2 Rams Appear on CBS Top 100 NFL Players List
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports unveiled his countdown of the top 100 players in the NFL Sunday, a list that included two Los Angeles Rams stars.
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald -- despite flirting with retirement for the second consecutive offseason -- is back for a 10th season with the Rams. Prisco rated the seven-time All-Pro as the ninth-best player in the NFL at any position:
"At 32, is he starting to slow down? Or will this be a bounce-back year for an all-time great?," Prisco asked.
No matter what happens moving forward, Donald is a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But if the Rams are going to bounce back from a disappointing 5-12 campaign a season ago, they'll need something of a renaissance from the nine-time Pro Bowler. A high ankle sprain limited Donald to just 11 games in 2022, where he recorded 49 combined tackles, 11 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for a loss, five sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Prisco noted that Donald checked in at No. 1 last year, but he's since been replaced -- in the least shocking development ever -- by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Cooper Kupp was rated 26th:
"He was limited to nine games last season because of an ankle injury that required surgery after the season, and yet he still had 75 catches," Prisco noted. "He is recovered and ready to get back to his 2021 form when he won the receiving version of the triple crown."
Two seasons ago, Kupp won the Super Bowl MVP, capping off a season where he led the NFL with 145 receptions, 1,947 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches. Among wide receivers, Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings, Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals, Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders and Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills were the only wide receivers ranked above Kupp.
Elsewhere, former Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey -- traded to the Miami Dolphins this offseason -- was ranked 14th by Prisco. Former Rams Super Bowl hero Von Miller, who is entering his second season in Buffalo, checked in at No 44.
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