Disagree?
The NFL dead zone is typically a prime time for various lists and rankings. It’s all about content creation and consumption, ya know?
One such article that recently caught my eye was Pro Football Focus’s list of the top 50 players in the NFL. At the start of their series, I figured I’d eventually do a write-up on the Eagles player(s) who made the cut.
As it turns out, though, I’m not able to do that. Because not a single member of Philadelphia’s football team made PFF’s top 50.
Before you disagree (or agree?) with their decision, allow me to share their ranking criteria:
The ranking below is a projection of what we think will happen and not necessarily a reaction to a spectacular or underwhelming 2020 season. Additionally, positional value is not considered here, so safeties, guards and even running backs have just as good a chance to rank highly as quarterbacks, who would dominate the list if positional value was heavily factored.
So, it’s not just like the Eagles failed to earn representation simply because they were bad last year, though that obviously didn’t help. Rather, PFF doesn’t believe there are any Eagles players who project to be top 50 players this upcoming season.
The folks at PFF are hardly the only ones down on Philly’s roster. CBS Sports made a more expansive list of the top 100 players in the NFL earlier this month and the Eagles landed no representation there either. Other than mentions for Fletcher Cox, Anthony Harris, and Darius Slay among the 48 players in the “just missed” section, that is. And those guys are entering their age 31, age 30, and age 31 seasons, respectively. Not exactly players on the rise.
The perceived lack of top-end talent isn’t surprising coming off a down year. And it’s possible the Eagles will prove people wrong for sleeping on them. Maybe some vets will rebound and/or some young studs will emerge during the 2021 season. Until then, the Eagles aren’t getting the benefit of the doubt.
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