Top 100 NFL Players List Shows Flaw With Packers

Sports Illustrated projected the top 100 players for the 2026 season. Only three Packers made the list.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) celebrates after a play against the Detroit Lions. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Good teams have good players. Great teams have great players.

The Green Bay Packers are a good team with a bunch of good players. With three consecutive playoff berths, that’s beyond dispute. But they’re not a great team, largely because they don’t have enough great players.

Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano over the space of three days forecast the top 100 players for the 2026 NFL season. Only three members of the Packers made the list. Two of them are coming off a torn ACL.

No. 86: Tucker Kraft

The Packers haven’t had a player finish with 1,000 receiving yards since Davante Adams in 2021. After a dominant performance at the Steelers, Kraft was on pace to record 1,139 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.

The following week, Kraft sustained a torn ACL in a loss to Carolina.

“I would say I felt like I was on the cusp of putting together one of the greatest seasons by a Packer tight end, and that was something I was looking forward to was just leaving my legacy on this game and playing as hard as I could every snap for the for this team,” Kraft said after the season.

“At the end of the day, the guys in this room, they mean so much to me. And when I wasn’t able to be out there for the last month-and-a-half, two months this season, it was really hard on me. I had to stay home and I had to watch us play games – difficult games, wins and losses – and just knowing that, if I would have been out there and contributing, maybe things would have gone different. But, the end of the day, my injury is my reality, and all I can do is work and come back to be a better Packer than I was before.”

Kraft is a run-after-catch machine, underutilized downfield threat and excellent blocker. He is the fifth of five tight ends on the list, which includes Chicago’s Colston Loveland.

“He’s a cornerstone piece in Green Bay and will continue to be featured in the offense, given how vital he was for Jordan Love in 2025,” Manzano wrote.

Patrick Mahomes’s knee injury raises serious doubts now about who the NFL’s best player is. @GManzano24 tries to alleviate that uncertainty, projecting the top 10 players for 2026:https://t.co/l5yutsoUml

— The MMQB (@theMMQB) January 29, 2026

No. 59: Jordan Love

Jordan Love is 11th among quarterbacks after having career-best seasons in completion percentage, passer rating and interceptions.

“Love has a rare skill-set, but he often leaves you wanting more,” Manzano explained. “Some might disagree with this ranking and say Love is too high, but I’m going to bet on his arm talent and strong surroundings. … Love completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.”

The question is whether Love is worth the bet. He’s not a young quarterback. He’ll be going into Year 7 in the NFL and Year 4 as a starter. While Love is a good quarterback, can he be great – and lift the Packers to greatness alongside him?

He showed some clutch play while ranking among the NFL leaders in game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks, but also was part of the second-half flameout at Chicago that culminated with him dropping the snap on a do-or-die final play. He also struggled under pressure; more on that later.

Among the quarterbacks ahead of Love is Chicago’s Caleb Williams, who is 21st following a season in which he made a bunch of incredible throws but threw far too many incompletions.

No. 17: Micah Parsons

The Packers were 9-3-1 and leading at Denver when Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL. They lost that game and ended the season on a five-game losing streak.

“Super-challenging. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” he said of his daily routine. “I don’t think people realize how much the knee is. It’s the most challenging thing that I think I’ve ever faced as a human. 

“When you talk about pain, can’t sleep, can’t move around, you can’t turn over without your leg going into damn near, ‘Oh sh**,’ like you’re jumping out of your sleep. I can’t remember the last time I slept through the night. My body’s tired, my mind’s tired. I’m exhausted, man. But it’s going to be worth it once I’m able to move and play again.”

Following a sensational debut season, Parsons is 17th overall and third among edge rushers behind Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, the presumptive NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and Houston’s Will Anderson.

“Parsons quickly established himself as an elite edge rusher with the Cowboys and took the Packers’ defense to the next level after the summer blockbuster trade,” Manzano wrote.

The question, obviously, isn’t just when Parsons will return to game action. It’s when he will return to Peak Parsons, the indomitable game-wrecker who finished third in the NFL in pressures even while missing the final three-plus games.

Micah Parsons almost certainly won't win Defensive Player of the Year. One could argue - that one being me - that he should. ⬇️https://t.co/HISkfg2PXU

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 22, 2026

“I played out my body,” he said. “That’s a good thing. We all know the risks. That’s the risk we take. I’m playing so hard that I snapped my knee, pretty much, in a sense. I was moving faster than my body could handle.”

Former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley predicted Parsons would return with such a vengeance that he’d record 24 sacks next season. Parsons smiled at the thought.

“I expect the same results,” he said. “I don’t expect a drop-off, man. I’m going to work so hard. I think I’ll be better than what I started with.”

Super Bowl Teams, NFC North Rivals

In the NFC North, the Lions have five players (two in the top 10), the Bears have three players (none in the top 20) and the Vikings have one (Justin Jefferson).

The Seattle Seahawks, who won the NFC championship, have five players on the list, led by receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is 12th. Plus, they had a rookie make the list with do-it-all safety Nick Emmanwori at No. 40. He is a “chess piece” for coach Mike Macdonald.

The New England Patriots, who won the AFC championship have four players on the list, led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who is 18th.

“Maye made the leap in Year 2 because of his excellent poise and accuracy, which showed up in crucial moments,” Manzano wrote. “The 2024 No. 3 pick rarely gets rattled and often keeps his eyes downfield, which led to many explosive plays to Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and other pass catchers who aren’t considered stars in their prime.”

Not getting rattled is a huge part of elite quarterback play. According to Pro Football Focus, 33 quarterbacks had at least 100 under-pressure dropbacks. Maye was fourth in completion percentage when under pressure, Seattle’s Sam Darnold was ninth and Love was 29th. 

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