The journey toward Super Bowl LII ended far too prematurely for the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending them into offseason mode before we were ready for it. But we are in it now, and are ready to move on, through the Combine, through free agency, through the draft, into OTAs, and beyond.
We have asked and answered a lot of questions over the years and will continue to do so, and at the moment, there seem to be a ton of questions that need answering. A surprise early exit in the postseason will do that to you though, especially when it happens in the way it did.
You can rest assured that we have the questions, and we will be monitoring developments all throughout the offseason process, all the way down to Latrobe. Pending free agents, possible veteran roster cuts, contract extensions, pre-draft visits, pro days, all of it will have its place when the time arises.
Question: How closely do you agree with the NFL Network’s 10 top players from last night, and the Steelers’ placement within it?
We’re nearing the end of June, so let’s face it, there aren’t any major stories we’re not covering right now. So in the meantime, let’s talk about last night, and specifically the NFL Network’s reveal for the top 10 players in their Top 100 list.
To start things off, the Steelers were well-represented in there, with running back Le’Veon Bell being named the 5th-best player in the NFL, and the highest at his position. Only two quarterbacks and two wide receivers were named above him.
And shockingly one of those receivers was Antonio Brown, who earned the second spot after being number four last year. Julio Jones was number three last year and is now number three (Bell, by the way, was number nine in 2017’s list).
So the Steelers had two players in the top five, and the fact that they can easily be considered the best players at two of the most integral positions in the game makes it perfectly reasonable to see them end up where they did.
How about the rest of the top 10, though? I’m sure most will begrudgingly accept Tom Terrific at the top of the list, but Carson Wentz at number three? Over Jones and Bell, who are perennial All-Pro and who both had great years?
Only two defensive players made the top 10, those being Aaron Donald and Von Miller, unsurprisingly. Donald was number seven. Is that too high? Too low? About where he should be? He came in behind his teammate, Todd Gurley, at six, while Miller was at nine, bookmarked in between quarterbacks Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.
Ben Roethlisberger ended up being regarded as the sixth-best quarterback in the league according to the list, and the 18th-best player overall. In addition to Brady, Wentz, Brees, and Rodgers all cracking the top 10, Russell Wilson was number 11. In all, the Steelers had three players in the top 20, more than any other team.
