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With the 2022 NFL season tantalizingly close, it seemed like a good time to take a look at the elite players in the league. Ranking NFL players in any position is difficult and it only gets harder when you expand that to every player in the NFL.
Every player on this list is exceptional. Many players didn't make the cut as there's only 100 spots available. But with strong campaigns in 2022, they could well be on this list next year.
Let's continue counting down the top-100 players in the NFL. Here are numbers 30-21:
#30. Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
While the Indianapolis Colts’ DeForest Buckner and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Cam Heyward arguably had the best seasons of their careers individually, Chris Jones fell a little bit from grace among the interior D-linemen. He missed three games and was used at defensive end to start the season out of necessity, before moving back inside once they acquired Melvin Ingram.
Jones was tied for the second-most tackles for loss in his career with eight, but his pass-rush numbers did slightly decrease to nine sacks and 34 pressures. Still, while he’s not at stout at the point of attack as those other guys mentioned, in terms of somebody who can win from different alignments in passing situations, only Aaron Donald has been more effective in that regard.
#29. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
Not to make this about another player, but I still think it’s funny how the Las Vegas Raiders drafted a defensive end in Clelin Ferrell fourth overall back in 2019, but the guy who has turned himself into a stalwart was their fourth-rounder from Eastern Michigan.
Maxx Crosby has been an underrated player ever since he’s entered the NFL, but last season he really took off. He has had phenomenal athletic testing, but his best asset has always been his non-stop motor. His eight sacks weren’t overly impressive, but only T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Joey Bosa had more than his 30 other hits on the quarterback. He also racked up 13 TFLs, had the third-highest run-stop percentage among EDGEs according to ESPN (31%), batted down seven passes, and received a 91.4 PFF overall grade (the third-highest of any defensive player in 2021).
#28. Justin Simmons, Denver Broncos
I believe it’s a three-man race for the title as the top safety in the NFL and there’s a couple of other guys capable of entering that conversation. In terms of consistency over the last few years however, I put Justin Simmons at number one for now. He just had back-to-back seasons with five interceptions, after reaching four in 2019, along with 36 other passes broken up over that stretch.
He’s logged 99 or 100 percent of snaps in each of the last four seasons and has become a more well-versed all-around safety. He's capable of running the alley against the run, covering tight-ends, driving down in quarters or patrolling the deep post. In the 2021 NFL season, he had the lowest missed tackle percentage of his career at 7.0%.
#27. Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts
Similar to Parsons, Darius Leonard was an instant sensation in the NFL, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and making the first- or second-team All-Pro team in all four years of his career.
Last season, the numbers for “The Maniac” were somewhat odd because his ball-production was tremendous. He led the NFL with eight forced fumbles, intercepted four passes and broke up another eight. However, he put up career-lows in terms of negative plays produced – tackles for loss (four), sacks (zero) and pressures (five). Either way, his range at that second level and ability to be an equally effective asset going forward or backwards on passing downs are major assets for a Colts defense that finished number one in takeaways.
#26. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
You know somebody had a phenomenal rookie season when he immediately became one of the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year and received more votes than Aaron Donald. The Cowboys used Micah Parsons as a true edge defender when they were missing guys in the lineup, but he spent the majority of the snaps off the ball.
Yet still, he finished just one behind the lead-league with 21 tackles for loss. He was behind only T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa with his 47 total pressures, despite his 255 pass-rush snaps being significantly behind two of those three. This gives him the NFL’s best pass-rush win rate by far (22.3% versus 17.1% for the next-closes), according to PFF. That’s along with breaking up passes to streaking slot receivers as a middle dropper and stuff like that.
#25. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Looking at Cincinnati’s improbable run to the Super Bowl, we saw Joe Burrow carry his team arguably as much as any player in the NFL last season. Despite playing behind a bottom-three offensive line and being sacked an NFL-high 51 times, he led the league in completion percentage (70.4%) and yards per attempt (8.9). He also finished behind only MVP Aaron Rodgers in EPA among quarterbacks (0.162) and was absolutely deadly against the blitz.
What stands out more than anything else is how cool he was in the biggest moments and how he was able to get his team out of almost impossible situations, such as being in the grasp of Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs defenders, yet still somehow converting key third downs.
#24. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
If there’s one tight-end with a legitimate case for ranking ahead of Travis Kelce, George Kittle would be that guy. While his receiving numbers are certainly impressive at 76.4 yards per game and 18 touchdowns across 52 games since 2018, what makes me say that is the value he adds as a blocker.
This guy can legitimately be like a third offensive tackle on the field, driving edge defenders towards the sidelines, and he also has the mobility to crush the back-seven. He forces defenses to adjust to him being on the field because he can be released from that spot, but also line up in the slot and run away from safeties on wheel routes. As much fun as it is to belly-laugh after burying guys in the run game, the craziest thing for me is the way he runs through grown men with the ball in his hands.
#23. Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
As a guest on the Mina Kimes Show, Cam Heyward recently mentioned that it “pisses him off” for everybody to always say it’s “Aaron Donald and everybody else”, because he should be up in that category too. In terms of consistency over the last five NFL seasons, you can certainly argue that he’s been number two among the interior D-linemen.
Over that stretch, he has averaged just under 12 tackles for loss and 28.5 combined sacks and QB hits. That’s despite being far more of a stout run-stopper than being asked to penetrate, and his rushing plan heavily revolving around power, to create softer angles for those guys on the edges.
#22. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
While Tyreek Hill is up there with the most explosive offensive play-makers in the NFL, Deebo Samuel has arguably become the most versatile receiver around. Describing himself as a “wide back”, he was frequently utilized as a true running back, averaging 6.2 yards and scoring eight touchdowns on his 59 carries. That’s on top of his 77 receptions for over 1,400 yards (54.6% of those after the catch) and six more scores through the air.
Whether he was used on the backside of RPOs with glance routes or on digs, Kyle Shanahan routinely created easy throwing opportunities all over the field. These included quick screens and a few change-ups down the field, putting pressure on his top weapon, rather than the quarterback.
#21. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Ignore the fact that Tyreek Hill seems to have lost all sense of reality. Ignore his recent claims that Tua Tagovailoa is a more accurate passer than Patrick Mahomes, and that the Miami Dolphins are “the same exact team” as the Chiefs.
I’m not worried about Hill’s ability to stay as one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL. Last season, with opponents defending Kansas City with a lot more two-high shells, we saw him catch a lot more quick passes. But his ability to make defenders miss in space consistently allowed them to move the ball better than any other team in the league, while he maintains that ability to beat opponents across the field and over the top. Since his second NFL season, he has averaged 86.5 yards and 0.58 touchdowns per game.
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