LOS ANGELES — Myles Garrett has been voted the NFL’s best player entering the 2026 season, taking the No. 1 spot in the league’s annual Top 100 Players ranking and leading a list that reflects both the league’s changing stars and the Los Angeles Rams’ rise as football’s most talent-rich roster.
Garrett, the Rams’ dominant edge rusher, finished ahead of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen at No. 2 and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson at No. 3 in the player-voted ranking. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford ranked fourth and Rams receiver Puka Nacua seventh, giving Los Angeles three players in the top seven.
The NFL Top 100 is voted on by players themselves, making it distinct from rankings compiled by media panels, coaches, executives or statistical models. It is as much a measure of peer respect as it is an evaluation of production.
This year’s top 10 captures a league in transition. It includes established veterans such as Stafford and Garrett, ascending stars such as Robinson, Nacua and Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and defensive players who remain central to the NFL’s competitive hierarchy, including Green Bay Packers linebacker Micah Parsons and Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
The list’s most striking story is Garrett’s rise.
After finishing No. 8 in the 2025 ranking, Garrett moved seven places to become the first Rams defender to claim the top spot in the player vote. His placement reflects a historic 2025 season and a growing consensus among NFL players that the league’s best overall performer does not have to be a quarterback.
The top 10
The 2026 NFL Top 100 top 10 is:
| Rank | Player | Team | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myles Garrett | Los Angeles Rams | Edge rusher |
| 2 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills | Quarterback |
| 3 | Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons | Running back |
| 4 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams | Quarterback |
| 5 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seattle Seahawks | Wide receiver |
| 6 | Christian McCaffrey | San Francisco 49ers | Running back |
| 7 | Puka Nacua | Los Angeles Rams | Wide receiver |
| 8 | Micah Parsons | Green Bay Packers | Linebacker/edge rusher |
| 9 | Jahmyr Gibbs | Detroit Lions | Running back |
| 10 | Patrick Surtain II | Denver Broncos | Cornerback |
The ranking is based on player voting and follows the 2025 regular season.
The top 10 contains three running backs, two wide receivers, two edge defenders, two quarterbacks and one cornerback. That distribution is noteworthy in a league usually dominated by quarterbacks in major awards and public debate.
It suggests NFL players value all-around production and game-changing impact across positions, not merely the value attached to the quarterback position.
The list also represents a significant break from the previous year. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, the No. 1 player in the 2025 Top 100, fell to No. 34. That drop reflects the volatility of player rankings, where one season can dramatically reshape peer perceptions.
Garrett’s climb to No. 1
Garrett’s first-place finish follows a 2025 season in which he set a new standard for disruptive defensive play.
The former Cleveland Browns star was moved to the Rams in 2025, a move that altered the franchise and the NFL’s defensive landscape. Garrett assembled a record-setting campaign in Los Angeles that propelled him to the forefront of a championship-aspiring club.
His rise from No. 8 in 2025 to No. 1 in 2026 is the highest ranking of his career.
Garrett’s appeal to fellow players is clear: he is not simply a sack producer. He forces offensive lines to alter protections, changes play-calling, creates opportunities for teammates and can disrupt games without recording a traditional statistic.
NFL Pro Insight data illustrates his sustained impact. Garrett has generated 161 quarterback pressures since 2024, the most in the league over that span.
That total matters because pressure affects offenses even when it does not result in a sack. A hurried throw can produce an incompletion, interception, poor decision or reduced gain. A defense with a player who consistently reaches the quarterback can transform the entire structure of a game.
Garrett’s ranking is also a statement about defense in an era increasingly defined by offense. The NFL has elevated passing, scoring and quarterback play, but players voted a pass rusher to the top spot over the league’s reigning MVP candidates and record-setting skill-position stars.
For the Rams, Garrett’s arrival has created a defense capable of complementing one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
Allen comes close again
Allen’s No. 2 ranking reflects his standing as one of the NFL’s premier quarterbacks, even if he narrowly missed the top spot.
The Buffalo quarterback has consistently combined elite arm strength, mobility, physicality and improvisational ability. His placement above every other quarterback on the list shows the respect he commands across the league.
The ranking comes as Allen enters another season with the Bills expected to contend in the AFC. NFL.com analysts have also made Allen the leading preseason choice for the 2026 MVP award, assigning him six votes and listing FanDuel odds of +550 as of Sept. 1.
Allen’s No. 2 position is not merely about statistics. It reflects how difficult he is for opposing defenses to plan against. He can attack vertically, make plays outside structure, use his legs in short-yardage situations and create scoring chances when a play appears to have broken down.
But the player vote also suggests that even quarterbacks must contend with the impact of elite defenders. Garrett’s No. 1 ranking means NFL players viewed the Rams pass rusher as the more complete or dominant force entering this season.
The debate between Garrett and Allen will likely continue throughout the year, particularly if the Rams and Bills remain contenders.
Robinson’s superstar rise
Robinson’s No. 3 ranking is one of the list’s clearest indicators of the NFL’s changing offensive landscape.
The Atlanta Falcons running back led the league with 2,298 yards from scrimmage in 2025, the 12th-highest single-season total in NFL history, according to NFL.com.
He rushed for 1,478 yards at 5.1 yards per carry and added 79 receptions for 820 yards. He finished with 11 total touchdowns despite losing short-yardage scoring opportunities to former teammate Tyler Allgeier.
The numbers show why players ranked him so highly. Robinson was not simply a traditional runner. He was a complete offensive weapon, capable of carrying the ball efficiently, catching passes in space and creating mismatches against linebackers and safeties.
His ranking also represents a major shift in how running backs are viewed. The position has often been treated as replaceable in modern roster construction, but Robinson, McCaffrey and Gibbs all landed in the top 10.
For Atlanta, Robinson’s placement offers both validation and pressure. The Falcons’ offense ranked only 24th in 2025, according to NFL.com, despite his remarkable season. The franchise must now build an offense that turns Robinson’s individual brilliance into team success.
Stafford’s MVP season
Stafford ranked fourth after the best season of his career at age 37.
The Rams quarterback won the 2025 NFL MVP award after leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns while throwing fewer than 10 interceptions. He became only the second quarterback, after Tom Brady in 2007, to lead the NFL in both passing yards and touchdown passes in a season with fewer than 10 interceptions.
The Rams’ official team account listed Stafford’s regular-season totals as 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns. He also received first-team All-Pro recognition and helped Los Angeles lead the NFL in total offense and scoring offense.
Stafford’s ranking represents a dramatic rise of 55 spots from the previous year.
It also shows that player voting can reward late-career excellence. At an age when many quarterbacks are declining or retiring, Stafford produced one of the most efficient and prolific seasons in the league.
His performance helped make the Rams a dominant presence in the top 10. Garrett leads the defense, Stafford directs the offense and Nacua gives the quarterback an elite target.
The only question is whether the Rams can translate that concentration of star power into a Super Bowl run.
The emergence of Smith-Njigba and Nacua
Smith-Njigba’s rise to No. 5 represents the arrival of a new receiving superstar.
The Seattle Seahawks receiver led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards in 2025, the eighth-highest single-season total in league history. He caught 119 passes, scored 10 touchdowns and won Offensive Player of the Year.
Seattle had placed a substantial bet on Smith-Njigba when it traded DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The decision elevated him to the team’s unquestioned No. 1 receiver. He responded by delivering one of the most productive receiving seasons of the modern era.
Smith-Njigba was especially effective because he could dominate from different alignments. NFL Pro Insight data shows he led the league with 88 receptions and 1,378 receiving yards when lined up wide in 2025, after leading the league in slot production in 2024.
That versatility makes him difficult to defend. Opponents cannot simply match him with one type of cornerback or scheme because he can operate inside, outside, underneath and downfield.
Nacua’s No. 7 ranking completes the story of a league loaded with elite young receivers.
The Rams star caught a league-high 129 passes in 2025, tying for seventh-most in a season in NFL history. He was second in receiving yards, averaged 107.2 receiving yards per game and recorded four 150-yard games.
His 3.8 yards per route run were the second-highest figure in the Next Gen Stats era among players with at least 100 routes.
Nacua’s production gives Stafford an elite target, but his physicality as a blocker and willingness to work over the middle also make him essential to Sean McVay’s offensive system.
The pair enters 2026 as one of the NFL’s most dangerous quarterback-receiver combinations.
McCaffrey’s comeback, Gibbs’ ascent
McCaffrey’s No. 6 ranking follows an extraordinary return to form.
The San Francisco 49ers star rushed for 1,202 yards, scored 10 rushing touchdowns and added 102 catches for 924 yards and seven receiving scores. He set a franchise record with 413 touches and won the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year award.
His 2,000-plus scrimmage yards and 100-plus receptions marked the second such season of his career. Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson is the only other player to achieve that combination even once.
McCaffrey’s ranking reflects the premium players place on reliability and versatility. He is simultaneously a runner, receiver, pass protector and offensive focal point.
Gibbs, ranked ninth, continued his own ascent after producing nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards for the Detroit Lions. He rushed for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns, caught 77 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns, and signed a contract that made him the NFL’s highest-paid running back.
The Lions traded David Montgomery to Houston in the offseason, which could give Gibbs an even larger role in 2026.
The top 10’s three running backs show that elite versatility remains valuable even in a passing-heavy league.
Defense still matters
Garrett is not the only defender in the top 10.
Parsons ranked eighth despite a knee injury that ended his 2025 season in Week 15. Before the injury, he was tied for third in the NFL with 12.5 sacks and led the league with 83 quarterback pressures.
His placement reflects respect for his ceiling. Parsons has recorded at least 12 sacks in each of his five NFL seasons. But he is expected to miss the start of the 2026 campaign and may not return until mid-October, creating uncertainty for Green Bay.
Surtain rounded out the top 10 after another elite season as Denver’s top cornerback. He allowed one touchdown on 63 targets across 572 coverage snaps, according to Next Gen Stats.
Pass catchers averaged just 2.1 yards of separation when Surtain was targeted, the second-lowest mark among qualified cornerbacks.
His ranking is significant because cornerbacks rarely receive the same public attention as quarterbacks, running backs or pass rushers. Players, however, understand the value of a defender who can erase an opponent’s best receiver and allow an entire defense to change its coverage structure.
What the list says about 2026
The NFL Top 100 is not a playoff forecast, nor is it a precise measure of who will have the best upcoming season. It is a player-voted snapshot of respect earned through performance.
This year’s ranking points to several themes:
- The Rams have assembled a roster capable of dominating both sides of the ball.
- Young offensive stars, especially Robinson, Smith-Njigba, Nacua and Gibbs, are changing the league’s hierarchy.
- Elite running backs remain highly valued when they are complete receiving threats.
- Pass rushers and lockdown corners can still rise above quarterbacks in peer evaluation.
- Veteran excellence remains powerful, as Stafford’s No. 4 ranking shows.
Garrett’s No. 1 placement will be the headline, and it should be. He has become the player his peers most respect heading into the season.
But the broader takeaway is that the NFL enters 2026 with no single dominant archetype. A disruptive pass rusher, dual-threat quarterback, all-purpose running back, veteran passer, dynamic receiver and elite cornerback all occupy the league’s highest tier.
The top 100 list does not settle every argument. It starts new ones.
And as the 2026 season begins, Garrett has the clearest distinction of all: NFL players have voted him the best among them.
