PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (WHTM) – On Monday ESPN released its annual list predicting the top 100 NFL players heading into the 2023 season and seven Philadelphia Eagles players made the cut.
QB Jalen Hurts – No. 3
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ranked the highest of all Eagles players listed, rounding out the top three behind No. 2 Justin Jefferson and No. 1 Patrick Mahomes. ESPN noted that Hurts is the only NFL quarterback to ever have multiple seasons with at least 10 rushing touchdowns and 750 rushing yards.
Hurts will be entering his fourth season with the Eagles. Last year Hurts boasted a 66.5% completion percentage with 3,701 passing yards and 760 rushing yards. Hurts helped lead his team to their Super Bowl appearance last season and will be searching for revenge after being denied the championship by the Kansas City Chiefs.
WR A.J. Brown – No. 19
Brown’s first season with the Eagles went well, to say the least. The wide receiver had 11 receiving touchdowns and 1,496 receiving yards.
ESPN noted that Brown is the league leader in receiving yards per target since his NFL debut in 2019 (10.2).
Edge Haason Reddick – No. 41
Reddick posted 49 total tackles with 35 of them being solo tackles last season. The Temple alum had 16 sacks with five forced fumbles.
ESPN highlighted that his 27.5% pass rush win rate was the second highest in the league last season.
OT Lane Johnson – No. 42
The fourth overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, Johnson has not surrendered a sack since the 2020 season in Week 11. Johnson was selected for his fourth Pro Bowl this season.
Johnson had a torn adductor, which he received surgery for recently.
ESPN highlighted that Johnson has led all tackles in pass block win rate since 2020 with a 94.8%.
WR DeVonta Smith – No. 57
Smith had a phenomenal second season with the Eagles last year. Personally, Smith had a career-high performance with 1,196 receiving yards. The Alabama product also made history by posting 95 catches, which are the most ever in a season by an Eagles receiver.
CB Darius Slay – No. 71
Slay got his fifth Pro Bowl nod of his career last season and was named to the team captain position for the first time. Slay had three return touchdowns last season with 55 tackles, 40 of which were solo.
C Jason Kelce – 77
Kelce was highlighted by ESPN for finishing last season with the seventh-highest pass block rate across all offensive lineman that had at least 400 snaps at center. The 2011 Philadelphia draft pick held his blocks for 2.5 seconds or more 96% of the time.
The Philadelphia Eagles are set to start their season on Sept. 10 in Foxborough, Massachusetts against the New England Patriots.
