The NFL Top 100 list has always been a little messy, but the latest reveal gave Las Vegas Raiders fans a fresh reason to roll their eyes. Brock Bowers came in at No. 60, and then, just an hour later, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was announced at No. 59.
That puts Nix one spot ahead of Bowers, even though Bowers is the more accomplished individual player and the kind of talent this ranking is supposed to reward. Bowers dropped 36 spots from last year, while Nix climbed five places from his 2024 spot.
There’s no denying the Broncos had the far better season than the Raiders a year ago, and Nix outperformed expectations after being drafted. He’s been a steady fit in Sean Payton’s system and a quarterback who can get the job done.
But that still doesn’t make the placement feel right. Nix is also ranked ahead of Lamar Jackson and Jordan Love on the list, which only adds to the confusion.
If the ranking is meant to reflect who had the better 2025 season, there’s at least a case to be made for Nix. He helped Denver finish as the No. 1 seed and reach the AFC Championship Game, even if his numbers were ordinary.
Bowers’ 2025 season was affected by injuries, and he clearly wasn’t at full strength. Even so, his production for a tight end sits in the same neighborhood as Nix’s passing numbers, if not better.
That’s where the bigger issue with the Top 100 comes in. As Lindsay Rhodes pointed out, the list is supposed to identify the best player in the league right now, with a forward-looking lens that still respects a player’s résumé.
On that standard, Bowers belongs above Nix. He’s an All-Pro, a generational talent, and he’s done more individually than Nix has.
To be fair, Nix has been better in the NFL than many expected when he came out of Oregon, and Denver looks set up for more success this season. The Broncos are probably in a better spot than the Raiders at the moment.
Still, this is an individual ranking, not a team award. Quarterbacks carry enormous weight in the league, but that doesn’t erase the gap between what Bowers has already shown and what Nix has accomplished. Bowers being behind him feels like a miss.
The good news for Las Vegas is that it has a young skill player who is already highly regarded by his peers. The bad news is that this particular placement makes the list look shaky. Bowers will have to stay healthy and prove again why he was an All-Pro in 2024, while the Raiders will need to start winning if they want the league to take them seriously.
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