Nick Chubb, Andrew Thomas among NFL's 50 best players per PFF
NFL training camps are underway and that often signals a different rundowns of the top players in the league. Pro Football Focus has put together it’s list of top 50 players in the NFL, a group that has two Georgia players. Cleveland running back Nick Chubb comes in at No. 37 and New York Giants offensive tackle Andrew Thomas fits in at No. 32.
Chubb has spent his first five NFL seasons piling up 6,341 yards and 45 rushing touchdowns He has averaged an impressive 5.2 yards per carry in a Browns’ uniform while scoring four more times as a pass catcher. Chubb also helped the Browns to their first playoff win in 26 years in 2020.
Chubb is undeniably special with the ball in his hands. Aided by an excellent Browns offensive line, Chubb finished third in the league in rushing last season, averaging 5.0 yards per attempt and breaking 83 tackles along the way. For his career, he is averaging 3.9 yards after contact per carry and shows no signs of slowing down.
Pro Football Focus
Thomas is entering just his fourth season of pro ball and he is coming into his own after playing in 45 games in his first three. He started 44 of those games and was named as a second-team All Pro in 2022. That All-Pro season came after Thomas had surgery in February of 2022 to repair an ankle injury. The Giants selected Thomas with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The 2022 season marked the arrival of Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas as one of the very best in the game. Thomas has consistently improved after an ugly start to his rookie year, and last year he was a dominant force. He allowed just 23 total pressures across 18 games and earned an 81.0 run-blocking grade, making him one of just three tackles to grade above 80.0 in both facets of play.
Pro Football Focus
Thomas just signed a historic deal for offensive lineman. It’s worth up to $117.5 million over five years but the guaranteed money is off the charts. Thomas will get an NFL offensive lineman record $67 million up front according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The two players shared the field together for one season at Georgia. That season was a magical one in 2017 when the Bulldogs won the SEC Championship and made the College Football Playoff for the first time. With Chubb and Thomas both starting, UGA took down Oklahoma in the 2018 Rose Bowl to advance to the National Championship game. There it fell to Alabama by a score of 26-24 to finish the season 13-2.
