Last season was Tyrann Mathieu's coming out party as one of the NFL's most valuable defensive stars.
For the first time in his four-year career, the versatile Arizona Cardinals defensive back's greatness has been recognized by his peers.
Mathieu made his debut on NFL Network's The Top 100 Players Of 2016 countdown, coming in at No. 28.
A legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate through early December, the artist formerly known as "Honey Badger" drew comparisons to future Hall of Famers Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu for his unique instincts and natural playmaking ability. NFL Media analyst Brian Baldinger went so far as to label him "pound-for-pound the best player in the league."
It's worth noting that players are instructed to vote based on 2016 expectations, not solely on 2015 results. In other words, Mathieu's top-30 ranking is a well-deserved sign of respect for a player returning from a late-season ACL tear.
Elsewhere in Nos. 30-21 of the Top 100:
- All eight one-hour episodes of "All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals" will be available for Amazon Prime members as part of their membership, and to all Amazon customers starting July 1 via the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices including Fire TV, mobile devices and online at Amazon.com/allornothing. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.*
