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Two Baltimore Ravens Named Top 100 Players of 2015

By Remy Cabache

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Wednesday, the names of the first nine players of the Top 100 Players of 2015 list were released, and the Baltimore Ravens were the first team to have multiple players selected. The list, which is revealed after the draft every year, is voted on only by players. No coaches, no media, no fans, just the players. And it is always interesting to find out how the players rank each other.

Last year, only three Ravens made the list: Joe Flacco (58), Marshal Yanda (55) and Haloti Ngata (45). This year, the Ravens already have two: Joe Flacco and C.J. Mosley.  And there are still 90 players left to reveal.

Joe Flacco was the first Raven and the first quarterback on the list. He came in at #97, which is a drop of 39 places, and it’s hard to understand why. In 2013, the Ravens finished 8-8, failed to make the playoffs, and struggled to score anything but field goals all year. Flacco, though he threw for a then career high number of yards, also threw only 19 TD’s and a whopping 22 interceptions, also a career high.

In 2014, Flacco achieved a career high in passing yards, and threw 22 TD’s with only 12 interceptions. Furthermore, the Ravens won 10 games, scored a lot more points, and made the playoffs again. It’s hard to understand the logic here.  However, there was a slight hint as to why he may be a bit underrated (compared to last season): this year’s list will feature the fewest number of QB’s in it’s five year history. So the fact Flacco still made the list might just show an increase in league wide respect for the Ravens’ signal caller.

The other Raven to make the list was rookie inside linebacker C.J. Mosley, coming in at #94. Last year the Ravens selected him with the 17th overall pick in the draft and he has been well worth it so far. Mosley was the runner up for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, made the Pro Bowl, led the team in tackles, recorded two interceptions (tied most on the team) and recovered a fumble.

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Mosley and Daryl Smith are becoming one of the better inside linebacker tandems in the league, and Mosley will only get better. His inclusion on the list is yet another accolade to add to his already impressive NFL résumé. To really know if he is ranked too high or too low, we’ll have to wait and see which other defenders  made the list. Aaron Donald, who beat out Mosley for Defensive Rookie of the Year, was just two spots higher at 92. Looks like it may be a defense rich list this year.

The fact that two Ravens have already made the Top 100 Players list is quite exciting to me. Thinking back to last year and how certain players performed, I think we could see several more Ravens show up on the list.  I can name at least six more Ravens who could make this list, which would make 2015’s list one better than the team’s previous record of seven in 2012. Only time will tell!

Next: 2015 Baltimore Ravens Depth Chart Projections: Tight End

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