NFL players vote Panthers QB Cam Newton as league’s top player

It’s official, the best professional football player in the world lives in Charlotte.

The NFL’s players have voted Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers quarterback, as the league’s top player. New England QB Tom Brady was No. 2. More than 700 NFL players voted on the list.

NFL Network aired its final segment on its top 100 players Wednesday night, ending with Newton at the top spot. Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly ranks No. 7.

Newton was ranked No. 73 overall in last year’s vote. But that was before he led the Panthers to a magical 15-1 regular-season, a Super Bowl appearance and was named NFL MVP.

Last season, Newton threw for 3,837 passing yards with a 59.7 completion percentage along with a career-high 35 passing touchdowns and career-low 10 interceptions. He rushed for 636 yards on 132 carries, the second most by a quarterback in the Super Bowl era. He had 10 rushing touchdowns and 48 of 50 possible NFL MVP votes. Arizona QB Carson Palmer got one vote and Brady got the other.

“When you look at Cam Newton,” NFL Network analyst Michael Irvin said, “at what he did yesterday, the season he had (last year)...and what he will do moving forward, he is definitely, by far, the No. 1 player in the NFL.”

Said former San Francisco star Eric Davis: “Cam’s a young player (27 years old). He has a lot more growing to do and I think he can get a lot better at his position and he’s deservingly the No. 1 player right now.”

▪ Just last week, two NFL Network analysts -- Solomon Wilcots and Willie McGinest -- listed their top five players in the league. They both had the same top five -- with Newton sitting at No. 1.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 11:09 PM with the headline "NFL players vote Panthers QB Cam Newton as league’s top player."