As the final offseason list before the regular season kicks off, the NFL should reveal its Top 100 Players of 2023 in about a month. Last year, the list began on August 14th and ran through the end of the month. In the 2022 edition, only two Steelers made it. T.J. Watt at No. 6 and Cam Heyward at No. 42.
What will the list look like in 2023? There should be at least a third Steeler on the list. Coming off a career-high six interception season, Minkah Fitzpatrick is bound to get back into the Top 100. In 2021, he ranked 52nd and in 2020, he slotted in at 35th. Frankly, it was a surprise to see him left entirely off last year’s list and he should firmly land on it this time around.
The question is can he beat his previous high? Topping 35th will be tough to do even with the impressive stats and accolades he put up a year ago. Regardless, if he isn’t in the Top 100 this time around, we riot.
Of course, Watt – even coming off an injury-plagued season – and Heyward should both be on the list. Given all the NFL’s talented defensive linemen, perhaps Heyward falls into the 60-70 range, though he did post a 10.5 sack season a year ago. Watt, of course, will slide a bit due to the injury (there’s always a recency bias here) but at worst, he should remain in the top 20.
So let’s assume those three are locks to appear somewhere on the Top 100. Is there a fourth name who will sneak in and join them? The two options are TE Pat Freiermuth and OLB Alex Highsmith. Freiermuth is a top-10 tight end coming off a fine sophomore season while Highsmith broke out with a 14.5 sack campaign, nearly cracking the top-five leaguewide. But Freiermuth might lack name recognition and “pizzazz” to make the list while Highsmith is in a crowded field. He couldn’t even make the Pro Bowl a year ago. If either make it, they’ll likely be on the first list, the 90-100 grouping.
If I had to guess how the list will go, here’s my stab at it. This isn’t how I would necessarily place them but how I think the final vote will go.
Steelers’ 2023 Top 100 Predictions
#15 – T.J. Watt
#40 – Minkah Fitzpatrick
#61 – Cam Heyward
#99 – Alex Highsmith
Watt gets dinged coming off a 10-game season, Fitzpatrick actually jumps Heyward as the latter begins his fall on the list (unfairly, arguably but I expect him to slip) and Highsmith barely gets on thanks to a statistically gaudy season. I don’t know how a guy who finishes sixth in the NFL in sacks and ties the league-lead in forced fumbles would be held off the list entirely. But we’ll get our answers in just about a month.
