The Pro Football Focus top 101 players list included three San Francisco 49ers played — left tackle Joe Staley at No. 61, linebacker Reuben Foster at No. 59 and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner at No. 38. But now that the list is fully out there (Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams is No. 1, and I agree with it wholeheartedly), they have also taken a look at players who didn’t make it who are strong candidates to do so next year.
And guess who happens to be on top of the list? The 137 million-dollar man, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s ahead of even Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans, who looked fantastic before he went down with an injury.
Here’s what they have to say about Garoppolo:
Jimmy Garoppolo was spectacular after taking over as starter in Week 12, finishing 10th overall among quarterbacks with an 85.2 grade. He immediately looked like a perfect fit for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system, sprinkling accurate passes all over the field with his quick release and good decision-making. Garoppolo had the highest percentage of positively graded plays during his few weeks as starter, all while ranking sixth at avoiding turnover-worthy plays. If he can maintain that efficiency and improve upon his deep ball, where he ranked only 28th in the grading, Garoppolo will be a star and an easy candidate for Top 101 status.
There’s also a nice graphic for each player, including Garoppolo, so click through to check that out.
Other than Garoppolo, I think Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the most interesting. He’s at No. 10, the bottom of this particular list, and I’m not sure he’s ready to be the starting quarterback. I feel strongly that the Chiefs should not have moved on from Alex Smith — he deserved better — but I’ve been wrong before.