By: Michael Stiffler, @Stiffeezy_ on Twitter
SteelerNation.com
ESPN recently released an article projecting the Top 100 players of 2020 with the Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and Minnesota Vikings having the most (7). The list was generated by 46 ESPN NFL experts based on their expectations for the upcoming season. They ended up placing five Pittsburgh Steelers on the Top 100 list.
Juju Smith-Schuster #100
2020 Projected Stats : 81 rec, 1,035 yards, 7 TDs
I am quite surprised Smith-Schuster landed on this list with the lackluster performance last season. He was touted to be the new No.1 for the Steelers with the departure of Antonio Brown, but things did not pan out quite the way we all thought. Missing four games due to injury and no Ben Roethlisberger was the perfect recipe for a disaster. It appears Steeler Nation are not the only ones with the belief he is due to bounce back in a big way.
Ben Roethlisberger #78
2020 Projected Stats: 3,872 passing yards, 25 TDs, 12 INTs
Roethlisberger ended up as the 13th best quarterback on this list, which isn’t shocking given he is coming off surgery. It is shocking he did end up on the list at all given all the media’s uncertainty to how the elbow will hold up, questioning how a 38 year old will react coming off the first major surgery of his career. I think they are projecting too big of a dip in stats compared to his 5,000 yard 2018 season. We cannot forget the Steelers love to use the quick screen game as a type of run play. Still pleasantly surprised the love Roethlisberger got here.
Cam Heyward #73
2020 Projected Stats: 71 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Another article, more Cam Heyward disrespect. I love Heyward, the guy is an absolute stud. You can read my previous article when some stooge took a jab at him and how completely wrong he was. Outside of Aaron Donald, this guy is the class of the NFL. Double up the sack numbers at minimum, put him in the top 25 players and everything will be okay. Until then, someone in the Steelers organization needs to show this to Heyward to add more fuel to the fire.
Minkah Fitzpatrick #42
2020 Projected Stats: 68 tackles, 3 INTs
This is very reasonable. Fitzpatrick had a great season last year and was the reason the defense went from good to elite. I think the sky's the limit this year now that he has a full off-season under his belt. Better communication and better understanding of the defensive scheme can only mean good things to come. Also, defensive coordinator Keith Butler has stated he will remain in the free safety role compared to moving all around the field, so I don't think it is unreasonable to think he could lead the NFL in interceptions.
TJ Watt #31
2020 Projected Stats: 56 tackles, 11 sacks, 5 forced fumbles
I don’t get it, do they hate greatness? Is it because his presence off the field isn’t to the level of his brother JJ Watt? WHAT IS IT! Watt was arguably the best defensive player in the NFL last season. He was a candidate for Defensive MVP, was an All-Pro, a Pro Bowler, so I find it hard to believe there are 30 better players than him. He has produced back-to-back double digit sack seasons, while increasing his total every year. This was a guy coming out of college that everyone knew would need to continue to develop, so I’m not sure why they would expect a slight regression in his play. To top it all off, Watt is playing for the $100M+ future contract the Steelers will sign him to, so expect him to take his game to another level.
What do you think of ESPN’s list? Should players like Maurkice Pouncey, David Decastro, and Devin Bush be on this list? Drop a comment below!
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