Top 100 NFL players entering the 2020 season: Nos. 70-61
By Samuel Teets
66. Jalen Ramsey, CB, Los Angeles Rams
This is a wake-up call for Ramsey. Yes, the media chose him as a First-Team All-Pro across the board in 2017, but that was two and a half years ago. Ramsey made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons, but neither 2018 nor 2019 standout as particularly special seasons. Analysts once viewed Ramsey as the next great shutdown cornerback, but that title is slipping away.
Ramsey earned the 11th-highest man-coverage grade from PFF this past season. However, that’s not great news if you’re Ramsey or the Rams, who traded two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to Jacksonville for the young cornerback.
Ramsey remains a highly productive cornerback, but he’s no longer a top-three player at the position. Out of the nine corners chosen for the top 100, Ramsey ranks fifth, with a controversial selection sitting 17 spots higher than him.
One phenomenal year could vault the former fifth overall pick back into the top 30 players, but we’ll have to wait and see how Ramsey performs in his first full season with the Rams.
65. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
Kamara is the perfect modern running back, but that doesn’t mean we can gloss over his deficiencies. While Kamara is a fantasy football player’s dream, the former third-round pick doesn’t carry the same load as fellow Pro Bowl backs. In his three seasons, Kamara only ran for over 800 yards once, and he has one 800-yard receiving season as well.
Even though he isn’t a workhorse back, Kamara produced 4,476 yards from scrimmage over the past three years, making the Pro Bowl each season. He also scored 37 total touchdowns, although 2019 was by far his least impressive campaign. Kamara has made 81 receptions during each of his years in the NFL, but his receiving yards continue declining.
The star 25-year-old recently explained his down year to reporters. Apparently, Kamara played most of the season with a knee injury, which hampered his play. He didn’t need surgery and is fully healthy for the 2020 season.
#Saints RB Alvin Kamara told reporters that he suffered a knee injury last season in Week 6 and had to deal with it the whole year. "I tore up my knee basically," Kamara said. The injury didn't require offseason surgery, just a lot of rehab. He says he's fully healthy now.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 10, 2020
Kamara easily holds a spot among the league’s top ten running backs. However, the Tennessee product’s only All-Pro selection by the AP came as a flex player in 2017. He’s not a top-five back yet.