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.

40. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Part of me wanted to rank Travis Kelce the top tight end in the NFL for this video alone:

Taken at the start of the new “TE University,” the latest position group retreat we have seen crop up in the NFL off-season landscape, Kelce looks every bit the part of a professional hype man. But while the line between him and George Kittle is very blurry, and the discussion is more of a “1A and 1B” ranking, what is not in dispute is what Kelce offers offensively.

Kelce is every bit the matchup nightmare at the position that strikes fear in the hearts of NFL defensive coordinators, with his ability to separate from man coverage whether facing a safety, a linebacker or a cornerback. You can see that at the start of this video breaking down the Kansas City offense against the Carolina Panthers:

Beyond that, there is what Kelce offers after the catch, as he did on this play against the Miami Dolphins:

Or this play against the Las Vegas Raiders:

Both Kelce and George Kittle are elite talents at the position, generational types of players. The kind that many believe Kyle Pitts will become. Stack them either way you wish, they’re both incredible.

39. Tre’Davious White, CB, Buffalo Bills

The AFC East is slowly entering a cornerback arms race, and that leads us to our next member of the division to place on this list. Tre’Davious White has quickly become one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks thanks to a combination of veteran savvy and athleticism. He has the movement skills to stick on receivers running any route, but what stands out to me is his awareness in zone coverage situations.

Take this interception of Justin Herbert:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbMeLPHIjZM

This is a veteran play from White, who reads the mind of Herbert and steps in front of the throw, making a pivotal interception in a big spot for the Buffalo Bills. This ability in zone coverage was noted by Pro Football Focus, who found that “…[White] stands out as one of the better zone-coverage cornerbacks in the NFL, ranking in the 94th percentile of all cornerbacks on such plays during the 2020 season.”

38. Fred Warner, LB, San Francisco 49ers

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Warner might be the latest case study in the importance of emphasizing what a player can do during his draft process. While at BYU, Warner was used as more of an overhang defender, spending a good number of his snaps during his final year on campus in the slot (336 in the slot compared with 310 in the box and another 150 along the defensive line according to charting data from Pro Football Focus).

That led to many wondering what his NFL role could be, causing Warner to slide into the third round. The 49ers are probably thankful for that slide, as Warner is becoming the perfect modern linebacker. His blend of athleticism, coverage skills, ability to pressure the passer and improvement against the run makes him one of the best in the game today. To see how his skill-set translates to today’s NFL, you can check out this video from the brilliant Alex Rollins:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vnio6vTn-s

Warner’s growth as a professional might be a lesson for how linebackers are evaluated in the future, perhaps starting with Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

37. Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Pittsburgh Steelers

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

When the Steelers traded a 2020 first-round pick for Fitzpatrick early in the 2019 season, they immediately shifted his focus from a do-it-all guy to free safety, and Fitzpatrick responded by becoming one of the best in the game, allowing 15 catches on 23 targets for 216 yards, 73 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, five interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 95.6. With nearly a full season at his new position, Fitzpatrick was even stingier in 2020, playing 852 snaps at free safety and allowing nine catches on 20 targets for 130 yards, 22 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, four interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 60.4.

This interception against the 49ers in Week 3 — Fitzpatrick’s first game after the trade — is a nice example of how he works in concert with his cornerbacks. Here, cornerback Joe Haden moves to leverage Jimmy Garoppolo’s throw to receiver Dante Pettis, and Fitzpatrick gets a “right place, right time” interception off Haden’s deflection.

36. DeForest Buckner, IDL, Indianapolis Colts

(Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Buckner was by far the most disruptive player on the Colts’ defense last season, with 10 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 27 quarterback hurries, and 32 stops. Five of those sacks, 14 of those pressures, and four of those stops came against the Texans last season, and Houston’s guards were just not up to the challenge Buckner represents on a snap-to-snap basis. The rest of the NFL wasn’t, either.

35. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Including the postseason in 2020, Chubb gained 1,212 yards, scored 12 touchdowns, and averaged 5.5 yards per carry — on just 221 attempts, which tied him with Green Bay’s Aaron Jones for the 11th most rushes in the 2020 season. If Chubb were not in a committee relationship with Kareem Hunt, you might see him at a Derrick Henry production level, but it’s also true that Chubb is on the right side of the workload concern, and it’s tough to think of too many backs who are better on a play-to-play basis. Chubb forced 66 missed tackles last season, had 19 runs of 15 or more yards (only Derrick Henry had more), and gained 883 yards after contact (only Henry and Dalvin Cook had more). Baker Mayfield may be the face of Cleveland’s improving offense under head coach and shot-caller Kevin Stefanski, but Chubb is the heart of the whole thing.

34. T.J. Watt, EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers

(Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)

If you’ve watched Watt burn off the edge over the last few seasons, it should come as little surprise that he was the most productive pass-rusher as a 9-technique end — the speed-rusher who aligns not only outside the tackle, but also the tight end. Your average 9-tech end is tasked to get past the tackle, who has to adjust to his placement, and just blow right by his blocker. Last season, both Cleveland’s Myles Garrett and Detroit’s Romeo Okwara both had 10 sacks from the “wide-9” alignment — one more than Watt’s nine — but nobody had more total pressures as a 9-tech than Watt’s 59. Both Garrett and Okwara had 41.

Against the Colts in Week 16, you can see Watt adjust his alignment when tight end Jack Doyle motions outside right tackle Chaz Green. Doyle isn’t staying in to block, which means that Green has to deal with Watt one-on-one with no help. Probably a bad idea in general. Watt sacks Philip Rivers, Rivers fumbles, and cornerback Mike Holton returns the ball to the Indianapolis three-yard line. Overall, Watt had 75 total pressures — 15 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, and 33 quarterback hurries — and nobody was more consistently dangerous off the edge in 2020.

33. Darnell Savage, S, Green Bay Packers

(William Glasheen-USA TODAY NETWORK)

Green Bay’s pass defense was a disappointment at times in the 2020 season, ranking 15th in Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted metrics, but Savage was decisively not part of the problem. Last season, he excelled in the box, in the slot, and at free safety, allowing 18 catches on 33 targets for 356 yards, 109 yards after the catch, one touchdown, four interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 63.0. Savage’s combination of athleticism, route awareness, ability to read and react to play design, and closing speed make him one of the best young defensive players in the NFL.

32. Chris Jones, DL, Kansas City Chiefs

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Chiefs intend to use Jones on the edge more in 2021, though I ranked him as the best 3-tech disruptor in the NFL last season. That has something to do with the acquisition of former Seahawks tackle Jarran Reed, who I ranked as the NFL’s best from the 4i alignment — on the inside shoulder of the tackle. Wherever Kansas City has Jones playing this season, there’s little question that he’ll be a royal pain for whoever’s blocking him — the same guy I thought should have been the MVP of Super Bowl LIV had eight sacks, 23 quarterback hits, 39 quarterback hurries, and 24 stops in 2020. .

31. Justin Simmons, S, Denver Broncos

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Deciding on the NFL’s best safety in 2021 was a difficult thing to do, as the position requires so many different attributes. But Simmons, who got a new four-year, $61 million contract from the Broncos in March, certainly qualifies. He’s great at everything from blowing up run fits to bring pressure on the blitz to deep coverage, and though he was prone to the occasional red zone touchdown allowed in 2020, everything else was top-notch. In 2020, Simmons played two snaps on the defensive line, 319 in the box, 619 at free safety, 144 in the slot, and four at outside cornerback.

Last season, Simmons allowed 40 of 52 receptions for 420 yards, 201 yards after the catch, seven touchdowns, five interceptions, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 99.8. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though — against passes of 20 or more air yards, Simmons was as good a deep eraser as there was in the NFL, allowing two catches on five targets for 72 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. Simmons’ ability to help his teammates recover from coverage issues deep downfield is a huge part of his game.

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