Top 100 NFL players of 2023 ft. Patrick Mahomes, Justin Jefferson & more

#91 Quenton Nelson

Colts Football

As I mentioned with Jonathan Taylor already, anybody associated with the Colts offense in 2022 had a really bad year. The most surprising among those was Quenton Nelson, who was on a Hall of Fame arc through his first three years in the league.

Throughout Indy’s O-line, there were missed assignments and poor communication this past year. Big Q himself allowed defenders to “win the gap” more than ever before and he was late to transition against twists and games on multiple occasions.

After holding opponents to just four sacks across 2521 pass-blocking snaps prior up to 2022, he surrendered five sacks last season alone and a career-high 31 total pressures (720 PB snaps).

I’d be shocked if he doesn’t return to that early-career form this year, however.

#92 Jaycee Horn

After looking like a young star in very limited time as a rookie, Horn was lost three games into the season with a torn Achilles. He surprisingly played at a very high level across 13 games in the subsequent season, when he intercepted three passes and broken up seven more.

He held opponents to a 55.0% completion rate, just 3.7 yards after the catch on average and one total touchdown. Only Tariq Woolen and James Bradberry allowed lower passer ratings among defenders with over 50 targets last season (62.4).

His 10.2% missed tackle rate isn’t bad for a corner either. So with a full offseason under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who just helped Patrick Surtain turn into an All-Pro corner, I expect him to continue to rise.

#93 Trevon Diggs

As expected, Diggs could not keep up with the insane pace of interceptions he set in 2021. His pick total dropped from 11 to three, along with 14 more PBUs. However, his yards per target (7.9) and touchdowns allowed (three) actually decreased slightly.

He’s worked extremely hard on being a more reliable tackler, missing just 60 attempts all of last season. He also cut down his accepted penalty total to just four worth 16 yards.

Diggs' competitiveness to hang in there and actively locate the ball in order to make plays makes him one of the most valuable contributors at the position.

#94 Rhamondre Stevenson

The book on Stevenson coming out of Oklahoma a couple of years ago was that he was a very powerful runner with excellent pass-protection skills. And while he’s finished fourth (2.7 yards) and tied for ninth in average yards after contact (2.1 yards per) across the league, he’s been much more than just a banger inside.

He has that initial burst that allows the Patriots to get him out to the corner on toss plays with regularity and for a 230+ pound back, he has incredibly nimble feet.

Despite finishing tied for 16th in total carries (210), his 16 runs of 15+ yards were the fourth-most league-wide. Stevenson’s 69 receptions were also fourth among the position and only Austin Ekeler – who caught 40 extra balls – had more missed tackles forced (21) after the catch last season.

#95 Jordan Poyer

Bills Hyde and Poyer Football

Poyer has been the epitome of the term “safety”. He excels at limiting big plays and taking care of his assignments. He’s become a ball-hawk on top of it, with nine combined interceptions over the last two years.

While Buffalo heavily relies on zone coverage, Poyer’s ability to trigger on routes in his vicinity in accordance with spacing and phase of the pattern makes a big difference.

This past season, he was charged with the lowest passer rating allowed among safeties (60.1) and a career-low 4.7 yards per target. On top of that, he missed just three of 66 tackling attempts.

#96 T.J. Hockenson

With George Kittle and Mark Andrews both missing some time, Hockenson took full advantage and finished behind only Kelce with a career-high 914 receiving yards.

What’s impressive about that is the fact he was traded in-division from Detroit to Minnesota seven games into the year and immediately became the secondary target to Justin Jefferson in that attack.

His ability to find open spaces against zone coverage, but also win balls through contact made him highly effective. Not only did he finish behind only Kelce with 17 third-down catches that resulted in conversion, but he also led all TEs with 19 contested catches last season, with an impressive 57.6% rate.

As he continues to work in that outside zone-based scheme, he’ll be a valuable contributor in the run game as well.

#97 Tariq Woolen

One of the finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year, Woolen stood out to me as a steal in the fifth round purely based on his combination of insane athletic profile and competitive mindset.

He was able to immediately translate that potential onto the NFL field. He was tied for the league-lead with six interceptions, with actually a lower completion percentage allowed (51.5%) than the ultimate winner of the award Sauce Gardner.

His speed to run with anybody down the sideline and the length to disrupt the catch-point as well as extend his range as a flat-defender in cover-two to his side are apparent.

With a top-five pick at the opposite corner spot added, I’m interested to see how much more man Seattle will be in and how many chances Woolen gets to make plays on the ball.

#98 Aaron Jones

Packers Camp Football

Because he’s barely cracked 1,000 rush attempts through his first six years in Green Bay and the fact another Aaron in that backfield along with him has received all the attention in the past, Jones isn’t regularly considered one of the top backs in football.

However, in terms of efficiency, he’s on a historic pace, as only Nick Chubb has averaged more than his 5.1 yards per carry since Jim Brown hung up his cleats. Last season, he actually finished first among all 24 running backs who handled 200+ rushing attempts with 5.3 yards per.

Not only that but he’s also averaged 403.8 receiving yards across his four years as a full-time starter for the Packers. While he may not possess true break-away speed, Jones’ short-area acceleration is top-tier.

#99 Kyle Dugger

Dugger had an impressive 2022 season, where he really filled the stat sheet – three interceptions, eight PBUs, five tackles for loss and three defensive touchdowns. In fact, only two other defenders scored twice.

Along with his presence roaming the underneath areas in coverage and his ability to match up with big-bodied pass-catchers, he’s been very effective when utilized as a blitzer, illustrated by 11 pressures on just 36 pass-rush snaps last season.

At 6’2” and 220 pounds, Dugger can be a legit plus-one in the box and mismatch against slot receivers in the run game.

#100 Amon-Ra St. Brown

If you look at the last 17 games St. Brown has started and finished from the last month of 2021 onwards, he’s been as productive as any receiver in the league. Across those, he’s hauled in 126 of 161 targets for 1450 yards and nine touchdowns.

He’s primarily a slot receiver (68.8% of career snaps spent there), but he’s been a machine from that spot. His ability to kill defenses with paper-cuts as he mid-points zone defenders, but also consistently create separation at the top of routes is masterful.

His 23 third downs converted last season were only two behind the league leader in that category in Justin Jefferson, despite missing basically two-and-a-half games. His yards per route run mark (2.40 per) was tied for seventh among all pass-catchers with Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs.

Now entering his third season, we need to see him put it all together for a full 17/18 consecutive weeks and possibly more.

Honorable mentions: DeMario Davis, Tyson Campbell, David Long Jr., Marcus Williams, D.J. Moore, Jessie Bates, Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, Ryan Ramczyk, Jimmie Ward, DaRon Payne, Jevon Holland, Za’Darius Smith, David Njoku, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Vita Vea, Ronnie Stanley, Josh Allen (JAX), Dre Greenlaw, Geno Smith, Budda Baker, Elgton Jenkins, James Bradberry, Lavonte David, Quincy Williams, Jonah Jackson, Amari Cooper, Kenny Clark & DeVonta Smith.