NFL Starts Top 100 Countdown And There Are Some Crazy Rankings
Like Hard Knocks, the NFL Network's Top 100 Players countdown is an unofficial sign that fall is here. It gives us something to talk about to fill out the dog days of August, gears us up for the NFL season with a nice little refresher, and of course, provides us with some serious insight into what the players actually think of each other. Remember, the players vote here - not the media. Spoiler alert: they do NOT think like we do when it comes to some guys. Is Mac Jones seriously a Top 100 player in the league after one season? Kyler Murray is ranked where?! You dropped Xavien Howard and Alvin Kamara how many spots? All right, enough teasing. Let's dive in to some of the hottest names on this countdown, which is just Nos. 100-51.
Mac Jones and the Pats reached the playoffs last season. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Mac Jones, No. 85
Nothing against Jones, I just don't know if a player who threw literally three passes in a real NFL game should sniff this list. Call me crazy. Jones had modest numbers his rookie year with 22 touchdowns and 13 picks, got the Pats into the playoffs - how'd that go? - and somehow made a Pro Bowl. I don't know, maybe it's recency bias because Jones has reportedly struggled in camp. Maybe it's the fact that he doesn't exactly push the ball downfield. Maybe it's because it sort of seems outrageous to put him ahead of Kirk Cousins, who checks in at No. 99. You do NOT like that!
Was it really Russell Wilson's fault the Seahawks were bad last season? (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Russell Wilson, No. 61
Mr. Unlimited deserves better. Wilson threw for 25 touchdowns to just six picks last year despite missing nearly a month, and was playing on an absolutely broken offense. Wilson has been incredibly consistent over his 10 years in the league, is just a year removed from his best season, and is now playing on an offense that features Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams. Perhaps most importantly, he's also playing for a coach that will (allegedly) let him actually throw the ball. The relationship between Wilson and the Seahawks soured toward the end, but dropping him 49 spots seems harsh.
Kyler Murray is rich, but is he worth it? (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
Kyler Murray, No. 57
The Arizona Cardinals just made Murray one of the richest players in the league, but it appears his peers don't think he's worthy. Maybe this is the perfect sport for Murray, who's coming off his first playoff appearance. But - to me, at least - a guy who now makes $46.1 million a year should probably be ranked a tad higher, right? Murray has show flashes of brilliance over his first three seasons, but struggled at times, too. The Cardinals have basically collapsed down the stretch each of the past two years, and Murray looked absolutely horrible in January's playoff loss to Los Angeles. Still, knocking him down 18 spots seems a little much.
Xavien Howard continues to have to fight for respect in the NFL. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Xavien Howard, No. 56
Miami's top cornerback continues to get disrespected! First, it was the scrubs over at Madden who rated him 91 earlier this summer, and now he drops a whopping 39 spots from last season?! Howard is one of the best cornerbacks in the league, one of the few guys who can survive by himself on an island, and is an absolute ball-hawk. He has 27 interceptions since entering the league in 2016, including 15 over the past two seasons, is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. Howard's also shown an uncanny ability to literally win games for the Miami Dolphins. He did it twice last season, including the season-opener in New England and the Thursday night game against Baltimore. I don't know ... dropping someone nearly 40 spots after that seems like a bit much.
Alvin Kamara wasn't left with much when Drew Brees left. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Alvin Kamara, No. 51
Come on ... we're gonna drop Kamara 37 spots because he got hurt and his team was awful last season? Kamara has never missed a Top 100 list, but No. 57 is a steep fall after years toward the top, and it seems a little silly. Kamara was never going to match his insane production from 2020, where he had six touchdowns in one game, and the target share was never going to be there with Drew Brees not under center. How bad was it? Kamara had at least 80 receptions in his first four years with Brees at quarterback. Last season, with Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian and Ian Book, he had 67. Read those last four names out loud and then tell me Kamara deserves to drop 37 spots.