Pro Football Focus released its Top 101 players from 2015 and two Falcons made the cut.
It comes as no surprise that Julio Jones was one of the players ranked in the Top 10, the second receiver on the list.
9. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons
In any other season, we would likely be giving Julio Jones far more plaudits, but in this particular case, he was beaten into second place even among receivers by Antonio Brown. There are few, if any, more physically-dominant receivers in the NFL right now, and his blend of size and speed makes him almost impossible to cover at times. Jones also managed to post 1,871 yards and 136 receptions despite no real alternate threat in Atlanta, something the team hopes to rectify with their offseason moves. Jones gained more yards per route run this season than any other receiver, and also notched 20 broken tackles after the catch, averaging nearly 5 yards per reception of additional work with the ball in his hands. He was only held below seven catches four times over the season, and never held to fewer than four.
Best performance: Week 1 versus Philadelphia: 5.7
Key stat: Jones gained 3.04 yards per route run, the highest mark among NFL WRs in 2015.
The other Falcon who gained recognition for his spectacular performance last season was RT Ryan Schraeder.
Schraeder's journey from signing with the Falcons as a college free agent in 2013 to earning praise as one of the best right tackles in the game is one to take note, and PFF has done just that.
72. Ryan Schraeder, RT, Atlanta Falcons
Ryan Schraeder has improved each season of his NFL career, and in year three took a step towards being one of the best right tackles in the game. His run-blocking won't wow, but his pass-blocking was excellent, with the second-best pass-blocking efficiency rating of all tackles on either side of the line. The only player to pass-block more efficiently in 2015 was Cleveland LT Joe Thomas, and he was only beaten for two sacks all year, one of which came from J.J. Watt. The entire Falcons' O-line improved, but there may not have been a bigger jump than that of Schraeder's.
Best performance: Week 5 versus Washington: 4.3
Key stat: Schraeder had the second-highest pass-blocking efficiency among all tackles at 97.2.
Jones is the only NFC South wide receiver in the Top 101, while Schraeder is one of two offensive linemen in the division to rank in the Top 75.
