The AFC West is home to two of the best linebackers in the game of football, and this week ESPN writers weighed in on which one of them they’d rather have, Von Miller of the Denver Broncos or Khalil Mack of the Oakland Raiders?
Von Miller is, without a doubt, one of the best linebackers in the game right now and will be for the next couple of years, so the question is: Would a team want to take a guy who is in the middle of his prime like Miller or a player that has the talent to be great for the next seven or eight years like Mack?
Jeff Legwold, ESPN’s Denver Broncos beat reporter, said he would rather have Miller over Mack, but that didn’t stop him from saying some kind words about the Raiders’ rising star.
“Mack is a star who might shine more brightly in the seasons to come and likely has a season sack title, or two, in his future. And as his play in the postseason showed — five sacks, two forced fumbles and interception,” said Legwold. “Miller, too, is still an ascending player with the potential for a 20-sack season.”
Kansas City Chiefs beat writer Adam Teicher, though, would take Mack over Miller. He believes that Mack has a potential to break the single-season-sack record and out perform going forward.
“(Mack) has 19 through two seasons, so he’s averaging 2.5 sacks less than Miller’s 12,” said Teicher. “But Mack has the look of someone who’s going to consistently be in that range of the upper teens from this point on.”
San Diego Chargers writer Eric D. Williams said he would take Miller over Mack, as he believes Miller has several more seasons of productivity and has proven he can lead a team towards success, which Mack has yet to show.
“Miller understands what it takes to reach the ultimate goal and can help guide the rest of his teammates along the way,” Williams said.
Mack has only been in the NFL for two seasons, but people are enamored with the numbers he has put up so far. Over their first two seasons, though, Miller’s stats blow Mack’s out of the water. Miller had 30 sacks in his first two seasons while Mack recorded 19, with a mere four sacks his rookie year. Mack, however, did have more tackles than Miller, but only by 11.
The biggest advantage that Miller has over Mack is that he knows how to win. Miller has won a lot of games in his career with the Broncos and, of course, a Super Bowl last year. Mack has only won 10 games in his first two seasons. If a star player hasn’t been on a winning team, his stats will come into question, because he may be the only guy making plays. Miller putting up the type of numbers that he has on a winning team, with elite talent around him, is far more impressive.
Plus, Miller is only 27 years old, and linebackers age better than a lot of other players in the NFL. So the argument that Mack has more long-term upside isn’t exactly true.
Miller hasn’t proven anything other than that he is an ascending player with generational talent. Mack, while very good, has one great season to his name.
