NFC Players to Watch

With the regular season just around the corner here's one player to keep your eye on for each AFC team.

Bears: Khalil Mack

There really is only one place to start in the NFC North and that's with the newest star in the division, Khalil Mack.

The Bears swung a true blockbuster trade last Saturday, coughing up the most loot for a defensive player in NFL history by sending 4 picks to the Raiders (1st rounders in 2019 & 2020, a 3rd rounder in 2020 and a 6th in 2019). Mack then signed a 6 year $141m extension, so Chicago have locked down one of the league's best defenders throughout his prime.

This could be a truly franchise altering trade. Chicago's defense was already pretty serviceable, with young stars like Adrian Amos, Eddie Goldman and Leonard Floyd but Mack takes them into a whole other level.

So why should you watch him?

Why wouldn't you?! Mack knows how to get after the QB and has been an All-Pro at both defensive end and outside linebacker; only a very select few have had that honour at two positions.

Chicago were a team who garnered a little bit of attention throughout the off season due to their head coaching hire and the weapons they brought in to help second year quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky. Now GM Ryan Pace has made another aggressive trade to bolster the other side of the ball.

I think they'll be an exciting team to watch this fall, when you tune in, look at for number 52.

Packers: Aaron Rodgers

From Khalil Mack to the guy he'll be trying to take down on his Bears debut, Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers is the best quarterback in the league and you simply cannot take your eyes off the game when he's on the field, because an insane moment of brilliance could happen at any moment.

Number 12 is back to full health and as long as that remains the case, I feel like Green Bay will be in the postseason.

So why should you watch him?

Again, this is a pretty easy sell. As I write this I can see several iconic Rodgers moments flash through my mind; he's like a wizard under center. Ultra smart, ultra competitive, big arm, big moment guy and he has enough athletic ability to scramble out of the pocket and make a play with his legs.

Aaron Rodgers is the kind of guy who us the reason why we watch this sport. It's like tuning in to a Barcelona soccer game to watch Lionel Messi, like watching Jordan Spieth on a Sunday at a major or Rafa Nadal at the French Open; you are witnessing greatness right before your eyes and it truly is a privilege.

Vikings: Dalvin Cook

The NFL is a cruel game. Much like DeShaun Watson over in the AFC, an ACL injury robbed Dalvin Cook of the lion's share of his rookie year. Whenever players are lost to injury it's a huge shame but it makes me even more excited to see their comeback.

Cook should be the driving force behind the Vikings offense this coming season as Minnesota make another run at going to the Super Bowl.

So why should you watch him?

Before his injury, Cook was looking like the best running back in the class of 2017, averaging a

very healthy 4.8 yards per carry.

Of course, now Minnesota has Kirk Cousins at the helm of their offense, so some may see his as an indication of a move to more of a passing offense, which may a true to some degree. However, Kirk Cousins is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL off of play-action. What do you need to be a successful play-action team? A successful running game!

So expect plenty of touches for Cook whilst Minnesota sets up their big shots down the field and also, expect a lot of touches late in games as the Vikings try to bleed the clock whilst ahead; that's how this team is built, solid defense and a complimentary run game. All eyes on the former Seminole.

Lions: Ziggy Ansah

The Lions appointed former New England Defensive Co-Ordinator, Matt Patricia as their new head coach for the coming season and one player he'll be hoping to get the most out of is Ziggy Ansah. Chandler Jones aside, Patricia never really had an edge rusher who was a bona fide star and he still created pressure and oversaw successful defenses. Whilst Ansah isn't quite on that top shelf of pass rushers, he's having himself a productive career and apart from his 2 sack campaign in 2016, his career low is 7.5 sacks.

So why should you watch him?

Well, in a strong division that just got stronger with the Bears acquisition of Khalil Mack, the Lions are in danger of being left behind unless all their playmakers come to the fore.

Ansah is also playing under the franchise tag this year so is playing this season with money on his mind; break double digit sacks again and the former Bingham Young pass rusher is going to get P.A.I.D.

Lastly, my advice would be be watch all the NFC North teams and especially the games within the division because it's quite simply the best division in the league.

Buccaneers: Gerald McCoy

Gerald McCoy has been a star in this league ever since he was drafted out of Oklahoma. He's a six time pro bowler, he's posted over 6 sacks from defensive tackle tackle every year in the last 5 years and he's a leader in the Bucs locker room.

Best of all, after experiencing some poor defensive line play and finishing 32nd in rushing yards allowed, the Bucs got him some help!

Vita Vea via the draft, Jason Pierre-Paul via trade and then Beau Allen and Vinny Curry in free agency. Along with Noah Spence and newly acquired Carl Nassib, they should form a nice rotation.

So why should you watch him?

How good is McCoy going to be now that he has some other guys playing alongside him? I'd back him to break double digit sacks for the first time in his career.

Much like the NFC North, the South is a really competitive division and whilst Tampa are probably the fourth team in it, they're still an intriguing team with some great players; I recommend you take a look at some NFC South matchups when you're not watching your favourite team.

Panthers: Christian McCaffrey

Is he a running back? Is he a slot receiver? Well, Christian McCaffrey is both. One of the better receiving backs in the league and Norv Runner’s new favorite weapon.

He brings a lot of versatility to the Carolina offense with his ability to run outside and also make catches both out of the back field and lining up out wide.

There is some talk of McCaffrey aiming for a 1,000/1,000 season, which is personally feel is a little bit premature given his lack of punch when running inside but it'll still be fun to see him go for it.

So why should you watch him?

McCaffrey is a fun player to watch but he must be a nightmare to guard. He can take a ball to the house at any given moment and without a star wide receiver on the Panthers roster, he could have a large load to bear within the offense.

I can see OC, Norv Turner calling a lot of plays with McCaffrey in mind as he may be the focal point of the team behind Cam Newton.

Falcons: Deion Jones

Deion Jones is one of my favourite players in the entire NFL. He's just go fun to watch, he just flies around and makes plays. One of the fastest linebackers in the league who just deletes running backs when they're looking to break a long run or a long reception out of the back field.

One of the new breed of linebackers who are smaller, faster and more athletic. Jones also has a nose for the ball and has shown good hands, bringing in six picks over his first two years.

So why should you watch him?

The Falcons defense is just fun, man. Because they've drafted so well over the past few seasons, they're young, fast and play hungry. They could be one of the fastest, if not the fastest defense from one to eleven. Atlanta are built to hunt in defense, the plan will be to jump out into an early lead and allow the defense to play fast and get after the opposition.

Jones really typifies this style and I think that soon he will be regarded as one of the premier linebackers in the league.

Saints: Michael Thomas

On to another one of my favorite players in the league. Michael Thomas probably plays with the biggest chip on his shoulder in the entire NFL; hyper competitive, aggressive and a damn good receiver.

He is a prototypical number 1 wide receiver; he's got size, speed, great route running abilities and

the knack for coming down with 50-50 balls.

He's the sort of player you look at and wonder, how on earth did this guy get drafted in the second round?

So why should you watch him?

I believe Michael Thomas is the next “elite” wide receiver. I think he's going to have a great season and everyone will be talking about him this time next year.

The Saints are also going to be a pretty exciting offense next year too, under one of the premier offensive minds, Sean Payton So expect a lot of Michael Thomas on your screens. Enjoy it.

Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott

I have a feeling that Zeke is going to eat again in 2018. The Cowboys are going to try to go back to the successful formula of 2016 where Elliott got a lot of touches, had a lot of success and lead the NFL as a rookie.

Zeke had some troubles last year off the field and that completely wrecked his and the Cowboys’ season but Elliott now has a clear run at the season and I expect him to have much more success in 2018.

So why should you watch him?

I feel like we're all going to see Zeke running through, around and over defenders again! And when he does that is a sight to behold. Everyone wants to see the star players be successful and set the league on fire… Well, apart from when they're playing your team. There will be plenty of Cowboys games on TV due to the popularity of the team and it will be a much better showing when Elliott is flying.

Redskins: Alex Smith

Alex Smith is the new quarterback in the Capitol after Kirk Cousins contract situation came to a head and he took the money and ran.

Smith is a competent and steady passer who won't blow you away but he won't lose his team the game either. Smith is actually pretty good when throwing the deep ball, it's just that he doesn't often throw it; he's in the Tom Brady mould in the sense that he will kill you with a thousand paper cuts rather than a dagger to the heart.

So why should you watch him?

It's going to be interesting to see how Smith does on a new team. I won't lie, I originally had Derrius Guice down as my player to watch for the ‘Skins and his loss will make things harder for Smith under center. However, Smith is a veteran guy and he should find a way to get it done. Washington have some interesting players throughout the offense and that helps Smith spread the love and play as that point guard rather than having to force feed a star pass catcher.

Eagles: Carson Wentz

Although they won the Superbowl, when Wentz went down, everyone thought that was it for the Eagles Superbowl hopes. How wrong we all were! That said Wentz is still the main guy for Philly and even though he won't start the season he is the man.

So why should you watch him?

The Eagles offense just ticks better with Wentz. He's a big time player, he's used to success, he's tough, he can run and the Eagles probably would have won the Lombardi in more convincing fashion had he been healthy.

As I've mentioned previously, every fan wants to see the best players play, so the NFL is a better place with a healthy Carson Wentz.

Giants: Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. is one of only a handful of elite wide receivers in the league, some might say he's the best receiver in the NFL. Like many of the elite players in the league, Odell recently got the bag and it's completely deserved! Aside from his injury hit year last year, he's never averaged less than 13.5 yards per catch and 10 touchdowns… and we haven't even got to the pure athleticism or the insane catches.

So why should you watch him?

Another player whee I have to say, why on earth wouldn't you watch him?! Beckham is box office and the Giants offense is pretty loaded this year so it should be a great unit to watch as a whole, with Odell as the headliner.

The week one matchup against the Jaguars and Jalen Ramsey should be an absolute firecracker to start the season off!

Rams: Aaron Donald

Aaron Donald is the best none quarterback in the league; I have said it a million times. Like Odell Beckham, he got his monster extension this off season and the Rams have him locked down for his prime and they'll be great for it. These situations can become tricky at times and it's always a relief for fans when the game's biggest stars get locked down.

I think the Rams are going to be fantastic, the whole team is star studded thanks to a raft of deals and moves that were made in the off season. I actually back them to win the Superbowl this year.

So why should you watch him?

Just watch him, he's incredible, watch him wreck the game for the opposition. Next to Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers on the defensive line they're going to completely overwhelm some offensive lines around the league.

49ers: Jimmy Garoppolo

He's never going to lose! He thinks he's better than Tom Brady! The 9ers are going to have a deep run at the playoffs

Well… none of those are true. What is true is that Garoppolo is a pretty good QB and he'll probably go on to have a good career but I want to pump the breaks on the hype train a little bit.

Don't get me wrong, Jimmy G is going to be fun to watch in a Kyle Shanahan system with his quick release and ability to read the defense; I'm just not all in of San Francisco this season.

So why should you watch him?

He's a great young QB with one of the best offensive minds on his sideline. It's going to be fun to watch! The offensive weapons aren't stars and they lost their starting running back to a season ending injury so for its going to be like watching a team's hero battle through adversity in an attempt to save the day. Jimmy G is certainly talented but it's not going to be as easy as you think.

Seahawks: Shaquem Griffin

What a football player this guy is. People said he wouldn't make it in the league, people said he wouldn't be drafted, some said he'd only be a special teams player… but this week Shaquem Griffin was named as a starter for week 1 for the Seattle Seahawks.

What a guy.

So why should you watch him?

I don't like to refer to Griffin as “a great story” because he shouldn't be defined by his disability as he's never allowed having one hand to define him either.

He's just a fantastic football player. He's going to have a great career in Seattle and is one of the first building blocks as they rebuild their defense.

Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald is a legend of the game. A first ballot hall of fame player, a one team guy and universally respected the game.

Best of all he's still doing the business in his mid 30’s! He's altered his game to prolong his career and that's what the greats do.

So why should you watch him?

Well unfortunately, it could be the final season of Larry Fitzgerald and that is definitely something that we, as fans should take advantage of. Unfortunately, the Cardinals offense may not be too hot so I won't recommend you watch too many of their games in your free time but if you do, keep an eye out for Larry Fitz and take in one of the greats whilst you still can.