Two Packers Revealed in PFF’s Top-50 Players Series
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Two members of the Green Bay Packers’ hyped defense were selected to the PFF50, ProFootballFocus.com’s annual series selecting the top 50 players in the NFL.
PFF’s player grades and its Wins Above Replacement metric are the “foundation” of the series.
Checking in at No. 49 is outside linebacker Rashan Gary. After playing behind The Smith Bros. in 2019 and 2020, Gary took full advantage of an expanded role last season to record a team-leading and career-high 9.5 sacks.
Of the 80 edge defenders with at least 214 rushes, Gary ranked third in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity and second in the NFL in pressures (81) and pass-rush win rate (26.0 percent). He had 27 more pressures in 2021 than he did in 2019 and 2020 combined despite a similar number of rushes.
Noted PFF’s Sam Monson: “Gary was a raw prospect who had immense physical tools when the Packers drafted him in the first round, and last year, he realized all that potential in a major way. He recorded a 90.1 PFF pass-rushing grade while racking up 81 pressures over the course of the season and improving as the year went on. He could be even better in 2022.”
The other on the list thus far is safety Adrian Amos, who is No. 40. Without a lot of splash plays on the resume – he has two interceptions each of the last four regular seasons – Amos has not been selected to a Pro Bowl in his seven seasons. But he has been quietly fantastic during his three seasons in Green Bay, always in the right place at the right time and one of the best open-field tacklers in the business.
“Amos … has a real argument to be seen as the league's best safety or, at the very least, one of the best,” Monson wrote. “He has never had a bad season in the NFL, recording seven pass breakups along with three interceptions this past year. He has missed fewer than 10 percent of his tackle attempts in each of his past three campaigns.”
Click here for the full series, which will continue on Wednesday (players 31-40), Thursday (21-30) and Friday (1-10).
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