The top 101 players in the NFL today

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield present their top 101 players in the NFL for the 2020 season.

10. Tre’Davious White, CB, Buffalo Bills

(Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports)

Last December, I did a tape piece in which I tried to discern who was the NFL’s best cornerback — New England’s Stephon Gilmore, or Buffalo’s Tre’Davious White? The differences between the two as far as overall excellence were tough; these are the two best at their position in the NFL. But White’s attributes in zone coverage were made abundantly clear:

White is slightly less aggressive, and perhaps more of a technician. His backpedal is a thing of beauty, which allows him to play off coverage more effectively. Few if any cornerbacks play bail coverage better — White has a supernatural ability to track the backfield with his eyes while keeping up with the most difficult routes and most talented receivers. He showed this with his first interception against the Steelers, covering speed receiver James Washington downfield. If you want to draw up a zone cornerback and all that is required from the position, White is as close to the paradigm as you’ll find in the league today.

The Bills played zone on 57% of their snaps last season, and whenever they did, White put on a clinic — which is why I believe him to be the NFL’s best cornerback in zone coverage. There, he allowed 25 receptions on 43 targets for 325 yards, no touchdowns, five interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 48.8%. But in man coverage, he was just as effective — he gave up 15 catches on 35 targets for 132 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a Positive Play Rate of 31.4%, which was third-best in the NFL.

Were it not for the presence of Stephon Gilmore, who White replaced as Buffalo’s top cornerback before Gilmore moved on in free agency to the Patriots, we’d be talking about Tre’Davious White as the NFL’s best cornerback. We may do so anyway before too much more time has elapsed.

9. Za’Darius Smith, EDGE, Green Bay Packers

(Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s not that Smith was unspectacular during his four seasons with the Ravens — he put up 18.5 sacks in that time, including 8.5 and 61 total pressures in 2018. But after he signed a four-year, $66 million contract with the Packers in March, 2019, all hell broke loose. Paired with fellow free-agent acquisition Preston Smith on the edge, and the perennially underrated Kenny Clark on the inside, Smith was able to work opposing offensive linemen as never before. The 15.5 sacks in the 2019 season were nice, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Smith led the NFL with 105 total pressures, the most by any edge defender since Von Miller matched that total in 2015, and he did it from all over the field — everywhere from wide-nine end to inside linebacker. Wherever he aligned, trouble was coming for opposing quarterbacks. As great as he was on the edge, he was perhaps more effective inside the tackles.

Smith could make himself a nightmare for centers as well, as he did on this rep in his 3.5-sack game against the Vikings in December.

There was no edge defender more effective in 2019 than Za’Darius Smith, and there’s no reason to think the same won’t be true in 2020.

8. Tyrann Mathieu, DB, Kansas City Chiefs

Tyrann Mathieu Kansas City Chiefs
(AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Speaking of versatility…

Tyrann Mathieu already made two positional lists here at Touchdown Wire, when we named him the league’s best slot defender and the sixth-best safety. Mathieu saw 561 snaps in the slot last year, and as Doug Farrar highlighted, he was a force in that role:

. .When he was in the slot, there was no more effective defender in the league last season. Mathieu allowed 42 slot receptions on 61 targets for just 297 yards, 174 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 69.1.

Mathieu is able to do so many things at such a high level because he has somehow managed to combine the ideal traits for multiple positions — he has the quickness to excel in the slot, the range to play two-deep safety, the aggressiveness to face up to the run in the box, and his diagnostic abilities make him nightmare fuel for receivers all over the field. If you want to see the ideal slot guy — not to mention the best five-tool pass-defender in the game — look no further than the Honey Badger.

But Mathieu also saw over 500 snaps at safety, and he more than deserves to be recognized for his contributions from that spot on the field. Specifically, Mathieu saw 388 snaps down in the box, and another 205 snaps in a deep safety alignment.

And when a guy can do this in the box, against one of the league’s more talented QBs:

Or do this as a Robber:

You are talking about greatness. As Farrar described him, a true five-tool player.

7. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

Michael Thomas New Orleans Saints
(Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)

Whether Michael Thomas belongs in the conversation regarding the elite talents at WR has become a point of contention over the past few months. Detractors point to the route tree he is asked to run, as well as the fact that some of his routes come from the slot, and say that there are more complete players at the position.

But from where I sit, he’s among the best there is.

This route is a perfect example of what he brings to the table:

When stacking players in a position group, it becomes easy to get caught in the scheme trap. Digging in a little deeper, you can see beyond what they are asked to do, and into what they can do in other systems. Sure, Thomas gets the benefit of playing in a friendly offense, with a great quarterback in Drew Brees, and with some talent around him. And no, he doesn’t run “just slants.”

Watch the move he makes, and the separation he gets, on this route breaking towards the left sideline:

Look at this double-move at the bottom of the screen to convert a 3rd and 17:

Hey, if the book on you is that you “only run slants,” use it to your advantage, right?

Here he is beating press coverage at the line of scrimmage with footwork and strength. This play was reviewed for potential Offensive Pass Interference, but upon review the completion was left to stand:

Thomas has put up elite numbers every season in the NFL, and for his career Saints’ passers have an NFL passer rating of 118.5 when targeting him in the passing game. That is elite, as is Thomas himself.

6. Quenton Nelson, G, Indianapolis Colts

(Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini)

Throughout the history of the NFL draft, which goes back to 1936, only 11 guards have been selected higher than Nelson, who was taken with the sixth overall pick in 2018. In his rookie season, Nelson allowed just two sacks and 24 total pressures, while establishing himself as one of the league’s best run-blockers right out of the gate.

And then, in 2019, he got even better. Nelson didn’t allow a single sack last season, with just two quarterback hits and 18 quarterback pressures allowed. But it’s not the numbers that set Nelson apart– there are other guards with equally good metrics. Whet sets Nelson apart from everyone else who plays his position is the almost comically dominant reps he puts on tape. Yannick Ngakoue and Jadeveon Clowney, two of the better edge defenders in the league, would certainly testify.

First, the way he’s able to pick up this multi-gap stunt from Ngakoue is as textbook as it gets. Nelson isn’t just a mauler, though he can certainly beat the living crap out of defensive lineman — this is ideal technique regarding how to take an opponent into your area and dominate him from side to side.

There’s also this against Clowney back when Clowney was with the Texans, which pretty much sums the argument up that Nelson is the best guard in football, and everybody else is playing for second. This is just not normal.

5. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

(Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports)

There is not much else to say about Julio Jones. The Atlanta Falcons’ standout is elite in every single facet of the game. So much so that Ted Nguyen, who does tremendous work covering the NFL for The Athletic, has named a route after the receiver:

Frankly, in my mind this discussion ended a few years ago, on this very moment:

This was arguably better than the Julian Edelman catch from earlier in the game, and is for my money the best play from a losing team I’ve ever seen in the Super Bowl. (Note to editors: Future column idea).

But Jones continues his high level of play to the current day. In what was a down season for the Falcons he still posted absurd numbers, catching 99 passes for 1,394 yards and six touchdowns. Crazier still? Those were actually down a bit from 2018, when he caught 113 passes for 1,677 yards and eight touchdowns. In fact, that was the first season since 2013 where Jones did not haul in 100 passes or crack 1,500 yards receiving. He is the complete package. From the line of scrimmage:

To downfield:

With the ball in his hands:

And everywhere in between:

And sure, this is a different era. But this is crazy to think about:

For these reasons, and so many others, he is the best of the best.

4. Aaron Donald, DI, Los Angeles Rams

(Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

Lists such as these often generate angst and controversy, but this should be a universally-accepted selection. To that end, as evidence for making Aaron Donald the top interior defensive lineman in the game, I’ll just link this lengthy Twitter film study I did of him before Super Bowl LIII.

In which I refer to him as a destroyer of worlds.

Sure, it’s from two seasons ago, but this is who Donald is. A destroyer of worlds, and the top guy at his position.

3. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

Russell Wilson is a magician behind the line of scrimmage. He is one of the best – if not the best – at creating under pressure, off of structure and outside of the pocket. Last year he was pressured on 243 snaps – second most in the league – and put up great-to-elite numbers in those situations. On those 243 pressured dropbacks, Wilson completed 85 of 168 passes for 1,217 yards and ten touchdowns, against just two interceptions. Those ten passing touchdowns tied him with Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz and Gardner Minshew for the most in the league. Wilson’s 1,217 passing yards while pressured were fourth-best in the league. His completion percentage while pressured was ninth-best in the league, and his NFL passer rating was fifth-best in the league.

This is not a new phenomenon. Last season Wilson was sacked 51 times – third-most in the league – but again put up great-to-elite numbers when pressured. On his 202 pressured dropbacks Wilson completed 64 of 134 passes for 926 yards and ten touchdowns, against just three interceptions. His NFL passer rating when pressured of 86.2% was fifth-best in the league, and those ten touchdown passes when pressured placed him in the top spot.

But Wilson is also almost as good throwing from the pocket. According to charting date from Pro Football Focus, Wilson had an NFL passer rating of 109.6 from clean pockets last season, fifth-best in the league among qualified passers. His 26 passing touchdowns from clean pockets led the league.

Wilson is that rare breed of quarterback that can beat you from the pocket, but can be just as dangerous when pressured, or outside of the pocket. That makes for a darn good combination.

2. Stephon Gilmore, CB, New England Patriots

(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

I had Gilmore as the NFL’s best outside cornerback last year, and putting him back at No. 1 was an easy call. Why? Because although the Patriots play more man coverage than any other team (54% of their snaps last season), and Gilmore is an ideal man cornerback, there isn’t anything he doesn’t do well. In 2019, Gilmore allowed 28 catches on 62 targets for 424 yards, one touchdown, four interceptions, and an opposing QBR of 34.1 in man coverage. He allowed 11 receptions on 24 targets for 124 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 41.7% in zone coverage. And when he was asked to move inside to the slot, Gilmore allowed 10 catches on 20 targets for 161 yards, 77 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 54.4.

Recently, ESPN revealed its list of the NFL’s top 10 receivers, and on that list, Cowboys star receiver Amari Cooper was debited for catching just two passes on 30 routes against the Patriots last season. Here’s the problem for Cooper: Gilmore was on him throughout the game, and when the Cowboys telegraphed their route concepts, Gilmore picked them up and used them against Dallas (and specifically Cooper) when the ball came Cooper’s way. So. maybe we should give Cooper a break on that one.

Gilmore won the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year award, and there’s no way to argue the honor. At a position that has become more and more crucial to team success, he’s as good as it gets in every way possible.

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

When you become the NFL’s first “half a billion” man, you come in atop a list like this. Patrick Mahomes, in just two years as a starting quarterback in the NFL, has both an MVP and a Super Bowl title. He can make any throw from any platform, and can find you anywhere on the field, even if he is not looking at you. He is a joy to watch every time he is on the field – even if he is playing against your team – and an easy pick for the top quarterback in the league heading into 2020.

But if you are not convinced, here is a link for you. This takes you to a YouTube search for “Patrick Mahomes best throws.” Spend some time there, and you’ll come away convinced.

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