Brian Burns, Andrew Thomas and Malik Nabers land in Pro Football Network’s top 100 player list

Pro Football Network has released its annual Top 100 players list, and the New York Giants are represented by three of the league’s most prominent names on both sides of the ball. Edge defender Brian Burns is listed at No. 43, left tackle Andrew Thomas is slotted at No. 46, and wide receiver Malik Nabers is placed at No. 85, giving the Giants three separate tiers of recognition across premium positions.

The rankings matter most for what they reflect about how each player is viewed at the NFL’s most important roles. Burns, an edge defender, is being treated as a difference-maker on the defensive front. Thomas’s placement recognizes the long view value of a starting left tackle, a position that often shapes how opponents build their protection and pass-rush plans. Nabers’ inclusion highlights the growing importance of an impact wide receiver in an era where passing games are both wider and more aggressive.

Burns’ standing at No. 43 puts him among the league’s upper echelon of pass-rushers, and it underscores how the Giants’ defense leans on pressure creation. An edge player’s top-100 status is typically tied to a combination of production, coverage-support ability, and reliability as an every-week presence, especially in matchups where offenses try to move protection away from the strongest side.

Thomas’ No. 46 slot is a reminder that protecting the quarterback is also a form of roster advantage. Left tackle play can determine whether a team can sustain drives through second and third downs, and it can influence the efficiency of the entire offense by controlling the pocket’s shape. When a tackle appears this high in a league-wide list, it suggests the player is viewed as a foundational piece rather than a depth option or developmental prospect.

Nabers’ ranking at No. 85 recognizes the role of a young, high-usage receiving threat. In modern offensive schemes, impact receivers serve as both vertical targets and tactical decoys, forcing defenses to allocate coverage resources that can open routes elsewhere. A top-100 placement for a wide receiver indicates that the league view is not only about targets and receptions, but also about how a player stretches the field and changes coverage structures.

Still, it is important to treat any media-crafted ranking as a snapshot, not a measurable performance guarantee. Lists do not directly account for every offseason variable, and they are not the same as official awards, team evaluations, or statistically normalized grades. The Giants will ultimately be judged by execution over a full season, not by where players are placed on a list in July.

For the Giants, the practical next step is watching whether these three rankings align with on-field continuity and whether the team’s offense and defense can stay built around their roles as the season develops. If the Giants can protect Thomas consistently, feature Nabers as an efficient game-breaker, and keep Burns impacting plays at an elite level, this top-100 recognition will look less like a preseason headline and more like a blueprint.

In the week-to-week NFL grind, those kinds of positions tend to compound. Edge pressure can shorten offensive possessions. Tackle play can raise the floor for offensive output. Dynamic receiving can raise the ceiling for big plays. Pro Football Network’s list does not determine results, but it does offer a useful barometer of who the wider league believes is already operating at the highest level.

That said, readers should note that this announcement is based on Pro Football Network’s compilation, and the detailed methodology is not included in the Yahoo Sports report. The rankings are best viewed as league sentiment at one point in time, and the season will provide the final accounting.