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28 Former SEC Football Players Named in NFL Top 100

ByElliot Reeder|
CINCINNATI, OHIO - OCTOBER 23: Ja'Marr Chase #1 and Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals meet in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Paycor Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - OCTOBER 23: Ja'Marr Chase #1 and Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals meet in the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Paycor Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The NFL has been rolling out it’s annual “NFL Top 100” list the past few weeks, and we finally know the completed list after the top 10 was unveiled on Monday evening. To no ones surprise, the list was dominated by former SEC football players, with 28 players in the top 100. Here is a list of all 28 players in the top 100, their ranks and stats, and then some overall number breakdowns. *Note, I’m only including players based on where they play most recently at the collegiate level* 

28 former SEC football players named in NFL Top 100

  • 100. WR DeVonta Smith (Philadelphia Eagles/Alabama) – Devonta Smith breaks into the top 100 after topping the 1,000 yard plateau in Year #2. The 24-year-old helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance with 95 catches, 1,196 receiving yards, and 7 TD’s.
  • 92. CB Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore Ravens/Alabama) – Marlon Humphrey, a six-year NFL veteran, earned a spot in the Top 100 after earning his third pro-bowl appearance in 2022. On the year he had 71 tackles, 3 INT’s, 3 sacks, 3 TFL, 2 Fumble Recoveries, and 7 PBU’s.
  • 85. OT Laremy Tunsil (Houston Texans/Ole Miss) – Laremy Tunsil continues to be one of the top tackles in the NFL as he earned his third pro-bowl appearance in 2022 and lands at #85 on the list after starting all 17 games for the Texans this past year.
  • 84. LB Za’Darius Smith (Minnesota Vikings/Kentucky) – Now with the Vikings, Za’Darius Smith continued his strong play this past year with a 44 tackle, 10 sack, 15 TFL, 1 FF, 5 PBU season. Smith has had double-digit sacks in three of the last four seasons (36 total in that span), with the only season he didn’t being 2021 when he was limited to just one game.
  • 82. QB Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins/Alabama) – Even though the start of his career has been stop-and-start with injuries, Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the top young QB’s in the league. This past year, Tagovailoa had a 64.8% completion %, 3,548 passing yards, 25 TD’s, and 8 INT.
  • 79. LB Dre Greenlaw (San Francisco 49ers/Arkansas) – Dre Greenlaw had the most prolific season of his career in 2022 in which he put up 127 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 FF, 1 INT, and 6 PBU’s.
  • 65. CB Darius Slay (Philadelphia Eagles/Mississippi State) – Darius Slay made his fifth pro-bowl in the last six seasons in 2022 while helping lead the Eagles to winning the NFC. On the year, Slay had 55 tackles, 3 INT, and 14 PBU’s.
  • 61. WR Deebo Samuel (San Francisco 49ers/South Carolina) – While it was not as prolific as his 2021 season, Deebo Samuel still had a knack for making plays for the 49ers. Samuel had 56 catches, 632 receiving yards, 42 carries, 232 rushing yards, and 5 TD’s on the year.
  • 60. CB Trevon Diggs (Dallas Cowboys/Alabama) – One of the most polarizing players in the league, Trevon Diggs had an interesting flip from 2021 to 2022. While his interception numbers went down, his coverage numbers improved. Overall for the season, Diggs had 59 tackles, 3 INT’s, 1 FR, and 14 PBU’s.
  • 58. DT Jeffery Simmons (Tennessee Titans/Mississippi State – Jeffery Simmons had his second straight pro-bowl and all-pro season in 2022 as he put up 54 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 9 TFL. He also forced a fumble and broke up 7 passes.
  • 56. QB Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys/Mississippi State) – Dak Prescott continues to be one of the more consistent QB’s in the league. He had a 66.2% completion percentage, 2,860 passing yards, a 23:15 QB/INT ratio on the year while missing five games due to injury.
  • 53. WR Mike Evans (Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Texas A&M) – Mike Evans continues to be one of the most underrated receivers in the league. In 2022, he had 77 catches, 1,124 receiving yards, and 6 TD’s while continuing his streak of having 1K receiving yards every year of his career (nine times).
  • 52. DT Jonathan Allen (Washington Commanders/Alabama) – Jonathan Allen made his second consecutive pro-bowl in 2022 as he had 65 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 16 TFL, 1 INT, 2 FF, and 3 PBU’s while moving up 36 spots on the list from last season.
  • 49. CB Patrick Surtain (Denver Broncos/Alabama) – Patrick Surtain proved to be one of the top corners in the league in 2022 as he earned first team All-Pro honors in just his second NFL season. Surtain had 60 tackles, 2 INT’s, 1 FF, 2 TFL, and 10 PBU’s on the season.
  • 46. LB CJ Mosley (New York Jets/Alabama) – CJ Mosley’s third season in East Rutherford saw him earn his fifth pro-bowl appearance. Mosley had 158 tackles (ninth most in the league), 1 sack, 5 TFL, 1 INT, and 7 PBU’s on the year.
  • 44. WR Jaylen Waddle (Miami Dolphins/Alabama) – Jaylen Waddle has quickly gone from one of the most explosive players in college football to one of the most explosive players in the NFL. In 2022, Waddle had 75 catches, 1,356 receiving yards, and 8 TD’s.
  • 40. DT Quinnen Williams (New York Jets/Alabama) – Quinnen Williams has continued to improve across all four of his NFL seasons. His efforts this past year earned him his first Pro-Bowl and a top 10 finish in the Defensive Player of the Year race. Williams had 55 tackles, 12 sacks, 12 TFL, 2 FF, and 4 PBU’s on the season.
  • 39. WR Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals/LSU) – Ja’Marr Chase has started his NFL career off extremely well, quickly becoming one of the top receivers in the league. In year two, Chase had 87 catches, 1,046 receiving yards, and 9 TD’s across 12 games (missed five games due to a hip injury).
  • 29. RB Nick Chubb (Cleveland Browns/Georgia) – Make it four straight pro-bowl appearances for Nick Chubb as he had arguably his strongest season of his NFL career so far. Chubb had 302 carries, 1,525 rushing yards, 27 receptions, 239 receiving yards, and 13 total TD’s in 2022.
  • 25. RB Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans/Alabama) – One of the few RB’s in the NFL better than Chubb might be Derrick Henry. Henry finished ninth in MVP voting in 2022 with 349 carries, 1,538 rushing yards, 33 receptions, 398 receiving yards, and 13 total TD’s.
  • 24. LB Roquan Smith (Baltimore Ravens/Georgia) – Not even a mid-season trade could slow down Roquan Smith. Smith had his third straight All-Pro season (his first first team honor) with 169 tackles (third most in the NFL), 4.5 sacks, 11 TFL, 3 INT’s and 6 PBU’s split across eight games with the Bears and nine games with the Ravens.
  • 22. WR AJ Brown (Philadelphia Eagles/Ole Miss) – Former SEC football players on the Eagles continue to populate this list as AJ Brown comes in at 22. After being traded last off-season, Brown had 88 catches, 1,496 receiving yards, and 11 TD’s in his first season in Philly.
  • 20. DE Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns/Texas A&M) – Myles Garrett crept into the top 5 of the DPOY running for the first time of his career this season. Garrett put up 60 tackles, 16 sacks (tied for second most in the NFL), 18 TFL, 2 FF, and 4 PBU’s. Garrett now has four pro-bowls to his name.
  • 18. S Minkah Fitzpatrick (Pittsburgh Steelers/Alabama) – Arguably the top safety in the league, Minkah Fitzpatrick earned more All-Pro laurels in 2022. On the year, Fitzpatrick had 96 tackles, a career-high 6 INT’s (also tied for the most in the NFL), and 11 PBU’s
  • 12. RB Josh Jacobs (Las Vegas Raiders/Alabama) – After having his fourth year option declined, all Josh Jacobs did was lead the NFL in rushing in 2022. On the season, Jacobs had 340 carries, 1,653 rushing yards, 53 receptions, 400 receiving yards, and 12 total TD’s to land as the top RB in the NFL Top 100.
  • 10. DT Chris Jones (Kansas City Chiefs/Mississippi State) – Chris Jones was one of the most dominant players in the NFL in 2022. Jones had 44 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 17 TFL, 2 FF, 1 FR, and 4 PBU’s. Jones finished third in the DPOY voting and earned his fourth All-Pro and fourth Pro-Bowl honors.
  • 6. QB Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals/LSU) – Joe Burrow has quickly put himself in the upper-echelon of NFL QB’s right alongside the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. In 2022, Burrow had a 68.3% completion %, 4,475 passing yards, and a 35:12 TD/INT ratio.
  • 2. WR Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings/LSU) – Talk about a record-setting start to a career. Much like his former LSU teammate in Chase, Justin Jefferson has taken the NFL by storm. Every time you hear Jefferson’s name it is something about him being the quickest player in NFL history to hit some milestone. In 2022, Jefferson had 128 receptions, 1,809 receiving yards, and 9 total TD’s while winning AP Offensive Player of the Year and finishing fifth in MVP voting.

Alabama led all schools in the nation with 12 players in the top 100. Mississippi State had the second most players of all SEC football schools with four. LSU then followed with three. Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M all had two apiece. Then Arkansas, Kentucky, and South Carolina had one each.

The SEC led the way in terms of conference’s with 28 making up over one-fourth of the field. The Big Ten and the ACC tied for the second most with 15 apiece. The Pac-12 had 11, while the Big 12 had 7.

SEC football also had four players who ranked as the top player at their position (Justin Jefferson at WR, Chris Jones at DT, Josh Jacobs at RB, and Minkah Fitzpatrick at S).

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