The MWCConnection 2021 Postseason Top 10 Players

If you haven’t been able to see the rest of our Kickoff Week coverage from this week, be sure to catch up from the content we rolled out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

There are many ways to measure the strength of a team or conference. During this week, we’ve tried to capture that from as many angles as possible. Today’s post is a simple list of what we view as the top ten players in the Mountain West Conference. Yes, it’s hard to compare different positions and sides of the ball but it’s also hard not to make a top 10 list of best players when doing internet blogs.

Here’s our preseason list for comparison.

Without further ado, here are the top ten players in the Mountain West after the 2021 season, voted on by the MWCConnection team.

1) QB Carson Strong (Nevada)

• 2021 stats: 4186 passing yards, 70.2%, 36 TDs, 8.0 ypa

2) TE Trey McBride (Colorado State)

• 2021 stats: 86 receptions, 1017 receiving yards, 11.8 ypc, 1 TD

3) LB Chad Muma (Wyoming)

• 2021 stats: 129 tackles. 78 solo tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 FF, 3 INTs

4) WR Khalil Shakir (Boise State)

• 2021 stats: 77 receptions, 1117 receiving yards (1247 total yards), 14.5 ypc, 7 TDs

5) QB Jake Haener (Fresno State)

• 2021 stats: 3810 passing yards, 67.5%, 32 TDs, 8.5 ypa

6) WR Deven Thompkins (Utah State)

• 2021 stats: 87 receptions, 1543 receiving yards (1573 total yards), 17.7 ypc, 9 TDs.

7) K/P Matt Araiza (San Diego State)

• 2021 stats: 73 punts, 3757 yards, 51.5 ypp, 84 points (15 FGs, 39 XPM)

8) WR Romeo Doubs (Nevada)

• 2021 stats: 80 receptions, 1109 receiving yards (1113 total yards), 13.9 ypc, 11 TDs.

9) RB Brad Roberts (Air Force)

• 2021 stats: 279 rushes, 1279 yards, 4.6 ypc, 13 TDs.

10) EDGE Jacoby Windmon (UNLV)

• 2021 stats: 119 tackles, 73 solo, 11.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, 2 FF, 1 pass defended

Team Breakdown:

• Nevada: 2
• Boise State: 1
• Air Force: 1
• Colorado State: 1
• Fresno State: 1
• San Diego State: 1
• UNLV: 1
• Utah State: 1
• Wyoming: 1

Notes:

• 2 other players received votes. Those who did not crack the top 10 were: DB JL Skinner (Boise State) and Khoury Bethley (Fresno State)
• The position breakdown is: 7 on offense, 2 on defense, 1 on special teams. 2 quarterbacks, 1 running backs, 3 wide receivers, 1 tight end, 1 edge rusher, 1 linebacker, and 1 kicker/punter
• Six players from our preseason list did not make this list. Cade Hall had the biggest drop, followed by Calvin Turner Jr.
• On the opposite end, Muma, Haener, Thompkins, Araiza, Roberts, and Windmon went from no votes in the preseason to their respective positions in the top 10.
• There were no unanimous selections, but the top four were pretty much consensus picks in some order.

There it is. So let’s hear it. Who did we snub? Who did we put on here that shouldn’t be? Let’s hear your feedback in the comments section.