NFL

3 Eagles Land in PFF's Top 50 NFL Players Going Into 2019

There's plenty of hype surrounding the Eagles this season and there should be. The Birds are coming off back-to-back playoff seasons and have a really talented roster. 

They also have three players on the ProFootballFocus' list of Top 50 players heading into the 2019 season.

(For reference, the Eagles had four players in the Top 101 players from the 2018 season.)

In the Top 50 list, the Cowboys also have three players (29. Travis Frederick, 32. DeMarcus Lawrence, 40. Zack Martin), the Giants have one (43. Saquon Barkley) and the Redskins don't have any. Sorry, Washington. 

Let's take a look at the Eagles on the list: 

41. Brandon Graham 

Here's what they said: Sacks don't tell the whole story for any player in the NFL, and no player epitomizes that more than Graham. He's recorded double-digit sacks in PFF's system only once (2017) but has been as consistent as they come from an overall pressure and pass-rush grade standpoint. He has recorded 45 or more pressures in six of his last seven seasons in the NFL and has earned 81.0-plus pass-rush grades in five of them.

My take: It's true that sacks don't tell the entire story, but Graham had just four last season. That's too low. He was hampered by an ankle injury at the start of last season and it showed; he got off to a slow start. But Graham has been consistently disruptive over the past few years. He's a very good player, but falls short of being great. I don't know if he's a top-50 player, but it is nice to see his all-around game get recognized because his sack total has never officially gotten to double digits and he's never made a Pro Bowl team. 

24. Jason Kelce

Here's what they said: Kelce's four-year overall grade (91.1) ranks fourth among the 94 interior offensive linemen with at least 2,000 offensive snaps played since 2015, and his 93.4 run-block grade ranks first among the same group of qualifiers. Most recently, Kelce earned a career-high 88.0 pass-blocking grade in addition to his 80.7 run-blocking grade in 2018. He also earned a 94.6 run-blocking grade throughout the Eagles' Super Bowl run in 2017, a single-season mark that ranks first in the PFF era (2006-18) among qualifying centers and one that landed him PFF's top run-blocker award in 2017.

My take: Kelce was the highest-ranked center on the list and the second-highest offensive lineman behind OT David Bakhtiari at No. 13. It's high praise for Kelce, but he deserves it. He had a really good season in 2018 and has consistently been one of the top centers in the league for a while now. You can argue about whether or not he's the best center in the league, but there's no questioning whether or not he's one of the best. With his football knowledge, Kelce keeps getting better despite being over 30 and despite all his injuries. He's been an All-Pro the last two years, but hasn't made the Pro Bowl in those seasons, which is an absolute joke. 

4. Fletcher Cox 

Here's what they said: It's a shame that Cox plays in the same league as Donald; he'd be the unanimous decision for top defensive interior if it weren't for the Rams' superstar. Cox's pass-rush win rate in 2018 (20.9 percent) is the fourth-best single-season mark of any defensive interior in the PFF era. And his 91.2 pass-rush grade this past season, another career high for the big man, also ranks inside the top 10 among qualifiers since 2006.

My take: The only players ranked higher than Cox were 1. Aaron Donald, 2. Tom Brady, 3. Bobby Wagner. That's some impressive company, but it's about time Cox gets his due. He's a dominant player. Is he the fourth-best player in the league? I don't know. What PFF does, ranking players regardless of position, is really tough. Is Cox better than Patrick Mahomes, who comes in at No. 6 or Drew Brees, who comes in at No. 5? I have a hard time saying he is. But that shouldn't take away from the fact that Cox is an absolute wrecking ball. He's gone to four consecutive Pro Bowls, but finally made his first All-Pro team in 2018. PFF is right, it's a shame he's playing in the same era as Donald, who is a future Hall of Famer. But it's not just Donald; there have been plenty of other great interior lineman over the last few years - Gerald McCoy, Ndamukong Suh, Damon Harrison, Geno Atkins, Kyle Williams, Jurrell Casey. It has taken a long time for Cox to get his credit, but he really is one of the best players in the league. 

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