Why 49ers players’ NFL Top 100 rankings are fair or unfair

Why 49ers players’ NFL Top 100 rankings are fair or unfair originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams are all but guaranteed to be among the final 10 players revealed Friday night on NFL Network’s “NFL Top 100.” Seven of their 49ers teammates already have been announced on the prestigious list, with fans begging the question: Did the voters — which are the players themselves — get it right?

We broke down each of San Francisco’s selections on the list and delivered a verdict determining if the ranking was fair or unfair.

Greenlaw is the heart and soul of San Francisco’s vaunted defense which has finished as a top-ten unit every year since his NFL arrival in 2019. Often overshadowed simply because he stars next to this era’s preeminent off-ball linebacker in Fred Warner, Greenlaw deservedly gets his shine with a second consecutive nod on the Top 100 after taking the No. 79 spot in 2023.

Greenlaw recorded 120 tackles in 15 regular-season games last season, serving as the enforcer on the second level of San Francisco’s defense. Of the nine primarily off-ball linebackers on the 2024 Top 100, Greenlaw ranked 7th.

VERDICT: Fair. Greenlaw is the 1B to the best linebacker duo in the game, and he undoubtedly belongs among the NFL’s top-10 players at his position, and this ranking has him there.

Aiyuk’s placing stands out among the more egregious misses on a list that never fails to generate controversy. No high-volume NFL receiver was more efficient with their touches in 2023 than Aiyuk, who averaged 17.9 yards per reception on 75 catches for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns, earning Second-Team All-Pro honors.

The first 90 spots on the Top 100 included 18 receivers, with 11 ranking ahead of Aiyuk despite eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-49ers-players-nfl-top-170239560.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-08-02 17:32:08

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