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The 2022 NFL season is almost here. With teams playing their preseason matchups, it seemed like a good time to take a look at the best players in the league. Making a list of the best NFL players in any position is controversial. It only gets harder when you expand that to everyone in the NFL.
Every player on this list is extremely gifted. A large number of players didn't make the cut as there's only 100 spots on the list. With strong campaigns in 2022, they could be on this list next year.
Let's count down the top-100 players in the NFL. Here are numbers 60-51:
#60. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
While he hasn’t missed extended time yet, Alvin Kamara hasn’t played a full 16 games since his rookie NFL season in 2017. He’s been a Pro Bowler every year and a two-time second-team All-Pro. The per-game totals weren’t a whole lot lower last season compared to the year prior, but he reached the end-zone twelve times fewer (nine) and his average yards per rush went down significantly from 5.0 to 3.7.
However, he played in an offense with Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris as their leading receivers and a rotating wheel at quarterback. So there was increased focus on the guy in the backfield and that hurts his numbers.
#59. D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
2021 was certainly a down-year for D.K. Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks as a whole. In his third season, he was targeted 129 times for the second straight year, but for eight catches and more than 300 yards fewer (75 for 967). He did, however, reach the end-zone 12 times.
With Russell Wilson banging up his thumb and Seattle’s aerial attack taking a step backwards, regression was in store for all their targets. And yet, Metcalf had the exact same amount of broken tackles (eight) and average yards after the catch (4.4), whilst cutting his drops down in half (four).
#58. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
After racking up just under 1,000 receiving yards as a dump-off option for Philip Rivers in 2019, Austin Ekeler worked through a hamstring issue and missed some time in 2020. Last year, with a full season to play alongside Justin Herbert, he finally put it all together. He touched the ball 276 times for 1,558 yards and tied for the NFL-high with 20 touchdowns from scrimmage.
This guy is a true mismatch in the passing game,. He's able to shake linebackers out of their boots or work down the field, but he proved that he can get the job done as an in-between-the-tackle runner.
#57. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
A.J. Brown put up career-lows in receiving yards (869) and touchdowns (five) last season across 13 games. He didn’t deliver as many big plays down the field (career-low ten catches of 20+ yards and three of 40+ yards), but due to missing their consistent chain-mover in Derrick Henry, he had to be more of a steady contributor.
He still averaged 66.8 yards per game and converted 45 of his 63 receptions into first downs. Several of those were in challenging third-down situations, where everybody inside the stadium knew where the ball was going. That San Francisco 49ers game immediately comes to mind.
#56. Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers
This was one of my young breakout candidates for the 2021 NFL season. While Rashan Gary’s snap percentage went up by 20 percent, he increased to eight tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. But his other pressures are what really went up, with 47 in total. He’s a freaking wall at the point of attack trying to widen him in the run game. As a pass-rusher, his freakish athletic traits combined with the power he possesses make him a huge problem to deal with, as he’s improved his technique.
Gary capped off the year with a dominant two-sack, three-TFL performance in the NFC Divisional Round versus San Francisco.
#55. Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns
As far as offensive guards are concerned, the Cowboys’ Zack Martin and the Colts’ Quenton Nelson are sort of in a tier of their own. But once you get past that, Bitonio receives the edge for how good he is in both areas of the game and the consistency he’s done it with over the last four years.
Across 17 games last season, Bitonio allowed exactly one pressure per contest, and scored easily the best run-blocking grade (92.5) of his career.
#54. Xavien Howard, Miami Dolphins
A two-time interception leader (seven and ten, respectively), Xavien Howard is one of those rare combinations of being able to lock up guys in man-coverage (which he’s frequently asked to play in Miami’s blitz-heavy defensive philosophy) and make plays on the ball.
Last season, he picked off five passes and broke up another 16, whilst scoring touchdowns off an interception and a fumble recovery. He’s also improved as a tackler, missing just six attempts in each of the last two years on 113 total attempts.
#53. Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys
Heading into the 2021 NFL season, it felt like Tyron Smith was past his days as one of the premier offensive tackles in the game. He had only appeared in two games the year prior and had missed three contests in each of the prior four seasons. However, while he only played 11 games once again last year, the only guy who played the position at a higher level in the entire NFL was Trent Williams.
Smith was responsible for just one sack and 17 total pressures across 515 pass-blocking snaps, while earning a PFF run-blocking grade of 90.0.
#52. Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
Back in the 2018 NFL draft, when the Cleveland Browns selected Baker Mayfield first overall, Denzel Ward going three spots later was rather surprising. That pick immediately paid off for them. Over his first four seasons (52 combined games), he has intercepted ten passes and broken up another 50. He's been responsible for a passer rating when targeted between 62.2 and 78.3 in all four years and had his lowest yards per target last season (5.6).
While the Browns like to run a lot of two-high safety coverages, Ward did end up in one-on-one coverage against some of the NFL's top receivers regularly and more than held his own.
#51. Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints
Linebackers can stand out at their position by executing their assignments in great fashion or by bringing something extra to a defense. Davis doesn't quite have the range of a Fred Warner or Darius Leonard, and Micah Parsons is kind of in a category of his own as this hybrid defender. But the New Orleans Saints linebacker put together some textbook NFL tape last season. He was an absolute menace in the running game, with how quickly he pulled the trigger and shot through gaps to create stops, while tossing around running backs in protection like rag-dolls.
Overall, he put up 13 TFLs, seven PBUs, three sacks and ten more QB hits during his 51 blitzes, while missing tackles in the seven-percent range for the second straight year.
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