JKFOOTBALL Top 100 Players for 2021: 89-80

 Yesterday marked the first installment of our JKFOOTBALL top 100 players going into the 2021 season. Something we forgot to mention is that no rookies will be included on this list. Today we reveal the next 10 players as we will slowly but surely work our way down to the best of the best.

89. JJ Watt, Edge Rusher, Arizona Cardinals

2020 stats: 52 total tackles, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 INT returned for TD

Finally we got a healthy year out of JJ Watt again in 2020 and he was pretty good despite his age. One of the best edge rushers in NFL history, Watt is finally going to be playing for a new team for the first time in his glamorous NFL career. Watt is poised to team up with the likes of Chandler Jones in Arizona to form one of the NFL's most dangerous pass rushing duos. Some didn't believe that a healthy Watt had it anymore. The past season should show that he really does. He was also on the talent starved Texans with no one to help him out. Chandler Jones is pretty much the best player you could ask for to take attention off of yourself on a D-line that there is in the league. Expect Watt to have a major impact during his first season in the desert. 

88. Carson Wentz, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

2020 stats: NOT IMPORTANT

You are welcome Wentz. I didn't show his 2020 stats because they were so poor that you would probably click off this right away when you saw him crack the top 100 over some pretty good players already. But hear me out, this list is also a projection of how good I think guys will be in 2021. I think Wentz will be good. He leaves behind a terrible situation in Philly and comes into one of the better situations in the league. His HC is former Eagles QB coach/guru Frank Reich who he already has incredible chemistry with. They also have one of the league's best o-lines that will be blocking for Wentz and a capable receiving core led by TY Hilton and Michael Pittman. I think the Colts will be a playoff team and a dark horse Super Bowl contender with Wentz at the helm. We have seen MVP like play from Wentz and the Colts are probably the best team to give him a chance to regain that form this year.

87. Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons

2020 stats: 4581 yards, 26 TDs, 11 INTs passing

Back-to-back QBs hit the list as this time it's the former MVP Matt Ryan of the Falcons. Since his MVP season, the Falcons have not been good, but Ryan is still quietly one of the best and most consistent passers in the game. Ryan threw for a ton of yards last year and had a really nice TD to INT ratio. He enters this season with a revamped squad led by new offensive minded HC Arthur Smith. Forgot to mention that the team selected unicorn "tight end" Kyle Pitts with the fourth pick in the draft. He will be an instant major contributor. Matt Ryan has WEAPONS. Pitts and Calvin Ridley is a duo QBs would dream to have. Julio Jones is likely on the move which hurts Matt Ryan a bit but I see a really good season coming from one of the most underrated QBs in football. Ryan checks in at 87 on the top 100.

86. Mekhi Becton, Offensive Tackle, New York Jets

2020 stats: 691 snaps played, 7 sacks allowed, 7 penalties, 74.4 PFF grade

As far as OL stats go, Becton wasn't INSANE for an o-lineman, but he was still pretty damn good for a rookie. The behemoth of a man that is Becton is surprisingly athletic and agile for his height and weight and has given the Jets a cornerstone offensive line piece for the next decade to come. He was their top 10 pick from last year and has looked already to be well worth it. With Zach Wilson coming to town as their QB of the future, Becton is going to have to be his guy. His blindside protector. He will do a great job. Becton is one of the craziest athletes in the league and as far as O-lineman go, he's fun to watch. Becton will take the next step to an elite o-lineman in his second NFL season. 

85. Ryan Tannehill, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans

2020 stats: 3819 yards, 33 TDs, 7 INTs passing, 7 TDs rushing

Looking at Tannehill's statline, you should see how underrated this guy is. He had a combined 40 TDs last season. That is wild. He also was genuinely in the MVP conversation for the first 8 weeks of the season before falling off a little bit. Still, the surprisingly nimble leader of the AFC South winning Titans needs respect on his name. I think there is an argument to be made that he is an easy to 10 QB in this league. He boasts pinpoint accuracy and again, is a threat with his legs as well. The Titans offense is built around Tannehill's ability to move around and extend plays and then throw dimes on the run. I think we are going to see another stellar season from Tannehill in 2021 and he checks in at 85. 

84. Orlando Brown Jr., Offensive Tackle, Kansas City Chiefs

2020 stats: 1027 snaps played, 5 penalties, 3 sacks allowed, 76.5 PFF grade

QBs and O-lineman have been popular in the 80s on the list and it continues here with Orlando Brown Jr. formerly of the Ravens as he was traded to Kansas City this off-season for a first round pick. If an O-lineman is yielding a first rounder for his services, you know he's good. Brown is that good. In over 1000 snaps he allowed just 3 sacks all season and received a 76.5 grade from PFF which is very solid. Brown now heads to KC where he will block for one of the league's best QBs in Patrick Mahomes. I think he will easily be up for the challenge as he is eager to prove he is a LEFT tackle which is why he was really traded from Baltimore. I think the Ravens will regret trading him to one of their biggest AFC rivals as Brown is going to be a fixture on KC's line for the next decade and he is poised for a breakout 2021 campaign.

83. Rodney Hudson, Center, Arizona Cardinals

2020 stats: 1082 snaps played, 1 sack allowed, 1 penalty, 73.6 grade

Another O-lineman here as it's the newly acquired from Vegas center Rodney Hudson of the Cardinals. Hudson is getting a bit older but his production from the center position does not seem to be slowing down. One of the best centers of the last decade, Hudson is as good as there are in the pass blocking game. He allowed just a singular sack in over 1000 snaps for the Raiders. That is so damn good. The reason his PFF grade is a slightly more average 73.6 instead of higher is because he was not graded well in the run game. It's not his forte. Hudson is the best pass blocking center in football and his focus will turn to doing it for the electric Kyler Murray in the desert for 2021.

82. Joe Burrow, Quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals

2020 stats: 2688 yards, 13 TDs, 5 INTs passing (10 games played only)

After leading LSU to a national title in 2019, Burrow had all the hype entering the draft as he went no. 1 overall to the Bengals who hoped they were getting their franchise QB. Just a year later, it looks like he is. Despite a bad knee injury that ended his season prematurely, Burrow was slinging the football like a beast. He threw for a ton of yardage for only 10 games and was pretty accurate and had the Bengals in some close games that they probably deserved to win. All eyes are on Burrow entering his second season to see just how good the former top pick will be in year 2. The Bengals improved a lot this off-season including drafting Burrow's former top target from LSU Ja'Marr Chase with the 5th overall pick in this year's draft. I think we see more improvement for Burrow AND the Bengals this season. Burrow slots in at a generous ranking of 82 despite having played so little in the NFL. 

81. Calvin Ridley, Wide Receiver, Falcons

2020 stats: 90 receptions, 1374 yards, 9 TDs receiving

We saw Calvin Ridley's QB at 87, and now Ridley himself comes in at 81. What a breakout year it was for the former Falcons first round pick. The young receiver started the season off on a tear and then gradually came down to earth as the season pressed on. Still, look at the numbers. They do not lie. Ridley was unbelievable. He proved that Julio Jones can be expendable. He is going to step into the WR1 role for Atlanta for the first time in his career with Julio Jones almost surely going to be traded in the coming days. Ridley is one of the best route runners in the league and just always seems to be open. His downfield speed is matched by few in the league. We saw Ridley have a breakout year in 2020 with Julio Jones, now I think he could hit new levels without Jones there.

80. Garrett Bolles, Offensive Tackle, Denver Broncos

2020 stats: 1015 snaps played, 7 penalties, 0 sacks allowed, 90.6 PFF grade

When the Broncos spent their first round pick on Garrett Bolles a few years back, many were skeptical. He was going to be older than 24 as a rookie and had some questions about how consistent he was. He just proved everyone wrong with his 2020 run. As Drew Lock's blindside protector this year, Bolles played over 1000 snaps and didn't allow a SINGLE sack. Not one. Playing opposing team's best edge rusher on a weekly basis and he didn't allow one sack. Insanity! He also had an ELITE 90.6 PFF grade. You rarely see a grade that high for an O-lineman. Bolles was rewarded with a handsome contract extension with Denver during the course of the season and will head into 2021 ready to continue to play like one of the best tackles in the league. Bolles hits the top 80.