Jimmy Graham Unveiled On NFL Network's Top 100 Players Of 2015

JimmyGraham
He's yet to play an official down in blue and green, but tight end Jimmy Graham - acquired by Seattle in a March trade with the New Orleans Saints - is the fourth Seahawks player to appear on NFL Network's countdown of the Top 100 Players of 2015.

On Wednesday night, Graham was unveiled at No. 31 on the network's list, which is determined solely by NFL players. He joins strong safety Kam Chancellor (No. 41), linebacker Bobby Wagner (No. 69), and defensive end Michael Bennett (No. 90).

It's a slide in the player-driven pecking order for Graham, who was voted the 10th-best player in the League last year, a slot that made him the only tight end ever to appear in the Top 10 of the network's ranks.

At the time of his No. 10 vote, Graham was coming off a 2013 season that saw him haul in 86 balls for 1,215 yards and a career-high 16 touchdowns, the second-most scores in the NFL that year to Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (19). But this past year Graham was hampered by a shoulder injury and his production dipped as a result, one of the likely factors in his year-over-year Top-100 fall to No. 31. He still managed to make a team-high 85 grabs for 889 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns in 2014, numbers that made the 6-foot-7, 265-pound Graham an attractive option for the Seahawks this offseason, even if it came at the expense of the team's starting center (Max Unger) and 2014 first-round pick (No. 31 overall).

Graham was able to get his feet wet with his new squad during a week of Russell Wilson-led workouts in the Hawaiian Islands this past April. Roughly one month later, after dealing with a loss in his family, Graham joined the club in an official capacity during OTAs (Organized Team Activities).



“It honestly feels like I’m back in college, that’s how close each and every person is on this team,” Graham said. “The way this team is and the way that this team is run is how it should be for the NFL. It’s such a sense of family here and brotherhood. It’s been incredible, it really has."

NFL Network's countdown of the Top 100 Players of 2015 continues next Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT with players ranked Nos. 30-21. Four Seahawks that made the list last year - cornerback Richard Sherman (No. 7), running back Marshawn Lynch (No. 14), free safety Earl Thomas (No. 17), and quarterback Russell Wilson (No. 20) - have yet to be unveiled on this year's ballot.

(seahawks.com)
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