The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/835590
THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 161 Top Five NFL Seasons In 2016 1. TOM BRADY, QB, New England Patriots How close was Brady to perfection in 2016? Pro Football Focus (PPF), the leading analytics site covering the NFL that grades every play of every game, awarded him a regular-season grade of 99.3 — the highest it has ever given a quarterback in a decade of analyzing the league. His year-long mark, including playoffs, was still a sparkling 98.9. In the 15 games he played during the regular season and playoffs, he threw for 35 touchdowns against five interceptions and averaged 312.7 passing yards per game. "Brady was both the most careful QB in the league in terms of protecting the football and the one that made the most big plays on a per-snap basis," PFF wrote. "… This was Tom Brady's finest season, and to do it at the age of 39 is even more staggering." He completed 67.4 percent of his passes — his highest mark since 2007 (a career-best 68.9) — and posted a passer rating of 112.2 — his best since the incredible 2007 campaign that featured 50 touchdown throws and just eight picks for a career-high 117.2. It seemed the only thing capable of stopping Brady in 2016 was commissioner Roger Goodell, and even then he still had to hand over the Vince Lombardi trophy to Brady at the end of the year. 2. BRANDON GRAHAM, DE, Philadelphia Eagles Graham may have only finished with 5.5 sacks in 2016 — down one from a year earlier, although he also played nearly 100 snaps less — but defensive line- man Mike Daniels of the Green Bay Packers said it best on the NFL Network's Top 100 countdown for 2017, on which Graham checked in at No. 93: "We have to stop focusing solely on stats, the stats aren't everything and he's a classic example. That's a guy that's making plays everywhere." The show noted that Graham's combined total of sacks, quarterback hurries and knockdowns was 80, higher than any other player in the entire league. Pro Football Focus named him a first-team All-Pro and ranked him as the No. 9 player in the league last year with a final grade of 93.3, second among all edge defenders only to NFL Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack by six-tenths of a point. The Associated Press named him a second-team All-Pro, and he had 14 tackles for loss to lead his team. "Graham generates as much pressure as any other pass-rusher in football," PFF noted while adding their numbers had him with 83 total pressures (second in the NFL) and 17 signal-caller knockdowns (third). They also ranked the Eagles with the NFL's second-best defensive front seven, and Graham was the highest- graded player on the unit. 3. TAYLOR LEWAN, OT, Tennessee Titans There aren't a ton of statistics for an offensive lineman, but there is no deny- ing the 11th overall selection in the 2014 NFL Draft is living up to his lofty draft status now. He allowed just two sacks in 2016, which was just a third of his average during the two previous campaigns, according to PFF. The outlet's grading system awarded him with three "perfect games" (no sacks or hurries) and six more in which he allowed just one hurry. The web site also ranked him second among offensive tackles in run blocking (88.4 grade) and seventh in the league at his position for overall grade (88.5; 90 is considered elite). PFF, which ranked him as the NFL's No. 64 overall player in 2016, wasn't the only one high on Lewan — his fellow pros voted him No. 72 in the NFL Network's Top 100 for 2017. It was his first time making the cut on either list in a year of firsts — he started all 16 games for the first time in his career and even added a 10-yard touchdown catch on his first NFL reception. He was also selected to his first Pro Bowl. "Over the first half of the season, Taylor Lewan was the best offensive tackle in the game. … He allowed his QB to hit the ground just twice over the entire season," PFF wrote. 4. FRANK CLARK, DE, Seattle Seahawks In PFF's estimation the Seahawks had the best defensive front seven in the NFL last year, and Clark was a major reason why — the website noted he fin- ished with a top-40 pass-rushing grade in the league. Despite starting only five games and missing one regular-season contest, Clark tied for 15th in the league with 10 sacks. His sack total ranked second on the team, while his 47 tackles checked in at seventh. He added another quarterback takedown and forced fumble in the playoffs, and should continue to put up numbers in the Seahawks' defensive end rota- tion, which features a trio of players that now boast double-digit sack cam- paigns on their résumés after Clark entered the club. The Michigan product is the young buck of the threesome that includes Michael Bennett (will turn 32 this season) and Cliff Avril (who turned 31 in April). 5. DAVID HARRIS, LB, New York Jets Despite missing a game for the first time since the 2008 season and not eclipsing 100 tackles for the first time since 2011, Harris continued to do what he's always done — bring down opponents at a high rate. He notched 63 solo stops and added 32 assists while playing 87 percent of the Jets' defensive snaps. "The Hitman" continued to live up to his nickname and led New York in tackles for the eighth time in his 10 years to climb into second on the club's all-time tackle list (1,260). However, they released their longest-tenured player in early June. Fitzgerald Toussaint RB 3 Pittsburgh Steelers Appeared as a reserve in every game, rushed 14 times for 58 yards and caught three passes for 33 yards. He played in two playoff contests, but did not record any statistics. Matt Wile P 1 Arizona Cardinals The 2014 graduate made his NFL debut and appeared in one game for the Falcons before being signed by the Cardinals, with whom he played in three games. On the year, he punted 12 times with an average of 46.1 yards (average net of 43.0 yards). Jarrod Wilson S 1 Jacksonville Jaguars The undrafted rookie appeared in every game as a reserve and totaled eight stops. Chris Wormley DE R Baltimore Ravens Drafted in the third round, 74th overall. ^ — Finished career at a school other than Michigan * Undrafted free agent rookies: P Kenny Allen, Ravens; OL Ben Braden, Jets; DT Matt Godin, Texans; OG Kyle Kalis, Redskins; OL Erik Magnuson, 49ers; RB De'Veon Smith, Dolphins; CB Channing Stribling, Browns; and S Dymonte Thomas, Broncos In addition to hauling in a 10-yard touchdown on his first NFL catch, Taylor Lewan allowed just two sacks in 2016 on his way to his first Pro Bowl appearance. PHOTO COURTESY TENNESSEE TITANS