Philadelphia Eagles: Malcolm Jenkins, Lane Johnson land in NFL Top 100

After landing four players on the 2017 NFL Top 100 list, two Philadelphia Eagles, Lane Johnson, and Malcolm Jenkins have already been announced for 2018.

Boy, what a difference a year can make for the Philadelphia Eagles.

After finishing out the largely forgettable 2016 football season with a 7-9 record, the Eagles came back for Doug Pederson‘s second season in South Philly hungry to win, and after recording a league-best 13-3 record in the regular season, strung off a string of wins in route to the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.

And it appears as though the rest of the NFL has taken notice.

After only landing three players on the NFL Top 100 list in 2017 (well technically four if you count running back LeGarrette Blount, but he had yet to play a game for the birds when the list came out), the team has already had a pair of players named to the list within the first 20 picks of the 2018 list in safety Malcolm Jenkins (96) and right tackle Lane Johnson (95) with plenty more still to come.

A pair of hard-nosed, gritty lunch pail players, Jenkins and Johnson were absolutely essential to the team’s run in 2017, and it’s nice to see that their peers have taken notice.

Once considered a consolation prize after the Eagles failed to land consensus top-safety Jairus Byrd, Jenkins has become one of the league’s best, and most versatile safety over his four seasons in South Philly.

The undisputed leader of the Eagles’ secondary, and arguably one of the team’s emotional centers, Jenkins has been incredibly productive in the City of Brotherly Love both on and off the field and has established himself as a shining example of what it means to be a Philly athlete.

A versatile defender, Jenkins played all over Jim Schwartz‘s defense last season, logging snaps at safety, outside corner, slot corner and even linebacker, and even though it negatively affected his ability to put up gaudy stats as a safety, the two-time Pro Bowler never complained.

Far from it in fact.

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With a number of different Eagles defenders suffering injuries throughout the 2017 NFL season including Rodney McLeod, Ronald Darby, and Jordan Hicks, Jenkins helped out wherever he could, while making sure the secondary was properly lined up on every play.

Though he dropped six spots from his 90th overall ranking in 2016, no one is going to argue that Jenkins doesn’t deserve a spot of the NFL’s Top 100 list, as he’s arguably one of the most versatile defenders in the entire league.

Unlike Jenkins, this is the first time Lane Johnson has made an appearance on an NFL Top 100 list, and after failing to allow a single sack in 2017, it’s an honor that the first-time Pro Bowler definitely deserved.

After being suspended for 10 games in 2016 after a second PED violation, Johnson started all 16 of the Eagles regular season and provided some much-needed stability to the right side of the team’s offensive line.

While the left side of the Eagles line was marred with near constant turnover, from a rotation at left guard ultimately won by seventh-year Penn State alum Stefen Wisniewski, to Halapoulivaati Vaitai‘s insertion in at left tackle following the loss of Jason Peters to a torn ACL and MCL injury, Johnson, and his linemate Brandon Brooks (who also deserves a spot on this list) held some of the league’s best pass rusher at bay, while punching holes through defensive lines for the likes of Blount, Jay Ajayi, and Corey Clement.

Though right tackles seldom receive the credit and accolades of their left tackle counterparts, Johnson has quietly developed into one of the best tackles in the entire league and looks like a perfect replacement for the Hall-of-Fame-bound Peters once the 36-year-old hangs up his cleats.

Expect Johnson to keep appearing on Top 100 lists for years to come.

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With 80 more players still to be named in the NFL Top 100 list, which Philadelphia Eagles do you think deserve a spot on the list? Let us know in the comments below.