NFL.com's Gil Brandt Ranks the Top 11 Most Versatile Players in the League
The game of football is constantly changing and evolving. Over the years, the importance and roles of certain positions on the football field have changed and now, we're getting to the point where many players are not playing just one position.
Being a "hybrid" player used to have a ton of value. It still does to this day, but finding hybrids are not as hard to come by in this age of football. Players are being cross-trained to play multiple positions growing up all the way through middle school, high school, and then college. The more things a player can do, the more likely he is to see the field and make an impact. It just so happens that the Panthers may have two of the most versatile players in the league. At least that's what NFL.com's Gil Brandt believes.
Over the weekend, Brandt released an article ranking his top eleven most versatile players heading into the 2021 season. Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn and running back Christian McCaffrey checked in at No. 1 and No. 2. Surprisingly, Saints super-utility man Taysom Hill comes in at No. 4 behind his teammate, Alvin Kamara.
Brandt on Jeremy Chinn:
"Every once in a while, a player with elite pro potential will slip through the cracks at the college level, and it appears this is what happened with Chinn, a second-round pick out of Southern Illinois last year who emerged as a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate while proving himself to be exactly the kind of player every defensive coordinator should be seeking in the modern NFL. Chinn is a back-seven defender who can match up against basically anyone, whether he's functioning as a linebacker, safety or slot defender. The offseason additions of run-stuffing linebacker Denzel Perryman and pass rusher Haason Reddick should give defensive coordinator Phil Snow even more options when it comes to taking advantage of Chinn's skill set."
Brandt on Christian McCaffrey:
"McCaffrey's spot could be justified by his 2019 season alone, considering he became one of just three players in NFL history to top 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season. He basically was the Panthers' offense that year, accumulating a whopping 142 targets and 287 carries while breaking his own record for catches by a running back (with 116, topping his mark of 107 in 2018). It would not be surprising if McCaffrey's workload were to shrink a bit, given that he's coming off a season in which injuries cost him all but three games, but it's tough to conceive of an offensive player who can come close to achieving his status as a do-everything monster."
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