Top-100 Players in the NFL 2026: 60-51
- Zak Drapeau
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 6/28/2026
60. Caleb Downs
Cowboys Safety
Last Year's Rank: N/A
In my 3rd season of making my Top-100 players list, no rookie has even come close to being in the Top-60 but Caleb Downs is nowhere near a normal rookie. Not only was he the best pound-for-pound player to come out of the 2026 draft class but he went to the Dallas Cowboys where he will have the best opportunity to make the best of his abilities.
Downs is everything you want in a Free Safety and heading to a defense where he will not only be heralded by the media as a star but will have the entire defense gameplan around him. A better box Safety than Center Fielder, Downs should immediately pay dividends for the Cowboys and rack up tackles, tackles for loss, interceptions and fumbles in his rookie year alone.
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59. Dexter Lawrence II
Bengals Defensive Tackle
Last Year's Rank: 21
The stunning trade one week before the NFL Draft that sent disgruntled Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence from New Jersey to Cincinnati was one of the biggest trades of the offseason. The Bengals have been prioritizing the rebuild of their defense for 2 strong offseasons now and Lawrence is the cherry on top and likely the centerpiece and best player they'll have next season.
Lawrence is a rare Nose Tackle that is almost better at pass rushing than plugging the middle but 2025 was the exception. Lawrence only recorded .5 sacks last season but that was more due to the changing scheme of the Giants' defense that made Lawrence want out in the first place and a lingering elbow injury. Now that he's in a new situation in Cincy where they have youth all around in their Fronot-7, look for "Sexy Dexy" to get back to his ways of being a dominant force and one of the absolute premier Nose Tackles in the league.
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58. Baker Mayfield
Buccaneers Quarterback
Last Year's Rank: 32
My pick for MVP last season was indeed Baker Mayfield and through 6 games he was the favorite if that counts for anything. Then injuries took over and Baker took a step back having to rely almost solely on rookie Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka should grow into a terrific weapon in Tampa but seeing as they'll be heavily relying on him again in 2026, I can see Mayfield having another very good but not great season.
Baker is a dog no doubt about it and their offensive weapons including Egbuka, McMillan, Godwin and Irving are intriguing, but this offense is missing a huge, Mike Evans-size hole in it this year. Mayfield threw 26 TDs and 11 INTs last season and I can only see him improving those numbers a little, maybe throwing or 30 TDs but without any elite presence to him and with a probable 9-8 team record to boot.
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57. Malik Nabers
Giants Wide Receiver
Last Year's Rank: 25
Nabers is such a good athlete but I think I speak for everyone when I say he SUCKED for Fantasy Football last year. Nonetheless, things are happening down in New York and I'm not sure if I'm all in just yet for their offense. I truly believe they'll be a playoff team next season but John Harbaugh offenses aren't known for having elite receiver seasons.
Nabers is the best single talent on this offense for sure but with Jaxson Dart still being unproven as a pure thrower of the ball, Harbaugh's offense being extremely unselfish between receivers and Nabers coming off a major injury, I don't think it's crazy to say he will "only" have 80 catches for 1,100 yards and 5 TDs. That stat line alone is pretty good and his ability to attract the defense's top corner is priceless but it would be just shy of earning him a spot inside the Top-50.
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56. Tyler Warren
Colts Tight End
Last Year's Rank: N/A
The Colts offense is entering an entirely new era with Daniel Jones leading the charge and Alec Pierce deemed as their top receiver. Jonathan Taylor is still holding on as one of the league's best runners which means rookie sensation Tyler Warren is going to be overlooked for the most part next season.
In his rookie season, Warren proved he's one of the best drive blockers at the Tight End position and made Taylor's job even easier on the edge. Warren also led all rookies in the league in catches with 76 last season and is 817 yards and 4 TDs made him an immediate weapon in the league. Look for a big step in Year 2 as Warren may find himself as a Top-5 Tight End especially when it comes to the Colts' red zone offense.
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55. Tyler Linderbaum
Raiders Center
Last Year's Rank: 66
Linderbaum's $27 Million AAV was shocking in a sense for a Center but besides Creed Humphrey who we won't see until much later on the list, Linderbaum is the only man that deserves it. Las Vegas' first step in rebuilding around Fernando Mendoza was to sign an elite interior lineman to snap him the ball and not only will he make Mendoza's life easier but he will be crucial to Ashton Jeanty's success moving forward.
If people don't realize it here's your warning; the Raiders may not be a playoff team right away but they will be sooner than you think. Linderbaum may be the piece that ties the entire line together along with Kolton Miller and JPJ to his sides with a bell cow Running Back and Heisman-winning QB behind them. In the mix of this young and rebuilding roster, Linderbaum should be the leader up the middle and a crucial building block that should earn his fat contract right away.
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54. Patrick Mahomes II
Chiefs Quarterback
Last Year's Rank: 15
First things first, Mahomes is questionable to start the season. Even if he does, if this list is my expectations for the 2026 season I can no longer deny that Mahomes needs to prove himself all over again. From the last 3 seasons, Mahomes is averaging 25 TDs and 12 INTs a season while completing less than 66% of his passes.
As a pure talent Mahomes is Top-10 in the league and a Top-3 QB, but whether its a change in offensive schemes or the lackluster receiver room in Kansas City he has flat out under-performed. If Mahomes can play all 17 games along with Rashee Rice, he could very well return to his numbers from 2018-2022 but as unbelievable as it sounds, when it comes to Mahomes I will believe it when I see it nowadays.
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53. Trey Hendrickson
Ravens Defensive End
Last Year's Rank: 77
Hendrickson's 2026 season and his new fit for the Ravens actually made me make a pros and cons list. On one hand, Hendrickson finally got out of Cincinnati and feels like he should be attacking this season with new life especially while being paired with defensive specialist and new Ravens' Head Coach Jesse Minter.
On the other hand, Hendrickson is no longer the bonafide best rusher on the team like he was in Cincy. Mike Green, Adisa Isaac and rookie Zion Young will all be battling for snaps as well as being great athletes on their own as well. Hendrickson might come to Baltimore and immediately return to his 2024-ability but even if he takes a while to assimilate to his new surroundings, he should still easily be a double-digit sack guy and more than meeting the requirements to be close to the Top-50 in the league.
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52. Carson Schwesinger
Browns Linebacker
Last Year's Rank: N/A
The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year was a breath of fresh air for the Browns and one of the reasons they had the 4th best defense in yards allowed last season. Schwesinger was incredible at sniffing out run plays and stopping them before they really started and not too shabby as a zone coverage threat either, and he'll need to be even better in Year 2 to make up for a lack of pass rush I expect from the Browns this season.
Schwesinger will be the heart and soul of this defense and I wouldn't be surprised to see a C on his jersey either. A perfect mix between new age athletic backers and old school, tough run stoppers, I expect him to take to the extra pressure like a fish does to water and become a Top-5 LB in the league by year's end.
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51. Derrick Henry
Ravens Running Back
Last Year's Rank: 11
This may be a bit harsh for Henry but I see 2026 as an inevitable start to the fall of one of the greatest Running Backs in league history. For starters, we already saw a drop in his performance last season even though he went for 1,600 yards and 16 TDs and I understand he is the most physically gifted RB we've ever seen but rarely can backs keep these kind of numbers up into their 11th and age-32 season.
To make matters even worse, the Ravens' coaching exodus of 2025 including running gurus John Harbaugh and Todd Monken have become Head Coaches elsewhere and replaced by a defensive and passing experts. Henry will still have an impressive year if healthy and probably earn over 1,200 yards and double digit TDs but a drop to those numbers would be just shy of making Top-50 this season.
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