GREEN BAY, Wis. \u2013 Good teams have good players. Great teams have great players.<\/p>\n
The Green Bay Packers are a good team with a bunch of good players. With three consecutive playoff berths, that\u2019s beyond dispute. But they\u2019re not a great team, largely because they don\u2019t have enough great players.<\/p>\n
Sports Illustrated\u2019s Gilberto Manzano over the space of three days forecast the top 100 players for the 2026 NFL season<\/a>. Only three members of the Packers made the list. Two of them are coming off a torn ACL.<\/p>\n No. 86: Tucker Kraft<\/p>\n The Packers haven\u2019t had a player finish with 1,000 receiving yards since Davante Adams in 2021. After a dominant performance at the Steelers, Kraft was on pace to record 1,139 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.<\/p>\n The following week, Kraft sustained a torn ACL in a loss to Carolina.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say I felt like I was on the cusp of putting together one of the greatest seasons by a Packer tight end, and that was something I was looking forward to was just leaving my legacy on this game and playing as hard as I could every snap for the for this team,\u201d Kraft said after the season.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, the guys in this room, they mean so much to me. And when I wasn\u2019t able to be out there for the last month-and-a-half, two months this season, it was really hard on me. I had to stay home and I had to watch us play games \u2013 difficult games, wins and losses \u2013 and just knowing that, if I would have been out there and contributing, maybe things would have gone different. But, the end of the day, my injury is my reality, and all I can do is work and come back to be a better Packer than I was before.\u201d<\/p>\n Kraft is a run-after-catch machine, underutilized downfield threat and excellent blocker. He is the fifth of five tight ends on the list, which includes Chicago\u2019s Colston Loveland.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a cornerstone piece in Green Bay and will continue to be featured in the offense, given how vital he was for Jordan Love in 2025,\u201d Manzano wrote.<\/p>\n Patrick Mahomes\u2019s knee injury raises serious doubts now about who the NFL\u2019s best player is. @GManzano24<\/a> tries to alleviate that uncertainty, projecting the top 10 players for 2026:https:\/\/t.co\/l5yutsoUml<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The MMQB (@theMMQB) January 29, 2026<\/a>No. 59: Jordan Love<\/p>\n Jordan Love is 11th among quarterbacks after having career-best seasons in completion percentage, passer rating and interceptions.<\/p>\n \u201cLove has a rare skill-set, but he often leaves you wanting more,\u201d Manzano explained. \u201cSome might disagree with this ranking and say Love is too high, but I\u2019m going to bet on his arm talent and strong surroundings. \u2026 Love completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,381 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.\u201d<\/p>\n The question is whether Love is worth the bet. He\u2019s not a young quarterback. He\u2019ll be going into Year 7 in the NFL and Year 4 as a starter. While Love is a good quarterback, can he be great \u2013 and lift the Packers to greatness alongside him?<\/p>\n He showed some clutch play while ranking among the NFL leaders in game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks, but also was part of the second-half flameout at Chicago that culminated with him dropping the snap on a do-or-die final play. He also struggled under pressure; more on that later.<\/p>\n Among the quarterbacks ahead of Love is Chicago\u2019s Caleb Williams, who is 21st following a season in which he made a bunch of incredible throws but threw far too many incompletions.<\/p>\n No. 17: Micah Parsons<\/p>\n The Packers were 9-3-1 and leading at Denver when Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL. They lost that game and ended the season on a five-game losing streak.<\/p>\n \u201cSuper-challenging. I wouldn\u2019t wish this on anyone,\u201d he said of his daily routine. \u201cI don\u2019t think people realize how much the knee is. It\u2019s the most challenging thing that I think I\u2019ve ever faced as a human.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you talk about pain, can\u2019t sleep, can\u2019t move around, you can\u2019t turn over without your leg going into damn near, \u2018Oh sh**,\u2019 like you\u2019re jumping out of your sleep. I can\u2019t remember the last time I slept through the night. My body\u2019s tired, my mind\u2019s tired. I\u2019m exhausted, man. But it\u2019s going to be worth it once I\u2019m able to move and play again.\u201d<\/p>\n Following a sensational debut season, Parsons is 17th overall and third among edge rushers behind Cleveland\u2019s Myles Garrett, the presumptive NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and Houston\u2019s Will Anderson.<\/p>\n \u201cParsons quickly established himself as an elite edge rusher with the Cowboys and took the Packers\u2019 defense to the next level after the summer blockbuster trade,\u201d Manzano wrote.<\/p>\n The question, obviously, isn\u2019t just when Parsons will return to game action. It\u2019s when he will return to Peak Parsons, the indomitable game-wrecker who finished third in the NFL in pressures even while missing the final three-plus games.<\/p>\n Micah Parsons almost certainly won’t win Defensive Player of the Year. One could argue – that one being me – that he should. \u2b07\ufe0fhttps:\/\/t.co\/HISkfg2PXU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI played out my body,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a good thing. We all know the risks. That\u2019s the risk we take. I\u2019m playing so hard that I snapped my knee, pretty much, in a sense. I was moving faster than my body could handle.\u201d<\/p>\n Former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley predicted Parsons would return with such a vengeance that he\u2019d record 24 sacks next season. Parsons smiled at the thought.<\/p>\n \u201cI expect the same results,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t expect a drop-off, man. I\u2019m going to work so hard. I think I\u2019ll be better than what I started with.\u201d<\/p>\n Super Bowl Teams, NFC North Rivals<\/p>\n In the NFC North, the Lions have five players (two in the top 10), the Bears have three players (none in the top 20) and the Vikings have one (Justin Jefferson).<\/p>\n The Seattle Seahawks, who won the NFC championship, have five players on the list, led by receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is 12th. Plus, they had a rookie make the list with do-it-all safety Nick Emmanwori at No. 40. He is a \u201cchess piece\u201d for coach Mike Macdonald.<\/p>\n The New England Patriots, who won the AFC championship have four players on the list, led by second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who is 18th.<\/p>\n \u201cMaye made the leap in Year 2 because of his excellent poise and accuracy, which showed up in crucial moments,\u201d Manzano wrote. \u201cThe 2024 No. 3 pick rarely gets rattled and often keeps his eyes downfield, which led to many explosive plays to Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte and other pass catchers who aren\u2019t considered stars in their prime.\u201d<\/p>\n Not getting rattled is a huge part of elite quarterback play. According to Pro Football Focus, 33 quarterbacks had at least 100 under-pressure dropbacks. Maye was fourth in completion percentage when under pressure, Seattle\u2019s Sam Darnold was ninth and Love was 29th.\u00a0<\/p>\n SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n More Green Bay Packers News