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Last month, Pro Football Focus unveiled their Top 101 players from the 2015 season, and LT Joe Thomas was the only player from the Cleveland Browns who made the list. A month later, they have come out with a variation to the list: their projected Top 101 players heading into the 2016 season.
PFF described the difference in the two lists as the following: their feature from last month only looked at performances for the 2015 season. The list heading into 2016, though, takes a look at the players' entire careers. Once again, Thomas was the only member of the team to crack the list. Although he didn't make it in to the Top-10, he was the first offensive lineman ranked at No. 11:
11. Joe Thomas, OT, Browns
Joe Thomas has been the benchmark of pass-protecting left tackles since he entered the league, and shows no sign of relinquishing that crown anytime soon, even if there are at least rivals to his throne. Thomas has led the league in pass-protection grade in four of the past five seasons, and has usually had an excellent run-blocking grade to pair with that, despite quarterbacks that haven’t always been a friend to their offensive linemen in terms of hanging onto the ball or dancing around the pocket. Despite nine seasons in the league, Thomas shows no sign of slowing down, and his 2015 season was one of his best. Everybody wants to anoint Tyron Smith as the league’s best tackle because he plays on a better team and offensive line overall, but for the moment, Joe Thomas still has that crown by a whisker.
In case you're wondering about the Browns' free agents they let walk this offseason, none of them made the Top 101. Former Browns RT Mitchell Schwartz did make the list of "ten players who just missed the list."