Top-100 NFL Players of 2026: 40-31
- Zak Drapeau
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 7/12/2026
40. Cooper DeJean
Eagles Defensive Back
Last Year's Rank: N/A
DeJean is one of the new school DB's that are all the rage now because of their versatility. DeJean could be a lockdown, boundary corner one play and a soul taking, Box Safety the next in the blink of an eye and the way he showed improvement from his rookie season to his sophomore makes me really excited for his 3rd.
DeJean is more of a ball hawk than a hard hitter on paper but in Vic Fangio's defense he is always in the best place to do either. On his own, DeJean is an elite athlete with great skill but in the Eagles' defense he is one of the very best Safeties in the game and surrounded by some of the best defenders to boot, making his life even easier.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
39. Quenton Nelson
Colts Guard
Last Year's Rank: 54
I am a Colts fans so I might be biased in putting Big Q up here but there is an argument to make that Nelson is as important to his offense as any lineman is to theirs. 2025 was another great campaign for Nelson who made his 8th Pro Bowl in 8 seasons in the league and his 2nd straight All-Pro team. On top of that, Nelson made his 3rd straight season as a PFF Top-3 Guard in run blocking.
It's no secret the Colts like to run the ball and that starts with Nelson, the O line Captain and heart of the offense. Nelson doesn't miss games, doesn't miss plays and drives defenders through the whistle every time. When the Colts and Daniel Jones started the season spectacularly last season it was behind Nelson and as they try to recapture their lightning in a bottle, you can believe it will be on the back of big 56.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
38. T.J. Watt
Steelers Outside Linebacker
Last Year's Rank: 6
This is another situation where the player ir right around Top-10 in the league but after last season and offseason shake ups, I can see a down year in 2026. Not only will Watt have to come back to form after a nagging toe injury and a training needle procedure punctured his lung in what was a statistical terrible year for the elite edge rusher. To make matters worse, the Steelers no longer have Mike Tomlin leading their charge for the first time in Watt's career.
With all of these changes it's a wonder how someone could still be in the Top-10 which is a testament to just how good T.J. is. As a pure pass rusher, Watt is easily Top-10 and probably Top-5 in the league but he jumps up that list based on his versatility. No other pass rusher can defend the run or drop into coverage like Watt and even if his sack number stays in the single-digits, he'll add interceptions and fumbles and TFLs to boot and that doesn't even account for what he means as a leader to the Steelers' D.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
37. Christian McCaffrey
49ers Running Back
Last Year's Rank: 63
I really don't feel good about this because McCaffrey is coming off of one of his best seasons ever in the midst of a season where everything went wrong in San Francisco and he was the absolute life and soul of this offense. That being said, it seems like CMC gets injured every other year at this point and he's due.
2025 proved that when healthy, CMC is right there if not the absolute best RB in the league at rushing and receiving. He may have had a dip in yards per carry at only 3.9 but his usage rate as San Fran's #1 option and his receiving capabilities more than made up for it and showed that if he can stay on the field, McCaffrey is easily a Top-4 RB in the league and maybe made a case to be much higher on the list.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
36. De'Von Achane
Dolphins Running Back
Last Year's Rank: N/A
The reason McCaffrey was so good last year will be the reason Achane has an insane 2026 and makes a case for a Top-3 RB in the league. With the Dolphins in complete rebuild mode and ready to grab a Top-3 pick next year, De'Von Achane's brand new contract means he should be getting at least 25 touches a game. Achane has a legit case to dethrone CMC as the best receiving back this year too after averaging over 70 catches a season over the last two years.
As much of a threat through the air, Achane made a significant improvement in yards per rush at 5.7 last season which sounds great until you realize that teams will be HEAVILY game planning for him in 2026. Achane is in his prime and should make a claim as an elite RB this year but let's see if he can handle the extra touches.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
35. Sauce Gardner
Colts Cornerback
Last Year's Rank: 13
Sauce Gardner will either get back to being a Top-3 Corner in the league this year or continue to show he peaked years ago but even if it's the latter, Sauce still has an extremely high floor in the Colts' defense. A massive improvement in 2025, Lou Anarumo's secondary should make an even bigger jump in 2026 with Gardner, Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum posing an elite lineup on paper.
We all know that in his prime Gardner was probably the best Corner in the game and after the Colts spent 2, 1st-round picks on him it's clear they expect him to be that again but after a down two years including a major calf strain last season it's unclear one way or another. Even if he is at his floor next season he should easily be among the best corners in the game still.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
34. Danielle Hunter
Texans Defensive End
Last Year's Rank: 97
Is Danielle Hunter the most underrated player in the NFL of the last decade? 7 of the last 9 seasons he has had double digit sack totals and in his 2nd season with the Texans, he had the 3rd most with 15.
Hunter has been a key piece in making the Texans' defense among if not at the very top of best defenses in the league and his role as a pure pass rusher on every down has allowed him to reach the absolute best of his abilities. Hunter is getting older and it's very rare you see a 32-year old edge rusher maintain elite seasons 3 years in a row but not impossible. I see Hunter grabbing another 10 sack season in what should be a borderline elite season again but one that is just a level lower than what we're used to from the future Hall of Famer.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
33. Aidan Hutchinson
Lions Defensive End
Last Year's Rank: 45
We all wondered how Hutch would come back after his gruesome leg injury in 2024 and he didn't miss a beat. The Lions as a whole had a down year which kind of lowered his ranking plus they're not the same defense without Aaron Glenn as DC. No matter what though, a healthy Hutchinson is an elite pass rusher.
His hand usage is only 2nd to Myles Garrett in the league and even led the league in total snaps played and QB hurries. There's even room to improve for the 25-year old the more he rehabs from his injury. I'm not sure how high the ceiling is for the Lions' defense this season but if any one player could drag them into being elite again it has to be Hutch.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
32. Justin Jefferson
Vikings Wide Receiver
Last Year's Rank: 17
How Jettas got another 1,000 yard season with McCarthy, Wentz and Brosmer throwing him the ball shows just how elite he is. Unfortunately for him, Kyler Murray may be an improvement this season but I'm not sure it's that much of one.
If Jefferson had a top QB in the league he'd be Top-10 every year and in my opinion the best receiver in the game even above Chase but unfortunately for him, the Vikings have failed him time and time again. Luckily for them, a bad season for Jefferson that would constitute him being the 32nd best player is still somewhere around the 1,200 yard and 7 TD mark.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
31. Jordan Mailata
Eagles Tackle
Last Year's Rank: 31
Mailata is entering the phase of his career where he is in legitimate contention for best Tackle in the league every season. The Eagles' LT is a former Rugby player who was a 7th round pick and has been a picture of consistency for the his team in both the run and pass game.
With the 8th best Pass grade and 15th best run grade in the NFL Mailata had a bad year as most players did on the Eagles defense. If there's anyone I can expect to stay with it and have a better season in 2026 its Mailata.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Check out fansonlysportz.com/news for more sports media content posted daily.
Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the 2026 NFL Offseason
Zak Drapeau's Top-100 NFL Players of 2026 Continues Every Sunday.
-Z.D.
Comments