How many Steelers will make the NFL Top 100?
So far, only two Pittsburgh Steelers have been named as part of the Top 100 players currently in the NFL. According to NFL.com:
Who are the top 100 players in the NFL today? NFL Network brings you the Top 100 Players of 2017 voted on by the players themselves.
Ten new players from the list are announced every Monday night, with Ben Roethlisberger being the latest Steeler to have his name called. Big Ben was voted the 22nd best player in the NFL by his peers. Roethlisberger drops one spot from his previous rank of 21 in 2016.
Previously, Pittsburgh Pro Bowl guard David DeCastro was part of the first ten names revealed; he was the 97th best athlete in the league.
DeCastro did not make the list last year.
We can speculate which Steelers might still make this year’s cut. There are 20 blank lines on the official website, indicating two more rounds of reveals. Several Steelers who did not make the list last year have yet to be named in the 2017 edition. I’d also guess one or two more players could squeeze into the Top 20.
Of course, the Top 100 is a butt of several jokes, including reports from players who claim they’ve never had a say in the ratings. And yes, these preseason lists are tongue-in-cheek and really don’t mean anything, but hey, NFL Network has made it into a ten episode series, so why not speculate?
Antonio Brown
Odds: Excellent
Antonio Brown is often considered one of the top wide receivers in the business, so I’d imagine his name pops up in the top ten again this year. In 2016, AB was ranked fourth overall on this list and didn’t disappoint. He finished second in the league in receptions (only one behind Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald), fifth in receiving yards and third in touchdowns.
The only question is whether or not that’s enough to get Brown higher than number four: and if it isn’t, who would jump ahead of him?
Le’Veon Bell
Odds: Excellent
I may have answered my above question by placing Bell next on this guess list. Coming in at 41st on this list last year, Bell annihilated the league last year with 1,268 rushing yards and 616 receiving yards.
He put up those numbers in only twelve games. During those dozen games and several more in the postseason, Le’Veon set league and franchise records for running backs.
I believe Bell should be in the top ten this year. Where do you think he end up?
Cameron Heyward
Odds: Poor
Heyward appeared on last year’s list at number 88. The Steelers defensive captain missed nine games last season after landing on the Injured Reserve list with a torn pectoral muscle.
Though he had been a leading sacker on the Steelers defense in prior years, I’d surmise his lack of inclusion on this year’s Top 100 at this stage of revealing names means Cam will have to work his way back onto the list next year.
Maurkice Pouncey
Odds: Poor
Pouncey did not make the Top 100 list last season but was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl. I feel Maurkice doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, however that will not change with this preseason ranking.
Ryan Shazier
Odds: Okay
If anyone was in the Rodney Dangerfield categorization of “no respect” it’s definitely Ryan Shazier. Shazier had a breakout season in 2016 with 3.5 sacks, a trio of both interceptions and forced fumbles plus 9 passes defensed. He was a game changer who was selected to his first Pro Bowl as an alternate.
You have to believe that if Shazier was going to make this list he would have had his name mentioned already. Two linebackers who made the top 20 last year, Luke Kuechly and Von Miller, have yet to be announced on this year’s edition: I expect both to be named within the next two weeks.
However, it would be a pleasant surprise to Shazier’s name mentioned between picks 15-20. Yet, it would truly shock me to see it happen.
