J.J. Watt is widely regarded as the best defensive player/lineman in the NFL. New York Jets boisterous defensive tackle, Sheldon Richardson, just threw his name into fray as well.
Richardson, the Defensive Rookie of the Year in ’13, told ESPN New York that “he and Watt are on the same level.”
“J.J. Watt, he’s got a few more sacks than me, but it’s the same type of disruption,” Richardson told ESPNNewYork.com on Thursday. “He’s a little more active, I’ll give you that, but we have the same type of determination, same heart, same skills. He scores touchdowns, I score touchdowns.”
The numbers don’t even begin to detail how far apart these two players are. Richardson is very good, but he does not take over the game.
Watt has 16.5 sacks and five touchdowns, three of which have come on offense. Richardson has 6.5 sacks on the season, and believes he should be mention with Watt, Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh.
“You name it, I’ll put myself up there. I’m not scared to say it. You don’t get to this point not being confident. If somebody calls me cocky, oh well, they’ll get over it.”