The 2026 NFL season is getting closer and closer with each passing day! This offseason, the staff here at Last Word on NFL came together to vote on the top NFL players heading into the 2026 season. This was a collaborative effort between 19 writers, three editors, and two Site Managers.
Each person submitted an anonymous ballot ranking the top 50 players in the league. In order to determine the final consensus rankings, the first-place player earned 50 points, the second-place player earned 49, and so forth, all the way to number 50. There was a bit of a consensus at the top, but as we got further and further down, there was a wide variety of selections. But at least our methodology (having all 24 voters rank 50, rather than just 10 like the “official” NFL 100 does…) is sound.
So, without further ado, let’s continue the Last Word on NFL Top 50 players heading into the 2026 season!
ALSO READ: 50-41 | 31-40 | 21-30 | 11-20
Last Word on NFL Top Players Heading Into 2026: 1-10
10. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Now, we get into the top 10! Heading into the 2026 season, there are so many elite receivers in the NFL, but none were taken as low in the draft as the Rams’ Puka Nacua. As a fifth-round pick in the 2023 class, Nacua came out of nowhere and is now one of the best pass-catchers in the league.
As a rookie, he burst onto the scene with 1,486 yards, shattering a 63-year-old record for most receiving yards as a rookie, and six touchdowns. He took a slight step back due to injury in 2024. In just 11 games, Nacua amassed 990 yards and three scores.
Last year, he got back to his usual self. He led the NFL with 129 receptions (and 80 first downs). On those 129 receptions, Nacua amassed 1,715 yards (second-most in the NFL) and 10 touchdowns.
Sample size caveat aside, did you know Nacua currently owns the record for yards per game in a career? He averages 95.3 yards per game, over five yards per game better than the next (Justin Jefferson).
He may have some off-the-field distractions this year, so it will be interesting to see how he responds this year.
9. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks (1)
Now, we get into the players who earned first-place votes. Last year’s Offensive Player of the Year was as dominant as any. Fans of Ohio State would tell you that Jaxon Smith-Njigba‘s breakout was the least-surprising thing (though they would say that about any former Buckeye, but we digress).
As a rookie, we saw flashes. He wasn’t the JSN he is today, but there were hints. He had his first great season in 2024, turning 100 receptions into 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. Smith-Njigba earned Pro Bowl honors, but he was just getting started.
Then, he kicked it into gear with an upgrade at quarterback. With Sam Darnold slinging it, Smith-Njigba led the NFL with 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns on 119 receptions. He didn’t run away with Offensive Player of the Year voting, but he won nonetheless.
He was worth that first-place vote, and we can expect great things from him as he continues to develop.
8. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (1)
Another playmaker with a first-place vote, Bijan Robinson has been a terror for defenses since his first snap (though Arthur Smith felt the need to split carries…). His rookie season wasn’t ideal for a number of reasons, but he finished the 17-game season with 976 yards and four touchdowns.
Then, he took off. In 2024, Robinson went over 300 carries for the first time in his career (and only, to this point). He turned 304 carries into 1,455 yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns, good for fifth-most in the NFL. Last year, it was more of the same, but more efficient. He amassed 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns on 287 carries.
Robinson isn’t a one-trick pony, of course. In addition to his 805 career carries, he’s hauled in 198 receptions for 1,738 yards and nine touchdowns in his three seasons.
He’s up for a well-earned extension. It’s only a matter of time before the Texas product resets the running back market.
7. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Some folks in NFL circles are lower on Justin Jefferson for some reason. Well, when you look at his quarterback situation, it begins to make sense. Despite that, he’s started his career with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Jefferson was break-breakingly elite at LSU, and he continued that in the NFL. In 2022, Jefferson led the NFL in receptions (128) and yards (1,809), while scoring eight touchdowns. Twice in his career, Jefferson averaged over 100 yards per game.
Last year, with a revolving door of mid at quarterback, Jefferson got frustrated. Even then, he turned 84 receptions into 1,048 yards and two touchdowns.
This is a case of the talent not quite lining up with the production of late. Hopefully, Kyler Murray is an upgrade, and we get to see the old Jefferson. That Jefferson was always in the conversation as the top receiver in the NFL. As of now, there is a clear number one, but Jefferson can catch him with another elite performance.
6. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (2)
Next up, the reigning MVP, Matthew Stafford. For the longest time, Stafford didn’t get the respect he deserved. Of course, that likely had to do with him wasting away in Detroit. In his 12 years in Motown, Stafford threw for 45,109 yards and 282 touchdowns, obliterating each and every Lions career passing record. Then, he was traded by the Lions to the Rams for Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick.
In five years with the Rams, he’s been great. In total, Stafford has thrown for 19,407 yards and 141 touchdowns. Of course, in his first season with the Rams, he led the team to its first Super Bowl victory since the 1999 season, leading a comeback over the Cincinnati Bengals.
He saved his best season for his 17th. While he didn’t set a career high in yards, he did lead the league with 4,707. He did, however, set a new high-water mark for touchdowns with an NFL-leading 46.
Father Time comes for us all, but Stafford has done a great job of keeping him at bay heading into his 18th season. His Rams are among the favorites to win it all, and it looks like they are all-in on making sure it gets done. Can the future Hall of Famer get his second ring?
5. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
From one Hall of Famer to another, folks have been praying for Patrick Mahomes‘ downfall for years. When you lead the new-age dynasty, it’s anything to pick apart.
All eyes will be on whether or not Mahomes will be able to get back to his old self after his disastrous injury. Of course, if there is going to be a quarterback to get back to an elite level, it’ll be Mahomes.
His story is well-known: Mahomes is a six-time Pro Bowler, two-time All-Pro with two MVPs, an Offensive Player of the Year, and three Super Bowls. His last trip to the big game was forgettable, and plenty of folks used it to try and downplay Mahomes’ ability to win at a high level again.
Whether or not he’s fully healthy Week 1 is up in the air, but when he’s healthy, the Chiefs will be among the favorites once again.
4. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Quite possibly the most egregious placement on the “official” NFL Top 100, Lamar Jackson has a bit more respect around here. Fourth could still be a bit high in some people’s eyes, but at least he’s not a ridiculous-low 69.
Availability is the best ability, so his handful of missed games is probably being held against him. Since 2021, when the NFL moved to 17 games, Jackson has missed 15 games, and that’s not including the 2022 Wild Card loss to the Bengals.
In his time, Jackson has thrown for 22,608 yards and 187 touchdowns, both second to Joe Flacco in Falcons history. Of course, you can’t tell the story of Jackson without mentioning his elite rushing ability. In his career, the former Heisman winner has 6,522 yards and 35 touchdowns, good for second-best and third-best in franchise history. He’s just 1,280 yards and 11 touchdowns away from owning those himself.
In his career, Jackson has four Pro Bowl selections as well as three All-Pros and two MVPs. In just eight years, he’s revolutionized the quarterback position and has been the cause for teams’ shifts in how they draft.
3. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Our number-one receiver and highest-ranked player without a first-place vote, Ja’Marr Chase has shown that he’s one of the most talented receivers we’ve seen in a while. Now, five years in the league, we’ve come a long way from those ridiculous drop issues in the 2021 preseason.
As a rookie, Chase was a blocked Aaron Donald from scoring what can be assumed as the game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. He immediately showed what he could do with 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns despite not playing football for over a year (he sat out the 2020 COVID season at LSU).
Since then, he has had a few small injuries, but he has earned over 1,000 yards in each season. However, he’s been on another level over the last two seasons. In 2024, he won the Triple Crown, leading the way with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards, and 17 touchdowns. Last year, he added to it with 125 catches for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing a game.
He averages 87.7 yards per game, good for the third-best in NFL history.
Chase is a home-run threat from anywhere on the field. Whether he is running a basic fade in the red zone or taking a slant on his side of the 50, Chase can score from anywhere.
If Cincinnati is going to get back to the playoffs, Chase will need to have another elite season (and the Bengals need to have a defense with a pulse…).
2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (7)
Finishing second by a narrow margin is the leader of the Buffalo Bills offense, Josh Allen. There are plenty of discussions on who is the top quarterback in the NFL, but it seems there is a strong consensus among our staff that Allen is number one.
Normally, quarterbacks make a jump from year one to year two. Allen is going to be the reason franchises are a bit more patient because his jump came from year two to year three. He was good in 2019, but he was elite in 2020.
In his eight-year career, Allen has thrown for 30,102 yards and 220 touchdowns. At the same time, he’s one of, if not the, most lethal running quarterbacks. His six-foot-five, 237-pound frame is about as hard to bring down as prime Derrick Henry.
As of now, he’s just 5,366 yards and 18 touchdowns away from owning the Bills’ career passing records. Oddly enough, he is fourth in team history with 4,721 rushing yards and owns the rushing touchdown record with 79.
He enters this year with four Pro Bowl nods and an MVP. Oddly enough, he’s never been a first-team All-Pro.
1. Myles Garrett, EDGE, Los Angeles Rams (13)
And now, the number-one player in the NFL according to our writers, Myles Garrett! In total, Garrett beat out Allen by just 46 points thanks to his 12 first-place votes. Considering how he’s been an absolute menace since the day he initially suited up for the Browns as a rookie in 2017, it only makes sense.
Arguably the best defender over the last decade, Garrett has seven Pro Bowls to his name and was an All-Pro in five of the last six seasons. He’s finished top-five in Defensive Player of the Year voting four times, winning it twice. He even earned some MVP shares in 2023.
No defender has had more tackles for loss than Garrett over the last two seasons (55), and he broke the single-season sack record last year in Week 18 against the Bengals, setting the new mark at 23.
Despite missing a handful of games due to injury early in his career, Garrett has 125.5 sacks and 149 tackles for loss, averaging nearly 14 sacks and 16 tackles for loss each year.
He’s the kind of defender you just avoid if you want to have any kind of success. He has serious gravity and requires you to know exactly where he is with each and every snap, even if it means double-teaming him and moving entire units from side to side.
While there may be some debate on the rest of our top 50, placing Garrett at the top has to be one of the surest things our staff could do. It’s going to be interesting to see what he can do with his new team (and whether or not Aaron Donald comes out of retirement to help out…imagine).
