Steelers land 1 in TD Wire Top 101 but it isn’t who you think

Our friends over at Touchdown Wire put together their list of the Top 101 players in the NFL for this season. You can check out the full list here but we wanted to talk about the most interesting part for Pittsburgh Steelers fans.

The top-ranking Steeler on the list checks in at No. 20 overall. Which is a solid placement. But if you are guessing who, you might be wrong. As I scrolled through I expected the first name I saw to be linebacker T.J. Watt. But Watt is No. 34. Or even safety Minkah Fitzpatrick who landed at No. 37.

But their top Steelers player is actually defensive tackle Cam Heyward. Here’s what they had to say about Heyward:

Heyward was one of the table-setters on the NFL’s best defense in 2020, and he did so relatively quietly, because he had just four sacks. But that doesn’t tell nearly the entire story — overall, Heyward had 14 quarterback hits, 45 quarterback hurries, and 32 stops. Throughout his estimable career, Heyward has been a force no matter where he lines up — he had 32 snaps in the A-gap, 456 in the B-gap, 243 over the tackles, and 114 outside the tackles in 2020 — and he’s always been tough to stop wherever he shows up. Heyward’s combination of quickness off the snap, pure power, and pass-rush moves has put him in the running for the most dominant interior defensive lineman in the NFL (Non-Aaron Donald edition).

It is great to see Heyward get the recognition he deserves. Statistically, he was overshadowed last season but there isn’t a guy on the team who works harder on every play and helps his teammates make plays the way Heyward does. I look for Heyward to get back up near double-digit sacks in 2021.