Old (Will) McDonald had a farm, and on that farm he had these vegetables and their individual defensive player equivalents.
Jalapeño peppers – Sauce Gardner (CB-NYJ)
As a rookie, Sauce Gardner was on fire. He recorded 19 defended passes and two interceptions while being the closest thing to a lockdown corner in the league.
Iceberg Lettuce – Xavien Howard (CB-MIA)
Howard represents the iceberg lettuce variety since he was ice cold this past year and routinely let up long touchdowns even though he made the Pro Bowl roster.
Heirloom Tomato – Calais Campbell (DT-ATL)
Campbell feels like a family heirloom at 36 years-old, but he is still going strong. This six-time Pro Bowler was drafted in 2008 and added 5.5 more sacks in 2022 to his 99 career sack total.
Cilantro – Shaquille Leonard (LB-IND)
Cilantro is a herb that most people seem to love or hate. The hate stems from the fact cilantro tastes like soap for approximately 4-14% of the population. Leonard is on a lot of people’s Do-Not-Draft lists due to his recent injuries and concern for his back going forward. But when he is healthy, he is a top tier linebacker and finished as LB5 in 2021.
Blueberry – DeMarcus Lawrence (DE-DAL)
Lawrence gets the nod her since he played in blue turf at Boise State in college. Lawrence is one of my favorite defensive players and I feel he is an underrated pass rusher. In 2022, Lawrence recorded 40 defensive pressures according to FTN Data.
Pumpkin – Dexter Lawrence (DT-NYG)
Another Lawrence gets added to our list, but Dexter makes it on the list due to his size. He tips the scales at 342 pounds, but this size does not slow him down as he recorded 68 tackles and 7.5 sacks this past season.
Bell pepper – Vonn Bell (S-CAR)
Bell departed Cincinnati in free agency and decided to team up with Jeremy Chinn and the Panthers.
Zucchini – Budda Baker (S-ARI)
Whether you enjoy zucchini bread or zucchini muffins, the Baker has you covered. Budda Baker is currently ranked as RPO Football’s DB3 for 2023.
Cucumbers – Alex Singleton (LB-DEN)
Banana Peppers – Jabrill Peppers (S-NE)
Strawberry – Antoine Winfield (S-TB)
Green beans – Dre Greenlaw (LB-SF)
Raspberry – DeForest Buckner (DT-IND)
Last but not least, we can’t forget the gardener, C.J. Gardner-Johnson picking the vegetables and picking off passes (six in a five game stretch).