#16 A.J. Green

It's really hard to believe that Cincinnati Bengals receiver A. J. Green has only played two seasons in the NFL. His smooth play on the football field is seen almost exclusively in players with closer to ten years in the league. As Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry says, "Green was born to play receiver." He's so fun to watch. He's 6'4" but moves with a smoothness and athleticism seen more often in a smaller receiver. Excellent ball skills, positioning, long arms, great hands, good speed, his skill set is pretty much unmatched in the league right now. Only two years in, oh my, his future is so bright. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton will be happy for a long time. The Bengals should be happy for a while as both Green and Dalton came to Cincinnati from the same draft. They form one of the best pass catching combinations in the league and they are just getting started. Perhaps the best thing about A.J. Green is that he doesn't consider himself elite, yet.

In NFL Network's continuing Top 100, A.J. Green showed up at #16. He'll be up with Calvin Johnson soon as the best receivers in the league. There's no questioning Green's skills. When his production matches that talent, there will be no doubt. It took Johnson nearly five years for his production to match his talent. I'm thinking that Green does it faster. Going into that 2012 NFL Draft, I liked Alabama receiver Julio Jones better than Georgia's Green. They were the 1-2 coming out of high school. They remained 1-2 coming out of college. It all depended on what type of receiver you liked. Personally, I liked Jones' physical play better than Green's smoothness. Both are fantastic football players. Watching both for two years in the NFL, I've flipped to A.J. Green's side. That's not to take anything away from Jones. I love the way that he plays football. I've just been surprised and impressed with Green's strength. He may look like a basketball player but he's got the strength to compete with any football player for the ball. Best of all, A.J. Green just wants to get better. All that talent and he's not satisfied. The Bengals are damn lucky.