2 more wide receivers from Alabama join ‘The Top 100 NFL Players of 2024’
Two more former Alabama wide receivers appeared in “The Top 100 NFL Players of 2024” on Wednesday with the Miami Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle at No. 63 and Cleveland Browns’ Amari Cooper at No. 70.
NFL Network continued to unveil its 14th annual poll of NFL players by releasing on Wednesday the No. 61 through No. 70 finishers in the voting for this season’s list of the best players in the league.
Waddle and Cooper join former Crimson Tide All-American DeVonta Smith in the rankings. The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver came in at No. 90.
Waddle is appearing in “The Top 100 Players” poll for the third year in a row. He was No. 63 in 2022, too, and No. 44 in 2023.
Cooper is making his fourth appearance in “The Top 100 Players,” but it’s his first since 2020. Cooper was rated No. 53 in 2017, No. 64 in 2019 and No. 49 in 2020.
A 1,000-yard receiver for each of his three NFL seasons, Waddle missed three games during the 2023 season and finished with 72 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.
Cooper recorded his seventh 1,000-yard receiving season in 2023, when he had 72 receptions for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns in 15 regular-season games.
One other former Alabama standout has been ranked so far in this year’s “Top 100 Players,” with Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at No. 79.
The countdown of “The Top 100 NFL Players of 2024” will continue 10 at a time at 11 a.m. CDT for the next five weekdays on NFL+. The top 10 players will be revealed at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 on NFL Network
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What College Football 25 Reveals About the Tennessee Football Roster
The world of College Football has been consumed by seemingly one talking point for the last month in the midst of the offseason… EA Sports’ College Football 25. Yes, it’s a video game, but it’s been the biggest storyline in the lead up to this fall’s real football that’s upon us.
The Tennessee Volunteers are ranked No. 15 overall in the game, and they have plenty of weaponry to use and plenty of lessons about the 2024 Tennessee Vols. Here are three things we’ve learned about Tennessee from playing College Football 25.
1. James Pearce Jr. is Over Powered
If there’s one consistent piece of feedback from players of this game… defense is hard. What makes it much easier is having perhaps the game’s best pass rusher in James Pearce Jr. He’s the highest-rated EDGE rusher in the game and he gets home on the quarterback extremely quickly. It’s something that NFL Draft Analysts are expecting from Pearce in what most believe to be his final college football season.
2. Nico Iamaleava’s Legs Are Crucial
There was a significant drop-off offensively a year ago for Tennessee. Part of that was due to a step down in performance throwing the ball, but the running game took a hit from a healthy Hendon Hooker and what Joe Milton’s legs provided. Nico’s running ability is palpable in this game, and it was obvious his legs were a threat against Iowa in his lone start. Iamaleava’s ability to add to the run count with dynamism is going to alleviate pressure.
3. Mike Matthews Needs to Play
If the real life roster works anything like the video game, Mike Matthews will need to make an impact on this roster this fall. He’s rated an 83 OVR, which makes him the fourth highest rated target on the roster, but he’s the second fastest wideout behind Squirrel White and it’s obvious he needs to be subsituted immediately upon playing with the Vols.