passing game and ridiculously nimble in space. The only reason Smith is one spot ahead is because he has been available more.

I have pretty much given you my description of Williams already. I have seen this as a battle for the number one spot between those two NFC East foes for a while now and I usually preferred Williams because I love how nasty he is in the run game. However, I can’t ignore the fact that he has missed a full 16-game season over the last six years.

I really like the debate between Mike Evans and Davante Adams and even though I put the Bucs receiver a few spots ahead, I think Tae is really freaking good. He has obviously become Aaron Rodgers’ favorite target because he is the best at releasing off the line and is a very dependable pass-catcher. 35 touchdowns in his last 45 games is also pretty strong.

Earl Thomas is coming off his second major injury as a pro and there are reasons for concern having turned 30 earlier this offseason, but let’s not forget how he played before he got hurt. Through those first four games of the year, he was the best safety in all of football and a serious contender for Defensive Player of the Year. That’s why the Ravens gave him a big contract to be their next Ed Reed.