The NFC is definitely the conference to keep an eye out for in the 2026 NFL Season, as it's a bit deeper than the AFC and should see a few rock-solid teams missing the playoffs. You could truly make the argument for just about every team in the NFC to make the postseason this year,
But as we know, that won't be the case. What makes the NFC so awesome at the moment is the sheer amount of talent present on a handful of teams. Some of the league's best players are in the NFC, so our latest exercise was a difficult one to sort out.
We've ranked every team in the NFC by their best player. We're going to simply use the player's total body of work thus far and their accomplishments to base our rankings on.
Ranking every NFC team by their best player for the 2026 NFL Season
16. Carolina Panthers - Derrick Brown, DT
Derrick Brown is No. 16 in our power rankings. Quite the player, Brown managed five sacks and 73 total tackles for the Carolina Panthers in 2025. After appearing in just one game in 2024, Brown started all 17 for the team this past season.
A consistently solid player, Brown has now tallied 13 sacks, 321 total tackles, and 59 quarterback hits across his career.
15. Washington Commanders - Laremy Tunsil, LT
The five-time Pro Bowler is No. 15 in our rankings. Tunsil has actually played just two full seasons in his career, and of his 10 years in the league, he's played in exactly 14 games in five of them, which is a weird quirk.
Tunsil is one of the best pass-blocking left tackles in the NFL, and it's been that way for years, but he's always carried a major penalty problem with him and is probably in more of the 'good' range than the 'great' range.
14. New Orleans Saints - Travis Etienne, RB
Travis Etienne signed with the New Orleans Saints this offseason after a successful stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it feels like he's the best player on the team. Etienne is a yard-eater, having amassed 5,136 scrimmage yards over the last four years.
He's not an overwhelming runner or reeeiver, but he's quite good at both and is going to be a very strong addition for second-year quarterback Tyler Shough.
13. New York Giants - Brian Burns, EDGE
Starting all 17 games for the New York Giants in 2025, Brian Burns earned Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors with a 16.5-sack, 31-quarterback hit season.
It was the most productive of his career, and what's really need about Burns is that he's had no fewer than eight sacks in a season in every year but one.
He's also had at least 16 quarterback hits in every year but one, so this is a very high-floor player who finally broke through a bit and showcased quite the ceiling.
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