July is top 100 season in the NFL as everyone tries to kill the days until training camp and the start of the new season. Unfortunately, the official top 100 list from the league is not good. We’re not trying to hate; it’s just a well-accepted fact at this point in time. 

For five years, we’ve been trying to do better. The time has come for the 2026 version of our NFL Trade Rumors Top 100 Players. Instead of using player polls, we aim to better reflect reality with traditional and advanced statistical analysis, evaluations from league personnel, positional value, awards, career trajectory and, of course, the good old-fashioned gut check. Our hope is to give more credit to players who are overlooked, either because they don’t play a glamorous position or because they’re not household names (yet). 

We’ll have updates daily over the next couple of weeks, so keep checking back! 

Previous Entries:

• NFLTR Top 100: 100-91
• NFLTR Top 100: 90-81
• NFLTR Top 100: 80-71
• NFLTR Top 100: 70-61
• NFLTR Top 100: 60-51
• NFLTR Top 100: 50-41
• NFLTR Top 100: 40-31

Resources: 

• Pro Football Reference
• QB advanced stats
• Win rates from ESPN for OL and DL
• PFF advanced stats (grades, pass rush productivity, blocking efficiency, coverage stats)
• ESPN WR tracking metrics
• Past NFLTR Top 100s

30 — Commanders OT Laremy Tunsil

One of the elite pass protectors in the NFL, Tunsil hit the ground running in Miami, quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with. The Texans sent a haul to the Dolphins to bring Tunsil to Houston, eventually shipping him off to Washington last offseason. But despite all the movement, one thing remained true: Tunsil never wavered in his status as one of the single best blindside protectors you could ask for.

Over the last four seasons, Tunsil had PFF pass blocking grades between an 85.5 and a 91.7. In that span, he allowed a mere 82 total pressures with a pressure rate allowed of three percent. His pass blocking efficiency rating sat above a 98 and he did this on over 2500 pass blocking reps. ESPN likes him too, as he ranked 14th in 2023 and 20th in 2024 among offensive tackles in their pass block win rate rankings. Tunsil’s run blocking is more good than great, but he’s arguably the best one-on-one pass blocker in the league.

29 — Commanders QB Jayden Daniels

The No. 2 overall pick in 2024, Daniels shattered even those high expectations, leading the Commanders from the bottom of the league to the NFC Championship Game, giving the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles a tough fight for a half. Though he only played seven games due to a series of injuries in 2025, Daniels’ electric dual-threat capabilities make him one of the most dynamic and dangerous weapons at the quarterback position in the whole league.

Daniels’ rookie season was something to behold. He threw for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions, completing 69 percent of his passes and earning a PFF passing grade of 85.3. His turnover-worthy play rate sat at an astonishing 1.5 percent and he had 22 big-time throws. But Daniels’ rushing ability is what sets him apart, and he rushed for 891 yards and six touchdowns, with an elite 90.1 PFF rushing grade. With 51 forced missed tackles and 34 explosive runs, he just needs another healthy season to rank even higher next year.

28 — Bears QB Caleb Williams

The early returns on the 2024 No. 1 pick were not great. He took 73 sacks and had a PFF passing grade of just 63.9 in his rookie season. Given the success of Daniels, many were openly speculating about whether the Bears had selected the wrong quarterback. But Williams completely flipped the script in 2025, leading the Bears to a division crown in a loaded NFC North, beating the hated Packers in the wild card round and giving the Rams all they could handle before eventually falling in an overtime playoff loss.

The numbers paint a good picture of Williams’ season. He threw for 3,942 yards and 27 touchdowns to seven interceptions, adding 388 rushing yards and another three touchdowns. Williams had a big-time throw rate of 5.3 percent, cut the sacks way down to 29, had an average depth of target north of nine yards, and 55 percent of his passing production came on air yards.

What the numbers can’t describe, however, is how insanely clutch he was. Williams elevated his game in the biggest moments time and time again, overcoming big halftime deficits and seemingly impossible situations, delivering big wins to Chicago out of thin air, becoming a hero in a city desperate for good football. The ceiling for Williams is the best player in the league, and to get there, he needs to clean up his game on the margins a bit. Even right now, though, there might not be another quarterback you’d trust more on fourth and 10 with the game on the line.

27 — Seahawks DT Leonard Williams

When the Seahawks wanted to upgrade the middle of their defense, they set their sights on Williams. Long recognized as one of the best interior defenders in the game during his time in New York, he reached new career heights in his three seasons in Seattle. Historically, Williams was known as a run-stuffer. He’s still quite good at that: ESPN ranked him 10th in their run stop win rate among defensive tackles in 2022. Over the last three seasons, PFF credits him with 77 run stops and a positively graded play rate of 25 percent, with 24 tackles for a loss.

But since arriving in Seattle, Williams has stepped his game up as a pass rusher, unlocking a new level to his game. He ranked 19th among defensive tackles in ESPN’s pass rush win rate in 2023, while PFF has him with 192 total pressures over the last three seasons. That correlates to a pass rush win rate over 12 percent and a pressure rate just under 12 percent. The box score stats don’t lie, either, as he has 25 sacks as a member of the Seahawks and was a major key of the league’s best defense last season.

26 — Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs

Wirfs is smooth, polished and versatile. After becoming one of the league’s best right tackles, the Bucs swapped him over to the left side and he got even better. Let’s start with his pass protection: he had elite PFF pass blocking grades between 84.9 and 94.1 over the last four seasons, allowing 68 total pressures with a pressure allowed rate under three percent. His pass blocking efficiency rating sat at almost a 99 and ESPN ranked him fifth in their pass block win rate among offensive tackles in 2022, sixth in 2024, and third in 2025.

If that wasn’t enough, Wirfs just posted an absurd 91.6 PFF run blocking grade in 2025. Historically, he’s always been a better pass protector than run blocker, but he just had his best season in the run game and is still an ascending player. He’s lethal in space and on the move, but he’s gotten better in power schemes over the course of his career. If he posts another run blocking season like the one we just saw, he’ll rank even higher on this list next year.

25 — Eagles OT Lane Johnson

I’m just going to cut right to the chase: the advanced metrics adore Johnson. ESPN ranked him first in pass block win rate among tackles in 2022, ninth in 2023, first in run block win rate in 2023, and fifth in 2024. Take out his injury-shortened 2025 season, and Johnson graded out with an 85 or better overall mark in PFF’s system in three of four years between 2021 and 2024. His 90.2 pass blocking grade in 2022 and his 85.4 run blocking grade in 2024 were the high-water marks in that span in both categories.

As a pass protector, Johnson stands out among his peers. From 2021 to 2024, he allowed 74 total pressures with a pass blocking efficiency rating above 98. His pressure-allowed rate hovered just above three percent and he allowed just four sacks across those four seasons. Johnson is about to enter his age-36 season and his play hasn’t waned a bit, injuries aside. Should he stay healthy in 2026, I expect a full return to form.

24 — Cowboys DT Quinnen Williams

The Cowboys traded about half of the haul they received by sending Micah Parsons to the Packers to get Williams in the building. Setting aside any concerns with the decision-making of Dallas’ front office, they added a real difference-maker in Williams, someone who can change the game from the defensive tackle position. He ranked second in ESPN’s run stop win rate among interior defenders in 2025, significantly upgrading the Cowboys’ run defense. Over the last four seasons, he has 47 tackles for a loss, 105 run stops, and a positively graded play rate of nearly 25 percent.

That said, Williams makes his money as a pass rusher. He’s really, really good at it. ESPN ranked him seventh in pass rush win rate in 2022, eighth in 2023, 17th in 2024, and fourth in 2025. Over the last four seasons, PFF credited him with 253 total pressures and a pass rush win rate over 15 percent, topping out at an insane 19.3 percent in 2023. He has a pressure rate over 14 percent in that same span, with his high being at 16.8 percent, also in 2023. Williams has been ridiculously efficient in his career and should be an important part of the Cowboys’ defense moving forward.

23 — Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

A fan-favorite for more than just his name, St. Brown absorbs seemingly ever-increasing receiving volume without missing a beat. He has four straight seasons with over 100 receptions and 1,100 receiving yards, reaching double-digit touchdowns in each of the last three. His PFF receiving grade was above 90 in each of the last four seasons, topping out at 91.3 in 2023. St. Brown lines up all over the formation, but he’s more of a possession receiver than the other receivers ranked in this range, and this is reflected in his average depth of target around eight yards.

Don’t let the “possession” receiver label make you think he’s any less effective, though. St. Brown caught over 93 percent of his catchable targets over the last four years, with his yards per route run hovering between 2.2 and 2.5 and a threat rate of about 28 percent. Despite his reputation, St. Brown caught over 50 percent of his contested targets in that span, with 134 explosive receptions and averaging nearly five yards after the catch per reception. No matter how you cut up the numbers, he’s near the top of the sport.

22 — Texans ED Danielle Hunter

After a star run in Minnesota — earning first-team All-Pro three times — Hunter upped his game in just two seasons in Houston. As a run defender, he holds his own, even if it’s not what he’s known for. Over the last four seasons, Hunter has 91 run stops, 19 tackles for a loss, an average depth of tackle under three yards, and a positively graded play rate of over 14 percent.

Hunter is a pass rush specialist, one of the very best in the entire league. He ranked 13th in ESPN’s pass rush win rate among edge rushers in 2024 and 19th in 2024. PFF had him with an elite 90.8 pass rush grade in 2025 and he checked in above 80 in three of the last four seasons. In the two seasons since arriving in Houston, Hunter has 179 total pressures, a pass rush win rate of 18.5 percent, a pressure rate of 16 percent, and 32 sacks. He’s been so devastatingly effective that he’s starting to garner some Hall of Fame speculation should he maintain his current trajectory.

21 — Lions OT Penei Sewell

Sewell will be switching back to his college position this season. He played left tackle at Oregon, but with Taylor Decker entrenched on the left side when he arrived in Detroit, he made the swap over to right tackle. Though Sewell struggled for half a season, he’s been one of the league’s most elite tackles ever since. PFF loves him as a run blocker — in two of the last three seasons, he’s earned an incredibly rare run blocking grade above 95, topping out at a truly ridiculous 96.7 grade in 2025. That other season sat at a 91.5, and in his career he has a 96.6 grade on outside zone plays. His efficiency as a run blocker across schemes, but especially in zone, is practically unprecedented.

But Sewell is an elite pass protector, too. ESPN ranked him sixth in their pass block win rate metric among tackles in 2023, while PFF graded him out above an 80 in that department in 2025. Sewell allowed just 77 pressures over the last three seasons and has a career pass blocking efficiency rating of nearly 98. He’s allowed pressure on just about four percent of his career reps and a move to his more natural position will only help him improve in this area.