Predicting the best NFL player on each NFC team in 5 years

The future is impossible to wholly predict, especially in the NFL. But we’re looking five years ahead to who the best players in the NFC will be then.

What will the NFL look like in five years? We can make all the guesses in the world but nothing is certain five seasons from now. Heck, we don’t even know what’s going to happen next week. Why waste time peering so far into the future? Insanity could be one reason — or it’s just pure curiosity.

Either way, the football landscape will be vastly different, which makes this exercise that much more difficult. Yesterday, I looked at each AFC team and picked a player who has the best chance at being that team’s top player in five years. Today, we’re doing the same for the NFC. Funny how that works.

The catch: I must pick a player currently on their roster. Some were easier to choose from than others, like with Dallas, the team that gets us started here.

NFL Future Predictions: Best NFC East in 5 years

Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott

To anyone saying Prescott isn’t a franchise quarterback: Just stop. Prescott is the guy in Dallas, which is even more evident after Dallas’ underwhelming offensive showcase after his devastating injury. I could lay down a bunch of stats that emphasize Prescott’s skill set. But ultimately, this just comes down to common sense.

Prescott may not be a Patrick Mahomes, but he’s good enough to win games. Unless he can’t fully recover from his injury, the 27-year-old passer will be a Cowboy for a long time—and not just because he signed a four-year, $160 million contract. I’m sure Dallas will continue to churn out top-notch offensive linemen as well.

Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts

Before you roast me, I had a really hard time with this one. The Eagles’ roster is not that good. I’m not even fully sold on Hurts as a starter, though he looked solid enough in four-ish games last season. I just can’t be more confident in anyone else on their roster right now.

Philadelphia’s best players are on the older side and — for the most part — have had trouble with staying healthy: Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Jason Kelce, Darius Slay. This is most likely a team where their best player in 2026 is not someone on their 2021 roster.

Alas, the exercise is choosing players currently on the team and Hurts flashed promise at the end of last season. I don’t think he’ll have too much trouble adapting to Nick Sirianni’s offense, either. Hurts is no Justin Herbert or Joe Burrow, though, so I’ll need to see more from Hurts before I’m 100 percent sold on him as the future face of Philly.

New York Giants: Saquon Barkley

The best player on the Giants is Barkley, plain and simple. He’s arguably the most talented running back I’ve ever seen (you read that right), and he has the stats to prove it with two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. On top of that, Barkley is a very capable receiver. The issue here — and it’s a big one — is running backs tend to have a shorter shelf life.

Can we really be confident Barkley will still be great in five years, especially after missing last season with a torn ACL? It’s not exactly the recipe for success. If he stays healthy, I can’t imagine Barkley would fade out of existence. While the Giants are slowly building up nice young talent, none of their players compare to Barkley.

Washington Football Team: Chase Young

All of a sudden, Washington has a great, young defense. All of their starting defensive linemen have four years or fewer of NFL experience: Chase Young, Da’Ron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat. Of course, none are as good as the former second-overall pick. Young has been playing atop his position since his days at Ohio State. He came into the league and crushed the high expectations already set for him.

Heck, some were saying Young should’ve gotten consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. It’s almost too easy to say Young will be Washington’s best player in five years. Let’s take it a step further: I think he’ll be the best edge rusher in the NFL and one of the best overall players in the game.