Patrick Mahomes
Travis Kelce
Chris Jones
Creed Humphrey
Trent McDuffie
Maybe make it:
Harrison Butker (only reason he's not above is if they ice him out for his comments)
Joe Thuney (may not make it because of his injury, but he should be above)
George Karlaftis (should absolutely make it but doesn't draw the spotlight despite great performance)
Out by technicality:
L'Jarius Sneed (will make it as a Chiefs player but Titans get credit for it)
5-8 players out of 100 is still pretty outstanding. The fact that all of them except Butker and Thuney were draft picks is a testament to Veach. [Reply]
1 Patrick Mahomes
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS QB
His numbers were down last season, but he showed in the playoffs that he is the best player in the league -- and on his way to being considered the best ever. If he three-peats this season, is it time to say he's the best ever? (Last season: No. 1)
14 Chris Jones
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS DE
The Chiefs leaned heavily on their defense to win last year's Super Bowl, with Jones being the catalyst of that unit. He can take over games, and can do so from the inside and the outside. He can wreck an offensive line. (Last season: No. 13)
18 Travis Kelce
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS TE
He wasn't quite as good last year as he's been in his career with too many drops, but he still remains one of the best in the league. A bad year for him was catching 93 passes, but his yards per catch fell to 10.6, the lowest of his career. He did amp it up in the postseason with 32 catches in four games. (Last season: No. 6)
30 Trent McDuffie
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS CB
He had his best season in helping the Chiefs defense lead the team to a Super Bowl victory. He played in the slot in the second half of the season and showed off his skills there to do a lot of things, including rush the passer. (Last season: NR)
48 Creed Humphrey
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS C
He remains one of the league's best centers, although his play was off a bit last season. He is good in both the run game and in pass protection, helping form one of the best inside trios in the league. (Last season: No. 40)
51 L'Jarius Sneed
TENNESSEE TITANS SAF
After four seasons with the Chiefs, he was traded to the Titans this spring. He is a good man-cover player who often takes on the opposition's best receiver. He didn't give up a touchdown during the regular season. (Last season: NR)
86 Joe Thuney
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OG
As part of the best interior-line group in the league, he excels in pass protection. He did miss time last season and in the playoffs, which is concerning since he turns 32 in November. (Last season: No. 80)
90 Trey Smith
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS OG
He is a mauler in the run game who has improved in pass protection, which is a must in their offense. He helps form one of the best inside trios in the league with Joe Thuney and Creed Humphrey. (Last season: NR)
And I love Butker, but I think it's hard to call someone a Top 100 player in a league when someone only plays 158 snaps in a season (35 of which are FGs where he shines so much) when the team is on the field for over 2.6k snaps. He played under 6% of the total snaps (1.3% if removing kickoffs and PATs, using regular season stats).
I'm all about kickers and special teams, and 100% see the importance and think Butker is the best of them, but everyone is playing a game and kickers and punters are like... they're own little subsection of football that doesn't really compare. They are their own seperate conversation. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Gravedigger:
It ends up being like Pro Bowl selections, so between 5 - 7 would be my guess.
Patrick
Travis
Creed
Trent
Lajarius
Nick
Chris
Maybe Trey..
If my memory serves me correct, last year we only had 3, all in the top 10. By all means, correct me if I'm wrong. But ironically, the players aren't the best at this at all. Hell, Dalvin Cook was in the Top 100 last year when we saw what analytics people were saying before the Vikes cut him, and he might as well not played last year. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ThrobProng:
No kicker or punter should ever be in the top 100.
Disagree. Not many players outside an elite QB are the difference between winning and losing close games than a clutch kicker that is consistently major to nail 50+ yard field goals.
Having a Butker or Tucker is far more valuable than having the 5th best off ball linebacker or safety. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hayneplane:
Disagree. Not many players outside an elite QB are the difference between winning and losing close games than a clutch kicker that is consistently major to nail 50+ yard field goals.
Having a Butker or Tucker is far more valuable than having the 5th best off ball linebacker or safety.
I suppose it depends on your criteria for the list. Of course kickers and punters are an important part of winning close games, but are any of them really one of the 100 best football players in the NFL? I don't see it. [Reply]