If J.J. Watt was confused why he was the No. 35 player in the NFL Top 100 after playing just three games last season, he'll be utterly flabbergasted by his spot in the Pro Football Focus Top 50.
"I played 3 games… this list is a joke," Watt tweeted in response the NFL Top 100. The folks at Pro Football Focus agree with Watt's peers; he's their No. 2 overall player for 2017.
The Houston Texans' seventh-year defensive end had four-straight seasons with at least 10 sacks between 2012-16 — including two with 20.5 — but had just 1.5 sacks in three games in 2016 before suffering a season-ending back injury.
The top-overall player is Los Angeles Rams' defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The 6-foot-1, 285-pounder has been a dominant force entering the league in 2014, registering 116 tackles and 28 sacks in three seasons. He tied for the league lead with 17 tackles for loss last year.
Donald and Watt are two of 12 defensive linemen in the top 50 (five ends and seven tackles). Seven defensive tackles are the most of any position, narrowly edging quarterback (six). There are five players apiece at cornerback, defensive end and wide receiver. Every offensive and defensive position is represented — center is the only one with fewer than two players.
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The Dallas Cowboys have the most players (five), followed by the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks (four) and Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants (three). Twenty-five teams are represented. Those without a player: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans.
Here are the full rankings:
| No. | Player | Pos. | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Donald | DT | Los Angeles Rams |
| 2 | J.J. Watt | DE | Houston Texans |
| 3 | Tom Brady | QB | New England Patriots |
| 4 | Julio Jones | WR | Atlanta Falcons |
| 5 | Aaron Rodgers | QB | Green Bay Packers |
| 6 | Khalil Mack | LB | Oakland Raiders |
| 7 | Von Miller | DE | Denver Broncos |
| 8 | Antonio Brown | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 9 | Rob Gronkowski | TE | New England Patriots |
| 10 | Luke Kuechly | LB | Carolina Panthers |
| 11 | Le'Veon Bell | RB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 12 | Marshal Yanda | G | Baltimore Ravens |
| 13 | Joey Bosa | DE | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 14 | Chris Harris, Jr. | CB | Denver Broncos |
| 15 | David Johnson | RB | Arizona Cardinals |
| 16 | Travis Frederick | C | Dallas Cowboys |
| 17 | Odell Beckham, Jr. | WR | New York Giants |
| 18 | Cameron Jordan | DE | New Orleans Saints |
| 19 | Matt Ryan | QB | Atlanta Falcons |
| 20 | Earl Thomas | S | Seattle Seahawks |
| 21 | Tyron Smith | OT | Dallas Cowboys |
| 22 | Calais Campbell | DT | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 23 | Trent Williams | OT | Washington Redskins |
| 24 | Landon Collins | S | New York Giants |
| 25 | Andrew Luck | QB | Indianapolis Colts |
| 26 | Russell Wilson | QB | Seattle Seahawks |
| 27 | Joe Thomas | OT | Cleveland Browns |
| 28 | A.J. Green | WR | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 29 | Richard Sherman | CB | Seattle Seahawks |
| 30 | Eric Weddle | S | Baltimore Ravens |
| 31 | Bobby Wagner | LB | Seattle Seahawks |
| 32 | Ndamukong Suh | DT | Miami Dolphins |
| 33 | Mike Evans | WR | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 34 | Zack Martin | G | Dallas Cowboys |
| 35 | Patrick Peterson | CB | Arizona Cardinals |
| 36 | Andrew Whitworth | OT | Los Angeles Rams |
| 37 | Kelechi Osemele | G | Oakland Raiders |
| 38 | Malcolm Buter | CB | New England Patriots |
| 39 | Brandon Graham | DE | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 40 | Travis Kelce | TE | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 41 | Damon Harris | DT | New York Giants |
| 42 | Kawann Short | DT | Carolina Panthers |
| 43 | Geno Atkins | DT | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 44 | Greg Olsen | TE | Carolina Panthers |
| 45 | Ezekiel Elliott | RB | Dallas Cowboys |
| 46 | Aqib Talib | CB | Denver Broncos |
| 47 | Drew Brees | QB | New Orleans Saints |
| 48 | Sean Lee | LB | Dallas Cowboys |
| 49 | Devin McCourty | S | New England Patriots |
| 50 | Fletcher Cox | DT | Philadelphia Eagles |
