Cracking the NFL top 100: Which Cardinals make the cut?

In what’s become a yearly tradition, the NFL top 100 list releases next week.

Last season, Arizona had just a lone representative on the player-voted list in safety Budda Baker at No. 89. This time around, though, there’s a case to be made for a handful of Cardinals on the revamped roster.

What is known: It’s confirmed that at least one Cardinal is cracking the list, with one falling in the 100-91 range of next week’s release.

But how many more made the cut?

A look at who could (and maybe should) be included in this year’s player rankings:

Cardinals shoo-ins to crack NFL top 100 list

If there are two names that will for sure be on this year’s ranking, it’s Baker and tight end Trey McBride.

Baker is coming off arguably his best season as a pro behind a career high 164 tackles and 10 tackles for loss operating all over defensive coordinator Nick Rallis’ creative scheme.

“I truly love this defense, because it gives me the ability to kind of be everywhere,” Baker told ESPN’s Mina Kimes on Thursday. This defense, it’s kinda hard to know where I’m going, so that’s definitely special and with the collective players that we have now, it’s definitely exciting.”

Between the two, Baker appears to be the most likely candidate to be in next week’s reveal, especially after finishing 89th a year prior.

McBride, meanwhile, put more than enough on tape to warrant a spot on the ranking for the first time in his career.

Say what you want about his two receiving touchdowns but McBride’s 111 receptions and 1,146 yards highlighted a breakout season for quarterback Kyler Murray’s favorite target.

He also found other ways to get into the end zone, whether it be by a rushing score or fumble recovery touchdown.

All signs point to McBride fighting for the title of the NFL’s top tight end.

There’s a reason why he was rewarded with a hefty contract extension this offseason.

Honorable mentions

James Conner, RB

He may be in the honorable mention tier, but if anyone out of this group has the best shot at being alongside Baker and McBride, it’s Conner, who has earned two top 100 nods in his career.

Last making the ranking in 2022 (No. 80), the running back is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as the lead man in Arizona’s backfield.

Conner is expected to resume his workhorse role in 2025, though second-year pro Trey Benson could see more snaps come his way after coming along late as a rookie.

Josh Sweat, pass rusher

Despite his 11-sack regular season in 2022, Sweat has yet to make the NFL top 100.

That should probably change in 2025 after racking up 8.0 sacks and 41 quarterback pressures for Philadelphia in the regular season before adding 2.5 sacks and six pressures in the Super Bowl.

Calais Campbell, DL

Campbell has received six top 100 nods since 2015. His highest ranking was No. 14 in 2018.

Despite beating Father Time, Campbell hasn’t cracked the top 100 since landing at No. 79 in 2020.

Paris Johnson Jr., LT

Johnson is close, but his inclusion on the list feels a year away.

One more strong season at left tackle and he’ll find himself on there.

Kyler Murray, QB

Murray has three top 100 honors with the most recent coming in 2022.

It’s been a winding road since then, with Murray going down with a torn ACL that year and only seeing eight games in 2023.

Last season was a dose of normalcy for the signal caller, who looked well on his way to making a return to the list early on last year behind a 12-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 10 games played. He added another four scores on the ground.

The wheels came off in the second half of the season, though, with Murray tossing eight picks to nine touchdowns the rest of the way. He only found paydirt once more as a runner.

Even with the downturn across the final seven games, Murray seemed comfortable operating in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and will look to capitalize more on off-schedule plays.

What is the NFL top 100 list?

The NFL top 100 list is voted on by current players, who each select 20 players on a ballot.

This marks the 15th year of the ranking, which can be streamed on X and NFL+. It runs from June 30 (Monday) through Aug. 29.

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