You've seen our 2019 NFLRank list, our projection of the top 100 players for this season. And now our experts weigh in on the results.
Which player was snubbed? Who was ranked too high or too low? Who was ranked just right? And who will be making the list in future years? Let the debating begin.
Jump to:
Snubs | Too low | Too high
Just right | 2020 locks | Rookies
Complete 2019 NFLRank list
Which player was the biggest snub from this year's list?
Kevin Byard, S, Tennessee Titans
Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: Byard isn't a top-100 player? Ridiculous. This is the guy in the secondary you want to coach. He's smart, he's tough and he can find the rock, posting a league-high 12 picks over the past two seasons. He hits in the run game, too. The production and film match up here, as does the overall skill set. He can play.
Mike Clay, NFL writer: Byard is arguably a top-20 player, so his exclusion here is nothing short of egregious. The 26-year-old has racked up 177 tackles and 12 interceptions while dominating both as a run defender and in coverage over the past two seasons. In fact, Byard and Darius Slay (No. 100 on the list) are the only two NFL players with at least 100 tackles and 10 interceptions over the past two seasons.
Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Dan Graziano, national NFL writer: What's this guy got to do to get a little love? Are we still holding his nondescript Buffalo tenure against him? He's one of only 14 players in the league with 2,000 receiving yards the past two seasons, and he might be the most reliable part of the most productive offense in the league.
Landon Collins, S, Washington Redskins
Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: There has been some fair debate about Collins' coverage skills in the wake of the Giants' decision to let him depart via free agency. You could also argue that Collins isn't even the most snubbed safety in this project, as Byard should also be on the list. But Collins is a dominant defensive player when allowed to play to his strengths in the run game, and his play has been recognized with three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl.
Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee Titans
Field Yates, NFL analyst: It's exceedingly difficult to find premier offensive linemen, especially at the all-important left tackle position. Lewan, a tone-setting, physically imposing and technically sound anchor, is among the best in the game. While a four-game suspension to begin his season impacts the rating, his undeniable impact on each snap for which he is on the field makes an easy case for Lewan's appearing in the top 100.
Who was the most underrated player on the list?
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers (No. 56)
Graziano: I think people are leery of putting Adams up there with the top four or five receivers in the league, perhaps thinking he's an Aaron Rodgers creation or something. But he has evolved into one of the very best at his position, and opposing defensive backs say his routes and his releases make him as tough to cover as anyone.
Danielle Hunter, DE, Minnesota Vikings (No. 59)
Bowen: Coming off a 14.5-sack season in 2018, Hunter has now racked up a total of 40 sacks over his first four years in the league. He's an easy mover, too, with freaky athleticism off the edge. And he's only 24 years old. The pass-rush ceiling is just too high for Hunter to be outside of the top 50 heading into the 2019 season.
Calais Campbell, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 69)
Clay: Campbell may be 32 years old, but he has been one of the league's top defensive players for at least a half decade. The versatile and dominant lineman racked up 72 tackles and 10.5 sacks while playing just under 80% of Jacksonville's snaps last season. He should be closer to 20th than 70th on the list.
Mitchell Schwartz, OT, Kansas City Chiefs (No. 92)
Seifert: In today's game, with quarterbacks increasingly leaving the pocket before they throw, the right tackle is no less important than the left tackle. Schwartz is arguably the best at right tackle, and yet he barely snuck onto this list. From a team-building standpoint, a high-end right tackle is awfully critical.
Lane Johnson, OT, Philadelphia Eagles (No. 95)
Yates: Johnson is an integral part of Philadelphia's success and has been a top-shelf starter since assuming the right tackle job at the outset of his career. He's long-levered and has terrific footwork and the requisite power to hold up against ferocious edge rushers. The Eagles boast one of the NFL's deepest and most talented offensive lines, with Johnson as a critical cog of it.
What about the most overrated?
Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers (No. 17)
Graziano: Nothing against Rivers or what he has accomplished in his career, but he's 20 spots ahead of Matt Ryan and 21 ahead of Ben Roethlisberger. His ranking just felt kind of out of whack with respect to the other veteran QBs on the list.
Todd Gurley II, RB, Los Angeles Rams (No. 46)
Seifert: Sure, Gurley's knee problems sent him tumbling from last year's No. 4 overall spot. But there are enough warning signs floating around to question whether he'll be a full-time player in 2019. That seems to be a minimum requirement to qualify as one of the top 100 players in the NFL, let alone the top 50.
Tyron Smith, OT, Dallas Cowboys (No. 50)
Bowen: I think Smith is a top-100 player heading into 2019, but I don't agree that the Cowboys offensive tackle should be ranked ahead of Colts guard Quenton Nelson, Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead or Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz. All three linemen have more upside -- and better film -- than Smith.
A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (No. 51)
Yates: To be clear, I'm not sure any of the players on this list are egregiously overrated. But my selection of Green is a reflection of his missing six games in two of the past three seasons, being injured going into 2019 and checking in four places ahead of Davante Adams -- the only player in the NFL with three straight seasons of double-digit receiving touchdowns.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Minnesota Vikings (No. 64)
Clay: I have no major issues with Diggs, but I'm going to take it out on him that so many great defensive players were snubbed for solid (or even good) players. Diggs cleared 1,000 receiving yards for the first time last season, but also ranked 78th out of 83 qualified wide receivers in yards per reception and 68th in yards per target. Again, he's a good player, but just not good enough to land in the top 65.
Which player was slotted in the perfect rank?
Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams (No. 1)
Graziano: It seems simple, but Donald is the best player in the league right now, on either side of the ball, hands down. And the list honored that. It's a little bit scary, actually, to imagine what he can do after having finally gone to training camp this year.
Zach Ertz, TE, Philadelphia Eagles (No. 23)
Bowen: I don't have any issues with projecting Ertz as a top-25 player in the 2019 season. With the pass-game volume he sees in the Eagles' system, along with the high-level route running that consistently pops on the film, Ertz can win at all three levels of the field from multiple alignments. He's a game plan weapon who caught 116 of 156 targets in 2018.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 35)
Yates: It's possible, and perhaps likely, that our view of Smith-Schuster will be far more favorable at this time next year, as he walks into an opportunity to be the focal point of Pittsburgh's passing game after sharing duties with Antonio Brown last season. Smith-Schuster is explosive and a technician as a route runner, and he has levels to grow after an incredible 2018 season. He's ranked appropriately now given the receivers with a longer track record ahead of him.
Akiem Hicks, DT, Chicago Bears (No. 49)
Seifert: His appearance was long overdue, and it could even be argued that he had a better season in 2017 but simply wasn't noticed because of the Bears' losing record. Hicks has developed into a force that offensive coaches must account for on every play and, even as he approaches his 30th birthday, is certainly one of the top 50 players in the game.
Geno Atkins, DT, Cincinnati Bengals (No. 66)
Clay: Atkins ended up nearly exactly where I had him ranked (67th). The 31-year-old has been one of the league's best and most underrated defensive tackles over the past decade, and though his play may have slipped slightly last season, he was still a bright spot on a Bengals defense that had a rough year. Atkins might be higher if not for the overwhelming number of good defensive tackles in the league right now.
One player who missed this year's list but is a lock for the 2020 edition is ...
Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
Graziano: He's underrated as a pass-catcher and likely to be a reliable workhorse rusher for one of the most exciting offenses in the league. By late October, I predict Kareem Hunt won't be a legitimate threat to take Chubb's job when he gets back from suspension.
Yates: The path to stardom for Chubb has already started, as he finished 2018 red-hot. While Hunt's eventual return to the lineup may limit Chubb's overall touches down the stretch, there is too much promise and ability to ignore him as both a runner and a receiver. He should soon be one of the game's most well-rounded and productive backs.
Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Dallas Cowboys
Bowen: Look for Vander Esch to join teammate Jaylon Smith next year in the top 100. The second-year linebacker has the athletic traits to get sideline to sideline or to match underneath in coverage. He's going to rack up tackles as a run defender, too. The numbers will be there in 2019 for Vander Esch, and so will the impact plays.
Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Seifert: Coach Mike Zimmer has made it clear that he wants the offense to be more balanced toward the run, even with an $84 million quarterback (Kirk Cousins) and a pair of top-100 receivers in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Cook figures to be the primary beneficiary, assuming he remains healthy, and can also be an asset in the passing game. It'll be difficult to exclude a 1,200-yard, 50-catch running back from the top 100 in 2020.
DeForest Buckner, DT, San Francisco 49ers
Clay: Chargers safety Derwin James is the obvious choice here, but he missed the cut this year only because of a foot injury that will cost him most of the 2019 season. He easily would have been here otherwise. But Buckner was a bright spot on a 49ers defense that struggled last season, racking up 12.0 sacks and 67 tackles on just over 800 snaps. The 25-year-old former first-rounder has bloomed into one of the league's top interior linemen.
The first 2019 draft pick to make a future top-100 ranking is ...
Quinnen Williams, DT, New York Jets
Bowen: It's the first-step speed and play strength that jumped off Williams' college film at Alabama. And that stuff translates to the pros. I see Williams developing quickly as a disruptive force inside, with the pass-rush upside to get home to the quarterback.
Graziano: Too many reliable people swore to me before the draft that he was the best overall player. He'll do it more quietly than Kyler Murray will, but Williams should develop into a reliable difference-maker sooner rather than later.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Clay: The Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is going to be a Week 1 starter in a high-volume Cardinals offense. Even if the unit struggles at times, Murray's passing efficiency (he set the FBS yards-per-attempt record in 2018) and rushing prowess (he ran for 1,001 yards last season) should allow him to stuff the box scores. Thirteen quarterbacks made the top 100 this season, and barring disaster, Murray figures to be in that range this time next year.
Devin White, LB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Yates: The Bucs needed defensive reinforcements in the worst way this offseason, with White preparing to slide into a ready-made starting role. He's athletic, instinctive, physical, a natural leader and a communicator. Put differently, he checks all of the boxes of an inside linebacker. He should pile up tackles right away, but his impact will be about much more than just his statistics.
Devin Bush, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Seifert: A young player, especially on defense, must nail two points to get on this list: perform really well and make the kind of splash plays that get noticed nationally. Training camp and the preseason have suggested Bush is on track for just that kind of rookie season, and he'll have ample opportunities in the Steelers' attacking defense.