Broncos WR Emmanuel Sanders Places in NFL Top 100
By Tylor Walden
NFL Network has recently begun their Top 100 Players of 2015. The first Denver Bronco player to crack the Top 100 is wide out Emmanuel Sanders, who is No. 74 on the list.
Emmanuel Sanders has had quite a good time with the Denver Broncos organization. He has definitely found his “wide receiver heaven” when playing with Peyton Manning. He has become one of the key wide outs for the Broncos in the past two seasons.
It appears that the rest of the NFL has taken some notice to his skills as a player.
On Wednesday, the NFL released their top players from 80 to 71. And the Denver Broncos have their first player to crack the Top 100 as Emmanuel Sanders was ranked 74th by his peers on the list.
"As voted by the players…"
Manny Sanders
Last year, Sanders ranked No. 95 on the list. So, a huge improvement. This means that the rest of the league has been watching him and have been impressed from a year ago.
And there is reason for it. In 2015, Emmanuel Sanders recorded 76 receptions for 1,135 yards and six touchdowns. It was a bit of a dropoff from last season, but granted how the season went, it makes sense.
So, why was there an increase in his ranking despite the lower production? Well, I believe it has a lot to do with what he did during games. For the first half of the season, we saw that Sanders was Manning’s go-to receiver when it came to big situations.
His third down receptions against the Ravens in the season opener, His game tying touchdown reception against the Chiefs in Week 2, his acrobatic catches Week 3 against the Lions. Need I go any further?
But perhaps Emmanuel Sanders’ biggest performances came in the playoffs. He was the Broncos biggest contributor in the passing game in January and February.
He recorded 16 receptions for 230 yards in all three playoff games total. While he did not record a touchdown reception, the fact that he played a huge part in the offense was what drew the attention of his peers.
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Emmanuel Sanders enters the final year of his contract this season. And it has been noted that once the deal for Von Miller is completed that Sanders will be next. He has done a solid job in his two years that he deserves a solid contract offer.
His comments on wanting to be a Denver Bronco for life further proves his loyalty to the Broncos organization. Broncos Country hopes that he gets a long term deal. We are grateful to have such a humble guy playing in the orange and blue.