Top 100 NFL players entering the 2020 season: No. 10-1

6. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Kittle put up decent but not fantastic receiving totals last season. After amassing 88 receptions, 1,377 yards, and five touchdowns in 2019, Kittle made 85 receptions for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns last season. He only played 14 games. However, Kittle’s involvement as a blocker and occasionally as a running back separates him from the league’s other tight ends.

While he doesn’t possess the same size as Rob Gronkowski, Kittle shares many similarities to the future Hall of Famer. He takes defensive backs and even some linebackers for rides as other would-be tackles harmlessly bounce off him. Kittle also loves burying defenders as a run-blocker.

Many modern tight ends, including Travis Kelce, don’t offer significant help in blocking schemes. Instead, many of today’s superstar tight ends are larger receivers. However, Kittle doesn’t shy away from contact or setting the edge for his teammates.

Kittle earned his first AP First-Team All-Pro selection last year and his second consecutive First-Team nod from PFF.

5. Quenton Nelson, LG, Indianapolis Colts

Nelson is the highest-ranking offensive lineman on the top 100, and he almost cracked the top-four. The Notre Dame product just finished his second season, but Nelson already stands out as a generational player. Assuming he avoids any unseen perils, Nelson could go down as one of the best guards in league history.

At 24 years old, Nelson already has two AP First-Team All-Pro selections to his name. PFF’s Ben Linsey ranked Nelson second on a list of the league’s best players under 25. He only trailed Patrick Mahomes. In his explanation for position Nelson above a multitude of skill players, Linsey wrote,

"He [Nelson] raised his grade from 79.4 as a rookie to 91.2 this past season, and his 88.8 grade over the last two seasons combined is higher than any other interior offensive lineman in the league over that span. To be as dominant as Nelson has been at his age is a rarity in the NFL."

In a separate article, PFF’s Sam Monson ranked the NFL’s top-50 players. Nelson claimed the fourth spot for his overall dominance. According to Monson, Nelson didn’t surrender a sack last year. Even though he excels in pass-protection, Nelson can also flatten 300-pound defenders in the running game. He’s the complete package.