Atlanta Falcons Place 3 Players on CBS Sports Top 100 Players List

CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco shared his top 100 players of 2025, and three Atlanta Falcons made the list. Bijan Robinson is the highest-rated Falcon, coming in at No. 39. He is the fourth-highest running back on the list, trailing only Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Jahmyr Gibbs. 

Chris Lindstrom comes in next at 43. He is the highest-rated guard on the entire list.

“Lindstrom is one of the best interior players in the league, a dominant run blocker who has improved in pass protection,” wrote Prisco. “At 28, he still has a lot of good football in front of him.” 

Bijan Robinson and Chris Lindstrom are newcomers on Pete’s list as they were unranked last season. 

Jessie Bates is the final Falcon, coming in at No. 73. He is the fifth-highest safety on the list. Bates fell nearly 30 spots from his 2024 ranking of 44. Like most of the Falcons’ defenders, Bates enjoyed a better 2023 than 2024. 

“Bates's play slipped a little last season in his second with the Falcons, but he remains a top-tier safety. He just turned 28, so he still has a lot of good football left,” wrote Prisco. 

Robinson had a stellar season. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl this past season and recorded 1,456 rushing yards, 431 receiving yards, 4.8 yards per carry, and 14 rushing touchdowns. He was third in the NFL in rushing yards, fourth in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage, and tied for fourth in the NFL in rushing touchdowns. 

He had the most games in the NFL last season (5) with two or more rushing touchdowns. He had 12 games with 100+ yards from scrimmage last season, the second most in the NFL.

Lindstrom is PFF’s highest-rated guard, with a 93.5 overall grade. He also has PFF’s highest run-blocking grade, with a 94.6. He is credited with allowing only one sack and eight quarterback hits on nearly 1,100 snaps. He received 2nd-team All-Pro honors last season. 

For Bates, a down year meant 102 total tackles, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, six pass breakups, and a touchdown. He was sixth in the NFL in interceptions, first in the NFL in forced fumbles, and fifth in the NFL in pass breakups. 

He allowed just a 71.8 passer rating when targeted and allowed less than nine yards per reception. He was the only player in the NFL last season with four or more interceptions and four or more forced fumbles. 

Three is the most top-100 rated players the Falcons have had heading into a season in years, and there’s a strong argument to be made that Drake London should be on the list. If Michael Penix Jr. has anything to say about it, he will be next year. 

With playoff hopes at an all-time high, Falcons fans can only hope that these three players can help the team make a playoff push for the first time since 2017.