It’s the season of rankings — especially the ones that go 100 deep and discovers which NFL team brings the most talent for 2022.
Do the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams hold the title of most talent? One thing is certain — the Rams ended up with the most top 10 players by CBS Sports NFL analyst Pete Prisco.
The columnist unveiled his “Top 100 NFL Players of 2022” on Tuesday, June 14. And cracking his top 10? Three pivotal members of the Rams’ title run…including his No. 1 choice.
Who Prisco Plugged at the Top
Prisco’s No. 1 overall player? That would be the highest-paid non-quarterback ever in defensive lineman Aaron Donald.
The veteran Ram beat out another Aaron, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, for the title of No. 1 by Prisco.
“Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the No. 1 player on my list this year. That’s because he’s the best defensive player in the league, as well as being in the argument to be considered the best of all time. He is clearly the top player at his position, whereas an argument could be made at all the others, even quarterback,” Prisco wrote.
The columnist added “He continues to be the best in the NFL; his ability to take over a game is second to none on any defensive line. He is one of the best inside players of all-time, and might be the best ever when his career is over.”
Who Else Cracked the Top 10
Donald isn’t alone inside the first 10 picks. In fact, he’s not the only Rams representative in the top five.
The NFL’s triple crown receiving leader and Super Bowl 56 Most Valuable Player Cooper Kupp landed at No. 5 overall.
“Kupp showed the football world last year that he is currently the NFL’s best receiver,” Prisco wrote. “He also led the league in catches of 20 yards or more and tied for the league lead with nine catches of 40 yards or more.”
Like “A.D,” Kupp also secured himself a hefty pay day that gives him the league’s highest guaranteed money among WR’s for 2022 at $75 million.
Wide Receiver Guarantees
1. Cooper Kupp, $75M
2. Tyreek Hill, $72.2M
3. Stefon Diggs, $70M
4. Davante Adams, $65.6M
5. Michael Thomas, $60.5M
6. DeAndre Hopkins, $60M
7. Amari Cooper, $60M
8. AJ Brown, $57.2M
9. Mike Evans, $55M
10. Keenan Allen, $43M
And completing the top 10? A Rams star, this time cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
“Ramsey remains a shutdown corner, who evolved into much more last season in a variety of roles in the new-look Raheem Morris defense,” Prisco said. “He was really good near the line of scrimmage last season and has evolved into a much better zone-coverage player. He is consistently one of the best in the league.”
Other Rams Who Made the Cut/Which Team Had Most Representatives
The Rams ended up not only producing the most representatives in the CBS Sports Top 10 list, but was the only team with multiple representatives between one through 10.
However, the champs weren’t the ones with the most players ranked in the complete list.
That title belongs to the other L.A. team the Chargers, with nine ranked in the final 100 for head coach and former Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. And the highest ranked Charger was quarterback Justin Herbert at No. 20.
Meanwhile, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford came in at No. 48, with Prisco writing “He proved a lot of skeptics wrong last season in terms of his ability to carry a team.”
And the final Rams’ representative in the Top 100? The newcomer Bobby Wagner, with the inside linebacker coming in at No. 93.
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Rams Produce Most Top 10 Choices in Analyst’s Top 100 List