4. Le’Veon Bell– Six down, four to go and it’s about time that a guy from last year’s list returns as I think many of us knew he would. He’s one of three players from the 2017 list and this year, he’s finally in the top five. He’s one of the three B’s in Pittsburgh and I think he’s the most important of them all. Le’Veon Bell is my fourth best player on my list and my top-ranked running back entering the 2018 season. When he gets the football, everyone’s eyes are glued onto him because you truly never know what will happen. I often refer to him as “Mr. Everything” because that’s exactly what he can do on the field, everything. You need him to cut inside to get you hard-earned yards, he can do it, you need him to bounce outside and make defenders miss in open space, he can do that and he catches the football out the backfield. When he’s not running the ball, he can block which is one thing that really stands out to me. He’s not just your finesse back that can make you miss in a variety of ways, he found himself using that stiff arm a lot last season and I never knew he had that in him. We all know how patient of a runner he is and I’ve never see a guy wait, burst through the lane and then turn it on. You have to get to him before he attacks because if you don’t, it’s a wrap for your defense. A run that stands out to me is from a game last season against the Kansas City Chiefs. He displayed his patience, kept his eyes up the field, found that ounce of space, got up the seam and ran for a big gain. Then, the play was negated because of a penalty on the Steelers. In 2017, I saw him mix it up and add power moves to his arsenal. The stiff arm on Dre Kirkpatrick was one thing that stood out and he seemed to use that shoulder to run people over a bit more than just cutting on a dime. I’ve often compared him to a human joystick and you know when you play sports video games and you create a player? That’s this guy in Pittsburgh. I’m talking about the guy that can spin, turn on the speed, hurdle over defenders, plant that foot and go the other way to fake the defender out and dive into the end zone. That’s Le’Veon Bell for you. He’s had some difficulty staying healthy at times, but when he’s at 100 percent, he’s the best in the business at his position. I can see him being one of the non-quarterbacks to win the league MVP if he continues to play at a high level.
