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

#81 Tony Pollard

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Dallas Cowboys v San Francisco 49ers

Pollard put up career-highs across the board last season. He finished 12th in scrimmage yards (1378) and tied for sixth in touchdowns (12) among running backs despite being 21st in total touches (232).

For a couple of years now, Pollard was held back by Ezekiel Elliott handling the majority of touches and the belief was that Zeke was a better power runner. Well, last season among players with 100+ carries, Pollard led everybody with 2.6 yards after contact on average.

Moreover, he didn’t fumble once. That’s along with finishing second among RBs in yards per catch (9.5) and turning 46.2% of his touches in the passing game into first downs.

#82 D.J. Reader

Looking at the defensive numbers against the run for Cincinnati, the difference between Reader being on the field and not is truly glaring. Through the first two weeks, they were tied for fourth in rushing success rate (33.3%). Weeks three through nine – when Reader was hurt – they were tied for 24th in that regard.

From the following game all the way until the AFC Championship, they ascended back to seventh across the league. His ability to not get reach-blocked on the front side and force cutbacks goes beyond numbers.

He also has the core strength to stack-and-shed blockers, thanks to which he finished seventh among all defensive players across the league with a 10.9% run stop rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

At the same time, he registered pressure on a career-best 10% of his pass-rush snaps.

#83 Rashawn Slater

Being lost mid-way through the third game of the 2022 season with a torn bicep has made people forget how outstanding Slater was right away as a rookie. According to AP, he was the best left tackle in football not named Trent Williams and the film matches that.

His pass-blocking efficiency of 97.9 in year one actually put him just above Trent, while having to handle a massive 752 pass-blocking snaps, across which he held opposing rushers to 26 combined pressures.

In very limited action this past season, he was actually off to an even better start, with just three pressures on 113 such snaps, and he spotted the fourth-highest PFF run-blocking grade (88.0) if you look at tackles who played 100+ snaps.

Justin Herbert’s numbers fell off without Slater protecting his blind side and not only will a change to Kellen Moore at offensive coordinator make the QB’s job easier, but I’m also looking forward to seeing how he might utilize the mobility of his left tackle by diversifying the rushing attack.

#84 Kevin Byard

Other than the Broncos’ Justin Simmons, I don’t think there’s been a more impactful safety in the league than Byard since entering the league in 2016. With four more interceptions last season, his total over the past six seasons is now at an insane 27, along with another 59 passes broken up.

Even more impressive – he has never missed a single game throughout his seven-year career. Since we’re at number seven, that’s also where his name was listed in Pro Football Focus’ database in overall grade among safeties who played at least 300 snaps last season.

That may actually be low, understanding the variety of ways defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has been able to deploy him and considering he has missed just 3.0% of his attempted tackles over the past two seasons.

#85 Jaelan Phillips

So far through two seasons with the Dolphins, Phillips may have only recorded 15.5 sacks, but I believe he is about to become one of the true superstar defenders across the NFL.

In 2022, he earned an elite PFF pass-rush grade (90.1), being tied for the seventh-most total pressures (77) and being tied for fourth in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate (24%).

From December onwards, he was among the most disruptive defenders in football, with a variety of different ways in which he could win the passing game. Plus, he’s added 17 tackles for loss over his two years in Miami.

#86 Dallas Goedert

Eagles Football

I truly believe that when on the field, Goedert is right behind that second tier of George Kittle and Mark Andrews (with Travis Kelce in his own league) as far as tight ends go.

He finished third among all wide receivers and TEs with 20+ targets last season in yards per target (10.2 per) and average yards after catch (7.6). Most impressive however is Goedert’s insane first down per catch ratio of 58.0%. Travis Kelce and Jaylen Waddle were tied for second with 51.3%.

He’s not quite on that same level in terms of working the intermediate areas of the field, but in terms of attacking vertically and gaining yardage with the ball in his hands, he’s as good as just about anybody at the position. The only reason he’s not higher in the rankings is how susceptible he’s been to injuries, having missed either two or five games in all but his rookie campaign in 2018.

#87 Joe Thuney

It’s rare to see offensive linemen leave New England – at least it was throughout the tenure of position coach Dante Scarnecchia – and actually improve at a different spot.

Thuney was already a Pro Bowl-level player in the latter couple of five years with the Pats, but he’s arguably been the top guard across the AFC since coming to Kansas City two years ago.

Since then, he’s received the highest PFF pass-blocking grade in each of those seasons among all guards who played 200+ snaps last season (90.5 and 88.9 respectively), allowing just one sack each.

Last season he was called for a false start and holding just once each and 2022 was the first year he missed a single game or start across his seven seasons in the league.

#88 Wyatt Teller

After a so-so debut campaign in Cleveland, he put together one of the most dominant run-blocking seasons we’ve seen from a guard in 2020, leading all offensive linemen with a grade of 93.6 from Pro Football Focus.

Their database would make you believe he’s declined these past two seasons, but when I put on the tape, he’s still burying defensive ends on kickouts and opening up massive lanes by displacing interior linemen horizontally.

Plus, his pass-blocking efficiency has been extremely steady, finishing between 96.9 and 97.7 in all four years with the Browns.

#89 Trey Hendrickson

After seeing sporadic usage the first three years of his rookie contract as a pick just outside the top-100, Hendrickson broke out in a major way in 2020, earning himself a big contract with Cincinnati.

He’s one of those under-the-radar stars, who doesn’t appeal to general fans because his game isn’t overly flashy, but if you check the numbers, you realize he’s been one of the most consistent defensive ends in the league.

Over these last three years, his 186 pressures rank fifth across the NFL. His 30 tackles for loss over that stretch are also pretty high up there, as a reliable edge-setter who understands when he can disengage from blocks.

While his pressure numbers were down a little bit this past season, he batted down a career-high three passes and forced three fumbles for the second straight year.

#90 Antoine Winfield Jr.

Similar to his father and three-time Pro Bowler Antoine Winfield Sr., who was one of the better DBs in the league for about a decade, Junior has been somewhat underappreciated as a young player.

While he hasn’t been a huge ball-hawk (four interceptions across 42 career games) his yards per target in coverage (7.3 in 2022) have improved all three years.

At the same time, he’s one of the best at running the alley and is more than fine with having to drop down into the box and stick his nose in the fan. This past season, he put up a career-high seven tackles for loss, while only missing two of 82 attempts.

He also earned the highest pass-rush grade among safeties (91.4), with four sacks and six additional QB hits across 38 pass-rush snaps. So he’s a perfect fit for Todd Bowles’ blitz-heavy scheme.