Pete Prisco shares his 100 best players entering the new season
• 24 min read
Picking the best player in the NFL is easy, a layup, a gimme putt.
It’s Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — and then everybody else. Mahomes has won two straight Super Bowls, three total, has two regular-season MVPs and three Super Bowl MVPs. He showed last season that he can win it all, even at a time when the Chiefs looked vulnerable for much of their season.
Mahomes might be on his way to being the best of all time, not just quarterback, but player.
Mahomes, who once again is the No. 1-ranked player in my annual list of the top 100 NFL players, has a chance to three-peat this season, which could give him four Super Bowl titles in seven seasons as a starter.
Tom Brady is considered the best quarterback of all time with his seven Super Bowl rings, but one more for Mahomes would make for an interesting argument about the GOAT. Brady never won three Super Bowls in a row.
As for the greatest player of all time, I always go with Jerry Rice, who is the greatest receiver of all time. But what makes him the best player in my mind is that there is no argument to be made about the best receiver, which you can do for every other position in the league.
If Mahomes continues with his winning ways, he could take them both down. For now, there is no arguing about the top spot of any rankings of the league’s players.
One thing that stood out when doing this year’s ranking was how obvious it is that the league is in transition. Aaron Donald, a surefire top-2 player, has retired. Some veterans who have been near the top of my rankings in recent years haven’t played as well and the young players are still on the rise, heading for the top 10, but not there yet.
That made filling out the rest of the top 25 a challenge this year. There isn’t the usual star-studded top 20, although that can change with the emergence of young players like C.J. Stroud and other second- and third-year players.
This is my list, based on my evaluations, as well as some conversations with some league personnel. Mostly, though, it’s my list.
So get mad at me. Talk about the omissions, about who you think is too high and who is too low. That’s what it’s all about.
But it isn’t easy. That much I can promise you. Putting together a top 100 list is tougher than you think — aside from No. 1, of course. That’s easy. That’s a player who now clearly looks down from the top spot of these rankings and soon might be looking down from the top spot of all rankings of players in NFL history.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts; Dre Greenlaw, LB, 49ers; Evan Engram, TE, Jaguars; Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals; Tyron Smith, T, Jets; Andrew Thomas, T, Giants; Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions; Quenton Nelson, G, Colts; Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders; Brian Branch, DB, Lions; Kobie Turner, DT, Rams; Quincy Williams, LB, Jets; Calvin Ridley, WR, Titans; Paulson Adebo, CB, Saints; Alex Highsmith, EDGE, Steelers; Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams; David Njoku, TE, Browns; Quinn Meinerz, G, Broncos; Jaycee Horn, CB, Panthers; Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams,; Xavier McKinney, S, Packers; Patrick Queen, LB, Steelers; Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles; Joey Bosa, EDGE, Chargers; Jonathan Allen, DT, Commanders; Aaron Jones, RB, Vikings; Bijan Robinson, RB, Falcons; Travis Etienne, RB, Jaguars; Kyren Williams, RB, Rams; Joel Bitonio, G, Browns; C.J. Mosley, LB, Jets; Landon Dickerson, G, Eagles; Foye Oluokun, LB, Jaguars; Keenan Allen, WR, Bears; Kyle Dugger, S, New England Patriots; Michael Pittman, WR, Colts; Jaelan Phillips, EDGE, Dolphins; Matt Milano, LB, Bills; Cameron Heyward, DT, Steelers; Bobby Okereke, LB Giants; Javon Hargrave, DT, 49ers; Derwin James, S, Chargers, DeForest Buckner, DT, Colts; Amari Cooper, WR, Browns; Robert Hunt, G, Panthers; DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Titans; Rashan Gary, EDGE, Packers; Denzel Ward, CB, Browns; Raheem Mostert, RB, Dolphins; DaRon Bland, CB, Cowboys
