We surveyed over 2000 PML players who are all currently on 53-man rosters, on practice squads, or on injured reserve. We asked the following questions and recorded the results.
1. Who is the league’s Best player?
Patrick Mahomes: 30.5%
Aaron Donald: 21.8%
CJ Stroud: 18.6%
Trevor Lawrence: 11.2%
Other*: 17.9%
*Others Receiving Votes: Bo Nix, Malik Benson, Justin Herbert, Maalik Murphy, Myles Garrett, Dexter Lawrence, Keion White, Breece Hall, Bucky Irving, Micah Parsons, Devon Jackson, D’andre Swift, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Justin Jefferson, Treylon Burks
Analysis: Mahomes stands atop as the most consistent and well-known leader of his team while Aaron Donald takes the top defensive player spot by a wide margin. MVP CJ Stroud is surprisingly in third and Trevor Lawrence is soaring ever since new coach Water was hired. The others receiving votes are all notable players well deserving of being on this list, except for Treylon Burks who snuck his way on thanks to some pranksters in Nashville. 19 players were voted for at least once.
2. Who is the league’s most overrated player?
Riley Leonard: 24.3%
Jordan Love: 22.8%
Stefon Diggs: 13.5%
Josh Allen: 12.2%
Other*: 27.2%
*Others Receiving Votes: Tee Higgins, Jalen Hurts, Jaylen Waddle, Kyle Dugger, James Cook, Lamar Jackson, Terry McLaurin, Smael Mondon Jr, Tyreek Hill, Travis Hunter, TJ Watt, Vita Vea, Johnny Wilson, Patrick Surtain II, Patrick Mahomes, Quenton Nelson
Analysis: Riley Leonard and Jordan Love are both closely at the top of this list as player’s who looked like franchise savoirs but were traded and given up on in the case of Leonard, and just seemed to fall off and change as a player in the case of Jordan Love. Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen are also on the list as both players have struggled heavily since the duo split up. The others receiving votes goes deep as we see player’s who got big contracts or had really impressive seasons and just haven’t been able to recreate their success. However, whoever voted for Patrick Mahomes is just upset because you might not see him as #1, but overrated is a crazy thing to call Mahomes. Quenton Nelson is the only offensive lineman on this list as some players must be unhappy with the offense despite a guy like big Q. 20 players were voted for at least once.
3. Who is the league’s most underrated player
Bo Nix: 23.6%
Zach Wilson: 18.9%
Devon Jackson: 15.7%
Maalik Murphy: 13.4%
Other*: 28.4%
*Others Receiving Votes: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lukas Van Ness, Nick Cross, Jawhar Jordan, Julian Fleming, Phil Mafah, Harold Perkins Jr, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Travis Hunter, Ja’Markis Weston, Deone Walker, Raheim Sanders, Ja’Quinden Jackson, Chris Lindstrom
Analysis: Bo Nix is obviously atop this list as his lack of stats is made up for by his efficiency and ability to protect the ball. Zach Wilson is in 2nd thanks to his work in Pittsburgh of doing his best to carry his team while Devon Jackson and Maalik Murphy are players who had game-changing rookie years without any giant recognition. The others receiving votes are more players that do deserve a share of the spotlight. Interestingly enough, Travis Hunter was voted for in both the most overrated and underrated. Chris Lindstrom is the only offensive lineman on this list as many defensive linemen and players around the league who have played the Falcons know what Lindstrom can do. 18 players were voted for at least once.
4. Which coach would you most want to play for?
Cook: 29.2%
SpDot: 25.7%
Wimmy: 14.8%
JT: 12.4%
Other*: 17.9%
*Others Receiving Votes: King Mike, JC, Greeny, HD, Dlloyd, Matigy
Analysis: No duh the top two clear choices are the head coaches of the teams with the most post-season success, who wouldn’t want to learn from those greats. We also see coach Wimmy as a guy who is a well-known hands on coach. JT rounds out this list as a great motivator and a player’s coach that will get you your chance. Others receiving votes share similar or multiple qualities of those top 4. 10 coaches were voted for at least once.
5. Which coach would you least want to play for?
Deebo: 28.6%
Miles: 19.3%
Burn: 17.7%
Nef: 9.5%
Other*: 24.9%
*Others Receiving Votes: Que, Beast, Fallen, HD, Greeny, Arod
Analysis: I see why Deebo is in first, poor player development, poor success, and poor job giving guys chances. They stick to what they do despite it not working. Miles and Burn come in at 2 and 3 probably because of the trades they make, they ship players out that should stay and bring in players at the peak of their success and run them into the ground. Nef surprisingly comes in at fourth, but rumblings of a toxic Falcons culture probably boosted himself onto this list after the recent offseason drama. Others receiving votes come from teams that share some or multiple of those traits of poor development or misuse or overuse. Surprisingly, Greeny and HD make both this list and the list of coaches players want to play for. That’s probably the result of HD’s offensive success and defensive problems and Greeny’s defensive success and offensive problems. 10 coaches were voted for at least once.
6. Which team is going to win the super bowl?
Los Angeles Rams: 24.8%
New England Patriots: 23.6%
Houston Texans: 15.2%
Kansas City Chiefs: 11.3%
Other*: 25.1%
*Others Receiving Votes: Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions
Analysis: Nothing crazy on this list, top two teams are close and they’re the two that should be atop this list in the Rams and Patriots. Texans come in at third thanks to their hot start and loaded roster with the Chiefs at fourth because they’re a team who has Patrick Mahomes and will make the playoffs. The only surprises in others receiving votes are the Jaguars getting hyped up to contender status with the next level Trevor Lawrence has taken them, and the Falcons believers who see Atlanta as a darkhorse who can silence everyone. 11 teams were voted for at least once.
7. Which team has the best future?
Houston Texans: 21.5%
New England Patriots: 21.2%
New Orleans Saints: 16.8%
Las Vegas Raiders: 15.9%
Other*: 24.6%
*Others Receiving Votes: Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams
Analysis: All four teams have efficient quarterbacks on rookie contracts, solid cap space for the future, and a solid young core to take them to success. The others receiving votes could easily have made the top four with a little more on-field success like the Eagles and Panthers or by being a little younger or cheaper like the Chiefs and Rams. The Steelers, Vikings, Jaguars, and Bengals share aspects in common with the other teams on this list. 12 teams were voted for at least once.
8. Grade the officiating in the league
A: 18.4%
B: 25.7%
C: 22.9%
D: 14.6%
F: 18.4%
Analysis: Not great for the league, especially that as many players voted F as those that said A, but the average is in between a B and a C and that is definitely a leg up over past years. PML refs tend to call things in bunches but they certainly have less influence over game results than they used to, and that positive can’t be understated.
