Two Michigan State alums make Pro Football Focus' Top 101 players in the NFL
Two of the best to ever don the Green and White are still getting it done at the highest level of football. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Los Angeles Rams center Brian Allen were represented on Pro Football Focus' Top 101 players in the NFL for the 2021 season.
Cousins, ranked No. 41 on the list, was the sixth-highest rated quarterback in the NFL in 2021, according to PFF. The only quarterbacks rated above the former Spartans were Joe Burrow, Tom Brady, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers and Justin Herbert. Cousins played 1,030 snaps in 2021, and graded out to an impressive 89.6 last season. He did not appear in these rankings a season ago.
"So much focus is on where Cousins falls short that we often fail to recognize just how good he has been in Minnesota and his impressive continual improvement," PFF writes. "He finished the regular season with the No. 5-ranked quarterback grade and dropped to No. 6 by the end of the playoffs. Cousins was one of the most accurate passers in the game, with a top-10 big-time throw rate and turnover-worthy play rate. He is not one of the very best passers in the game, but he might be the best of the next tier."
Allen, meanwhile, saw his popularity boom this past season by helping the Rams win the Super Bowl. The center played 1,181 snaps last season, and graded out to a 74.8 in 2021. He was unranked in the 2020 version of PFF's Top 101.
"Allen got to end his season with a Super Bowl win, helping the Rams to overcome the Bengals in the big game," PFF wrote. "Allen allowed 25 pressures over the season when including the playoffs and earned a 79.5 PFF run-blocking grade."
Michigan State could be in position to add more players to this list in upcoming years, with the way that head coach Mel Tucker is attracting top talent to East Lansing. It will be exciting to see current and future Spartans to continue to develop into the best players at the game' highest level.
