June 27, 2026, 9:59 a.m. CT
Wide receiver Chris Olave was the only New Orleans Saints player to make Pete Prisco’s CBS Sports Top 100 players list. Olave, 25, landed at No. 71 on the player ranking list ahead of the 2026 NFL season after being left off the 2025 version. It’s a great sign of how highly Olave is viewed after a bounce-back season, but it also shows how much the rest of the Saints’ roster still has to prove on a national scale.
The Saints had multiple players on the NFL’s player-voted Top 100 list, with Travis Etienne Jr. ranked No. 96 and Cameron Jordan ranked No. 100. Neither player made Prisco’s list, leaving Olave as the lone New Orleans representative.
The vast difference is certainly notable, as these lists were released under two different perspectives. The NFL’s Top 100 is based on player voting, while Prisco’s list reflects his own view of the league’s best players heading into the season. Prisco’s reasons for the ranking pointed to Olave’s production and growing connection with Tyler Shough, another Saints player who could crack the Top 100 in both lists with a stellar second season. It’s easy to see why Olave made the list after elite 2025 production.
“He had 100 catches and nine touchdowns while playing in 16 games after being limited to eight in 2024,” Prisco wrote. “His rapport with young quarterback Tyler Shough should continue to grow.”
Olave, a former first-round pick, has never been questioned for his talent. It’s always been there, but last season showed he has the availability, volume, and production to prove he belongs among the league’s best. He’s also likely to land on the NFL’s version of the Top 100 list.
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For the Saints, Olave is the player most clearly viewed as a top-100 talent. Etienne and Jordan could have more of an impact at the field level, something only players seem to notice. It’s two different perspectives — and it shows that sometimes evaluators see things differently from afar.