New England Patriots: Malcolm Butler Ranked Highly by Pro Football Focus

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the Top 101 players in the NFL for this past season. Where did New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler rank?

It was a great 2016 season for the New England Patriots. They were able to win Super Bowl LI, which was the fifth Super Bowl in franchise history.

As expected, there were a lot of very good players on the Patriots that made this happen. Quarterback Tom Brady was obviously the best player on the team, but there were also a lot of talented players on the defensive side of the ball.

One of the best players on the defensive side of the ball was cornerback Malcolm Butler. In the Super Bowl win against the Seahawks, Butler made a name for himself with the great goal line interception. Since then, he has become one of the best cornerbacks in the league.

Pro Football Focus recently released their Top 101 players of the 2016 season. Butler came in ranked as the 25^th best player in the NFL. Here’s what they had to say about Butler.

"Malcolm Butler finished the year as a PFF All-Pro for his play at cornerback for the Patriots. He was occasionally vulnerable to being beaten, but more than made up for it with big plays and aggressive physicality against dominant receivers, despite not being the biggest corner in the game. He notched 13 pass breakups over the year (including the playoffs) and had nine games in which he allowed two or fewer catchesBest performance: Week 6 vs. Bengals, 95.9 gradeKey stat: Butler allowed fewer than 20 receiving yards seven times this season (including the postseason)."

In 2016, Butler really had his breakout season. We saw him frequently covering the top wide receivers in the NFL, and he did a good job limiting their production. He might get beat once in awhile, but he will usually make up for it with a big play.

Next: 5 Players Who Stepped Up in Super Bowl LI

After a great season, it is good to see Butler get recognized for his growth in 2016.