The MWCConnection 2022 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 on 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 2022 season, voted on by the MWCConnection team.

This is 2022 preseason list

1) QB Jake Haener (Fresno State)

• 2022 stats: 2432 passing yards, 73.5%, 17 TDs, 8.5 ypa

2) RB Brad Roberts (Air Force)

• 2022 stats: 1612 rushing yards (5.2 ypa), 15 TDs

3) RB George Holani (Boise State)

• 2022 stats: 1059 rushing yards (5.3 ypa), 22 receptions for 153 yards, 13 total TDs

4) DE David Perales (Fresno State)

• 2022 stats: 45 tackles (30 solo), 15 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 2 FF, 1 INT, 3 passes defended

5) DL Jonah Tavai (San Diego State)

• 2022 stats: 56 tackles (29 solo), 12.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks

6) WR Jalen Cropper (Fresno State)

• 2022 stats: 74 receptions, 984 receiving yards (13.3 ypc), 5 TDs

7) LB Easton Gibbs (Wyoming)

• 2022 stats: 111 tackles (58 solo), 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended

8) WR Tory Horton (Colorado State)

• 2022 stats: 71 receptions, 1131 receiving yards (15.9 ypc), 8 TDs

9) DL Viliemi Fehoko (San Jose State)

• 2022 stats: 65 tackles (39 solo), 18.5 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 2 FF, 1 pass defended

10) QB Chevan Cordeiro (San Jose State)

• 2022 stats: 2885 passing yards, 60.8% 20 TDs, 7.5 ypa, 215 rushing yards, 8 rushing TDs

Team Breakdown:

• Fresno State: 3
• San Jose State: 2
• Air Force: 1
• Boise State: 1
• Colorado State: 1
• San Diego State: 1
• Wyoming: 1

Notes:

• 14 total players received votes. Those who did not crack the top 10 were: Elijah Cooks, Taylen Green, Austin Ajiake, and DJ Schramm
• There are six players on the offensive side of the ball, which means the other four players play defense. Position-wise, there is 2 quarterbacks, 2 running backs, 2 wide receivers, 3 defensive linemen, and 1 linebacker.
• The Bulldogs occupy 30% of the list. But the list is also balanced, with seven teams having a representative.
• Haener and Roberts were more or less the consensus top two players, but split votes in those spots.
• Haener was also the top player in the preseason voting. He is one of four players who carry over from the preseason list.
• JL Skinner (2nd) and Caden McDonald (4th) were the biggest drops, leading the six players who dropped off the list.
• Roberts jumped from 7th to 2nd, while Holani and Perales led the group of six players receiving no preseason votes to making the list.

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.