The Super Bowl is right around the corner, and the lead-up to the big game always includes debates about the NFL’s best players. Of course, there is no definitive answer, but back-and-forth banter is always fun. Who do I think are the kings of the NFL? Here are my top five players.
Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
Patrick Mahomes (ESPN El Paso)
Last season, Mahomes was under constant pressure. With the team’s dedication, the Chiefs and their front office now have a solution to the problem. The team now has a strong offensive line featuring five new players.
Mahomes also had successful surgery for turf toe, a painful injury that hampers all players, especially quarterbacks.
Losing the Super Bowl LV was the second time Mahomes had a below-average QBR game in his career. This year he had 68 QBR, which ranked fourth in the league.
Aaron Donald (Los Angeles Rams)
Courtesy: ESPN
Donald is a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He has averaged over 12 sacks a year during his career and had 13 sacks during the 2021 regular season. Now 30 years old, Donald admitted recently that he is experiencing more pains and aches than he did earlier in his career. That said, he is not slowing him down. And that’s amazing when you consider that Donald has faced a double-team on 63% of his pass rushes since 2014, which ranks 3rd in the NFL during that time.
Donald has made an outstanding contribution to his team, and fans have given their bets on this team. To know more about these football bets, Fanduel has their NFL Moneylines for more details.
T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers)
TJ Watt (Twitter)
Watt is considered to be the highest-paid player at his position–and for a good reason, too. Watt anchors the Steelers’ defense and team. Last year, he and Bud Dupree created a fierce pass-rushing tandem, and Watt is even more important now because Dupree left for the Titans.
According to the NFL Next Gen Stats, Watt posted league-highs with 15 sacks, 80 disruptions, and an 18.4% disruption rate in 2020. This crazy combination has given him the league’s most disruptive pass-rusher award. He’s an incredible athlete who kept the Steelers in playoff contention in 2021, making disruptive plays that led to wins over the Seahawks and Ravens.
Xavien Howard (Miami Dolphins)
Xavian Howard (photo, Sportsnet)
Howard is the most dangerous cornerback in the NFL, leading the league in 2020 with ten interceptions–an outcome that led to a restructured contract. According to the stats, Howard’s 18 interceptions over the past three seasons are the most in the NFL. This year, he recorded 50 tackles, 16 pass breakups, five interceptions, and one sack.
Chase Young (Washington Redskins)
Chase Young (photo, Bleacher Report)
Young was a strong rookie in 2020 with 42 tackles and 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, four pass deflections, and three fumble recoveries (one for a TD).
Despite that outstanding performance, Young was not satisfied despite having hip problems and a 2021 season cut short by ACL surgery. Through the first two months of this season (9 games in all), he had 26 total tackles (15 solo) and 1.5 sacks.
