Jalen Carter, Aidan Hutchinson Named to NFL Top 100, Check Out the Updated 2026 Rankings

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson attained their highest positions yet in the NFL Top 100 ahead of the 2026 season.

Carter came in at No. 29, fresh off signing an extension that made him the league's highest-paid interior defender.

Hutchinson moved up 25 spots from 2025 to No. 30. He's the fourth Lions player to make the list.

Here's the full Top 100 so far:

NFL Top 100 for 2026

100. New Orleans Saints DE Cameron Jordan

99. Indianapolis Colts OG Quenton Nelson

98. Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young

97. Seattle Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV

96. New Orleans Saints RB Travis Etienne Jr.

95. New York Jets LB Demario Davis

94. Kansas City Chiefs C Creed Humphrey

93. Cleveland Browns LB Carson Schwesinger

92. Houston Texans LB Azeez Al-Shaair

91. Chicago Bears DE Montez Sweat

90. Carolina Panthers DE Derrick Brown

89. Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams

88. Detroit Lions LB Jack Campbell

87. Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan

86. Los Angeles Chargers LB Tuli Tuipulotu

85. San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy

84. Los Angeles Rams LB Byron Young

83. Tennessee Titans DT Jeffery Simmons

82. Pittsburgh Steelers CB Jalen Ramsey

81. LB Bobby Wagner

80. New England Patriots WR A.J. Brown

79. Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce

78. Arizona Cardinals LB Josh Sweat

77. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield

76. Carolina Panthers CB Jaycee Horn

75. Arizona Cardinals S Budda Baker

74. Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs

73. Denver Broncos DE Zach Allen

72. Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love

71. Baltimore Ravens WR Zay Flowers

70. Green Bay Packers S Xavier McKinney

69. Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

68. Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton

67. Miami Dolphins LB Jordyn Brooks

66. Atlanta Falcons WR Drake London

65. Baltimore Ravens LB Roquan Smith

64. New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave

63. Baltimore Ravens S Kyle Hamilton

62. Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence

61. New England Patriots S Kevin Byard

60. Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers

59. Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix

58. Houston Texans WR Nico Collins

57. Buffalo Bills OT Dion Dawkins

56. Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

55. Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb

54. San Francisco 49ers LB Fred Warner

53. Los Angeles Rams WR Davante Adams

52. Tampa Bay Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs

51. Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams

50. Los Angeles Chargers S Derwin James Jr.

49. Chicago Bears G Joe Thuney

48. Jacksonville Jaguars EDGE Josh Hines-Allen

47. Philadelphia Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell

46. San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle

45. Philadelphia Eagles LB Zack Baun

44. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow

43. Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones

42. Denver Broncos OT Garett Bolles

41. Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt

40. San Francisco 49ers OT Trent Williams

39. Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert

38. Philadelphia Eagles CB Cooper DeJean

37. Detroit Lions OT Penei Sewell

36. Dallas Cowboys WR George Pickens

35. Cleveland Browns EDGE Jared Verse

34. Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley

33. Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff

32. Denver Broncos LB Nik Bonitto

31. Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

30. Detroit Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson

29. Philadelphia Eagles DT Jalen Carter

Production-wise, Carter went backward in 2025, but that was due largely to the fact he missed six games. He finished with 33 combined tackles, three sacks and five tackles for loss.

It's safe to assume Carter's shoulder trouble also impacted his performance when he did play.

At his best, the two-time Pro Bowler is one of the NFL's most disruptive defenders on the inside.

"He's a problem," one defensive coach told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "A game-wrecker. You feel his presence out there consistently."

A different coach, however, countered that Carter "gets dragged far too often by average players." His consistency from play to play was something evaluators flagged on his college tape too.

Perhaps this is the year the Eagles star puts it all together and cements himself as one of the elite at his position.

Hutchinson fractured his tibia and fibula five games into the 2024 campaign. The disappointment from the injuries was particularly acute because he had set a blistering pace, compiling 7.5 sacks.

While last year didn't go according to plan for the Lions as they missed the playoffs, their standout pass-rusher returned to form.

Hutchinson had 14.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He was a Pro Bowler for the second time and finished fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department is a little more bearish on Hutchinson than his peers. He was 66th in Bleacher Report's ranking of the 1,000 best players.

"Hutchinson is a very good pass-rusher who excels at turning speed-to-power and has showed a few counter-moves to keep offensive tackles guessing," his scouting report read. "Additionally, he has a nasty inside spin, can win with speed around the edge and displays a good hand-swipe move. The two-time Pro Bowler veers more toward average against the run, though, primarily making plays when unblocked or against tight ends."

Detroit saw enough to sign Hutchinson to a four-year, $180 million extension midway through the 2025 season. His on-field performance continued to justify the investment, and the Lions may have saved some money by being so proactive. Will Anderson Jr. became the first edge-rusher to command a $50 million salary thanks to his newest deal from the Houston Texans.

As long as he stays healthy, there's little reason to think Hutchinson will fail to hit double digits in sacks and generally be a terror to opposing quarterbacks.