Top 100 Players of 2026, Nos. 40-31: Dak Prescott rises 48 spots; Saquon Barkley slides from No. 1
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert lands at number 39 on the Top 100 Players list of 2026.
The "NFL Top 100" -- voted on by the players themselves -- reveal is underway on X! Two players will be revealed at 10 a.m. ET and 11 a.m. daily Monday through Friday from June 22-Aug. 21, before one Top 10 player is unveiled each weekday beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 24 through Friday, Sept. 4.
2025 stats: 16 games | 996 snaps | 32 QBP allowed | 4 sacks allowed (per Pro Football Focus)
Death, taxes and Williams making the NFL Top 100 list. The 12-time Pro Bowl left tackle has now played 15 seasons and has 13 appearances in the Top 100. He remains one of the most important parts of San Francisco’s offense heading into his age-38 campaign, having just signed a two-year extension through 2027 he admitted will "probably" be his last. That means Williams, who has allowed a sack rate under 1% for five straight years, still has a couple shots left at an elusive Super Bowl ring to complete his Hall of Fame career.
NFL Pro Insight for Williams: Williams allowed a 0.6% sack rate in 2025, tied for fifth among left tackles with at least 200 pass block snaps.
2025 stats:16 games | 66.4 pct | 3,727 pass yds | 7.3 ypa | 26 pass TD | 13 INT | 498 rush yds | 2 rush TD
Herbert had the unenviable task of spending much of last season without his starting offensive tackles. The result? Facing 268 pressures and a 43.3% pressure rate, both league highs, and yet the Pro Bowler still guided the Chargers to their first back-to-back playoff berths since 2008-09. He also constantly made magic while avoiding the rush. Herbert threw 10 touchdowns on the run in 2025, most in the NFL, and his 1,192 passing yards under pressure ranked fourth. With better protection on the way this season, perhaps Herbert will achieve his first postseason win -- or even stack a few of them.
NFL Pro Insight for Herbert: Herbert threw deep (20-plus air yards) on 11.1% of his attempts last season, the second-highest rate of his career, completing a personal-best 40.4% of those attempts for eight deep passing TDs, third-most in the NFL.
2025 stats: 16 games | 93 tackles | 4 tfl | 2 INT | 1 FF
DeJean built on a dream rookie season that included winning a Super Bowl with a pick-six in the big game by going on to make his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro team in 2025. The 23-year-old was a key piece of Philadelphia’s defense, which ranked top five in points allowed for a second straight year. He spent the majority of his time in the slot last season, but he’ll be taking on a new challenge in Year 3, as he’s set to play safety when the Eagles operate in a base defense. There’s little reason to believe he won’t rise to the occasion.
NFL Pro Insight for DeJean: DeJean aligned as a wide cornerback on 30.1% of his snaps in 2025 after logging just nine snaps there during his 2024 rookie year (1.5%).
Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell lands at number 37 on the Top 100 Players list of 2026.
2025 stats: 16 games | 998 snaps | 19 QBP allowed | 2 sacks allowed (per Pro Football Focus)
A large part of the Lions’ reputation as enforcers relies on Sewell. The 2021 first-round behemoth has now made four straight Pro Bowls and three consecutive All-Pro teams. Most blockers would be ecstatic with Sewell’s 80.3 PFF pass blocking grade from last season, which ranked 11th among offensive tackles, but that’s actually his area with the most room for growth. Sewell was PFF’s top-graded OT both overall (95.1) and in run blocking (96.7), his third straight year with a 91-plus run blocking mark.
NFL Pro Insight for Sewell: Sewell finished eighth among offensive tackles in 2025 with a 6.2 quarterback pressure percentage allowed.
2025 stats: 17 games | 93 rec | 1,429 rec yds | 15.4 ypr | 9 rec TD
Sometimes all you need is a change of scenery. Pickens always possessed the talent, but he put it all together after his trade to Dallas. The 25-year-old wideout set career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns by a wide margin. He proved himself capable of carrying the WR1 burden when CeeDee Lamb missed time, too, putting up 427 yards and five scores on 24 catches between Weeks 3-6 as his teammate dealt with a high ankle sprain. Pickens subsequently made his first Pro Bowl, All-Pro team and NFL Top 100 list, and now he’s gearing up for an encore while playing on the franchise tag.
NFL Pro Insight for Pickens: Pickens enjoyed his highest catch percentage (67.9) and highest catch rate over expected (+8.5) in his first year with the Cowboys.
2025 stats: 17 games | 58 tackles | 11 tfl | 7.5 sacks | 27 QB hits | 3 FF
Verse’s two-year Rams tenure was marked by success at every turn. The 2024 No. 19 overall pick made the Pro Bowl and won AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in his first season, then followed it up by besting his previous sack total by three amid another Pro Bowl campaign. He’s also now 2 for 2 landing on the NFL Top 100 list. Any future accolades will have to come in new colors, though. Verse was key to the Browns’ willingness to trade Myles Garrett to Los Angeles, casting the 25-year-old in a feature role of Cleveland’s newest rebuild.
NFL Pro Insight for Verse: Verse generated a team-high 67 pressures last season and converted 11.2% of those into sacks, nearly double his rookie rate.
2025 stats: 16 games | 280 att | 1,140 rush yds | 4.1 ypc | 7 rush TD | 273 rec yds | 2 rec TD
Barkley took a step back from his debut AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year season with the Eagles. But to be fair, 99.9% of running back campaigns in the history of the NFL would pale in comparison to Barkley becoming just the ninth-ever ball-carrier with a 2,000-yard rushing season. Regardless, the three-time Pro Bowler finished 2025 in the top 10 in rushing yards, tallying 1,000-plus yards on the ground for the fifth time and collecting 30-plus receptions for 250-plus yards for a seventh occasion. If Philly’s offense bounces back this season, you can bet Barkley will be a major reason why.
NFL Pro Insight for Barkley: Barkley was hit behind the line of scrimmage on 47.1% of his carries last season, the ninth-highest rate among 49 running backs with at least 100 attempts.
2025 stats: 17 games | 68.0 pct | 4,564 pass yds | 7.9 ypa | 34 pass TD | 8 INT | 45 rush yds
Goff’s run of consecutive NFL Top 100 appearances is officially up to four. He’s coming off one of his most trying seasons in recent years, during which the offense developed a reputation for stagnating too often as Dan Campbell eventually took over play-calling, but the final numbers -- teamwise and Goff’s individually -- don't bear that out. The Lions finished fourth in scoring, while Goff placed second in the league in passing yards and touchdown passes as he put up his second-lowest interception rate through five years in Detroit.
NFL Pro Insight for Goff: Goff had a 6.6 deep pass percentage in 2025, his third straight season under 7% after posting a percentage of 8.0 and 8.1 in his first two seasons with the Lions.
2025 stats: 17 games | 46 tackles | 14 tfl | 14 sacks | 28 QB hits | 2 FF
Bonitto has twice made the Pro Bowl, twice finished top-five in the NFL in sacks and twice made the NFL Top 100 list since 2024. He’s done so leading a ferocious Broncos defense that’s accelerated Denver’s rebuild under Sean Payton and had the franchise a win away from a Super Bowl trip last season. Bonitto added two more forced fumbles and a sack in the playoffs on top of a stellar regular season in which he posted the league’s second-highest pressure rate (20.2%) and the highest quick pressure rate (11.1%) among defenders with 200 pass rushes.
NFL Pro Insight for Bonitto: Bonitto tied for fourth in the NFL with 80 pressures last season despite rushing the passer on just 397 of the 700 dropbacks (56.7%) Denver faced.
2025 stats: 17 games | 67.3 pct | 4,552 pass yds | 7.6 ypa | 30 pass TD | 10 INT | 177 rush yds | 2 rush TD
Not among his peers, who nominated him to the NFL Top 100 list for a seventh time, but Prescott feels underrated and underappreciated across the NFL fandom despite (or maybe due to) playing for America’s Team. He led the NFL in completions for a second time in 2025 and has quarterbacked a top-seven scoring offense in four of the past five seasons, the outlier being a year he missed nine games. It was basically all on his shoulders last season due to an absent Dallas defense that gave up the most points in the league. Prescott nevertheless managed four fourth-quarter comebacks, over half of the Cowboys’ wins.
NFL Pro Insight for Prescott: Prescott had a 19.7% tight window throw rate in 2025, the highest in the league and nearly a full point higher than Matthew Stafford (18.6%), who ranked second in the category.