The NFL’s Top 100 Players countdown delivered a jolt Monday morning: two-time MVP Lamar Jackson landed at No. 69, a 67-spot free fall from his No. 2 ranking a year ago. Minutes later, Packers safety Xavier McKinney checked in one spot ahead at No. 70, holding steady as one of the league’s most disruptive defensive backs even after a quieter interception total in 2025.
The list, voted on entirely by current players, has been rolling out two names a day since June 22 and will keep going through Labor Day weekend before the top 10 reveal begins Aug. 24. Jackson’s slide is the headline number of the morning. According to the Ravens’ own team site, the news landed publicly through the league’s official X account.
NFL posted on X: “No. 69 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@ravens QB Lamar Jackson!” —
No. 69 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@ravens QB Lamar Jackson! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/ji9Vigok8u
— NFL (@NFL) July 13, 2026
A Rough Season, By Jackson’s Standards
Jackson’s drop tracks with a season that never let him get comfortable. He missed four games to injury and still threw for 2,549 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions, per the numbers cited by the Ravens. His rushing total cratered to a career-low 349 yards. For a player whose game is built on making defenses guess, that’s a steep dip in production.
Context matters here, though. Jackson still finished fourth in the league in passer rating at 103.8, ahead of seven quarterbacks who made a Pro Bowl or were named an alternate. He also posted the NFL’s best play-action numbers among qualified passers — a 147.6 rating, 13.2 yards per attempt and a completion percentage over expectation north of 11 points, according to NFL Pro Insight data referenced in the league’s own Top 100 coverage. Voters clearly weighted availability and overall command over efficiency-when-healthy, and that’s a defensible call. It’s also not the full picture.
Jackson has been here before. He sat at No. 72 on the 2023 list after an injury-shortened, discontented 2022 season split with the Ravens over a contract standoff. He answered by ripping off back-to-back No. 2 finishes and an MVP trophy. The pattern suggests this ranking says more about last year than it does about what’s coming.
His locker room isn’t sweating it. Receiver Zay Flowers dismissed any doubt about Jackson’s threat level as a runner and passer, telling the Ravens’ site, “He can do anything from anywhere – in the pocket, running. If that’s not a threat, I don’t know what is.” Linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who’s played alongside Jackson the past three seasons, put it more bluntly: “A lot of people said he wasn’t quarterback enough. I think he’s proven those people wrong.”
Jackson gets a fresh setup to prove the ranking wrong again. New head coach Jesse Minter takes over in Baltimore, and first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle inherits an offensive line the team has worked to upgrade. If Jackson’s health cooperates, the Ravens believe the tools are there for a bounce-back run at a Super Bowl the franchise still hasn’t reached during his tenure.
McKinney Stays Elite, Even With Fewer Picks
One spot behind Jackson, McKinney’s inclusion marks his second straight Top 100 nod since arriving in Green Bay as a free agent in 2024 — though his ranking dropped sharply from No. 30 a year ago, per the Packers’ team site. The raw interception count fell from a league-leading eight in his first Green Bay season to two in 2025, and that’s likely a big reason his ranking slipped even as his broader impact held up.
The tape backs that up. McKinney’s 10 passes defensed came on just 29 targets — a 34.5% rate at knocking the ball away, only 2.2 percentage points off his All-Pro 2024 season. He also set career bests in two areas that matter more than raw picks: a 40.0 passer rating allowed when targeted, and 2.6 yards of separation as the nearest defender. Quarterbacks who avoid his half of the field are making the smart read.
He’s not just a coverage piece, either. McKinney posted an 82.5 PFF run-defense grade last season, his best mark yet, suggesting teams that try to establish the run into his zone are picking a losing battle too.
The Packers’ announcement also framed the honor inside a bigger organizational moment: McKinney is now a two-time All-Pro, backing up his 2024 first-team nod with a second-team selection in 2025. That run makes him the first Packers defensive back to earn back-to-back All-Pro honors since Hall of Famer Charles Woodson. In two seasons in Green Bay, he’s piled up 10 interceptions, 21 passes defensed and 187 total tackles — and, per the Packers, reached double-digit passes defensed for the fourth time in his six-year career.
McKinney isn’t the only Packer showing up early on this year’s list. Quarterback Jordan Love checked in at No. 72 for a third straight year, and running back Josh Jacobs landed at No. 74, according to the team’s own reporting.
| Player | 2026 Rank | 2025 Rank | Key 2025 Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier McKinney | No. 70 | No. 30 | 10 PD, 2 INT, 82.5 PFF run grade |
| Lamar Jackson | No. 69 | No. 2 | 103.8 passer rating (4th in NFL) |
What Comes Next
Both rankings are reported facts as of Monday’s reveal — not projections, not front-office spin. What each number means for 2026 is where the debate opens up. Jackson’s camp views No. 69 as motivation more than diagnosis; the Ravens are betting a healthy, scheme-fresh version of their quarterback looks nothing like the one who finished 2025 hobbled. McKinney’s camp has less to prove after two straight All-Pro-caliber seasons, but a lower ranking with fewer picks raises a fair question about how voters weigh takeaways versus all-around dominance.
The Top 100 rollout continues through early September, with two names revealed each weekday before the top 10 gets its own week-long unveiling in late August.
