2026 NFC North top 50 players: No. 1-10

from on 2026-06-03 17:00 (#762J8)

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 18: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears looks to pass against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Soldier Field on January 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The 2026 NFL season is a few months away, and the anticipation for week one is at an extremely high level.

As the NFL Network has done their player consensus Top 100 ranking each year, Windy City Gridiron's staff has put together a roundtable over the last few seasons of the best players in the NFC North. With six contributors pitching in for this year's roundtable, there was a strong diversity of opinions that provided for some entertaining rankings.

Before we get started, let's set up the ground rules. Each WCG participant was asked to send their top 32 players in the NFC North. A player's ranking determined how many points they would receive (32 points for first, 31 points for second, etc.), and the total points were added up to create the rankings.

Note: Tiebreakers will be broken by whichever player appeared on more ballots. If that total is the same, then the tiebreaker will go to whichever player received the highest ranking on an individual ballot. If that scenario also does not result in a clear winner, ballot organizer Jacob Infante will break the tie.

The rankings thus far

11. Bears CB Jaylon Johnson

12. Bears TE Colston Loveland

13. Lions S Brian Branch

14. Packers S Xavier McKinney

15. Packers OT Zach Tom

16. Vikings OT Christian Darrisaw

17. Packers TE Tucker Kraft

18. Vikings EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel

19. Lions LB Jack Campbell

20. Lions S Kerby Joseph

21. Lions TE Sam LaPorta

22. Packers QB Jordan Love

23. Lions WR Jameson Williams

24. Packers RB Josh Jacobs

25. Bears EDGE Montez Sweat

26. Packers LB Edgerrin Cooper

27. Bears S Coby Bryant

28. Bears LB Devin Bush

29. Bears CB Kyler Gordon

30. Vikings OT Brian O'Neill

31. Vikings WR Jordan Addison

32. Bears G Jonah Jackson

33. Bears WR Luther Burden III

34. Bears WR Rome Odunze

35. Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson

36. Bears S Dillon Thieneman

37. Packers WR Jayden Reed

38. Vikings LB Blake Cashman

39. Lions DT Alim McNeill

40. Lions OT Blake Miller

41. Vikings WR Jauan Jennings

42. Bears RB D'Andre Swift

43. Packers WR Christian Watson

44. Packers DT Javon Hargrave

45. Vikings G Will Fries

46. Lions CB D.J. Reed Jr.

47. Packers DT Devonte Wyatt

48. Lions G Tate Ratledge

49. Packers LB Zaire Franklin

50. Vikings CB James Pierre

10. Lions QB Jared Goff

Highest Ranking: 10 (Wiltfong)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 16

A Pro Bowler in three of his last four seasons, Jared Goff's 18,206 passing yards since 2022 are the most of any quarterback in the NFL. He's been consistently accurate for the Lions, surpassing at least a 65.0% completion percentage every season since his arrival in Detroit in 2021. He's also graded in the top eight in PFSN QB Impact Scoring each of his last four seasons, with 2022 being the year that Ben Johnson became his offensive coordinator. Though the Lions took a step back with the departure of Johnson, Aaron Glenn, and numerous other coaches, Goff was as reliable as they came last year.

9. Bears QB Caleb Williams

Highest Ranking: 1 (Gooch)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 39

The first-place finish from Donald Gooch is enough to propel Caleb Williams into the top 10 of this list, but Williams would still finish high in these rankings with the love he got from other WCG voters. He finished in the top 10 in the NFL with 3,942 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns, leading the league with six fourth-quarter comebacks and tying for the second-most game-winning drives at six. As he continues to develop, an even higher ranking could be in the cards for Williams next year.

8. Bears OT Darnell Wright

Highest Ranking: 7 (Orenchuk, Baugher, Mongo)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 20

Darnell Wright receives a much-deserved jump from 2024 to 2025, as he earned the first All-Pro recognition of his career last season. He allowed a career-low three sacks and 19 pressures on 638 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, solidifying himself as one of the best right tackles in the NFL. If he can cut down on penalties - he's had 31 in his three seasons with the Bears - there's no reason to think he can't remain among the league's elite for a long time.

7. Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

Highest Ranking: 6 (Baugher)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 4

Coming off an injury-shortened 2024, there were some questions around whether Aidan Hutchinson would bounce back to full speed quickly. He answered those questions right away, tallying six sacks in his first six games. He ended 2025 with career-high marks including 14.5 sacks, 35 quarterback hits and 14.0 tackles for a loss, also tallying a whopping 100 pressures. Hutchinson was a second-team All-Pro last year, and it's somewhat surprising it took him four years to earn that recognition. More All-Pro nods are surely in his future.

6. Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Highest Ranking: 2 (Gooch)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 3

If you want reliability at the wide receiver position, look no further than Amon-Ra St. Brown. He's surpassed 1,100 receiving yards in each of his last four seasons, most recently finishing 2025 with a career-high 1,401 receiving yards. He's missed only two games in five years, he's dropped just 2.8% of his career targets since joining the NFL, and Goff has a strong 116.9 passer rating throwing the ball his way. Amidst Detroit's collapse last season, St. Brown was his usual, steady self.

5. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Highest Ranking: 3 (Orenchuk)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 5

Jahmyr Gibbs has been a Pro Bowler in each of his three seasons in the NFL thus far, tallying a combined 3,580 rushing yards, 1,449 receiving yards, and 49 scrimmage touchdowns. He's also averaged at least 5.0 yards per carry each season, and he's dropped just 5.2% of his career targets in the passing game, including postseason appearance. With David Montgomery no longer on the Lions, Gibbs could be in for his best-performing season to date.

4. Bears G Joe Thuney

Highest Ranking: 2 (Orenchuk)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 7

The inaugural Protector of the Year award winner, Joe Thuney was an All-Pro in each of his last three seasons with the Chiefs heading into 2025 with the Bears. He kept that streak alive, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in his first year in Chicago. He didn't allow a single sack in 686 pass-blocking snaps, marking two full seasons in a row that he hasn't allowed a sack. At 33 years old, Thuney is showing no signs of slowing down and has made a strong last-minute Hall of Fame push with how well he's performed in recent seasons.

3. Lions OT Penei Sewell

Highest Ranking: 1 (Wiltfong, Orenchuk)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 2

Penei Sewell has been an elite tackle practically since his arrival into the NFL in 2021. He led all offensive tackles with a 93.0 PFSN OL Impact Score, having ranked as a top-two tackle in each of the last two seasons and a top-10 tackle every single year. He's a high-end pass blocker but might be the best run-blocking tackle in the league today. We'll see how he fares moving from right tackle to left tackle with Taylor Decker's departure, but considering how well Sewell played at left tackle for Oregon, there's little reason to think he won't continue to be a perennial All-Pro.

2. Packers EDGE Micah Parsons

Highest Ranking: 1 (Baugher)

Last Year's Ranking: N/A (hadn't been traded to Green Bay yet at release date)

The addition of Micah Parsons to the Packers' defense was a game-changer that elevated their roster before he got hurt. In 14 games, he had 12.5 sacks, 12.0 tackles for a loss, 27 quarterback hits, and 79 pressures. He also ranked No. 4 in the NFL in PFSN EDGE Impact Scoring with an 89.5 score. Once he went down late in the regular season, Green Bay's defense was nowhere near the same. Parsons is the glue that holds that group together, and with 65.0 sacks in five seasons in the NFL, he's undoubtedly an elite defensive player.

1. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson

Highest Ranking: 1 (Infante, Mongo)

Last Year's Ranking: No. 1

For the fourth year in a row, Justin Jefferson has solidified himself as the top player in the NFC North in our consensus ballot. It wasn't in decisive fashion, as has been the case in years past. Since we began these rankings in 2020, two first-place votes is the fewest by a No. 1-ranked player. That said, the fact that he still surpassed 1,000 receiving yards with how brutal the Vikings' passing attack was last year says a lot about his caliber of talent. A four-time All-Pro with 8,480 receiving yards in six seasons, Jefferson is well on pace for a Hall of Fame career.

The full rankings