Jalen Hurts earned his fourth straight spot on the NFL’s annual Top 100 Players list, landing at No. 56 for 2026 in the player-voted rankings released by NFL Films this week. Many believe the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback should have been ranked higher, but former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho thinks the placement is fair.
Emmanuel Acho Explains Why Jalen Hurts’ No. 56 Ranking Is Fair
Hurts has been one of the NFL’s most productive quarterbacks since entering the league, and his résumé already includes a Super Bowl MVP award and three Pro Bowl selections. He also became the first quarterback in league history to record more than 100 passing touchdowns while throwing 45 or fewer interceptions through his first 82 career starts.
With all these accomplishments, Hurts has even moved up to a higher rank than Lamar Jackson on the NFL Top 100 list, but his No. 56 spot represents a big drop from previous years. He finished No. 19 on the 2025 list and No. 15 on the 2024 list.
Many netizens began sharing their disagreement with Hurts’ ranking drop, but Acho pushed back against complaints that the Eagles deserved a much higher ranking.
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“He’s not ranked too low because at the end of the day, at minimum, can we keep the top 100, like what did you do, like, you, the player, individually, what did you do?” Acho said. “As a winner, Jalen Hurts is a top-three winner in football. If you’re ranking quarterbacks based on winning, which I love doing that, Jalen Hurts is a top-five quarterback.
“But if you’re just talking talent, Lamar Jackson’s rated 69. So at the end of the day, because Lamar Jackson is poorly ranked, I don’t care where Bo Nix is. Jalen Hurts at 56 is not ranked too low.”
“Jalen Hurts is not ranked too low [56th], but if you’re drafting the best 100 players in the league, he is nowhere near the top”
– @EmmanuelAcho responds to public outcry that Jalen Hurts was ranked too low on the Top 100 NFL players list
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— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) July 23, 2026
Hurts finished last season with 3,224 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 421 rushing yards, and eight rushing touchdowns. He completed 64.8% of his passes, and public perception of him has shifted largely after the Eagles’ early playoff exit last season.
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PFN’s QB Impact metric also reflected a decline in Hurts’ standing after the 2025 season, ranking him as the NFL’s No. 16 quarterback. After consistently finishing inside the top 8 from 2022 through 2024, the drop to No. 16 represented his lowest mark since becoming Philadelphia’s QB1 five years ago. He also checked in at No. 64 in PFN’s Top 100 players’ list entering the 2026 season.
Acho went a step further in his evaluation, saying that Hurts’ overall football talent does not match his value at quarterback.
“If you’re just drafting the best 100 players in the NFL, Jalen Hurts ain’t getting drafted in the best 100,” Acho said. ‘Now, if you’re adjusting for the inflation of the quarterback position, sure, maybe.
“But if you’re just drafting the 100 best football players, Jalen Hurts is nowhere near the top of that list. Quarterbacks are worth more, thus he is, but I just think you got to be respectful to all the talent in the league.”
Based on the season Hurts is coming off, Acho’s comments are not surprising, but the Eagles quarterback has the ability, mindset, and the roster around him to change the narrative very quickly in the upcoming season.
