Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were picked ahead of former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on ESPN’s mock 53-man roster.
ESPN’s Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder sat down for an impossible task: Building out the best 53-man roster (and practice squad) with NFL players who have suited up since the 2000 season. On Wednesday, they released their full team, including a 17-man practice squad.
Going through the list, the first notable piece of information that Green Bay Packers fans will notice is that Aaron Rodgers failed to make the 53-man roster cut, instead joining Drew Brees on the practice squad. It was Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Patrick Mahomes who made Schatz and Walder’s team, not the former four-time NFL Most Valuable Player.
Here’s what Walder had to say about the decision:
There are arguments for Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees here, but we believe Mahomes deserves a spot on this team despite his relative “lack” of MVPs or first-team All-Pro selections (two) through eight seasons.
His QBR for his career (postseason included) is 75.0, which trails Manning (75.6) but is ahead of Brady (71.0), Brees (70.9) and Rodgers (66.9). And from the unbelievable throws to the mistake avoidance to the postseason heroics, we’re choosing peak Mahomes over peak Rodgers or Brees. — Walder
The only former Green Bay Packer to make the 53-man roster was edge defender Julius Peppers, who played three years in Green Bay, four years in Chicago and 10 years in Carolina.
No player recorded more sacks this quarter century than Peppers. There’s a fair critique that his numbers are a product of longevity, but he also had almost 20 more sacks than anyone in this span and a higher plus-EPA than any other player since 2001, period. One reason why he led that latter category over star linebackers — who are favored in the stat — is because Peppers’ 51 forced fumbles were the most since 2000. — Walder
Two other former Packers received practice squad recognition: guard Jahri Evans, who played for Green Bay in 2017, and defensive back Charles Woodson.
Interestingly, Woodson was credited as a safety, not as a cornerback. From 2002 to 2011, which includes four Pro Bowl seasons with the Packers and four others with the Raiders, Woodson was a true outside cornerback. In 2012, his final year in Green Bay, Woodson was primarily a slot defender before moving to safety full-time in his final three seasons with the Raiders. In those years when Woodson moved from outside cornerback, Woodson was only named a Pro Bowler one time.
For what it’s worth, the safeties picked ahead of Woodson were Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Brian Dawkins and Earl Thomas III. The cornerbacks who made the 53-man roster cut were Darrelle Revis, Champ Bailey, Ronde Barber, Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson.
The most questionable selection, to me at least, was Priest Holmes being credited as the quarter-century’s top running back, ahead of the likes of LaDanian Tomlinson (practice squad), Adrian Peterson (missing the cut entirely), Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey and others.
This was Schatz’s justification:
Yes, Holmes is our RB1 over anyone else. Think back to the turn of the century, when Holmes emerged from the Baltimore bench to drive the powerful offense of the Dick Vermeil Chiefs, using a dynamic combination of rushing and receiving skills.
Other running backs might have had longer peaks, but none of them can match the three-year period that Holmes had from 2001 to 2003. In the advanced DYAR metrics for total value, these seasons rank 15th, second and third among all running back seasons since 1978, respectively. — Schatz