Two Packers Earn Spots on PFF’s List of Top 101 Players

Pro Football Focus published its annual PFF 101. Here’s the two-man list for the Green Bay Packers and a look at their division rivals.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 23, 2023 2:15 PM EST

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Great teams have great players. Mediocre teams do not.

Pro Football Focus unveiled the last part of its annual list of the top 101 players in the NFL on Thursday. The Green Bay Packers have only two players on the 2022 version of the PFF 101.

Leading the way was cornerback Jaire Alexander. The second-team All-Pro is No. 64 on the list and No. 5 among cornerbacks.

“He wasn’t quite able to play at a high level all season, but there were stretches this year where Alexander was as good as any cornerback in football, including limiting Justin Jefferson to just one catch for 15 yards in Week 17,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote.

The other player was running back Aaron Jones, who ranked No. 85 overall and No. 7 among running backs.

“Jones didn’t have much in the way of touchdown success this past season, but he was as good as ever running the football for the Packers,” Monson wrote. “He averaged 3.2 yards per carry after contact while proving to be a consistent receiving threat.”

The PFF 101 is based only on 2022 performance. What a player did in the past, or what he might do in the future, isn’t relevant.

Three of the top four players are members of the Chiefs. Former Packers receiver Davante Adams ranked 19th overall and third among receivers.

Focusing on the NFC North, the list includes seven members of the Minnesota Vikings – including outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith – two members of the Detroit Lions and zero members of the Chicago Bears.

If Aaron Rodgers is looking for a trade, the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders each have three players on the list. The Jets’ list includes Rookie of the Year receiver Garrett Wilson. The Raiders’ list includes Adams.

The Packers had seven players on last year’s list: Davante Adams was fifth, Rodgers was 18th, Rashan Gary was 34th, De’Vondre Campbell was 40th, AJ Dillon was 65th, Jones was 82nd and Preston Smith was 92nd.

The ACL tear sustained at Detroit at midseason knocked Gary off the list. Without Adams, Rodgers had one of the worst seasons of his career. Campbell regressed closer to his career standard, Dillon wasn’t nearly the factor in the receiving game as he was in 2021 and Smith’s level of play dropped, as well.