r/NFL Top 100 Players of the 2022 Season - #60-51

Welcome to the 60-51 Rankings for the r/NFL Top 100 Players of the 2022 Season!

Link to Previous Post (70-61)

Players whose average rank landed them in places 60-51 are on this portion of the list revealed today. Players are associated with the team they finished playing for at the end of the 2022 season

Below you will see some write-ups from the rankers summarizing the players’ 2022 season and why they were among the best in 2022. Additionally, their ranks from previous years are available for y’all to see

METHODOLOGY

Link to more detailed writeup on our methodology

• Step 1: A Call to Rankers right after the Conference Championship games

• Step 2: Rankers from each team nominated players to rank, with a 11 game minimum threshold. Players are associated with the team they played for in 2022

• Step 3: The Grind. We instructed users to tier positions groups into T25, T50, etc based on 2022 regular season play only. This took several weeks as the rankers tiered each position group and discussed them. There were no individual player threads and no arbitrary position caps. Just questions and rankings.

• Step 4: Users submitted their own personal Top 125 lists.

• Step 5: User lists were reviewed by myself, u/mattkud , and u/MikeTysonChicken . The rankers were expected to answer questions about their lists. They were allowed to make any changes to their list, and were not forced to make any changes

• Step 6: The Reveal… where we are now!

And without further ado, here are the players ranked 60-51 in the r/NFL Top 100 Players of the 2022 Season!

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#60 - Lavonte David - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Off-Ball Linebacker (LB)

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
95	43	76	N/A	35	N/A	99	27	11	N/A​

Key Stat:

Became the 3rd player in Buccaneer franchise history with 900 solo tackles, most of any NFL team

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Written by: u/Ronon_Dex

This list is supposed to only focus on the most recent season, but it's impossible for me to talk about Lavonte David without at least mentioning that I firmly believe he's one of the 5 most underrated players in NFL history. A complete off-ball LB who truly does it all; excels in coverage, ability to knife into the backfield for run stops and fill gaps, sideline to sideline range, great tackler who is one of the best at forcing fumbles, and plays almost every snap. And all of those skills continued to show in his 11th year, as he is just as good as he has been in past years.

David made 124 tackles, 57 of which were categorized as stops. In over 1000 snaps played he only missed 10 tackles. He allowed just 1 TD on 76 targets in coverage all season per PFF charting, and gave up 0.8 yards/cover snap (the same as Fred Warner). He had 3 sacks and forced a fumble. He posted a top 3 grade at LB (headlined by an elite coverage grade) while ranking in their top 50 players for the season. Here you can see that pass rushing ability on full display, as David fires from the LB spot, quickly curling around the edge (also excellent job by the DL to occupy the blockers) before punching ball out and ruining a Bengals drive before it can even get started. This play has it all - you can see David recognize the counter and point it out, use his ridiculous speed to get to the ball carrier while evading blockers and wraps up cleanly.

All in all, David has been as worthy an heir for Derrick Brooks as Tampa could possibly have hoped for. Sadly, given that he's 33 and has been consistently overlooked for a decade, I don't have much hope he makes the HOF. Even though he absolutely should be right in the convo.

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#59 - Jalen Ramsey - Los Angeles Rams - Cornerback

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
12	8	N/A	71	10	N/A​

Key Stat:

6th defensive back since the merger to make 6 Pro Bowls in their first 7 seasons in the league

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Written by: u/PhAnToM444

Jalen Ramsey was, is, and will forever remain a bad man. He has achieved something that only a handful of players at his position have done: consistency. Cornerbacks are known for elite stretches, elite seasons, but it seems ever fewer are known for elite careers. Jalen Ramsey is now 7 seasons into his career, and they all look remarkably similar. There’s not all that much to say about this season that couldn’t have been in his writeup last year. There are no outliers, no “what happened there” moments, just a consistent, top-5 performance season after season.

Of course, the Rams as a whole this year were, politely, ass. Now, coming from perennial poverty franchise Jacksonville (y’all are good now so it’s funny not sad), Ramsey is no stranger to playing for dogshit teams. But it’s nonetheless impressive that he maintains his top-tier performance despite his surrounding cast being worse at helping him in every sense. So please enjoy this 2023 Jalen Ramsey highlight reel, which effectively doubles as a 2023 Rams highlight reel.

I wrote Ramsey’s writeup when he was first traded from Jacksonville. It included a much maligned tongue in cheek welcome message about how terrified I was of his Florida Man behavior on Twitter. It’s been cool seeing Jalen mature into a bona fide leader and cornerstone of the team. And, of course, watching him break ankles has been cool too.

Jalen has unfortunately decided to return to his Florida Man era and go to Miami. He was a centerpiece in our Super Bowl run and will definitely be one of the biggest losses of the rebuild. I wish this man luck as he is in the AFC and no longer our problem.

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#58 - Jaycee Horn - Carolina Panthers - Cornerback

Previous Ranks

2021
N/A​

Key Stat:

2nd in the league in coverage snaps per target, trailing only Patrick Surtain II

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Written by: u/MattyT7

Jaycee Horn entered the NFL with (well-deserved) hype. Drafted one spot ahead of Pat Surtain in the 2021 NFL draft, the Panthers took Jaycee at 8th overall and made him the first defensive player drafted in 2021. In just Horn’s second year of playing in the league, the Panthers are already seeing return on their investment. Horn has taken major strides in his professional development and is already one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.

What makes Jaycee so special? For starters, he is an incredibly sticky, physical defensive back. Nothing comes easy for opposing receivers in his area. He pushes, he grabs, he holds, but he does so within the rules and at an elite level. He is not one to back down from a physical battle, and most of the time he’ll get the better of his counterpart. He’s also a great tackler. He wrapped up and brought down multiple guys as the only defender in the area. A corner that can take advantage of tackling skills and not let skill players fight for extra yards is very valuable. Here, he shuts down a Jamaal Williams catch perfectly, ending the play and doing so with a little bit of violence.

Horn is also a very intelligent defender. Against my Seahawks in week 14, he showcases his elite intelligence and ability. Horn intercepted one (nearly 2) Geno Smith throws en route to a 30-24 Panthers victory in Seattle. On the play he intercepted, Horn plays masterful defense. The Panthers are in cover 2, having Horn lock down a zone. Horn first finds DK on the quick out and blankets him. Simultaneously, he baits Geno into thinking Tyler Lockett will be open for the hole-shot. Horn sees Geno’s eyes go from DK to Lockett, so he breaks from DK and starts toward Lockett before Geno has even put the ball in the air. He easily makes up the gap and picks off a slightly under thrown pass, making it look easy. In 13 games played this past season, Horn only surrendered 28 receptions for 310 yards. He did not allow a single passing touchdown against his coverage and only allowed 83 yards after the catch.

In 2022, Horn lived up to his 8th overall hype and showed that the only way he’ll go from here is up. He is a physicality master, knowing how and when to rough opposing receivers up and blanketing any guy in his area. His tackling ability, even in the open field, is quite dominant. It is not easy to get by Jaycee Horn. He’s got all the tools to be a dominant, shutdown corner. And in 2022, it looked as though he was well on his way.

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#57 - Matt Milano - Buffalo Bills - Off-Ball Linebacker (LB)

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A​

Key Stat:

Milano was the only linebacker this year with 80+ PFF grade in pass rush and in pass coverage

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Written by: u/confederalis

Yes, a white linebacker is ranked this high. And yes, he should probably also be higher. Entering his 6th year in the NFL, Matt Milano was a great player but underrated, overshadowed by the bigger names on the fantastic Bills defense. But 2023 proved to be a complete breakout for Milano, ascending to elite status and firmly cementing himself as the indispensable anchor of the Bills defense. Alongside his first Pro Bowl and 1st Team All-Pro Honors, Milano rides his fantastic season into #57 on the /r/NFL Top100 List.

One of the biggest moments in Matt Milano’s 2023 campaign was not something he did, but actually the injury to his teammate Micah Hyde. Hyde, who functioned primarily as the Bills’ free safety, was lost for the season with a neck injury, forcing starting strong safety Jordan Poyer and Milano to divvy up the important coverage work that Hyde performed so masterfully at. Milano seamlessly transitioned from a primarily run-stopping linebacker to one who could cover the field with the best of the position. His 83.2 PFF coverage grade was the 4th highest at the LB position, while his 72.8 catch percentage allowed was 7th. He allowed zero TDs and never gave up a reception more than 25 yards, something only 3 other LBs could best him on. All this, combined with 3 interceptions, resulted in Milano allowing a 73.1 passer rating on the season, the lowest of any qualified LB in the NFL. In addition, Milano continued to perform at an elite level in pass rush. His 24 pressures, 5 sacks, and 8 QB hits were all top 5 for LBs. Milano’s ability to read the offense and diagnose the play allowed him to consistently get into the backfield, seal off gaps, and force tackles for loss. He was a force, marauding between the hashes, making sure no offense could break off a big play. Milano’s tackling and run stopping could have been better, but this stat profile ultimately shows a LB who was elite at multiple levels of the game in 2023.

Milano’s film continues to show his explosiveness and his ability play elite at all facets of the LB position. A great example of his coverage ability is this play against the Patriots where Milano gets great depth and stays on top of Jakobi Meyers’ route, allowing time for the safety to come over and forcing a scramble. As mentioned, Milano’s work rushing the line of scrimmage was also elite. Here against the Browns, Milano pieces together excellent timing, a quick get-off, and great block shedding to easily tackle one of the strongest runners in the league for a loss. And just for good measure, here is Milano showing that the previous play was not a one-off. That quick trigger might honestly be Milano’s best single trait, and he used it once more here against the Lions, splitting his blockers and instantly getting into the backfield for the TFL. And for good measure, here is Milano tackling Justin Fields 1-on-1 in open space.

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#56 - Jaylen Waddle - Miami Dolphins - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks

2021
N/A​

Key Stat:

Lead the league in yards per reception

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Written by: u/penguinmidteg

“A duck walked up to a lemonade stand… THEN HE WADDLED AWAY 🎶” . If it's gonna be stuck in my head it’s gonna be stuck in yours too.

I’m genuinely not sure where to start when it comes to Jaylen Waddle and how good he is. Much like his partner in crime the easy answer has always been speed, but it really is a lot more than just speed with this kid. Starting off his career with a measly 105 catches, 1,015 yards, and 6 touchdowns, Jaylen Waddle was set for an even bigger breakout during his sophomore campaign and boy did he not disappoint.

With their newest addition on offense in the form of Tyreek Hill, and offensive guru Mike McDaniel at the helm, Jaylen Waddle took major advantage by literally doubling his YPC from 9 to 18! Waddle's role on offense was transformed from an underneath, low air yardage, boring offense, to an explosive high yardage do it all elite receiver. Exploding for 1,356 yards, Waddle has proven himself to be one of the best and most exciting receivers in the NFL, on pace for what should be an amazing career.

Now let's get to the best part, highlights, of which there are plenty. He decided very early on in the season to remind the league of his incredible burst Week 1 vs the Patriots, in Week 2 vs the Ravens Waddle decided to show the world penguins indeed can fly by going up and getting the game winning touchdown during their historic comeback, with a casual 19 targets 171 yards and 2 scores. During their Week 8 game vs the Lions Waddle gives another great example of why he’s just unfair to play against, leaving the defender 0 chance going over the top for a make it look easy touchdown. Finally, in Weeks 14 and 15 Waddle capped off an incredible season by showing off his incredible explosiveness, with his TD catches tearing up the middle of the field vs the Bills, and walking the tightrope vs the Steelers.

Listen, If you like football, this kid is just so awesome to watch, he has not only lived up to his 6th overall potential but sprinted^Waddled past it just like he does every sunday.

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#55 - Christian Darrisaw - Minnesota Vikings - Offensive Tackle

Previous Ranks

2021
N/A​

Key Stat:

Darrisaw and Trent Williams were the only tackles with a PFF pass block grade above 90 and a PFF run block grade above 80

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Written by: u/Nijo32

Entering the 2022 season, Christian Darrisaw presented the Vikings with a significant unknown. The 23rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft endured an injury-riddled rookie campaign, undergoing multiple preseason core muscle surgeries to address a lingering college groin injury which ultimately delayed his NFL debut. Flashes of high-end play showcased why he was selected in the first round, while lapses in technique made it obvious there was still a rawness to his game. To further complicate matters, the Vikings overhauled their coaching staff and fired the GM who drafted Darrisaw, creating even more uncertainty for what could be expected in year two.

A healthy 2022 training camp had both local and national media outlets buzzing with optimism, but it’s easy to be skeptical of the evergreen trope of a second year player “making the leap” after a rocky rookie season. The true turning point for Darrisaw was Minnesota's week of joint practices with the 49ers, where he was able to finally meet his mentor, Trent Williams, who he had already drawn comparisons to and even inspired his selection of the number 71. The two had met multiple times via FaceTime, but the intra-squad practices enabled Williams to provide hands-on instruction. Williams’ in-person observation led to high praise of his own for the young OT, noting that he did indeed see “the young Trent” in Darrisaw, and that Darrisaw is “such an athlete that he… can just wake up and win” and that his biggest improvement from year one to year two would be cracking down on bad technical habits that stem from such dominant athleticism. Could Darrisaw live up to the lofty praise and comparisons to the best LT in the game?

Darrisaw answered that question with a dominant stretch to begin the 2022 season; through Week 10, he allowed zero sacks and just 10 pressures, anchoring the offensive line during Minnesota’s improbable 8-1 start to the season. Darrisaw’s gaudy pass block win rate was a reflection of a strong improvement to his technique, including what has become a signature move of Darrisaw, the “snatch and trap.” In an NFL where pass rushers are willing to sacrifice balance for speed around the edge, an OT who can mirror and punish the moment of imbalance to put a rusher in the ground is an incredible asset. Darrisaw routinely put defenders in the dirt, collecting souls over the course of the season and announcing himself as an elite OT in the league. Concussions in consecutive weeks put a hiatus in Darrisaw’s breakout season, but he was ultimately able to return to action in Week 15, building back up to his elite level of play.

For the season, Darrisaw ended as PFF's #2 overall OT with a 90.4 grade, with elite marks as both a run blocker (3rd / 90.6) and pass blocker (8th / 82.4). Statistically, the most dominant aspect of Darrisaw's game is his zone run blocking (which Minnesota uses on 69% of running plays), where his PFF grade of 94.7 was 2nd among all offensive linemen. Darrisaw's pass blocking efficiency of 97.7% tied with teammate Brian O'Neill for 10th among OTs, providing the Vikings with bookend tackles and perhaps optimism on the offensive line for the first time in close to a decade.

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#54 - Joe Thuney - Kansas City Chiefs - Offensive Guard

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
72	79	59	N/A	N/A	N/A​

Key Stat:

With Brady's retirement, Thuney is the active leader in snaps played in the Super Bowl

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Written by: u/TheUltimate721

Whenever you're thinking to yourself "How on Earth does Mahomes have so much time back there?" when watching the Chiefs play, Thuney is one of the biggest reasons why. He was the best pass blocking guard in the NFL last year, and his excellent efforts in 2022 earned him his second career all-pro nod.

The Chiefs passed the ball on 67.5% of the time he was on the field in 2022. He earned a league leading 89.6 Pass Blocking grade per PFF, giving up just 1 sack, 4 hits, 15 pressures and only 10 hurries, with a 96.6% passblock win rate. One good example of his dominance in pass blocking is this play against the Buccaneers, where he's able to catch Logan Hall on the crossing stunt and pass him off to Orlando Brown before matching Shaq Barrett on the inside. Or frankly you can just look at the entire Raiders game where he just handily beat every single defender that Raiders DC Patrick Graham threw his way. Both of those games, and several others, he had a 100% passblock win rate. Ever seen a guard pull on a pass block before? Well, now you have. I don't think you'd hear anyone describe him as an elite run blocker (he doesn't really need to be with how much the Chiefs pass), but he brings his value to the run game (His runblock win rate was 71.3%, which was 16th amongst guards) in plays like this excellent pull block for a good gain.

The Chiefs have dealt with mediocre tackle play the last few years, but part of the reason they're able to overcome it for deep playoff runs is the three headed monster in the interior (Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith) is so damn strong. They're able to take the fight to any defensive unit they come across on the interior, which gives Mahomes more ability to step up into the pocket safely to better avoid the edge rushers. Because of this, frankly they made the Chiefs tackles look way better than they actually are. The best part for Chiefs fans, and the most terrifying part for the rest of the league is they're going to get to watch Thuney keep dominating. He's 30 and under contract for another 3 years, so even though he's not exactly a spring chicken anymore, he's got a lot of good football left to be played.

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#53 - Penei Sewell - Detroit Lions - Offensive Tackle

Previous Ranks

2021
N/A​

Key Stat:

Sewell improved his sacks allowed, hits allowed, hurries allowed, and pressures allowed from his 2021 season

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Written by: u/Kewlerd

Here we have arguably the Lions top Wide Receiver, I mean Offensive Tackle. As a Lions fan, I have loved this guy since day 1 and he has been a core component of that fantastic OL. Let’s start with his size. Penei is a monster at 6’5'' and 325 lb which helps him tremendously in both the pass and run game. Penei is also a very gifted athlete, with agility, quickness and great footing at all times.

To me Sewells biggest strength is his run blocking, which is arguably a top 5-10 in the league. In this clip for example against the packers he has a monster block which lets swift get an extra 10 yards in a crucial moment. Being in a top tier offensive line, he works well with his strong teammates, I mildly dislike the Packers so I’m gonna show some more clips of him against them in week 18 that show his great ability to open up holes for the run game

Overall Penei has shown in just 2 years he can be a real threat against opposing defenses and can very well turn out to be a top 5 tackle in the league. I can’t leave out this though which is me, and many other lions fans favorite play from him

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#52 - Saquon Barkley - New York Giants - Running Back

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018
N/A	N/A	94	8​

Key Stat:

Saquon's first 16 game season since his rookie year

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Written by: u/Enthereal

Saquon Barkley. You know him. You know his quads. But what you and me and everyone else didn’t know was how he would perform this season. After three years of injury (in order: ankle, knee, ankle) where he played in less than 60% of his teams games (28 of 49), it seemed as though everyone forgot what a healthy Saquon Barkley looked like. But with legs like those, you may as well call him an elephant, and an elephant never forgets.

In 2023, Saquon came out roaring like a lion. Week 1 saw him call upon the spirit of the wildebeest and stampede through the Titans to the tune of 164 yards and a touchdown on only 18 carries, not to mention 6 receptions and a game-winning 2-point conversion. Was this his best performance of the season? Maybe. But it cannot be overstated what this game did for the Giants faithful: it gave them hope. His gazelle-esque agility combined with his strong rhinoceros-like power told Giants fans from the get-go that this season would be different.

In the end, Barkley finished with 1312 yards and 10 touchdowns, good for fourth and ninth in the league. With a respectable 4.4 yards per carry, Saquon was a force of nature this season. He also was PFF’s #1 ranked pass-blocking running back, something with which he has previously struggled. Perhaps most importantly, he had 53 yards on 9 carries and 2 TDs in a massive playoff win over the Vikings. Unfortunately, there was a massive nationwide blackout afterwards and the season was canceled. Anyway, while his future with the Giants is as of yet unseen due to some contract shenanigans, I know I’m speaking for everyone when I say the NFL is better when Saquon Barkley is balling.

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#51 - Amon-Ra St. Brown - Detroit Lions - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks

2021
N/A​

Key Stat:

Marques Colston and Amon-Ra St. Brown are the only players drafted in the 4th round or later since the merger to have more than 2000 receiving yards in their first two seasons

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Written by: u/mattkud

Amon Ra “The Sun God” St. Brown was the machine of the revamped explosive Lions offense in 2022. Since week 13 of the 2021 season, Amon has developed into one of the smoothest slot receivers in the NFL. It was in question whether the Lions offense and especially Amon Ra could continue their flashes to end the 2021 season. The Lions offense finished 3rd in total yards, bringing back an offensive prowess that hasn’t been seen in Detroit since the Stafford/Megatron days.

Finishing the 2022 season with 139 targets and 106 receptions with a reception percentage of 76.3% which was good for 4th best in the league. One of Amon’s best attributes is his yards after catch. He finished 3rd in the NFL among WRs with 565 yards after the catch and T6th in YAC/Reception. Amon is a chain mover and a huge red zone threat despite his smaller stature. Tied with Justin Jefferson, he finished with 6 red zone touchdowns and 4 of those within the 10 yard line. Amon is an automatic first down with 68 first downs only behind Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson. He also gained a first down on third down at a league high 18.2% on third down routes. Amon made the most of his targets and had an 18% success rate per target, good for 1st in the league and 2.4% higher than 3rd overall.

The Sun God can do it all. With his ability to make spectacular catches with his legs. Or serve as an elusive running back. Even make defenders look silly with his redzone highlights. Amon serves as Detroit’s true new #1 receiver who will look to become the best slot receiver in the NFL.

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