Donald lands at No. 1 on NFL Top 100, Brees tops Mahomes
A defender is once again king of the NFL Top 100.
Aaron Donald topped the NFL Network's list of the league's best players in the show's final edition Wednesday, beating out the likes of Drew Brees, Khalil Mack, and Patrick Mahomes for the honor.
The only other time a defensive player earned the No. 1 spot was J.J. Watt in 2015. Quarterbacks have previously led the list on six different occasions (Tom Brady three times, Peyton Manning, Cam Newton, and Aaron Rodgers once each). Adrian Peterson became the first non-QB to top it in 2013.
“Number 1… a D-tackle, huh?”
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 1, 2019
Like @AaronDonald97 said, we like you #NFLTop100, but we have bigger goals for 2019. pic.twitter.com/8BArw1K0Sq
The Los Angeles Rams' star defensive tackle took home the Defensive Player of the Year award for the second straight season in 2018 after leading the league with 20.5 sacks. Watt, too, was coming off a 20.5-sack season in which he was named the league's best defender when he topped the list.
While MVP voters overwhelming went with Mahomes over Brees after a record-setting campaign, the New Orleans Saints quarterback landed ahead of his fellow signal-caller on the list, as voted on by their peers.
Here's the full top 10:
| Rank | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Donald |
| 2 | Drew Brees |
| 3 | Khalil Mack |
| 4 | Patrick Mahomes |
| 5 | Todd Gurley |
| 6 | Tom Brady |
| 7 | Antonio Brown |
| 8 | Aaron Rodgers |
| 9 | Julio Jones |
| 10 | Von Miller |
Did the players get it right? Have your say below: