NFL Top 100 Players of 2019

#21 to #30

21. Odell Beckham Jr.

22. Chris Jones

23. Cameron Jordan

24. Jadeveon Clowney

25. Drew Brees

26. Jamal Adams

27. Stephon Gilmore

28. DeMarcus Lawrence

29. Michael Thomas

30. Byron Jones

In one of the biggest blockbuster NFL deals in recent memory, the ascending Browns added a true superstar in Odell Beckham Jr. from New York. When it comes to pure talent, he might be at the very top of the list because of the way he can separate for defenders and make the spectacular grabs. Him in an offense with Baker Mayfield, Jarvis Landry, David Njoku, Nick Chubb & Co will be fun.

If I gave the average fan the name Chris Jones and asked them where he played, they might not even know it. However, he has turned himself into one of the premier pass rushers from the defensive tackle spot and just put together the quietest 15.5-sack campaign I have seen to this point. The Chiefs were fine with letting their edge guys go because of the young stud they have inside.

Cam Jordan is another guy who I think gets underrated every single year. It took him a while to put together the numbers that would earn him the recognition he deserves, but even now he is not seen as the impact defender he truly is. Once again he was near the top in the NFL with 19 tackles for loss and 66 total QB pressures.

There are very few players in the league that are as freakishly talented and will just smack guys in the face the way Jadeveon Clowney will. The former number one overall pick just ragdolls tight-ends at the point of attack in the run game and he is a versatile piece on passing downs, where he can put his hand in the dirt anywhere on the line or move around as a linebacker.

Once again, this might seem a little disrespectful to an MVP runner-up and all-time great quarterback, but I just have some concerns with Brees. He is ultra-efficient in Sean Peyton’s offense and when he can get the ball to Michael Thomas or Alvin Kamara, but his arm fell off tremendously at the end of the year. That sequence in the Divisional Round versus the Eagles where Taysom Hill threw a perfect seam route and Drew came back to underthrow that same route badly won’t leave my mind.

Next up I got the top safety in the game today. Jamal Adams has become the true leader of the Jets defense and I just love his style of play. He puts wide receivers on their butts when they try to block him, shoots through openings like a missile as a blitzer, is extremely instinctive and just always around the ball. He is a true baller.

Bill Belichick never hands out big contracts to free agents, but back in 2017 he really wanted Stephon Gilmore and we saw exactly why last season. That dude might have had the best season of any cornerback in the league when you saw him absolutely shut down number two’s, but also take on the challenge of guarding opposing team’s top receivers.

Another guy who truly emerged these last two years and now got paid big-time is Tank Lawrence. Dallas rewarded the defensive end like a top-tier guy and I think he is among the elite at the position. D-Law always was an excellent run-defender, but he has developed some hand swipes and power rushes that have made him a terror in the passing game.

While I do believe a lot of Michael Thomas’ productivity has come from Sean Peyton’s brilliance as a play-caller scheming him open, his absurd 85 percent catch rate and clutch play on third down makes him a top 30 player in the league today. He seemed to be unstoppable in some games and got defenses again and again with big catches to extend drives.

It is only fitting that I put the guy who I thought was the only one to really shut Mike Thomas down right next to him. Byron Jones had a phenomenal season and I feel like people don’t appreciate it enough. The Cowboys put a lot of pressure on him in that cover-one, press-bail three scheme that Kris Richard brought over from Seattle and Jones delivered all year.