Vic Beasley Lands at Number 40 on NFL’s Top 100

Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Vic Beasley (44) celebrates a sack in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Falcons defeated the Broncos 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Vic Beasley (44) celebrates a sack in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Falcons defeated the Broncos 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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The second-year pass rusher makes his first appearance on the annual NFL Top 100 list.

Vic Beasley, 2015’s prematurely-labeled bust turned 2016 pass rushing Rembrandt, has added more accolades to his young résumé. Along with his crown as last season’s sack leader and a spot on the 2016 AP First Team All-Pro list, Beasley has been named number 40 on the NFL’s Top 100 list after going unranked in 2015.

It was a breakout season for second-year defender Vic Beasley.

Following a pedestrian rookie campaign, Beasley officially burst on to the scene in 2016, mauling quarterback-after-quarterback en route to 15.5 sacks, leading the entire league.

To say that the rapid and explosive increase in Vic Beasley’s production was expected would be an out-and-out falsehood. There were flashes of his rushing aptitude in his rookie season, but the trifecta of inexperience, a nagging shoulder injury, and an ineffective supporting cast on the line rendered his first season largely a fruitless endeavor.

In a league fueled primarily by “What have you done for me lately?” sentiment, the dreaded bust chatter began to circulate among Beasley alarmists and advocates alike.

Both were appeased in 2016.

Related Story: Devonta Freeman Rises in Top 100 to Number 41

Vic Beasley’s stellar season was a welcome surprise for a pass rushing unit that appeared condemned to relative mediocrity for the foreseeable future. With stronger defensive counterparts slotted alongside him on the line in the upcoming season, Beasley should ostensibly see his name higher on the 2017 iteration of the NFL’s Top 100.

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