ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
1. COREY LINSLEY, C, GREEN BAY PACKERS
Linsley has been one of the NFL’s best centers since the Green Bay Packers selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft, but he’s never been better than he was in 2020, when he established himself as the best center in the league.
Ohio State’s only first-team AP All-Pro this past season, Linsley was graded by Pro Football Focus as nearly 10 points better than any other NFL center in 2020. He did that even while missing three games with a knee injury, and led the way up front for a Packers offense that scored the most points per game (31.8) of any NFL team during the regular season.
He was the only Buckeye to make it to the conference championship round of this year’s playoffs. Considering the role he played in his team’s success and that he was the only former Ohio State player who laid claim to being the NFL’s best player at his position in 2020, Linsley takes the No. 1 spot on our countdown of the Buckeyes’ top NFL performers of the year.
2. CHASE YOUNG, DE, WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
As a former Ohio State defensive end following in the footsteps of the Bosa brothers as a top-three overall pick, Chase Young pretty much had to become an immediate star for the Washington Football Team and earn Defensive Rookie of the Year honors to live up to the hype in his rookie season, and that’s exactly what he did.
Despite a now-infamous tweet from the Washington Post’s Insider account that questioned “Is it too early to call Chase Young a bust?” Young made it completely clear he was not a bust by becoming an absolute force on Washington’s defensive line in the second half of the 2020 season, finishing the year with 44 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, four passes defended, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, including a fumble return for a touchdown.
In addition to becoming the fourth Buckeye in five years to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, Young was one of just two rookies (along with Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson) to make the Pro Bowl and the only rookie to make the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-NFC team. He was also named as a captain of the Washington Football Team before the end of his rookie season, making it clear just how much of an impact he’s already made in D.C.
3. CAM HEYWARD, DE, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Like Bosa and Decker, Cam Heyward cashed in with a big contract before the 2020 season – becoming the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player over 30 in the process – and the 31-year-old played as well as he has in his entire career in his 10th season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Heyward was selected to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honors as he recorded 54 total tackles, four sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits and three passes defended – including his first career interception – in 2020.
Outside of Aaron Donald, Heyward has been as consistently productive as any interior defensive lineman in the NFL over the past half-decade, and he continued to be one of the league’s best Buckeyes in 2020.
4. JOEY BOSA, DE, LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
The Los Angeles Chargers made it clear just how highly they valued Joey Bosa by making him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player last summer, and he continued to be one of the league’s best defensive ends in 2020.
Bosa recorded 39 total tackles with 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 2020, and ranked fifth among all NFL players with 27 quarterback hits. He also had one pass deflection and one fumble recovery.
Selected to the Pro Football Writers of America’s All-AFC team and to his third Pro Bowl in four years, Bosa was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 21st-best player for the 2020 season.
5. TAYLOR DECKER, LT, DETROIT LIONS
The Detroit Lions showed their belief in Taylor Decker as a cornerstone left tackle by signing him to a six-year, $85 million contract just before the 2020 season, and he’s proved to be worth the money so far.
According to Pro Football Focus, which ranked Decker as the NFL’s 72nd-best player of 2020, the former Buckeye allowed just two sacks in nearly 700 pass blocking snaps while also posting the second-best run blocking grade of his career in his fifth season in the league.
He might not get a lot of national attention because of the position he plays on a team that didn’t win many football games this past season, but Decker is a rock-solid pass protector who has quietly become one of the NFL’s top offensive tackles.
.
.
.
continued
Upvote
0
