Jaire Alexander (Photo by Wm. Glasheen/USA Today Sports Images)

Alexander, Clark Only Packers on PFN’s Top 100

There were four noteworthy snubs on Pro Football Network's Top 100 Players of 2023.

Author:
Jacob Westendorf
Publish date:
Jul 20, 2023 11:59 AM EDT

In this story:

Training camp is almost upon us. That means it’s list season across the NFL.

Last week, Jeremy Fowler released his NFL positional rankings after talking to coaches, executives and players in the league.

This week, Pro Football Network released its ranking of the top-100 players in the league. This list removes positional value from the equation.

“Since standard top player rankings tend to favor positions seen as more valuable in the NFL, it’s natural to see quarterbacks, pass rushers, receivers and offensive tackles ranked relatively high.” PFN CEO Matthew Cannata said.

“However, PFN’s top 100 ranked players are solely based on the dominance a player displays at his position in a vacuum.”

The player who tops the list is likely the one that tops most of these lists: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Dallas Cowboys defensive star Micah Parsons is second, with Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams rounding out the top five.

Jaire Alexander Leads the Way

The Packers don’t make an appearance on the list until No. 39, where Jaire Alexander checks in.

Alexander ranked third among cornerbacks behind the Jets’ Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and the Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey.

“The NFL’s resident gnat,” PFN said as part of its summary of Alexander. “There are bigger cornerbacks in the NFL. There are more physical cornerbacks in the NFL. And there are faster cornerbacks in the NFL. But none possess the attitude of Jaire Alexander. Alexander is the epitome of the crap-talking, trolling defensive back.”

An accurate description. Alexander might talk a big game, but he backs it up. His shining moment from a season ago was in a Week 17 matchup against Minnesota’s all-world receiver Justin Jefferson.

Jefferson ranks eighth on this list, and Alexander dominated. Jefferson finished with one reception for 15 yards on five targets.

Alexander mocked Jefferson’s “griddy” celebration after breaking up a pass intended for him in the first half.

Alexander’s swagger and ability were on full display during that sequence.

Alexander has been a standout since being drafted in 2018. According to Sports Info Solutions, he allowed catch rates of 48.5 percent in 2019, 42.3 percent in 2020 and 46.7 percent in 2021. He was the only cornerback to allow a completion percentage less than 50 percent during those years.

That number ballooned to 56.5 percent a year ago, but Alexander made up for it by hauling in a career-high five interceptions.

He’s one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and was rated as such.

Joined by Kenny Clark

The other Packer to make the list was defensive lineman Kenny Clark. He ranked 86th overall and ninth out of 11 defensive tackles.

“The entire Packers defense struggled in 2022,” PFN wrote. “Kenny Clark had more sacks in 2022 than 2021, but he didn’t have the same overall impact we’ve come to expect from the nose tackle.

“As one of the league’s few true noses that can actually be a pass-rushing threat, Clark deserves his rightful spot on the list. His club-and-rip move still devastates blockers, especially when he’s crossing their face to bend around the arc.”

Clark is coming off a down year from what has been expected of him. The team will rely on him to be a standout given the youth movement surrounding him on the defensive line. That starts with being stronger against the run to help improve the NFL’s second-worst run defense via Football Outsiders’ Defensive DVOA.

Clark is still a good player; the team just needs more from him. Perhaps the young players around him will provide more of a threat. If they don’t, he’ll likely see more double teams than ever.

There were four notable snubs.

Aaron Jones

Seven running backs made the list, headed by the Cleveland Browns’ Nick Chubb. The San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffery followed shortly behind him.

Jones was listed as an honorable mention for ESPN’s ranking of the best running backs. No such category exists for this list.

Of all the backs on the PFN list, only Chubb has averaged more yards per carry than Jones since 2020.

Jones does not see the same workload as some of the other players, which might contribute to his omission. Nonetheless, Jones remains an incredibly productive player, and is the best player on a Green Bay offense in transition.

They’re going to rely on him. Perhaps that reliance will lead to an appearance on these lists for Jones, but more importantly, a highly productive year for the Green Bay runner.

David Bakhtiari

Bakhtiari seems to have become a forgotten man in NFL circles. He was not listed on ESPN’s list of top offensive linemen, either.

The conversation used to be whether he was better than San Francisco’s Williams. Now, following a career-changing knee injury, nine offensive tackles made the list instead of Bakhtiari.

Last year, Bakhtiari missed six games – three due to the knee and three following an appendectomy. In the 11 games he was able to play, he allowed one pressure per 33.9 pass blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

Williams, for comparison, allowed one pressure every 27.7 pass blocking snaps.

Bakhtiari is one of the key cogs of this offensive line, and his ability to participate in offseason workouts is massive for a team looking to keep him healthy to protect their young quarterback.

When he’s healthy, he’s been great. The Packers need him to be both.

Elgton Jenkins

Jenkins feels like another player that missed this list due to injury. Six guards were deemed better than Jenkins.

Jenkins has been like duct tape for the Packers’ offensive line since he was drafted in 2019. He’s been able to do anything. He’s played snaps at every position but right guard since entering the league. For the most part, he’s done it well.

He stepped in seamlessly for center Corey Linsley during the 2020 season. He’s played both tackle positions, including standing in for Bakhtiari before a knee injury of his own wiped out the rest of his 2021 season.

Jenkins’ performance at left tackle led to him playing right tackle to open the 2022 season. Injuries and rust showed, and ultimately Jenkins was moved back to left guard.

Jenkins was good at tackle but made a Pro Bowl at left guard. He has a chance to be an All-Pro with a full season back at his best position.

Jenkins and Bakhtiari represent one of the best one-two punches any young quarterback could ask for. They’ll be tasked with protecting Jordan Love’s blind side.

Rashan Gary

Another player that could have missed the list due to an injury that knocked him out for the last half of 2022.

Gary looked like a player poised to be an NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate before he tore his ACL in Detroit in early November.

He started the season with a sack in each of the first four games for a total of five, and he had six sacks before the injury, well on his way to surpassing his career high of 9.5 set in 2021.

According to ESPN’s pass-rush and run-stop win rate, Gary is the only edge defender in the top 10 of both metrics.

Among the 11 edge rushers ranked ahead of him on the PFN list include his draft classmate Brian Burns and former Packers star Za’Darius Smith.

Injury was likely a consideration with Gary even though Von Miller made the list. He has a track record and is likely ticketed for enshrinement in Canton, Ohio, when his career ends.

There may not have been a pass rusher more valuable to his team than Gary was to the Packers. The team had eight sacks on third downs a season ago, worst in the NFL. Gary had four; the Packers had two following his injury.

All of the key pass rush metrics plummeted for Green Bay after Gary left the lineup.

A healthy year likely puts Gary on this list for 2024, but also earns him a lucrative long-term extension to stay in Green Bay.

Click here for the full list, which includes only three other players from the NFC North.