If there’s one thing that should make the Denver Broncos glad they traded wide receiver Brandon Marshall in April of 2010, it’s that they now have Brandon Lloyd.
Lloyd had a breakout season in every way in 2010 for Broncos, setting career highs in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns and became the first Bronco in history to lead the league in receiving yards.
For the past five weeks NFL Network has been counting down the top 100 players of 2011 and it seemed that it wasn’t a matter of if Lloyd would be on the list, but how high he would be.
That question was answered this week as Lloyd was ranked No. 58, three spots ahead of Marshall. He was introduced on the program by safety Brian Dawkins.
Lloyd really made a name for himself in 2011, not with just his numbers, but with the types of catches his made, showing off his leaping ability and coming down with balls in between multiple defenders.
“If you dial up his plays from last year, half of them were spectacular catches,” Dawkins said.
Lloyd’s spectacular catches and 1,448 receiving yards led to his first Pro Bowl selection and ranked him ahead of others receivers such as Terrell Owens, who came in at No. 91, Josh Cribbs at No. 84, Mike Williams at No. 83, Santonio Holmes at No. 76, Greg Jennings at No. 74, Miles Austin at No. 70 and Marshall, who was ranked at No. 61 after a disappointing first year in Miami.
The New Orleans Saints’ Marques Colston is the first receiver ranked ahead of Lloyd at No. 53.
Lloyd’s inclusion on the list created some controversy as stated in Steve Wyche’s column. Wyche is a senior writer for nfl.com who stated, “There is no way I would have rated him above Green Bay's Greg Jennings (No. 74) or Miami's Brandon Marshall (No. 61), but based on his 2010 season, Lloyd earned top 100 consideration.”
He added that if the list is based on career achievements and not solely on 2010 performances, then Lloyd shouldn’t be on the list at all due to his struggles in previous stops in San Francisco, Washing and Chicago. Whether or not career achievements weights heavily on the list is debatable since players such as Donovan McNabb, who had his worst season and was benched at times in 2010, and Tony Romo, who missed most of 2010 with an injury, also were on the list.
While there may be debate on whether Lloyd’s previous seasons should weigh against him, Dawkins said that Lloyd’s best may be yet to come.
“When we came back from the Pro Bowl, you see the smile on his face. The taste of that I believe will allow him to step it up and show that it’s not just a one-hit wonder,” Dawkins said.
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