Pro Football Focus ranked the top 101 players of 2017 and two Giants made the list:
Who were the Top 101 players in the NFL during the 2017 season?
Pro Football Focus tackled the question as it looks back on this past year, now officially a wrap after the Eagles defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Two Giants made the annual list, and they both play defense.
Damon "Snacks" Harrison checks in at No. 39 and Landon Collins landed at No. 70.
PFF weighs all positions equally, so "you won't see 32 quarterbacks heading the list — even though that is the game's most valuable position. Instead, we take a look at how guys played relative to what is expected from their position", according to senior analyst Sam Monson.
39. Damon "Snacks" Harrison
TOP 101 APPERANCES: 4
2017 STATS: 76 combined tackles (51 solo), 40 run stops, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception
Monson: "There is no greater run-stuffing force in the NFL than Damon Harrison, the Giants' defensive tackle. Harrison won PFF's best run defender award again this season, and has made run stops and run-stop percentage a statistic owned by him alone. Harrison again topped 40 run stops this season, third time in his career, or two more times than the rest of the league's interior defenders have managed since 2006. The run game has never been less important in the NFL, but Harrison is good enough to be an exception to that rule."
70. Landon Collins
TOP 101 APPEARANCES: 2
2017 STATS: 104 combined tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered, 6 passes defensed
Monson: "A year ago, Landon Collins had a defensive player of the year kind of season and while 2017 wasn't quite at that level, it was still an excellent year and reinforced his quality…Collins notched 37 defensive stops this season, nine fewer than the year before, but he also played significantly fewer snaps due to injury…"
PFF'S TOP 10 PLAYERS OF 2017
- DL Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
- QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots
- S Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings
- LB Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks
- CB Casey Hayward, Los Angeles Chargers
- DE Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints
- WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
- TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
- Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
- LB Von Miller, Denver Broncos
