Number one in your hearts, number two in the player rankings. That’s Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers right now.
After finishing sixth in the NFL Network’s top 100 players (voted on by players), Rodgers has been ranked the second best player in the league by an ESPN panel. That panel included ESPN employees, outside writers and analysts, plus some players and front office types.
Who did Rodgers come in second to?
That’s not hard to figure out. Houston Texans defensive end (and Badger great) J.J. Watt.
The guys ahead of Rodgers in the Network poll were Cam Newton, Tom Brady, Watt, Antonio Brown and Adrian Peterson. This ESPN ranking had a similar directive. Don’t choose the MVP, choose the best player among all players. In other words, it wasn’t weighted toward quarterbacks. Players were rated on a scale of 100.
Watt barely edged Rodgers with an average rating of 97.87 to Rodgers’ 97.02.
Here’s the top 25.