Top-100 NFL Players of 2026: 20-11
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 7/26/2026
20. Matthew Stafford
Rams Quarterback
Last Year's Rank: N/A
Does Matthew Stafford have one of the best arms in the league? Absolutely.
Is he surrounded by one of the best rosters and Head Coaches in the league? Yes.
Has he shown to be inconsistent year-by-year? Yes he has.
Stafford was rightfully given the MVP award last year and showed that when healthy and put with the right team he can be the best Quarterback in the league and I expect... well soemthing like that again in 2026-27. However, his OC Mike LaFleur moved on to Arizona and he hasn't put back-to-back 4,000 yard seasons since 2021.
Still, Stafford has Puka Nacua, Sean McVay and maybe the best defense in the league on his side this season so being a Top-3 Quarterback shouldn't be too much of a stretch.
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19. Fred Warner
49ers Linebacker
Last Year's Rank: 20
Warner had a horrific ankle injury only 6 games into last season that kept him out for the season but the best Linebacker in the league is completely healthy and ready to get back at it in 2026.
This was the first time in Warner's career that he was ever injured and we all know what he can do when healthy. As an inside, off-ball Linebacker there is little doubt that Warner is the best in the league. Possibly one of the best all-around MLB's in the league's history, there may be some doubt that Warner can come back to the same skills after his injury but I have no such doubts. The center of the 49ers defense that has finished Top-10 in yards allowed since he joined the team, Warner should rsume his role as Captain and driving force as soon as the year starts.
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18. Nik Bonitto
Broncos Edge Rusher
Last Year's Rank: N/A
There are several players on my list that I somehow didn't have on last year's edition and Nik Bonitto was a SEVERE lack of judgement as far as that goes... and sadly not the last unranked player we'll see.
As far as under the radar superstars go, Bonitto is toward the top of the league in that category probably because of his role in Denver's multi-talented defense and the fact that he's still only 26. In his first 4 years in the league he has 37 sacks, 35.5 of which are in the previous 3 seasons where he's increased his total every year.
In terms of quickness and speed, there likely is not another edge rusher on the planet as good as the Broncos OLB. His ability to jump the Tackle before he can even get off his backstep is ridiculous and has shown that Bonitto is not just good but is still gettign better. If he contiunues his progression and the Broncos' defense as a whole has another great year, Bonitto could be in the hunt for a DPOY which he came in 4th for last season.
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17. Amon-Ra St. Brown
Lions Wide Receiver
Last Year's Rank: 41
Amon-Ra is now the only receiver in history to have 110 receptions, 1,250 yards and 10 TDs in 3 straight seasons and he did it all before turning 27. St. Brown is lucky to have a Quarterback with an arm like Goff but at the same time, his ability to break routes, his intelligence to find holes and his sure hands make him the best receiver Goff's ever had.
St. Brown will volley for the top focus in Detroit with Jahmyr Gibbs for the next decade as each compete for league-best for their position. Consistency is St. Brown's best trait with averages of 7 catches per game and 12 yards per reception over the last 3 years. Seemingly just entering his prime, can 2026 be the year Amon-Ra finally cracks Top-10 in the league?
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16, Penei Sewell
Lions Tackle
Last Year's Rank: 19
In my opinion, Penei Sewell and one other man we'll see in next week's Top-10 list are easily the best two offensive linemen in the league. The reason I have Sewell at #16 and not also in the Top-10 is because he will start his first season at Left Tackle for the Lions this year and there may be the smallest bit of learning on the job required in his first few games.
If I was ever confident a Tackle could make the switch it would be Sewell, who is already one of the best run blocking Tackles... ever, but also one of the best pass blockers in the league and that's why I see him transitioning easily at least until rookie Blake Miller proves he's ready to step in. Sewell is just a beast and someone I don't expect to fall below the Top-20 mark for the next decade.
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15. Jeffrey Simmons
Titans Defensive Tackle
Last Year's Rank: 98
So I was looking this up the other day and saw that Jeff Simmons was #83 on the NFL's list and that is the biggest crock of you know what they have made this year. So let's go over the facts; Simmons has been a premier D-Tackle in the league for 7 years. He's coming off his best season ever where he set a personal record of 11 sacks in Tennessee of all places. He is also getting one of the best defensive minds, Robert Saleh as his new Head Coach heading into 2026.
Simmons has always been one of the best pass rushing D-tackles in the league but last season probably became the undoubted best. Now with Robert Saleh who has a history of getting the best out of D-Tackles, he should turn his elite 2025 campaign into something maybe better this year as the focus of Tennessee's defense.
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14. Quinyon Mitchell
Eagles Cornerback
Last Year's Rank: 62
I hate to make such lofty comparisons to a player as young as Mitchell, but we're seeing the next Sauce Gardner in front of our eyes. From the best Cornerback in the 2024 draft class to runner-up for DROY 2 years ago and then an elite 2025 season, Mitchell's trajectory could mean the best corner in the league as early as next season.
Mitchell's 2025 was as elite as it gets with 0 allowed touchdowns on the season, the best catch rate allowed by any cornerback, (41.6% from PFF) and 17 PBUs. Mitchell may be surrounded by Eagles DBs that make his life a heck of a lot easier but in terms of man coverage, he puts receivers on an island and just shuts them down plain and simple. If Cornerback is indeed the hardest position to play in football, Mitchell is easily a Top-15 player in the league that I predict will be Top-10 after this season.
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13. Creed Humphrey
Chiefs Center
Last Year's Rank: 18
They say offensive linemen, like corners, are often best when you don't ever hear about them and truth be told I haven't heard about Creed Humphrey in about 3 seasons now. Humphrey is consistent, quick and absurdly intelligent and the leader of the Chiefs' offensive line that was injury-riddled and otherwise inconsistent on either side of him.
Humphrey has been the best Center in the league or at least 1B when Frank Ragnow was around for 2 or 3 years now and even at the age of 27-years old is fast becoming one of the best Centers in the last few decades. He just does everything right and does it while leading the offensive line of the best franchise of the last 10 years.
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12. Lamar Jackson
Ravens Quarterback
Last Year's Rank: 1
So help me get this straight, Lamar Jackson is the best dual threat Quarterback we've ever seen, a 2-time MVP before 30-years old, the #2 ranked player on the NFL Top-100 list in the last two seasons, then after a slight injury he drops to #69 for 2026.
SHAMEFUL.
Lamar put up 41 TDs, 4 INTs, over 5,000 total yards and 4 more rushing TDs just a year ago and gets dumped in the high 60's like he's yesterday's news. Jackson is a Top-10 player without a doubt in my mind in the league but coming off an injury and l,osing John Harbaugh made me have to drop him down my list... 2 whole spots.
Get it together NFL.
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11. Christian Gonzalez
Patriots Cornerback
Last Year's Rank: 78
Gonzalez is the absolute prototype dream for a cornerback in today's NFL and it's showing as he's gotten better and better every year after already being elite. Gonzalez is 6'1", 200 pounds a massive 76" reach, completely fluid hips and a sub-4.4 40 time. Add to that that he's as sticky of a man cover corner as there is in the league and that he just turned 24 and you've got yourself one of the best defenders in the league for the next decade.
Sadly for Gonzalez and Patriots fans there are just 10 players that I think will have a better 2026 and that's no knock on Gonzo. He should be getting paid something like $132 million over 4 years before the season starts and he'll be worth it right away. The Patriots had a great defense last year and Gonzalez is the key to it. As long as the kid stays healthy, Gonzo, Quinyon and one more corner on next week's finale will easily stay atop the league and around the 10 best it has to offer.
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-Z.D.
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