Safety: Landon Collins, New York Giants
As a rookie in 2015, Collins pretty much was who we thought he was coming out of Alabama. He racked up tackles and wasn’t a liability in pass coverage.
Then last year, he took his game to another level — one this scribe didn’t know existed for the former Crimson Tide star.
Collins was one of the best all-around safeties in the NFL. He not only gobbled up tackles at a more impressive rate than many linebackers, he also became a dominant cover man. Tallying five interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown), he also defended 13 other passes.
In general, quarterbacks learned it’s not exactly smart to throw Collins’ way. Which is crazy considering this guy essentially is the same size as Deion Jones, who we covered earlier in this article. Throw in the four sacks Collins racked up and we’re talking about one of the best all-around defenders in the game today.