July is top 100 season in the NFL as everyone tries to kill the days until training camp and the start of the new season. Unfortunately, the official top 100 list from the league sucks. We’re not hating or going out of our way to tear down another outlet; it’s just a well-accepted fact at this point in time.

For five years, we’ve been trying to do better. The time has come for the 2026 version of our NFL Trade Rumors Top 100 Players. Instead of using player polls, we aim to better reflect reality with traditional and advanced statistical analysis, evaluations from league personnel, positional value, awards, career trajectory and, of course, the good old-fashioned gut check. Our hope is to give more credit to players who are overlooked, either because they don’t play a glamorous position or because they’re not household names (yet).

We’ll have updates daily over the next couple of weeks, so keep checking back!

Previous Entries:

NFLTR Top 100: 100-91

Resources:

• Pro Football Reference
• QB advanced stats
• Win rates from ESPN for OL and DL
• PFF advanced stats (grades, pass rush productivity, blocking efficiency, coverage stats)
• ESPN WR tracking metrics
• Past NFLTR Top 100s

90 – Broncos QB Bo Nix

A fractured ankle in overtime against the Bills robbed Nix of the chance to play for a spot in the Super Bowl. But that shouldn’t diminish what was a fantastic second season for the former Oregon passer. Nix totaled 3,931 passing yards and 25 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, completing 63.4 percent of his passes and adding 356 rushing yards with another five touchdowns. Those numbers don’t jump off the page the way some of the other quarterbacks on this list will, but the Broncos won a staggering 12 one-score games in 2025 — a testament to Nix’s poise and maturity in big moments.

What’s remarkable is how Nix is playing almost identical football to how he played in college at Oregon, and that’s exactly what Broncos HC Sean Payton wants. Nix limits mistakes (his 2.9 percent turnover-worthy play rate shows he caught a bit of bad interception luck to have 12 picks) and keeps Denver’s offense on schedule. If he has a superpower, it’s avoiding sacks, as his pressure-to-sack rate of 9.5 percent was the second-best mark of any passer in 2025. All of last season, he elevated his game with big-time throws, scrambles and quick reads in the biggest moments of the Broncos’ season. Look no further than him outdueling Bills QB Josh Allen with a spot in the AFC Championship Game on the line.

Is Bo Nix underrated or is it just me?
pic.twitter.com/cLxPOvL4in

— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) July 14, 2026

89 – Eagles DT Jalen Carter

Carter is another player not coming off his strongest season. But that doesn’t take away from the body of work he’s compiled over three years in the NFL. He was among the best interior pass rushers in the league as a rookie in 2023, ranking sixth in ESPN’s pass rush win rate among defensive tackles before jumping up to fourth in 2024. He fell to 18th in 2025, but ranking in the top 20 at your position in a down year is an impressive feat.

Carter’s rookie season was his best, as he totaled a 16.9 percent pass rush win rate per PFF. That number dropped to 12.8 percent the following season and 11.4 percent last season. Anything over 10 percent for a defensive tackle is among the best in the league, which just goes to show how nuts Carter’s rookie season was. Across all three seasons, Carter has 184 total pressures. Consistency both on and off the field (and below average run defense) is what keeps Carter from ranking higher on this list, as it’s hard not to feel like he could be an absolutely dominant force if he locked in.

88 – Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

The much-maligned Hurts was heavily blamed for the Eagles’ offensive struggles last season — perhaps unfairly so. Though he’s come down to earth a bit from the highs of his 2022 and 2023 seasons, he still put together an impressive campaign in 2025. The counting stats might not catch your attention, but he pushed the ball down the field without putting it in harm’s way at a nice clip. Hurts’ 9.5-yard average depth of target was among the highest in the league, yet he only had a turnover-worthy play rate of two percent.

Over 60 percent of Hurts’ passing yards came on his air yards, one of the highest clips PFF has ever tracked. Eagles receivers weren’t always helping him out, at least not in that respect, and he was responsible for creating most of their offense. Hurts’ rushing ability stood out once again: nearly half of his rushing attempts went for first downs or touchdowns. He’s a passer with some clearly defined strengths — throwing it down the field, avoiding turnovers, resilience — and weaknesses, like throwing over the middle of the field. It’s up to new OC Sean Mannion to highlight those strengths and minimize those weaknesses. 

87 – Browns CB Denzel Ward

Ward continues to be one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league. He doesn’t get much attention up in Cleveland, but eight years into his career he hasn’t lost a step. Over the last four seasons, he has 60 forced incompletions and 25 coverage stops, walling up in both man and zone and making plays all over the defense.

While some corners make their impact with splashy on-ball plays and others are quieter on the stat sheet yet yield little in coverage, Ward manages to do both. He allowed less than a yard per coverage snap last season and in 2024 yielded separation on just 26.7 percent of his snaps. Despite routinely matching up against the opponents’ top receiver in a scheme that puts a lot of pressure on cornerbacks, Ward more than holds his own and punishes offenses that try to attack him in coverage.

86 – Vikings OT Christian Darrisaw

A first-round pick back in 2021 out of Virginia Tech, Darrisaw established himself as one of the league’s more versatile and consistent offensive tackles over the last few seasons. You’ll be hard-pressed to find another tackle that dominates in both phases of the game the way Darrisaw does, and he’s still getting better and better.

In each of the last four seasons, Darrisaw’s had a pass blocking efficiency over 96 percent (per PFF). His 6.2-percent pressure rate allowed in 2025 was his highest in that span, and he battled injuries for much of last season. Despite this, he led all offensive linemen with an 84 percent run block win rate, per ESPN’s metrics, and he excels in zone-based blocking schemes that take advantage of his athleticism and ability to block on the move and in space. Minnesota was careful to manage Darrisaw’s knee last year, and if he can get past that, look for him to reassert himself as one of the league’s top tackles. 

85 – Vikings OT Brian O’Neill

The Vikings’ other stalwart tackle, O’Neill is similar to Darrisaw in that he manages to play well above average as a run blocker and a pass protector — and he’s been just ever so slightly better than his teammate in recent seasons. In 2025, he was 10th among offensive tackles in ESPN’s run block win rate and 15th in pass block win rate, one of the few tackles to stand out in both metrics.

O’Neill had a PFF pass blocking efficiency rating over 97 percent in three of the last four seasons, and he allowed a pressure rate of four percent or less in two of those seasons. Billed as an athletic project coming out of Pittsburgh, he put the work in and became one of the league’s most reliable tackles. That athleticism hasn’t gone anywhere, though, and like Darrisaw, O’Neill thrives in zone blocking schemes and in pass protection. Minnesota has one of the best-fitting tackle duos in the league.

84 – Seahawks DT Byron Murphy II

An elite pass-rushing interior defender, Murphy blossomed into a star last season. After being one of the most hyped rookies to enter the league in 2024, he had a quiet debut campaign, though the underlying metrics still really liked him. He ranked 15th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate in 2024 despite recording just a single sack.

That all changed last season in every way imaginable. Murphy exploded with 68 total pressures, a 12.5 percent pass rush win rate (per PFF) and seven sacks (11 if you go by PFF which doesn’t split out half sacks). Though he’s known for his pass rushing, Murphy also racked up 43 stops last year, ranking second among all defensive tackles. That highlights his two-way impact and the relentless toughness he plays with on every snap.

Byron Murphy II defeating double-teams using a ‘corkscrew’ technique x 11 #LeverageMonster #JYD pic.twitter.com/gQJHbPNgy3

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) December 19, 2025

83 – Rams CB Trent McDuffie

The Rams were aggressive this offseason in upgrading their cornerback room, giving up multiple draft picks (including the No. 29 overall pick in this past draft) to go get the guy they targeted in McDuffie. It’s not hard to see why HC Sean McVay and company were so eager to get this guy in the building. McDuffie has yet to allow more than a yard per coverage snap in any season in his career, building a reputation as a versatile defensive blanket who can play inside or outside and doesn’t yield much in the passing game.

McDuffie has 41 career forced incompletions and tons of experience on the outside and in the slot. Early in his career, the Chiefs played him more inside, but that snap split slowly evened out until last season, when the scales tipped in the other direction. Run defense is an underrated part of McDuffie’s skill set, as despite being a smaller corner he holds his own in that department. He has 92 career combined run and coverage stops.

82 – Eagles RB Saquon Barkley

Sometimes analysis is simple. It’s not hard to make a case for Barkley in the top 100 — no other running back has been as consistently productive or impactful over the last two seasons. Since joining the Eagles in 2024, Barkley has 3,145 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns to go with 70 receptions for 551 receiving yards and four more touchdowns.

The advanced stats bear this out as well. Barkley forced 151 missed tackles in that span, with 85 explosive runs and over 60 percent of his yards coming after contact. As good as the Eagles’ offensive line is, Barkley elevated Philly’s rushing attack, bringing his own skill and strength to bear and punishing defenses that gave him any openings.

81 – Chargers S Derwin James

There’s an argument that James is the best safety in the NFL. His versatility — both in where and how he plays — makes him uniquely dangerous. He’s the linchpin to what’s quietly been one of the best defenses in the NFL over the last few years, and the numbers bear this out. Since 2022, James has 60 coverage stops and 21 forced incompletions, with low yards allowed per coverage snap, even by safety standards. That level of coverage production is rare for a safety, and he does it from traditional deep alignments as well as from the slot.

James’ run defense might be even more impressive. In that same span, he has 56 run stops and 21 tackles for a loss. In 2025, his average depth of tackle was a wild 4.76 yards. As a safety! If that wasn’t enough, James has 49 pressures and 15 sacks, speaking to his ability to make his presence felt in every facet of the game.