NFLTR Features

NFLTR Top 100 Players: Full List, Position Breakdown & Honorable Mentions

July 22, 2022

We hope you enjoyed our inaugural NFLTR Top 100 Players list. The goal was to appreciate some of the game’s brightest stars, some of whom don’t always receive the plaudits they should, and to help pass the slow period of the NFL calendar in July before training camp. With most of the league set to start practicing next week, hopefully we did that.

Here’s the full NFLTR Top 100 Players list:

Every position except specialists was represented. Here’s the breakdown of the top 100 by position. As you’d expect, the premium positions like quarterback and edge rusher were well-represented. But the list also offers a glimpse of how deep and talented the NFL is at certain positions like wide receiver and offensive tackle right now.

Here’s the positional breakdown for the full NFLTR Top 100 Players list:

Quarterback: 12
Running back: 4
Wide receiver: 14
Tight end: 5
Offensive tackle: 14
Guard: 5
Center: 4
Interior defensive line: 9
Edge rusher: 13
Linebacker: 4
Cornerback: 12
Safety: 4

And here is how each position is ranked, for the curious among you:

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive tackle

Guard

Center

Interior DL

Edge rusher

Linebacker

Cornerback

Safety

Even with 100 players to choose from, there were some hard cuts that we hated to leave off the list. Some of these players were even on initial drafts of the list but the competition was fierce. You can decide for yourself if they deserve to be included, and who deserves to be taken off instead.

Here’s the top 10 NFLTR Top 100 Players Honorable Mentions list:

Packers OLB Rashan Gary: Green Bay turned to Gary as a full-time starter in 2021 and he responded with a career-high 9.5 sacks. More importantly, he was second in the entire NFL in total pressures as calculated by Pro Football Focus, with 81.
49ers DT Arik Armstead: Rebounded from a more uneven 2020 campaign to finish with six sacks in 2021. PFF credited him as being a part of 10 and had him eighth at his position in pressures. He was No. 3 in ESPN’s run stop win rate.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen: His game was never about speed and his yards per catch was just 10.7 in 2021. He remains one of the NFL’s best route runners, however, and a victim here of so much young talent at the position.
Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr.: PFF loved Winfield, grading him as their No. 2 safety in the league in 2021. The splash plays have been there in his first two seasons, with three picks, 12 pass deflections, five sacks and four fumble recoveries. Winfield dramatically improved in coverage in his second year, though.
Buccaneers OLB Shaq Barrett: He has 18 sacks the past two seasons combined after his breakout 19.5 sack season in 2019. But the advanced metrics show Barrett is just as disruptive even if he’s not getting home quite as often.
Bears OLB Robert Quinn: The 11-year vet exploded for 18.5 sacks in 2021 which was second in the NFL. His pass-rush win rate of 26 percent was also No. 2. It was an elite season from someone who has been more of a solid pass rusher the past few years.
Cardinals S Budda Baker: More of an enforcer to begin his career, even at a diminutive 5-10, 195 pounds, Baker has made more plays in coverage with five interceptions the past two seasons. However, the gap between him and the field at safety is tight, with another eight players who received top 100 consideration.
Buccaneers C Ryan Jensen: The stats, such as they are, for offensive linemen don’t paint a particularly compelling picture for Jensen. But they don’t capture how much of a menace he is as an enforcer on the field. There’s a reason he was Tampa Bay’s top priority to re-sign this offseason. Outside of Brady, he might be the offensive player on the Bucs opponents hate facing the most.
Jaguars G Brandon Scherff: ESPN had Scherff with the top run block win rate in the league last season at 77 percent. He’s consistently been among the better guards in the league — if healthy. He hasn’t played a full season since his second year in the league in 2016.
Chiefs G Joe Thuney: ESPN’s top guard in pass block win rate, Thuney was a big part of Kansas City’s offensive line turnaround this past season. He can also play left tackle in a pinch and more than hold his own as evidenced by his time with the Patriots, which is a nice card to have in your back pocket.