Top 100 players entering the NFL's 100th season: 10-1

Ahead of the NFL's 100th season, theScore ranked the top 100 players in the game today, as voted on by our football editors. Players who are set to miss significant time due to either injury or suspension were not considered.

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10. J.J. Watt

DE, Texans

It's a testament to Watt's will and resilience that he was able to overcome serious injuries to return to All-Pro status in 2018. He reminded us all of us his sheer dominance in his first healthy season since winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015, recording 16 sacks and seven forced fumbles last year. As long as he's healthy, Watt remains one of the NFL's top 10 individual players and is in the conversation for the best defender.

9. Tom Brady

QB, Patriots

The 42-year-old Brady is entering almost uncharted territory in 2019. The only quarterback in NFL history to throw double-digit touchdowns at age 42 or older is Warren Moon during the 1998 season, and the Hall of Famer only threw 37 more passes over the following two years before calling time on his career. But, at this point, we're done doubting the GOAT's ability to continue to fend off Father Time in a way few other athletes have ever done before in the history of sports.

8. Aaron Rodgers

QB, Packers

In the fourth quarter, there isn't a quarterback more feared by defenses than Rodgers. Whether it's staying poised under pressure or pulling off miraculous throws, he's done it all. The seven-time Pro Bowler has the lowest interception rate in NFL history (1.6 percent of attempts) and still takes calculated deep shots. His pinpoint accuracy and ability to extend plays has allowed him to pick apart secondaries in various ways. The 35-year-old has been harbored with a weak supporting cast recently, but with a new coach, he's eyeing a second ring to add to his name.

7. Julio Jones

WR, Falcons

There isn't a receiver more physically gifted than Jones. His ability to athletically overwhelm cornerbacks has allowed him to find open patches of grass in any situation. The six-time Pro Bowler has only failed to surpass 1,000 receiving yards twice in his eight-year career and has averaged 96.7 yards per game while leading the league in that statistic in three seasons. He recorded eight touchdowns in 2018 while accumulating a league-leading 1,677 receiving yards. Even when it appears he's reached his peak, Jones continues to surpass expectations.

6. Von Miller

LB, Broncos

It's shocking that Miller has never won a Defensive Player of the Year award. The 30-year-old, long revered as the gold standard for pass-rushers, is coming off a 14.5-sack campaign, his fifth in a row with double-digit takedowns. He's failed to reach the 10-sack plateau just once over his eight-year career. His patented dip-and-rip move works against every offensive tackle in the league, and even in games where he doesn't get to the quarterback, the attention he commands leaves opportunities available for other Broncos pass-rushers.

5. DeAndre Hopkins

WR, Texans

Four receivers can legitimately claim to be the best wide receiver in football, but our vote goes to Hopkins. Nobody makes spectacular contested catches more regularly than Hopkins, who's posted monstrous numbers throughout his career with a myriad of passers. He's finished in the top five in receiving in three of the last four years and ranked second in 2018 with a career-best 1,572 yards. Hopkins can run any route and is always a good bet to come down with the catch, even when he isn't open. Whereas Jones had eight drops last year, Hopkins had zero.

4. Bobby Wagner

LB, Seahawks

Off-ball linebackers don't receive as much attention as pass-rushers or cornerbacks, but Wagner is certainly one of the NFL's premier overall players. In a league where the passing game rules, no player at his position can top Wagner's ability in coverage. The Seahawks defender missed just one tackle in 925 snaps last season (Luke Kuechly missed nine) while also adding nine pass breakups. Cerebral, athletic, and productive, perhaps no defender has a greater impact on his team's success than the four-time All-Pro defender.

3. Khalil Mack

LB, Bears

Mack's resume speaks for itself. Arguably this decade's top edge defender, the former Raiders pass-rusher has accumulated the most pressures at his position since he was drafted in 2014, amassed at least 10 sacks in four straight seasons, forced six fumbles last year, and is virtually unblockable in run defense. Mack is one of the few defenders that opponents must specifically game plan against. If left in one on one, he'll bulldoze through offensive tackles with ease. Still in his prime, Mack won't be slowing down any time soon.

2. Patrick Mahomes

QB, Chiefs

Mahomes set the league ablaze in his record-breaking first year as a starter. The rocket-armed passer joined Brady and Peyton Manning as the only QBs in NFL history to throw for 50-plus touchdowns, while also adding his name to the very short list of 5,000-yard passers. Blessed with an uncanny ability to throw from any angle or base, Mahomes couldn't be slowed down by any defense. We're giddy just thinking about what the Chiefs star will do for his encore.

1. Aaron Donald

DT, Rams

Already one of the league's best players entering 2018, Donald somehow managed to take his game to a whole new level last season. It should be impossible for a non-edge defender to rack up 20-plus sacks, but the Rams star made it look easy, routinely throwing around opposing linemen like they were children. Donald's 106 total quarterback pressures blew away everyone not named Fletcher Cox, and he was a one-man wrecking crew in run defense. There aren't enough superlatives to describe how dominant a player Donald has become in just five seasons.

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