The 2026 NFL Top 100 has seen a lot of quality offensive linemen be recognized for their contributions. It is difficult to have a quality offense without the ability of the offensive line to limit pressure. One of the top offensive linemen in the NFL is coming off a strong season, but saw their ranking drop. Let’s take a deeper dive into who it is and what caused them to drop in the 2026 NFL Top 100 list.
Penei Sewell sees a major drop on the 2026 NFL Top 100 list
Detroit Lions, Penei Sewell, 2026 NFL Top 100
Dec 30, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell (58) during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
We have seen some massive players take a fall in the 2026 NFL Top 100 list. One of those players is Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell. He fell 24 spots on this year’s list to fall to 37th place. NFL’s Bobby Kownack wrote the following blurb regarding the Detroit Lions’ offensive tackle and what he was able to last year:
“A large part of the Lions’ reputation as enforcers relies on Sewell. The 2021 first-round behemoth has now made four straight Pro Bowls and three consecutive All-Pro teams. Most blockers would be ecstatic with Sewell’s 80.3 PFF pass blocking grade from last season, which ranked 11th among offensive tackles, but that’s actually his area with the most room for growth. Sewell was PFF’s top-graded OT both overall (95.1) and in run blocking (96.7), his third straight year with a 91-plus run blocking mark.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Sewell played 998 offensive snaps and allowed just 19 quarterback pressures and a pair of sacks during the 2025 season. He ranked first of all 89 qualified offensive tackles in both PFF overall grade (95.1) and run block grade (96.6). However, there is discussions that he may move to the opposite tackle as the Lions are struggling to find cohesion for the offensive line entering the year.
Below are the offensive linemen who have been named to the 2026 NFL Top 100 list so far:
98: Indianapolis Colts OG Quenton Nelson
94: Kansas City Chiefs C Creed Humphrey
57: Buffalo Bills OT Dion Dawkins
52: Tampa Bay Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs
49: Chicago Bears OG Joe Thuney
42: Denver Broncos OT Garett Bolles
40: San Francisco 49ers OT Trent Williams
37: Detroit Lions OT Penei Sewell
The 2026 NFL Top 100 list is voted on by the players during the previous season. Each weekday on social media, two names are revealed until we reach the top 10 players remaining. Once we reach that point, only one name will be announced until all 100 names are published. It will be intriguing to see how many offensive linemen are ranked ahead of Penei Sewell entering the 2026 season.