2023 NFLTR Top 100 Players: 100-91

By
Logan Ulrich
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Every summer, the NFL releases a list of the top 100 NFL players as voted on by the players, supposedly. And every summer, the results kick up their fair amount of controversy. 

So we figured we’d chime in with our take again. Last year was the first year of the NFLTR Top 100, using a rigorous process that factored in basic and advanced stats, awards, career trajectory, positional value and of course the highly scientific gut check. This year we’re back with the 2023 NFLTR Top 100 Players.

We’ll be rolling these out over the rest of the summer to pass the time until training camp, so be sure to keep an eye out for the rest of the list!

Statistic links: 

100: Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs

We’re kicking off the list with a somewhat controversial inclusion. Diggs is a polarizing player when it comes to figuring out where he stands in the landscape of NFL cornerbacks. He’s got a game tailor-made for the highlight reel. Although the joke runs that most cornerbacks are just wide receivers who couldn’t catch, it’s easy to see Diggs’ background on offense with the ball skills he brings to the table. In three years, Diggs has 49 pass deflections and 17 interceptions, which is just an absurd level of production considering how the modern NFL has stacked the deck against cornerbacks with rule changes. 

The flip side of that is Diggs is far from a shutdown cornerback. He gives up about as much as he gets and is a notorious gambler who will sell out for the big play and end up getting burned. In 2021 when he had 11 interceptions — which was the first time any player had picked off that many passes since 1981 — Diggs was also credited by PFFt with giving up over 1,000 yards receiving. That number went down in 2022 to “just” 760, so as Diggs gains more experience, he is making some progress on when to time his gambits for the football. 

Ultimately, I just place a huge value on defensive players who can get the ball back for the offense. It’s one of the few equalizers for the defense when the whole game is built around putting them at a disadvantage. Diggs might not be a consistent cover corner (yet) but he consistently makes plays on the ball, and I want someone like that on my team. 

99: Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle

It might not be fair to call Waddle one of the breakout stars of the 2022 season after he topped 1,000 yards receiving as a rookie. For most players, that’s a breakout. But Waddle elevated his game to another level this past season as Miami exploded on offense. Waddle had nearly 30 fewer receptions than he did as a rookie when he went over 100, but his yards skyrocketed to 1,356. He averaged a blistering 18.1 yards per reception which led all NFL players. 

The scary thing is, there’s still a ton of room for Waddle to grow as a football player. Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel was a huge boon to his productivity, building a system that consistently put defenses in a bind to account for the speed of both WR Tyreek Hill and Waddle along with the running game. Waddle racked up 510 yards after the catch and was No. 3 among all receivers with 6.8 YAC/reception. But in ESPN’s receiver tracking metrics, Waddle ranked 46th with an open score of 61, slightly better than the league average. Not a bad score at all, but indicative of where Waddle can sharpen the details of his game to become even more of a force. He has the skills to skyrocket up this list in the coming seasons. 

98: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

There are a ton of outstanding wide receivers playing in the NFL right now, which makes it a huge challenge to make a list like this without feeling like you’re leaving someone off or ranking someone too low. That’s how I feel about St. Brown being “only” 98th on this list, and like Waddle, he’s someone who could be much higher in a year or two. 

Despite not becoming a starter until midway through his rookie year, St. Brown tied the NFL record for receptions in a player’s first two seasons with 196 (Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas are the other two). Like both players, St. Brown has made a living working over the middle of the field, where his ability to navigate traffic and his catching skills make him an incredibly friendly target for QB Jared Goff.

St. Brown grasps the nuances of beating zone coverage well and it’s why he’s so productive despite not having overwhelming athleticism. He’s not just a one-trick pony, either. Last year St. Brown was 12th in the NFL among receivers in targets against man coverage with 44, catching 32 of those for 366 yards and four touchdowns. That catch percentage of 72.7 percent was the second-best of any receiver with at least 30 targets vs man. 

If there’s a limitation on St. Brown’s game right now, it’s that he’s more of a chain mover and not a deep threat. His average depth of target in 2022 was 6.7, which per PFF was 94th out of 102 qualifying players. Still, we’ve seen other primary slot receivers have massive seasons, and that could be in the future for St. Brown. 

97: Bengals WR Tee Higgins

The Bengals believe they have two No. 1-caliber receivers with Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, who will make an appearance later on this list. Higgins has been remarkably consistent in his first three years with numbers in the range of 110 targets, 75 catches, over 1,000 yards and six to seven touchdowns. He hasn’t had a huge statistical season yet but dig deeper and you can see the impact. Higgins ranked No. 7 among all receivers in ESPN’s receiving tracking overall score, buoyed by an outstanding 83 catch score and an above-average open score of 67 (same at St. Brown). Basically, not only is Higgins outstanding at the catch point, but he’s a strong route runner who’s not just a one-trick pony. 

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The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. also did a fascinating study looking at how Higgins and Chase played when they didn’t have the benefit of the other on the field. It was a small sample size, but when Higgins didn’t have Chase, his productivity and efficiency both went up. When Chase didn’t have Higgins, he commanded a huge target share but his efficiency went way down. With that context, it’s pretty clear why the Bengals seem to be planning to pay up to keep that duo together as long as possible. 

96: Jaguars OLB Josh Allen

Last year, the Jaguars picked up Allen’s fifth-year option but definitely wanted to see more after the former No. 7 pick failed to build on the promise he showed as a rookie. On the surface, it doesn’t look like Allen took that next step in his game, finishing with seven sacks for the second consecutive season. But this is why sack totals can sometimes be misleading. Per PFF, Allen tied for sixth in the league with 77 total pressures and was third with 21 QB hits. He had eight more hits on a quarterback than Eagles DE Haason Reddick but ended up with nine fewer sacks. 

Allen can obviously still improve at converting those hits and hurries to sacks, and there is room for him to become a more efficient pass rusher as well. He was eighth in the NFL in pass rush opportunities and 23rd out of 126 in pass rush productivity. But even if he plateaus at this level, he’ll still be a very good NFL edge rusher and a high-level starter. 

95: Saints CB Marshon Lattimore

Injuries unfortunately limited Lattimore to just seven games in 2022. When he was on the field, he was his regular self, however. Per PFF, Lattimore allowed only 17 catches on 31 targets for 183 yards, forcing four incompletions and pulling in one interception he returned for a touchdown. He also was one of a select few cornerbacks not to allow a touchdown, giving him a passer rating against of just 58.9 — sixth-best in the league. 

94: Browns G Wyatt Teller

Teller took a little step back in 2022 due to some nagging injuries, missing two games and playing hurt in some others. Instead of being one of the NFL’s elite guards, he was “only” very good. His PFF rating dropped from 92.2 in 2020 and 84.9 in 2021 to 70.3 in 2022, which was still 18th in the league. He remains a key piece of a rock-solid Browns offensive line and a huge part of their potent rushing attack. 

93: Steelers CB Patrick Peterson

Given that he turns 33 tomorrow, Peterson is likely entering the home stretch of what’s been an outstanding career. Last year, though, he turned back the clock in a major way with a vintage strong season. He picked off five passes which tied for second in the NFL and had 15 pass deflections. PFF graded him as the eighth-best corner in coverage last season and credited him with 48 receptions allowed on 80 targets for 584 yards, five touchdowns and a passer rating allowed of 77.3. 

Those are respectable numbers on their own, aside from the touchdowns allowed, but what makes them even more impressive is how Peterson held his own despite getting little to no help from Minnesota’s defensive scheme. The Vikings were the second-worst passing defense in the league last season due in large part to predictable and passive play-calling from former DC Ed Donatell. That Peterson was still able to thrive in that environment is a major credit to him. 

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92: Commanders DE Montez Sweat

Quietly Sweat has developed into a strong all-around player for Washington on its defensive line studded with former first-round picks. He’s always been a freak athlete as evidenced by his absurd Combine performance back in 2019 and he’s managed to translate that athleticism to the football field. Sweat set a new career-high with 62 total pressures in 2022, per PFF, including 19 QB hits which tied for fourth-best among edge rushers. Pro Football Reference was even more generous, crediting Sweat with 28 QB hits. 

The sack production lagged a little behind those numbers, with just eight quarterback takedowns. Sweat has yet to hit double-digit sacks in a season but it seems like that might only be a matter of time. And if he can pull it off in a contract year, that kind of impeccable timing will be quite lucrative for Sweat. 

91: Dolphins OLB Jaelan Phillips

There’s no question that sacks are one of the most important plays a defense can make. There have been multiple studies, this being one of the more recent, showing that when a defense can pull a quarterback down on any given drive, the odds of the offense scoring decrease dramatically. But when it comes to evaluating individual pass rushers, disruption equals production. The guys who are regularly getting close to the quarterback are going to be the ones who eventually are recording more sacks. 

So keep that in mind when evaluating Phillips, who only had seven sacks officially last season but was far more of a force rushing the quarterback than those numbers would suggest. He finished tied for sixth in the NFL with 77 total pressures, per PFF, which also gave him credit for 10 sacks as they don’t split credit with half sacks. Phillips also tied for fourth with a pass rush win rate of 24 percent. 

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In terms of sacks, Phillips had either the same or fewer depending on if you look at the official numbers or PFF’s records. But the more advanced metrics paint a picture that shows a young pass rusher starting to hit his stride. Much bigger things could be in store for Phillips in 2023. 

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