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
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
30. Vikings OT Brian O’Neill
Highest Ranking: 22 (Wiltfong)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 28
Brian O’Neill has been a fixture of the Vikings’ offensive line since he entered the NFL in 2018. He missed three games due to injury in 2025 but allowed just two sacks in 446 pass-blocking snaps, which is a more than respectable amount at the right tackle position. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler entering his ninth year as a starter for Minnesota; he’s earned a spot in the top 30 and made appearances in the top 32 of four of the six WCG ballots.
29. Bears CB Kyler Gordon
Highest Ranking: 20 (Baugher)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 29
It’s tough to get a read on Kyler Gordon in these rankings, seeing as though he only played in three regular season games in 2025 due to injury. That said, he’s arguably one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the NFL when he’s healthy. Including his two postseason appearances, he allowed a completion percentage of 60.9%, which was his best mark in coverage to date. If he can stay healthy for a full year — or at least close to it — he has a chance to move back up these rankings next year.
28. Bears LB Devin Bush
Highest Ranking: 23 (Gooch)
Last Year’s Ranking: N/A (not in division yet)
The Bears swapped out Tremaine Edmunds for Devin Bush in their linebacker room, and they struck with Bush while the iron was hot. He’s coming off a career year with 125 tackles, 7.0 tackles for a loss, 2.0 sacks, three interceptions (with two being returned for touchdowns) and eight pass deflections. His 86.8 PFSN LB Impact Score ranked No. 12 in the NFL and was the best score of his career thus far. He’ll look to bring that high level of athleticism and impact play over to Chicago after signing a lucrative deal.
27. Bears S Coby Bryant
Highest Ranking: 21 (Mongo)
Last Year’s Ranking: N/A (not in division yet)
Kevin Byard is no longer on the Bears after his All-Pro campaign in 2025, but one could certainly argue they got younger, faster, and more versatile by replacing him with Coby Bryant. On the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks last season, Bryant had four interceptions and seven pass deflections, allowing a passer rating of 82.0, a mark which was actually better than Byard’s, in spite of the latter having three more picks. That speaks to Bryant’s superior consistency in coverage, which is something the Bears desperately need heading into 2026.
26. Packers LB Edgerrin Cooper
Highest Ranking: 21 (Wiltfong)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 38
In his two seasons with the Packers thus far, Edgerrin Cooper has been able to consistently improve and solidify himself as an impact performer on their defense. Though a lower percentage of his snaps came as a blitzing linebacker, he was still able to finish with 12 quarterback pressures on 70 pass-rushing snaps. He also had a career-high 118 tackles and didn’t allow a single touchdown in coverage, indicating the best is yet to come for Cooper in Year 3.
25. Bears EDGE Montez Sweat
Highest Ranking: 13 (Orenchuk)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 34
Though the Bears’ pass rush struggled in 2025, Montez Sweat was able to serve as a spark plug for a unit that didn’t have much else. He played in all 17 games and finished the year with 10.0 sacks, marking the second time in his seven-year career that he’s reached the double-digit sack mark. Though his pass-rush win rate dropped compared to 2024, he improved from 49 pressures the year before to 54 in 2025, and his jump from 5.5 sacks to 10.0 was a big accomplishment.
24. Packers RB Josh Jacobs
Highest Ranking: 14 (Infante)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 15
Josh Jacobs continues to be a quality starting running back in the NFL year over year. He fell just short of 1,000 rushing yards, having missed two games due to injury but still having a respectable 929 rushing yards and a whopping 13 rushing touchdowns. He was also a solid receiving back, having not dropped a single one of his 40 targets last season. It’s worth noting that this voting took place before Jacobs was arrested on domestic abuse charges. It remains to be seen what legal ramifications that will have, and to a much lesser extent, how that will impact his availability for the 2026 season.
23. Lions WR Jameson Williams
Highest Ranking: 14 (Wiltfong)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 30
As far as WR2 candidates go, Jameson Williams has to be near the top of the list when evaluating the whole NFL. His production continues to improve year over year, as he had a career-high 65 catches and 1,117 yards, as well as tying his career-high with seven receiving touchdowns. He’s averaged 17.0 yards per catches since joining the Lions in 2022, and his game-breaking speed makes him such a valuable cog in Detroit’s passing attack that’s been one of the best in the league in recent years.
22. Packers QB Jordan Love
Highest Ranking: 10 (Baugher)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 22
No candidate was more divisive in the rankings than Jordan Love this year. Baugher and Infante both had love in their top 15 — with the former placing him at No. 10 — while both Gooch and Orenchuk ranked him as the last entry on this list at No. 32 overall. Regardless of your thoughts on the Packers’ starting quarterback, he ranked No. 4 in the league in PFSN QB Impact Scoring, No. 3 in third-down conversion rate, and No. 8 in net yards per passing attempt. The big hurdle for Love remains turning that regular season efficiency into playoff wins.
21. Lions TE Sam LaPorta
Highest Ranking: 16 (Wiltfong)
Last Year’s Ranking: No. 13
Sam LaPorta only played in nine games last year due to injury, but his 54.3 receiving yards per game marked an even higher average than his standout 2023 rookie season that earned him Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro recognition. He didn’t drop a single one of his targets in 2025, and Jared Goff had a passer rating of 134.2 when he targeted LaPorta last year. Even coming off the injury, he still projects as a core piece of the Lions’ offense and one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
