On Wednesday, KeynoteUSA Sports reporter Pete Prisco released his annual list of the NFL’s 100 greatest players.
Prisco does not hide it: these rankings are his opinion, although he acknowledges that some “conversations with some league personnel” enter into his annual evaluations. “Most of all, though,” he says, “it’s my list.”
But it is not easy. I can promise you that. Putting together a top 100 list is harder than you think, aside from number one, of course. That is easy. That’s a player who is now clearly looking down from the top of these rankings and could soon be looking down from the top of all player rankings in NFL history.
Prisco is talking about Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, the first of seven Kansas City players in his top 100.
1. Patrick Mahomes · QB · Kansas City Chiefs (2023 Ranking: 1st)
His numbers went down last season, but he showed in the playoffs that he is the best player in the league and that he is on his way to being considered the best of all time. If he wins the third title this season, will it be time to say that he is the best of all time?
Yes, it would be. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Chiefs have a long, difficult road ahead of them and huge goals on their backs. That’s why a third straight NFL championship will have so much to say about Mahomes’ standing on the all-time list.
14. Chris Jones · DE · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: 13)
The Chiefs leaned heavily on their defense to win last year’s Super Bowl, with Jones being the catalyst for that unit. He can take charge of games and do it from inside and outside. He can tear up an offensive line.
All true. But I will object to Prisco’s identification of Jones as a defensive end. That’s 2021. He’s back to playing most of his snaps inside. Still, he can win from anywhere.
18. Travis Kelce · TE · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: 6th)
He wasn’t as good last year as he has been in his career with too many drops, but he’s still one of the best in the league. A bad year for him was catching 93 passes, but his yards per catch fell to 10.6, the lowest of his career. He added to it in the postseason with 32 receptions in four games.
Prisco acknowledges that for Kelce, a “down” season would be something any other tight end would be proud to claim. Even after playing only 15 games, he had just 36 fewer yards than league leader George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, to whom Prisco ranks 37th. Meanwhile, no tight end with 90 targets or more had more first downs (or a higher success rate) than Kelce. That says a lot about how Kansas City’s offense continues to depend on him.
30. Trent McDuffie · CB · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: NR)
He had his best season helping the Chiefs defense lead the team to a victory in the Super Bowl. He played in the slot in the second half of the season and showed his ability there to do many things, including rushing the passer.
Prisco doesn’t believe the idea that the Chiefs traded their best cornerback. L’Jarius Sneed, now with the Tennessee Titans, is No. 51 on his list. Yes… Kansas City’s secondary may take a step back when McDuffie and Sneed are no longer together in the defensive backfield. But under Brett Veach, Kansas City has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to find quality players for the secondary, so it’s not very possible.
48. Creed Humphrey · C · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: 40)
He’s still one of the best centers in the league, although his play was a little off last season. He is good in both the run game and pass protection, helping to form one of the best inside trios in the league.
86. Joe Thuney · G · Kansas City Chiefs (2023:80)
As part of the league’s best interior line group, he excels in pass protection. He missed time last season and in the playoffs, which is concerning since he will turn 32 in November.
90. Trey Smith · G · Kansas City Chiefs (Last season: NR)
He is an attacker in the running game who has improved in pass protection, which is essential in his offense. He helps form one of the best inside trios in the league with Joe Thuney and Creed Humphrey.
While the defending Super Bowl champions have a hole to fill on the left end of the offensive line, there are no problems on the interior. Prisco has correctly identified the best interior trio in the league. The big problem will come in a year in which two of them are scheduled to be free agents.
Final takeaway
After winning Super Bowl LVII, Prisco had five Kansas City players in his top 100. A year later, after winning Super Bowl LVIII, there are seven. Three players from the Super Bowl LIV team (wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Tyrann Mathieu) watched the Chiefs win back-to-back championships while playing for other teams. All three, now joined by Sneed, are in Prisco’s top 100 for 2024.
Of course… it’s just one man’s opinion. But his opinion leads to one specific conclusion: the Chiefs team is not built to win a championship. It is designed to win multiple championships.
The only question is how many.
Keynote USA
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