Lamar Jackson got the NFL Top 100’s top spot. Here is why this happened in three simple reasons:
1. It is supposed to be voted on by the players:
Lamar Jackson is a very popular player in the NFL. In a league of extraordinary athletes he stands out. Jackson is special because his ability energizes the whole stadium, not just the fans. Last season Jackson had a long line of players wanting to swap jerseys with him at the end of just about every game. Jackson is special and it doesn’t take much to see that the players agree with this statement. It takes a lot to get that kind of admiration from NFL players. In the league of the bigger, stronger and faster players, Jackson is a cheat code and it doesn’t go unnoticed by his peers.
There’s another reason player voting matters here. If you ask defensive players who is the one player you don’t want to have to stop, many of them would answer Jackson. We’re talking about the player who won the MVP award after spending a season breaking people’s ankles and making linebackers look silly as they missed tackle after tackle. Patrick Mahomes isn’t getting disrespected by being number four on this list. He can make unfathomably good throws and has the ability to escape and create. That being said, Jackson is one of a kind. He has top level arm talent and he runs with the ball better than just about every running back in the NFL. Competing against Jackson is an eye opener for everybody in the NFL.
If the voting is legitimately done by the players, this result makes a ton of sense. Jackson is beloved by his teammates and admired across the league. Players are going to think about it from a different perspective, especially those who are tasked with stopping number eight.