The 101 best players in the NFL today

Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Aaron Donald lead Doug Farrar’s and Mark Schofield’s list of the NFL’s top 101 players.

101. Marcus Peters, CB, Baltimore Ravens

(Mitchell Layton-USA TODAY Sports)

Peters is one of the NFL’s best playmakers at the cornerback spot, and as Pro Football Focus noted he has been dominant at the catch point since entering the league in 2015. During that time he has 31 interceptions — most out of any CB — and 52 pass breakups.

Last season was another solid year from Peters, as he tallied five more interceptions along with another five passes broken up. He can be aggressive at times, as he was on this long touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes:

But with his production numbers, the Baltimore Ravens will live with his penchant for being aggressive.

100. Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

If you poke your head into Raiders Twitter on any given day you’ll find a fanbase almost divided in half over quarterback Derek Carr.

But in 2020 Carr showed he had another side to his game. In years past he was knocked for his conservative style of play and his willingness to check the football down rather than push the football into windows deeper downfield. For example, in 2019 his Intended Air Yards according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats was 4.9 yards, one of the five lowest marks in the entire league.

That number rocketed up to 8.2 last season, as Carr and the Raiders became more of a vertical passing attack. That newfound flexibility in the passing game showed a new side to the Raiders quarterback, and perhaps some reason for growth in 2021 and beyond. These videos from the season dive into the suddenly vertical passer.

99. Mike Hilton, Slot, Cincinnati Bengals

(Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports)

Hilton was one of the underrated parts of the NFL’s best pass defense in Pittsburgh last season, and the Steelers will miss him now that he’s signed a four-year, $24 million contract with the Bengals. Last season from the slot, Hilton allowed 26 catches on 39 targets for 306 yards, 206 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 75.4. Hilton has the ability to run routes better than the guys he’s covering at times, as he did on this interception of a Philip Rivers deep pass to Michael Pittman Jr. in Week 16.

Per Pro Football Focus, the Bengals allowed seven touchdowns and had no interceptions from the slot last season, which is why the Hilton move was a wise one.

98. D.J. Humphries, OT, Arizona Cardinals

(Michael Chow-Imagn Content Services, LLC)

The Cardinals took Humphries out of Florida with the 24th pick in the 2015 draft, and he didn’t appear NFL-ready out of the gate, allowing nine sacks and 46 total pressures in his rookie campaign. But over the last two seasons in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, Humphries has allowed a total of five sacks and 53 pressures, and he was especially on point last season, with three sacks, two quarterback hits, and 18 quarterback hurries allowed, and strong performances when the Cardinals decided to run the ball.

On this Week 15 rep against Eagles edge-rusher Genard Avery that ends up as a Kyler Murray 45-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins, watch how Humphries mirrors Avery perfectly from side to side, allowing no pressure leaks.

Add in his formidable ability to separate pass rushers from their intentions with his strong hands, and improved run-blocking, and it’s become clear that Humphries should not be ignored as one of the NFL’s better left tackles.

97. Corey Linsley, C, Los Angeles Chargers

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Sometimes elite players switch teams. We saw that on the countdown of the NFL’s top guards — yes I’m still struggling to process Joe Thuney as a member of the Chiefs — and we see that here with Corey Linsley. One of the game’s best moves from protecting Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay to protecting Justin Herbert out west.

A fifth-round selection out of Ohio State in 2014, Linsely immediately stepped into the starting lineup for the Packers and has been among the NFL’s best at center since Day One. Last season he allowed just a single sack, his best performance in that category since 2016, along with just a pair of quarterback hurries and a lone QB hit. Watching him on film you come away impressed with his athleticism and lateral movement, particularly on Matt LaFleur’s boot designs.

Let’s dive into just some of his pass blocking reps from a season ago, highlighting his ability to pick up stunts, how well he counters moves, and what he offers downfield in the screen game:

https://youtu.be/ARh1pLH9aTs

One of the more impressive things about Herbert’s rookie season was how well he played in the face of pressure. But with Linsley in front of him, he might not see as much pressure as he did in 2020. Last season, Chargers center Dan Feeney allowed 33 total pressures, tied for the most in the league at his position with Connor McGovern of the Jets. Linsley, on the other hand, allowed just seven pressures all season from Week 1 through the NFC Championship game. Quite a net improvement.

96. Devin White, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Based off his incredible post-season run alone, Devin White of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers merits inclusion on the list of the game’s top linebackers. In wins over the New Orleans Saints, the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, White notched 11, 15 and 12 tackles respectively, for a three-game total of 38. Only Ray Lewis in 2012 and Dan Morgan back in 2003 had a better run of games in the post-season.

But White’s impact goes beyond a single three-game stretch. Together with Lavonte David these two make up the NFL’s best linebacker tandem, and White’s ability to get to the football and pressure the passer is a huge complement to David’s abilities. Last season White notched nine sacks and a whopping 16 quarterback hurries. While his coverage skills are not an absolute strength of his, he had two of his best games in coverage in the post-season, allowing an NFL passer rating of just 32.5 against the Saints in the Divisional Round, and an NFL passer rating of just 53.2 when targeted in the Super Bowl. He is absolutely trending up as one of the NFL’s best linebackers.

95. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports)

Ask Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans who is the better receiver between Chris Godwin and Mike Evans might elicit some differing opinions, but for my money, Godwin gets the nod.

Why? A few reasons. First, there is a bit more nuance and subtlety to Godwin’s route-running. He understands leverage very well and uses releases, angles and footwork very effectively. Take this example against the Washington Football Team, as he uses a little hesitation at the top of his stem to set up a touchdown:

But Godwin also can deliver in the deep passing game, and his versatility is a great asset. There was this play from the NFC Championship game, when Godwin skied above the secondary to deliver a huge play early:

Then this moment from the regular season:

Godwin’s acceleration and ball-tracking skills stand out on this touchdown, and are part of the reasons he is one of the NFL’s top receivers.

Another factor is Godwin’s slot production. From Week 1 through Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV win over the Chiefs, Godwin caught 53 of 69 slot targets for 690 yards and five touchdowns. With Tom Brady getting the hang of the Bruce Arians offense in the second half of the 2020 season, Godwin’s slot target share could increase in 2021, as could his overall productivity.

94. Chandler Jones, EDGE, Arizona Cardinals

(AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

NFC West quarterbacks had an easier time in 2020 than they did in 2019, because Chandler Jones missed all but five games and 286 snaps due to a torn biceps. But even in limited duty last season, Jones showed that he was still the same guy who put up 19 sacks and 75 total pressures in the 2019 season. Jones is now 31 years old and in the final season of the five year, $82.5 million contract he signed in 2017, so while it’s understandable that the Cardinals have a wait-and-0see attitude about a contract extension, Jones had a sack and 10 total pressures in just 166 pass-rushing snaps last season, and the tape shows that he’s still got it. Another huge season, and Jones could take it all the way to the bank all over again.

93. Micah Hyde, S, Buffalo Bills

(Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports)

The Bills most likely have the NFL’s best safety duo in Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, and last season, it was Hyde who really stood out, allowing 15 catches on 27 targets for 143 yards, 46 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 67.4. Hyde was great all over the field last season, playing 22 snaps on the defensive line, 284 in the box, 680 at free safety, 163 in the slot, and six at outside corner. But when it was time to break up the deep pass, Hyde was especially effective, as he showed against T.Y. Hilton of the Colts in Buffalo’s wild-card win.

92. Roquan Smith, LB, Chicago Bears

(Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports)

Perhaps it took a year or two longer than Chicago Bears fans were hoping, but Roquan Smith looked every bit the top-flight linebacker prospect he was back in 2018 when the organization selected him with the eighth pick in the 2018 NFL draft. The Butkus Award-winning LB flashed his athleticism throughout the 2020 campaign, both in coverage and against the run.

This clip illustrates his nose for the ball in the run game, as captured by Matt Bowen of ESPN:

But his biggest growth has come in the coverage part of the game. Dating back to his days at Georgia his athleticism allowed him to make plays at all levels of the field, but now he is adding patient zone technique to his game, as he did on this interception against Jacksonville:

Bears fans are hoping that their offense takes flight under Justin Fields, who spent some time of his own with the Bulldogs. But on the defensive side of the ball another Georgia alum has the second level of the defense locked down for the next few seasons at least.

91. J.C. Tretter, C, Cleveland Browns

(Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

When we counted down the NFL’s top guards, both Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio made the list.

With center J.C. Tretter appearing on this list in the second spot, there is a very easy case to be made that the Cleveland Browns have the NFL’s best interior offensive line.

Tretter was again stout in pass protection last season, as he allowed a single sack and just six quarterback hurries. But as I did with Teller, I want to focus on how well Tretter handled the zone run blocking implemented by Kevin Stefanski. This video dives into his athleticism and technique in the zone game, as well has a few fill blocks where he is fanning out quickly to replace a pulling guard:

https://youtu.be/8YTGKzu5o2Y

Expectations are high this summer for the Browns. Tretter, and the rest of this offensive line, are a big reason why.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11