Washington Football Team places 3 on USA Today's Top 101

WFT Had More Players Than The Dallas Cowboys

USA Today released its Top 101 NFL players list ahead of training camp and the results were a mixed bag for Washington Football Team fans.

While WFT placed three players on the list, there is an argument to be made that one or two more players should have earned the honor.

Here's a look at what USA Today had to say about each of WFT's Top 101 players:

READ MORE: BREAKING: Washington and Brandon Scherff Not Expected To Reach Long-Term Deal Before Deadline

No. 73: OG Brandon Scherff

brandon-scherff

Washington smartly placed the franchise tag on Scherff knowing how important he is to the success of the offensive line.

With a lot of questions surrounding the quarterback position this season, it will be good to know that whoever is under center will have strong interior protection from the four-time Pro Bowler.

There are a number of reasons why the Washington Football Team did not let Brandon Scherff leave town... Scherff has dealt with injuries in the past, such as a torn pectoral muscle in 2018 and a knee injury in 2020. But when healthy, he is among the sport’s elite in the interior.

READ MORE: Washington Football Team's Ron Rivera Looks To Continue "Riverboat" Magic in Year 2

No. 68: CB William Jackson III

© Sam Greene via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Jackson is set to make his WFT debut this fall after spending his first four NFL seasons with Cincinnati. He signed a three-year, $40.5 million contract this offseason and should form one of the most dynamic cornerback duos in the league with Kendall Fuller.

Throw in Landon Collins and breakout rookie Kamren Curl and this secondary rivals some of the best we have seen in a long time.

Jackson had another great year last season for the Bengals, allowing a completion percentage of just 52.5% when opposing quarterbacks targeted him in the passing game. Jackson also intercepted a pass and had five pass breakups to add to his resume. An area of his game that continues to improve is his tackling. Last season Jackson notched a career-high 43 tackles, and missed on just four attempts.

No. 66: DE Chase Young

Last year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is only getting started. His 7.5 sacks ranked second on the team behind Montez Sweat and his three fumble recoveries led the team. He even took one of those fumble recoveries back for a touchdown against San Francisco in Week 14.

Young set a high bar that landed him at No. 66 on the list but he has a lot of room to grow and climb on this list for next season.

Washington selected Young with the second-overall pick in the 2020 draft based on an athletic profile that has few peers. That profile showed up in Young’s rookie season, when he totaled six sacks, six quarterback hits, and 30 quarterback hurries. There were times when Young, even as part of a defensive line with five former first-round picks, found that his technique wasn’t quite up to the level of blocking he discovered in the NFL. But there were more than enough “wow” moments to speak to his potential over time, and when he did put it all together, Young was everything his NFL team hoped he would be.

A notable omission to the list is wide receiver Terry McLaurin, whose 1,118 receiving yards ranked 13th in the league last season. The lowest-ranked receiver to crack the list was Chris Godwin, who sat 95th and posted 840 receiving yards last season. We're sure that when McLaurin sees this list, he will use it as motivation for 2021. And if he continues on the trajectory he's on, there's no question he should be on this list next season.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.