On Wednesday, CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco published his annual list of the NFL’s top 100 players.
Prisco makes no secret of it: these rankings are his opinion — although he acknowledges that some “conversations with some league personnel” enter into his yearly evaluations. “Mostly, though,” he says, “it’s my list.”
But it isn’t easy. That much I can promise you. Putting together a top 100 list is tougher than you think — aside from No. 1, of course. That’s easy. That’s a player who now clearly looks down from the top spot of these rankings and soon might be looking down from the top spot of all rankings of players in NFL history.
Prisco is talking about the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes — the first of seven Kansas City players in his top 100.
1. Patrick Mahomes · QB · Kansas City Chiefs (2023 ranking: 1st)
His numbers were down last season, but he showed in the playoffs that he is the best player in the league — and on his way to being considered the best ever. If he three-peats this season, is it time to say he’s the best ever?
Yes, it would be. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Chiefs have a long, difficult road ahead of them—and enormous targets on their backs. That’s why a third consecutive NFL championship will have so much to say about Mahomes’ position on the all-time list.
14. Chris Jones · DE · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: 13th)
The Chiefs leaned heavily on their defense to win last year’s Super Bowl, with Jones being the catalyst of that unit. He can take over games, and can do so from the inside and the outside. He can wreck an offensive line.
All true. But I will quibble with Prisco’s identification of Jones as a defensive end. That’s so 2021. He’s back to playing most of his snaps on the interior. Still, though, he can win from anywhere.
18. Travis Kelce · TE · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: 6th)
He wasn’t quite as good last year as he’s been in his career with too many drops, but he still remains 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 did amp it up in the postseason with 32 catches in four games.
Prisco recognizes that for Kelce, a “down” season would be one any other tight end would be proud to claim. Even after playing in just 15 games, he had only 36 fewer receiving yards than league leader George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers — whom Prisco ranks 37th. Meanwhile, no tight end with 90 or more targets had more first downs (or a higher success rate) than Kelce. That says a lot about how the Kansas City offense continues to depend upon him.
30. Trent McDuffie · CB · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: NR)
He had his best season in helping the Chiefs’ defense lead the team to a Super Bowl victory. He played in the slot in the second half of the season and showed off his skills there to do a lot of things, including rush the passer.
Prisco doesn’t buy the idea that the Chiefs traded away their best cornerback. L’Jarius Sneed — now with the Tennessee Titans — ranks 51st on his list. Yes… it’s possible the Kansas City secondary could 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: 40th)
He remains one of the league’s best centers, although his play was off a bit last season. He is good in both the run game and in pass protection, helping form one of the best inside trios in the league.
86. Joe Thuney · G · Kansas City Chiefs (2023: 80th)
As part of the best interior-line group in the league, he excels in pass protection. He did miss time last season and in the playoffs, which is concerning since he turns 32 in November.
90. Trey Smith · G · Kansas City Chiefs (Last season: NR)
He is a mauler in the run game who has improved in pass protection, which is a must in their 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’s no issue on the inside. Prisco has properly identified the league’s best interior trio. The big problem will come in a year when two are scheduled to be free agents.
Final takeaway
After winning Super Bowl LVII, Prisco had five Kansas City players on his top 100. A year later — after winning Super Bowl LVIII — there are seven. Three players from the team’s Super Bowl LIV squad — 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 on Prisco’s top 100 for 2024.
Sure… it’s just one man’s opinion. But his opinion leads to a specific conclusion: the Chiefs team isn’t built to win a championship. It is built to win multiple championships.
The only question is how many.