He will face a four-game suspension next season for violating the National Football League’s substance-abuse policy (performance-enhancing drugs), but it does not negate the breakout year Mark Ingram had at running back for the New Orleans Saints in its 2017 playoff run.
Ingram, an alumnus of the University of Alabama, posted career-highs in carries (230), rushing yards (1,124) and rushing touchdowns (12) in 2017 – earning his second trip to the NFL Pro Bowl and his first-ever appearance on the NFL’s Top 100 Players list. On the heels of his first season being fully healthy, his peers ranked at No. 43 during Monday’s show on NFL Network.
One half of a dynamic duo with the @Saints@MarkIngram22 runs into #43 on the list!#NFLTop100 pic.twitter.com/W8kFbHv2u1
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 29, 2018
Along with rushing, Ingram also set career numbers in receiving with 416 yards on 58 catches from quarterback Drew Brees. The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner and BCS national champion would obtain his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season from scrimmage, dating back to 2014.
Although his tenure with the Saints will depend on his performance upon the end of being suspended, Ingram is a fighter and has been since getting selected in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
His numbers in 2017 proved to be beneficial for Brees, as the 39-year-old was free to accumulate his 12th straight 4,000-yard season and his best completion percentage (72.0%).
Ingram, 28, enters his eighth NFL season next fall.
Other Tide alums on NFL’s Top 100 for 2018
S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, No. 100
LB C.J. Mosley, No. 98
S Landon Collins, No. 92
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
