NFL Network’s Top 100 list is always part respect, part reputation and part recent production. It is not perfect, but because the list is voted on by players, it gives a decent sense of who is viewed as a top-tier player around the league. Quenton Nelson has already made the 2026 list at No. 99, giving the Colts at least one representative.
The question now is whether anyone else on the roster deserves to join him.
Already made it
Quenton Nelson
Nelson already being on the list makes sense.
He may not be ranked as high as he was
earlier in his career, but he is still one of the best guards in football, still one of the most respected offensive linemen in the league, and still the standard-setter on the Colts’ offensive line. His placement at No. 99 almost feels low, but at least the players got him back on the list.
Locks
Jonathan Taylor
Taylor should be on the list.
Running backs are always tricky because the position gets judged differently, but Taylor remains one of the best players at his position and is still the engine of the Colts’ offense. When he is healthy and rolling, he changes the way defenses have to play. He is one of the few Colts who can take over a game by himself.
If the list is about the best football players, Taylor belongs.
Sauce Gardner
Gardner, like Taylor, is a also a very easy yes.
He may be new to Indianapolis, but he is one of the best cornerbacks in football and should be ranked higher than any Colts player if the list is based on overall talent and league-wide reputation. Elite outside corners are hard to find, and Gardner has already built the kind of résumé that should make him a Top 100 regular.
Maybes
DeForest Buckner
Buckner has a strong case, but he is not a lock.
He is still a very good interior defensive lineman and has been one of the Colts’ most important players for years. The issue is that these lists usually reward sack numbers, star power and national visibility. Interior defensive linemen who are not putting up huge pass-rush production can get overlooked, even when their impact is obvious.
Buckner would not be out of place on the list, but he is probably closer to the bubble than a guaranteed spot.
Bernhard Raimann
Raimann might be the most underappreciated Colts candidate.
Purely based on play, he has a legitimate argument. He has developed into a high-level left tackle, and that is one of the most valuable positions in football. The problem is name recognition. Offensive linemen already struggle to get noticed, and Raimann does not have the same reputation yet as the bigger names at tackle.
He may deserve Top 100 consideration more than he is likely to receive it.
Almost certainly no
Laiatu Latu
Latu is probably a year away.
He is trending in the right direction and looks like a legitimate building block, but edge rushers usually need either huge sack production, playoff visibility or major national reputation to crack a player-voted Top 100. He is not there yet.
Kenny Moore II
Moore was a very good Colt, but he is unlikely to make this kind of list now. Slot corners rarely get the respect they deserve unless they are viewed as true stars, and Moore is probably past the point where he gets that kind of league-wide recognition.
Cam Bynum
Bynum is a good player and a useful addition, but he does not feel like a Top 100 candidate. Safety is already a tough position to crack unless the player has star status, and Bynum is more in the good-starter category.
Charvarius Ward
Ward has the strongest reputation of this group, but he is still probably on the outside. He is a good corner and a valuable player, but with Sauce Gardner already on the roster and so many elite defensive backs around the league, Ward feels more like a strong starter than a Top 100 player right now.
Final thought
The Colts will have more than one player on the list.
Nelson is already in and Taylor and Gardner should be locks. Buckner and Raimann both have fair arguments, even if they may end up being overlooked. Latu could get there soon, but he probably needs one more jump before the players view him that way.
So the realistic number is probably three Colts in the Top 100, with Nelson, Taylor and Gardner. Anything beyond that would be a nice surprise.
