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

#11 Micah Parsons

Jaguars Cowboys Football

As Parsons has transitioned from off-ball backer to defensive end coming into 2023 – which Penn State originally recruited him as – he’s turned himself into one of the toughest guys to block in all of football.

According to PFF, Parsons led the NFL with 106 total pressures (across 577 pass-rush snaps) if you include the playoffs, and his 19.3% pressure rate was first as well.

Not only has he made first-team All-Pro and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of his first two seasons, but he also joined Reggie White and Aldon Smith as the only three players with 13+ sacks in consecutive years to begin their careers.

His speed off the edge is too much to handle for most NFL tackles, but he’s improved his ability to defeat their hands. Moreover, the power with which he can convert that initial burst shocks most opponents.

He’s also uber-active in the run game, constantly fighting off contact and too fast to leave unblocked on the backside.

#12 Tyreek Hill

Until the last couple of weeks of the 2022 season, Hill was neck and neck with Justin Jefferson. If he didn’t lose his primary quarterback, he might’ve had those extra 100 yards he needed for the receiving crown (1710 yards).

However, while those two shared almost the same target share of around 40%, Tyreek was the only pass-catcher with 20+ targets to average at least three yards per route run (3.07 – about half a yard more than Jefferson).

What’s crazy about that is the fact that Miami actually didn’t set him up with a ton of run-after-catch opportunities, with hole-shots off wheel routes off motion and several deep balls chucked his way, where he actually needed to stop and work back towards the ball, making his 50% contested catch rate at 5’10” even more impressive.

You watch the Ravens and Lions games – in which he put up 190 and 188 yards respectively – and you realize Hill almost single-handedly earned them those wins.

#13 Fred Warner

Fans of the linebacker position had the luxury of watching perennial All-Pros Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner during the 2010s, along with the tail-end of the Patrick Willis-NaVorro Bowman tandem.

Well, since then a new alpha on the second level has separated himself from the rest of the pack in San Francisco. Fred Warner’s numbers across 86 career games are certainly impressive – 634 total tackles, four interceptions, 35 PBUs, seven forced fumbles and 30 combined sacks and QB hits.

However, it’s his impact on games that you can’t express in numbers that make him truly special – how he forces running backs to redirect because of how quickly he fills on the front side, how he splits a couple of blockers to shut down screen passes, and how he’s mugged up in the A-gap and is still able to carry the slot receiver 40 yards down the seams.

His speed is absolutely insane and his presence is constantly felt. He’s also missed just 6.2% of his attempted tackles since 2020.

#14 T.J. Watt

Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh Steelers

After a monster start in week one against the Bengals, when he had a sack, QB hit, three tackles for loss and an interception, Watt suffered a torn bicep at the end of the game and ended up missing a couple of months. He never quite returned to form, but we can’t forget what kind of path this guy has been on.

Even with that injury-plagued 2022 campaign, Watt still has the most sacks (77.5), QB hits (162), and forced fumbles (23) since entering the league in 2017. He’s capable of taking over games in a hurry, but it’s his steady presence and effort to consistently affect the run and passing games that make him one of the game’s best.

When Watt was on the field this past season, the Steelers defense allowed 16.9 points per game and had 3.2 sacks per game (8-1 record). Without him, it allowed 25.3 points and had just 1.1 sacks (1-6 record).

#15 Patrick Surtain II

If you’re looking at the job description of a cornerback, in terms of sticking to your man and not allowing him to catch passes, I believe Surtain has ascended to the top of the list.

He earned the second-highest PFF grade in coverage (86.7), behind only rookie sensation Sauce Gardner, and while the raw numbers for opposing quarterbacks targeting him (45-of-77 for 468 yards and four TDs vs. two INTs) don’t scream out lockdown corner, I believe context is needed.

Unlike most teams today who either leave their guys on respective sides and/or play different variations of match-zone coverages, Pat II is legitimately isolated with the opposing team’s top outside receiver every week, and the Broncos structure their defense around him.

#16 Zack Martin

I was shocked to find out Martin finished all the way down at 50th among offensive linemen who played at least 100 snaps last season in terms of PFF grade. Considering he didn’t allow a single sack, just two QB hits and 15 additional pressures on over 700 pass-blocking snaps, that had me scratching my head even more.

The reason behind it was a run-blocking grade of 63.7, which I disagree with, considering he and his fellow linemen regularly placed defensive linemen in the laps of linebackers.

Martin has now made first-team All-Pro six times and second-time twice, with the only year he didn’t reach either being 2020, when he played a career-low 10 games (only one other time did he not reach at least 16 starts). This is an all-timer.

#17 Ja’Marr Chase

Bengals Camp Football

After setting the NFL record for rookie receiving yards in 2021, Chase was still able to affect the 12 games he was available for in equal fashion. Seeing six more targets his way (134) and catching all of those (87), he was able to convert 50% of his targets and 77% of his receptions into either first downs or touchdowns.

The number of big plays (13 catches of 20+ yards) certainly decreased, but he was an even more reliable piece in key situations, as only Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown converted more third downs per game into first downs (1.42) among pass-catchers with 50+ targets.

He can run by pretty much anybody and looks even faster with the ball in his hands, but he’s worked on his craft, in order to come open at the marker and find space along the sideline for crucial grabs.

Across 15 games (including playoffs), he finished below 50 yards just once. The one issue – he led the NFL with 0.92 drops per game (11 total).

#18 Davante Adams

While Adams’ yards per game decreased to “only” 89.2 last season (still top-five), he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns for the second time in his career with 14. That’s despite being part of a Raiders offense that didn’t have any consistent producers in their skill-position group.

If you put in perspective how much Davante meant for that unit, he not only accounted for half of their scoring through the air, but was also second behind only D.J. Moore in the percentage share of his team’s air yardage (41.8%).

However, while he was still a chain-mover for the Silver and Black, he was used downfield more than ever in his career, as his 10.2 yards before catch on average were just 0.1 yards behind Tyreek Hill. His 24 receptions of 20+ yards were just one behind the Miami speedster. That included a walk-off touchdown in overtime in their second game against the Broncos.

#19 Lane Johnson

To express how good Lane has been over these last few years, all I need to say is that he hasn’t allowed a sack since Week 11 of 2020. He’s also only allowed one QB hit, despite spending over 1100 snaps in pass-pro since then and having faced some of the top-flight pass-rushers across the league.

Johnson isn’t quite up to par with the brute force of his counterpart Jordan Mailata over at left tackle or as versatile in his usage as Jason Kelce at center, but he’s able to control and steer bodies in the run game.

Johnson is the best pure pass-protector in the game today and got the job every week for the most devastating rushing attack in the NFL, as they led the league in total yards (3040) if you include the playoffs and set a new record with 42 touchdowns on the ground for a season.

#20 Maxx Crosby

You need convincing that Crosby is one of the premier defensive linemen in the game or just want to have fun for the next hour? Go put on some Raiders tape and watch this man go to work – please don’t pay attention to the rest of that defense though.

Crosby is an above-90th-percentile athlete for the position, yet he plays harder than anybody as physically gifted as he is. He’s not the most diverse pass-rusher, but his ability to put tackles off their heels and then throw in a spin move a couple of times per game gets the job done.

According to PFF, his 189 total pressures over the last two years led all defensive players, despite being on a below-average defense and not having any playoff games to expand that number.

Yet, he’s also hyper-active in the run game, working off blocks and tracking down the ball carrier, which is how he had three more tackles for loss (22) than any other player in the NFL, along with three forced fumbles.