As the offseason progresses, the NFL will unveil their annual Top 100 list, breaking down the best players in the entire league during the 2016 season. Pro Football Focus has released a list of their own, acknowledging the top 101 players in the league during the past season, with three Buccaneers making an appearance.
Mike Evans, who PFF believed to be the top wide receiver in the NFL this past season, was listed as the No. 12 player in the league while Brent Grimes, who led the league in passes defensed, was No. 43.
"There are players who put up bigger numbers than Mike Evans, but none can match the highlight reel he recorded over the 2016 season, and that's why his grade was always consistently so high," PFF's Sam Monson wrote. "Evans wasn't just making plays all year as Tampa Bay's No. 1 target, but he was consistently making ridiculous plays that most receivers simply aren't capable of.
"Every receiver can put together an impressive-looking highlight reel over a season — the longevity of that type of performance is always the question. Evans finished the season with an overall grade of 93.3, and was only eclipsed by Atlanta's Julio Jones after an incredible postseason of play from the Falcon that Evans never had the opportunity to match."
Last weekend at the NFL Honors, Evans' one-handed catch against the Falcons was selected by the fans as the Play of the Year. Grimes, one of the Bucs' top free agent acquisitions a year ago, started all 16 games for the Bucs in 2016 and was on the field for almost all of Tampa Bay's defensive snaps.
"He allowed 54.9 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught, and in the final week of the season, had one of the best games by any cornerback over the entire season, shutting down QB Cam Newton and the Panthers' passing game almost single-handedly," Monson added.
McCoy, who was selected to his fifth-consecutive Pro Bowl following the 2016 season, was ranked No. 73. Surprisingly, he wasn't listed among PFF's top 101 a year ago.
For PFF's full list, click **HERE**.
