Top 100 Players of 2026, Nos. 30-21: Seahawks QB Sam Darnold rockets up 51 spots to No. 21

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: 17 games | 54 tackles | 14 tfl | 14.5 sacks | 1 INT | 35 QB hits | 4 FF

Hutchinson's career year came at the perfect time. Fresh off signing a mega-extension, with a record $141 million guaranteed, the Lions star proved his worth. Hutch set career highs in sacks, QB hits and forced fumbles, fighting off constant chip blocks to log a league-best 89 QB pressures. That he did all this coming off a season-ending leg injury made Hutchinson's 2025 campaign all the more impressive; he just missed out on Comeback Player of the Year honors, but made his second Pro Bowl, earned his first second-team All-Pro accolade and ranked as a Defensive Player of the Year finalist. With a fully healthy offseason under his belt, there's no telling what Hutchinson and the playoff-hungry Lions can accomplish.

NFL Pro Insight for Hutchinson: Hutchinson is the first player since sacks were first tracked in 1982 to record 35+ sacks and 5+ interceptions in his first four career seasons.

2025 stats: 11 games | 33 tackles | 5 tfl | 3 sacks | 12 QB hits

Carter didn't log a snap in Philly's 2025 season opener after getting ejected for spitting on Dak Prescott, retroactively serving a one-game suspension in the process. But the Eagles pass rusher's campaign mightily improved from there. Alongside Jordan Davis, Carter held down the interior D-line on an Eagles defense that finished top-five in points allowed. The DT's pressure rates decreased in 2025 as his snap totals increased, but his peers still thought highly of him, rewarding Carter, who missed multiple games due to shoulder injuries, with a 14-spot increase in this year's ranking following last month's contract extension.

NFL Pro Insight for Carter: Carter generated a career-low 7.7% pressure rate despite facing a double-team on a career-low 41.7% of his pass rushes in 2025.

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter lands at number 29 on the Top 100 Players list of 2026.

2025 stats: 14 games | 69 tackles | 1 tfl | 10 PD | 0 INT

The best Patriots player on the Levi's Stadium turf on Feb. 8, 2026, may well have been Gonzalez. His efforts weren't enough for New England to win Super Bowl LXI, but the league certainly took notice of Gonzalez in 2025, rocketing the CB halfway up the top 100 ahead of his fourth season. Gonzalez's three passes defensed and lockdown of OPOY Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the loss to Seattle were a fitting capstone to another excellent season, which ended in his first Pro Bowl nod. A contract extension awaits.

NFL Pro Insight for Gonzalez: Gonzalez allowed a 50.6% completion rate when targeted in 2025, the lowest of his career by 4.5% and the eighth-lowest among outside cornerbacks (min. 50 targets).

2025 stats: 15 games | 81 tackles | 6 tfl | 1.5 sacks | 5 INT | 1 TD | 10 QB hits

A former first-round pick denied a fifth year on his rookie deal, Lloyd entered his contract year in Jacksonville with something to prove -- and boy, did he. The off-ball linebacker was the heartbeat of the Jaguars' turnaround on defense, notably improving his play in pass coverage (-36.5 shift in coverage EPA from '24) and logging career highs in QB hits and interceptions, including his emphatic, tone-setting pick-six of Patrick Mahomes early in the 2025 season. Lloyd was rewarded for his efforts, with his first Pro Bowl nod, second-team All-Pro recognition and appearance on this ranking. Oh, not to mention a bank-breaking contract with the Panthers. After middling for three years in Duval, the ball-hawking Lloyd turned his career around in a major way and will now look to continue his rebirth in Charlotte.

NFL Pro Insight for Lloyd: Lloyd and Antonio Johnson led the Jaguars with five interceptions each, with Lloyd's one touchdown surrendered being the only one allowed in coverage by either.

No player was more efficient on the ground in 2025 than Achane. The Dolphins tailback had a breakout year in his final go-around with Tua Tagovailoa and Mike McDaniel, totaling career bests in carries and rushing yards; his 5.7 yards per carry average led the NFL, though it didn't even hold a candle to Achane's 7.8 pace from his rookie year. After a Pro Bowl nod, the former third-round pick was the recipient of a four-year, $64 million extension, one of Jon-Eric Sullivan's first big moves as Dolphins GM. How Achane will perform as the focal point of Jeff Hafley and Bobby Slowik's Miami offense remains to be seen, but after a debut showing on the Top 100, there's no doubt about the speedster's place in the NFL.

NFL Pro Insight for Achane: Achane ran outside the tackles on 72.3% of his carries in 2025, the third-highest rate among 49 qualified running backs, trailing only Atlanta's Bijan Robinson (79.8%) and Tyler Allgeier (73.4%).

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane lands at number 26 on the Top 100 Players list of 2026.

2025 stats: 17 games | 36 tackles | 1 tfl | 15 PD | 4 INT | 1 FF | 1 TD

Stingley ran it back in his fourth season, once again recording at least four interceptions en route to Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors. Ho-hum for the Houston cornerback. After breaking into the Top 100 last year with a No. 18 ranking, Stingley returns to the top 25 in 2026 with another year of dominating opposing wideouts under his belt. During Houston's nine-game winning streak ahead of the Divisional Round, Stingley did not allow more than 45 yards in coverage even once; he shut out Steelers pass catchers in Houston's wild-card win. QBs have learned not to throw Stingley's way, a widely understood show of respect for one of the league's best.

NFL Pro Insight for Stingley: Stingley was targeted on just 8.5% of his coverage snaps in zone defense in 2025, the sixth-lowest rate among cornerbacks with at least 150 snaps in zone.

2025 stats: 15 games | 73 tackles | 28 tfl | 10 sacks | 1 INT | 20 QB hits | 2 FF

After a whirlwind offseason in which Crosby was still a Raider despite trade rumors, then briefly a Raven but not really, and then a Raider again, the pass rusher is back where he started: in Las Vegas and the top 25 of the Top 100. Before Crosby's winter of discontent, the Raiders star earned his fifth straight Pro Bowl nod after a fourth career 10-sack season. It was par for the course for The Condor. The supposedly consummated swap with Baltimore was nullified due to a failed physical, and Crosby landed back in Sin City, where he intends to play for life.

NFL Pro Insight for Crosby: Crosby recorded 58 tackles in the run game that resulted in a negative play for the offense (i.e., run stops), tied for the most among defensive linemen with Cameron Heyward and Jordan Davis.

Hunter, 31, is aging like fine wine. In his second year alongside Will Anderson Jr. with the Texans, Hunter racked up a second-career 15-sack season and second-team All-Pro bid. His peers rewarded him with his best-ever placement on the Top 100 in his fifth appearance (third straight). His club rewarded him with a $40.1 million extension through 2027. Happy hunting for Hunter in Houston.

NFL Pro Insight for Hunter: Hunter and Anderson combined for 153 pressures this season, the most by any duo in the NFL.

2025 stats: 17 games | 117 rec | 1,401 rec yds | 12.0 ypr | 11 rec TD

The Sun God shone brightly again in 2025, returning to the top 25 of the annual player ranking for the third straight year. St. Brown, in his fourth straight Pro Bowl campaign, gave Detroit more of the same: a third straight year with at least 115 catches, 1,250 yards and 10 touchdowns. The only thing missing was another playoff appearance. Consistency is the name of the game for one of the greatest names in football, and Detroit will be happy to benefit from his play for at least the next three years. Though after signing a $120 million extension just two years ago, St. Brown is somehow now underpaid.

NFL Pro Insight for St. Brown: St. Brown and Jameson Williams were one of four teammate duos to each have at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2025.

Look at us. Who would've thought? The unlikeliest of top-25 appearances comes from the now-reigning Super Bowl champion QB from Seattle. Once seen as a bust after going from No. 3 pick to journeyman signal-caller, Darnold broke through with Minnesota in 2024 and then enjoyed an all-time campaign with the Seahawks in 2025. The QB led Seattle to the No. 1 seed, threw Jaxon Smith-Njigba into OPOY territory and played the most efficient football of his life en route to leading the Seahawks to their second Lombardi. Darnold still has issues with turnovers, but when the turnaround is so profound, you'll forgive a fumble here and there.

NFL Pro Insight for Darnold: Darnold committed a turnover via an interception or a strip-sack fumble on 7.2% of his pressured dropbacks this season (six interceptions, five fumbles lost), the highest rate in the NFL.

Coverage from Nfl Dot Com News · by Jeremy Bergman · Aug 14, 2026 · read original