Another year, another glimpse into which stars of the NFL are viewed as the very best by their peers. There's perhaps no cooler way to understand, as a basic viewer from the couch, who makes up the very top tier of NFL talent as told by the talented folks who are playing against them. Defensive backs talking about which QBs make the best throws, running backs talking about which linebackers make the most devastating tackles, offensive linemen reflecting on that one time a defensive end completely blew by them... it's about as authentic a way to rank players as there is.
So it only makes sense that a 23-year-old sportswriter — I'm almost 24! — should analyze what they say, override their opinions and pick out the players that should have been voted onto the list. Duh.
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Every ranking or voting tally has its snubs. Think about All-Star Games in various sports leagues, where one player that seemingly everyone thinks deserves a spot is mysteriously left off. Think about Hall of Fame ballots, where the most obvious candidate in your mind is one that sits on the outside looking in when all is said and done. Think about rankings of the best players in league history, of which there are very few realistic candidates, and all of the so-called snubs that can appear as a result.
As it turns out, the 2021 iteration of the NFL's Top 100 list isn't any different. Let's go over some players who we think rightfully deserve a spot on the list, whether it's because there's another player at the same position on there that we find worse, or just because we think the player deserves more respect and feels wrong to exclude. We'll be using a lot of statistics from our friends over at Pro Football Focus to help our case and, as always, check out more of their brilliant data!
Matthew Stafford, QB
A strong 2021 season for Matthew Stafford should bring him back to the NFL Top 100 list.
(Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Had Stafford made this year's NFL Top 100 list, it would have been his sixth time receiving the honor. In both 2017 and 2018, he was ranked at No. 31 on the list, but has now failed to make the cut in three straight seasons. It was understandable after a subpar 2018 campaign to not show up on the 2019 list, and he only played in eight games the next season, which pretty much renders him ineligible for the 2020 list. But after recording 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for an injury-ravaged and poorly-coached Lions team, Stafford deserved more respect once again.
It appears he didn't get it. But because he's now playing for the Rams, and his statistics will inevitably show improvement, it's almost a guarantee that he will place in next year's NFL Top 100. He's good enough to deserve a spot every year, and escaping the confines of Detroit will help him to prove just that. A player who is in the top ten in MVP betting odds — Stafford is tied with Justin Herbert and Dak Prescott at +1800 — should probably be in the top 100 players list.
David Montgomery, RB
Despite an awesome 2020 campaign, David Montgomery was left off the NFL Top 100 list.
(James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Montgomery has already said that he feels disrespected by where people rank him, so let's add more fuel to that. Here's the list of players in 2020 that had 1,500 yards from scrimmage and ten total touchdowns, along with their spot in the 2021 NFL Top 100 list.
— Derrick Henry (No. 4)
— Alvin Kamara (No. 14)
— Dalvin Cook (No. 20)
— David Montgomery (NR)
Yeah. That's probably a good indication of why I feel Montgomery was snubbed. And it was only his second year in the league. And he played for one of the worst offenses in football. And he played behind a middle-of-the-pack offensive line.
If guys like James Robinson and Josh Jacobs made the list — and I don't have anything against them doing so — I just feel as though it's fair to include Montgomery as well.
Terry McLaurin, WR
Will 2021 be the year Terry McLaurin is recognized as the elite receiver he is?
(Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Despite some of the worst QB play in the league since he made his debut, Scary Terry is one of just 22 receivers with 2,000 receiving yards over the past two seasons. Mind you, those are his only two seasons in the league, and the 25-year-old should only get better.
Now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is in town — who isn't all that great relative to other starters, which should tell you how shoddy the WFT quarterback situation has been in recent years — McLaurin's statistics should see a boost. No way he's left off the list in 2022 if he performs similarly to how he's played in years one and two.
Cole Beasley and Corey Davis made the list in 2021, but McLaurin did not. That just doesn't feel right... and the same goes for the next player we'll go over.
Amari Cooper, WR
Amari Cooper will likely once again lead the Cowboys with well over 1,000 receiving yards.
(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Cooper is one of just 27 receivers in NFL history — yes, in history — with at least 6,200 yards over his first six seasons. He rarely misses time, and he rarely comes up short, as 2020 was his fifth total year and third straight campaign with over 1,000 yards receiving. Mind you, before Dak Prescott's injury, Cooper was on pace for 148 receptions and over 1,600 yards, and you can't really leave a guy off the list if he's able to put up such gaudy numbers. But when backup quarterbacks take over and a receiver's production is harmed as a result, so too is his standing with other players around the league when determining who belongs in the Top 100.
Even in a crowded WR corps alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, Cooper will stand out in 2021 so long as Prescott stays healthy. The sky's the limit for his stat line, and the same goes for his Top 100 ranking if this is the year the Cowboys offense can put it all together for a whole season.
Orlando Brown Jr., OL
Though the NFL Top 100 didn't value Orlando Brown, the Chiefs sure will in 2021.
(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Protecting Patrick Mahomes is of the utmost importance, and the Chiefs did a good job to get the man who has protected Lamar Jackson so well in recent years. Despite making two consecutive Pro Bowls and consistently finishing among the top offensive linemen in overall value.
According to Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value metric, Brown is a top-ten most valuable linemen since he entered the league in 2018. But whereas he ranks No. 9, the next snub on the list ranks all the way up at No. 2, behind only Quenton Nelson.
Ryan Ramczyk, OL
Ryan Ramczyk is continually one of the best OL in the league.
(Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
We're talking about, in all likelihood, the best right tackle in the league here. And, for good reason, he's now the highest-paid right tackle in the league. But the NFL Top 100 eluded him this year after he made the cut at No. 82 on last year's list.
Ryan Ramczyk since 2017 | among Tackle's:
— PFF (@PFF) April 8, 2021
⚜️90.1 PFF Grade (4th)
⚜️90.6 Run-Block Grade (1st) pic.twitter.com/PQR3AlmLge
Again, Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value metric labels him the second best offensive lineman in all of football over the past three seasons, trailing only Quenton Nelson and ahead of names like David Bakhtiari, Jason Kelce and Terron Armstead. But whereas those three names were featured at No. 36, No. 92 and No. 79 on this year's NFL Top 100 list, respectively, Ramczyk is nowhere to be found.
At least one Browns offensive lineman
The Browns may have the best offensive line in the NFL, but none of the individual linemen made the Top 100 cut.
(Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Browns offensive line is arguably the best in the NFL — and analytically, the very best in the NFL, according to PFF — and there's good reason for that. Everyone on that line is pretty darn good. However, not a single one of them made the cut on the NFL Top 100 list this time around. Perhaps the most egregious snub was Teller, who PFF said was the single best offensive guard from the 2020 season.
Matt Judon, DE/OLB
The move to the Patriots could thrust Matt Judon into the Top 100 spotlight.
(Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
The Patriots spent some big bucks to bring Judon on board, shelling out $54.5 million over four years. If the preseason was any indication — though we shouldn't jump to any major conclusions — it looks like a smart move.
With that said, PFF hasn't been sold on Judon in the past, seeing that a lot of his production has come on unblocked plays. However, other metrics, such as Pro Football Reference's Approximate Value, place him above guys like Leonard Williams and Trey Hendrickson. Both of those guys made the 2021 Top 100 list, while Judon missed out.
Roquan Smith, LB
Despite a spectacular 2020 campaign, Roquan Smith was snubbed from the NFL Top 100 list.
(Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Smith was snubbed, and he knows it.
"Everything is fuel," Smith said on the "Bears All Access" podcast (h/t Steve Zavala of Clutch Points). "There is nothing better than being counted out. At the end of the day, I will continue to show them."
With two picks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, seven passes defended, four sacks, 18 tackles for loss and a bevy of other stats, Smith is a do-it-all force on the defensive side of the ball for the Bears. Despite that — and despite the fact that Approximate Value pins him as the sixth best linebacker from the 2020 season — he didn't find himself on the Top 100 list.
Not many Bears should be on the top 100 list of NFL players, but Roquan Smith is certainly better than any of the ILB listed on that NFL Network list. That's why folks shouldn't pay much attention to those things, even if players are voting on it. https://t.co/wLeJD0JViJ
— Ricardo Arguello (@PCRicardo) August 23, 2021
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