Cleveland Browns duo make early appearance on PFF top 101 list

The Cleveland Browns had two of their young stars make the first half of the Top 101 players list at Pro Football Focus.

The Cleveland Browns put everyone through a lot of hard times in the 2017 NFL season.

Because the Browns finished the year as just the second team in league history to go 0-16, and did it with a roster constructed using (gasp!) analytics, far too many people decided that the team was completely and utterly devoid of talent.

That was pure nonsense, of course, as the poor showing on the field was the result of a combination of an extremely young roster, a rookie quarterback that should never have seen the field, and historically poor coaching from head coach Hue Jackson.

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It wasn’t difficult to see talent around the roster if only you were willing to keep an open mind.

Running back Duke Johnson finished with 74 receptions, a team record for a running back and putting him on par with the league’s best at his position.

Linebacker Joe Schobert made the Pro Bowl. Sure, it was as an alternate and he only made the trip to Orlando, Fla., because of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier season-ending injury, but Schobert still played well enough to be deserving of a spot.

The good news continues this week as Pro Football Focus has begun releasing its Top 101 players of the year list, and two members of the Browns are part of the early rankings.

First up is left guard Joel Bitonio, who is making his second appearance on the list and comes in at No. 90. According to PFF:

"The Cleveland Browns offensive line looked like it had the potential to be one of the best in the game heading into the season, and while that didn’t quite pan out, Joel Bitonio was excellent all season. Bitonio allowed 24 total pressures over 16 games but was blocking for a quarterback that invited more pressure than most. His run-blocking and pass protection were both good enough to earn top-20 PFF grades among guards."

Bitonio quickly established himself as one of the league’s best guards as a rookie in 2014, but injuries cut short his season in each of the past two years. Healthy again this past season, Bitonio slipped right back into his role as a top guard and helped keep the line in mostly stable condition after left tackle Joe Thomas was lost for the season with an injury in October.

In the least surprising addition, rookie defensive end Myles Garrett makes the list at No. 82. According to PFF:

"The No. 1 overall pick had an impressive rookie campaign, even if injury limited him to perhaps a smaller role over the season than the Cleveland Browns would have been hoping. When Myles Garrett was on the field, he was dominant, generating 37 total pressures from 300 passing snaps. Garrett’s pass-rush productivity of 10.2 was top-20 among edge defenders."

Garrett missed the first quarter of the season with a high-ankle sprain and another game with a concussion, but still finished with a team-high seven sacks, which was second among all NFL rookies and the third-highest sack total by a rookie in franchise history.

Next: Browns fans better than Eagles fans

Pro Football Focus is rolling out the full list throughout this week, with the final names coming out on Thursday.

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