Pete Prisco shares his 100 best players entering the new season
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is back as the best player in my ranking of the NFL’s top 100, and if he keeps up at his current pace he will be in the conversation for No. 1 all time.
Mahomes led his Chiefs to his second Super Bowl title last February, beating the Philadelphia Eagles and winning both the regular-season and Super Bowl MVPs in the process. The man is on a roll. In the past four seasons, he has two Super Bowl victories and one loss in the Super Bowl. He also has two regular-season MVPs in the past five seasons.
Oh, and he’s only 27. That should scare the heck out of the rest of the NFL. He isn’t even in his prime yet. Tom Brady, he’s coming for you.
But Mahomes isn’t alone when it comes to quarterbacks at the top of my player rankings. In fact, it’s 1-2-3 for the quarterbacks. It’s Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills in the No. 2 spot and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 3. These guys are razor-thin close in my book. Those three quarterbacks are the current elites of the position as we head into the 2023 season.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was my No. 1 player last year, but he slipped down to the ninth spot this year in part because he was hurt last season and his production waned. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see him back closer to the top next season.
Putting together the list is a real challenge. There are so many talented players, and after the stars at the top it’s tough to separate the players who land from 20-45 or so. So before you get worked up about my list, which you will, try to put one of your own together. It isn’t easy.
The middle class is tough to divide. As for guys who just missed, some did so because of injury and some did so because they might be on the rise or on the decline. Some of the just-missed players were in the top 100 at one point, but eventually they fell out.
The top is easy. It’s 1-2-3 quarterbacks with Mahomes again looking down at the rest of the NFL.
HONORABLE MENTION: Aiden Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions; Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys; Danielle Hunter, Edge, Minnesota Vikings; Bobby Wagner, LB, Seattle Seahawks; Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers; A.J. Terrell, CB, Atlanta Falcons; Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins; Dre Greenlaw, LB, San Francisco 49ers; Kirk Cousins, QB, Minnesota Vikings; Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers; Terron Armstead, T, Miami Dolphins; Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals; Kayvon Thibodeaux, Edge, New York Giants; Trevon Diggs, CB, Dallas Cowboys; Jordan Poyer, S, Buffalo Bills; Charles Cross, T, Seattle Seahawks; Marlon Humphrey, CB, Baltimore Ravens; Antoine Winfield, S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks; Michael Onwenu, G, New England Patriots; Marshon Lattimore, CB, New Orleans Saints; Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars; Matt Milano, LB, Buffalo Bills; Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams; Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys; L’Jarius Sneed, CB, Kansas City Chiefs; Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers; Javon Hargrave, DT, San Francisco 49ers; Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars; Dre’Mont Jones, DT, Seattle Seahawks; Leonard Williams, DT, New York Giants; Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals; Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins; Rashan Gary, Edge, Green Bay Packers; Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; DaRon Payne, DT, Washington Commanders; Denzel Ward, CB, Cleveland Browns; Cam Jordan, DE, New Orleans Saints; Demario Davis, LB New Orleans Saints; Jonathan Allen, DT, Washington Commanders; Justin Simmons, S, Denver Broncos; Elgton Jenkins, G, Green Bay Packers; Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers; Jessie Bates III, S, Atlanta Falcons; Tyson Campbell, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars; Kyle Hamilton, S, Baltimore Ravens; James Bradberry, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
