The NFL Network has put together an annual tradition over the years of the players in the league ranking the top 100 players from the previous season. It has been a list solely based on the judgment of their peers with no other outside influence or contributions toward the list.
One of the players that saw a notable dip was Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott dropping down to 54th overall from seventh following his stellar rookie campaign in 2016. With that in mind, Elliott has voiced that he doesn't need any validation of how good he is on the field from a top-100 list ranking from his peers, according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
“I know the player I am,” Elliott said. “You guys know the player I am. Everyone in the league knows the player I am. So I don’t really need verification from a top-100 list.”
Despite serving a six-game suspension for violating the personal conduct policy, Elliott was still able to put more than respectable 2017 season finishing with 983 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in just 10 games played along with 26 catches for 269 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. He finished 10th in the league in rushing, tied for 11th in rushing touchdowns, and third with five 100-yard rushing performances.
This follows up a breakout rookie campaign where he led the league 1,631 rushing yards where he earned a Pro Bowl selection and a First-Team All-Pro nod.
This further solidified his status as arguably the top running back in the league by being able to be an effective option out of the backfield as both a runner and receiver that can excel as the anchor of an offense. The fact that he will be on the field to start the season without any issues should help the Cowboys get off to a strong start to the season behind his steady production.
If anything, this drop on the list could help provide additional motivation to bounce back in a major way in 2018 where he could skyrocket back up the rankings.
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