6. DI JUSTIN MADUBUIKE, BALTIMORE RAVENS
Madubuike has a strong case for being the player to earn himself the most money in 2023. With at least half a sack in 11 of 13 games this season, Madubuike has already doubled his prior season high — and he may double his total pressure output by the end of the season, as well. His effort and intensity on backside pursuit plays have always been there, and now an improved arsenal of moves with a more explosive first step has Madubuike set to cash in big time.


7. DI CHRISTIAN WILKINS, MIAMI DOLPHINS
Wilkins hoped to get an extension done before the 2023 season but hasn’t let the lack of one amid many at the position slow him down. Wilkins is as good a run defender as any interior defensive lineman in the NFL, setting career highs in every pass-rushing category — including pass-rush win rate, pressure rate, sacks, quarterback hits and pressures.


10. CB L'JARIUS SNEED, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Sneed has been a fixture out wide in 2023 after lining up primarily in the slot over his first three seasons, and he’s held up quite well in several tough matchups. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo asks a lot of his cornerbacks, and Sneed is sticky in coverage, getting into receivers' hip pockets and becoming very hard to shake with lateral movement or in the air at the catch point.

Sneed could stand to cut down on penalties, but his aggressive nature would be welcome on many teams, and his inside-outside versatility is a nice benefit, as well.


15. CB KENDALL FULLER, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Fuller has been the lone bright spot in the Commanders' cornerback room in 2023, and while he’s been plenty capable as a wide cornerback, perhaps his prior experience in the slot and at safety could be attractive to teams that desire the ability to move the savvy Fuller around as he and his game ages.


19. DI D.J. READER, CINCINNATI BENGALS
Only injuries have slowed Reader down in Cincinnati. Otherwise, he has been a dominant force on the interior of a talented defensive line that was able to control the line of scrimmage and win big games up front over the past few seasons, with Reader the anchor in the middle.

Reader is as stout as they come and nearly impossible to displace by just one blocker. And while he’ll never fill up the stat sheet with sacks, he can push the pocket and free up teammates as well as any nose tackle.


20. S KYLE DUGGER, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Dugger is the mold of the safety/linebacker hybrid that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has fallen in love with as more teams shift to dime packages and big dime looks with three safeties. Dugger fits in the run game as well as any defensive back in football, and he’s not a liability in coverage, particularly against bigger slot receivers and tight ends.


21. S KAMREN CURL, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
Curl has quietly been one of the more underrated players in the NFL over the past several seasons, with his status as a seventh-rounder and his name getting lost in the shuffle on a defense that, up until this year’s trade deadline, was riddled with first-round talent.

Curl can line up anywhere and is as consistent as safeties come on a down-to-down basis, possessing good instincts and a clear understanding of how to manipulate leverage and angles in the open field.


26. CB CHIDOBE AWUZIE, CINCINNATI BENGALS
Awuzie was one of a series of slam-dunk free-agent acquisitions for the Cincinnati Bengals over the past few years, providing the team with a bona fide No. 1 outside cornerback for just $7.25 million annually. Awuzie tore his ACL in 2022, and the Bengals have used four Day 2 picks on defensive backs over the past two draft classes, which signals he should be testing out free agency once again. He has returned to form nicely in 2023, though.


27. G ROBERT HUNT, MIAMI DOLPHINS
It came as a bit of a surprise that Hunt was not the young Dolphins offensive lineman agreeing to terms on an extension before the season concluded, but it could also be a signal that Hunt knows he can command a strong contract on the open market with a large sample size of good play.

At 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds, Hunt got his NFL start at tackle, lining up on either side in his rookie season and holding up admirably. He has found a home for the past three seasons at right guard and has been a great fit in the team’s zone rushing attack under head coach Mike McDaniel.


30. RB JOSH JACOBS, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
A year removed from winning the rushing title in 2022, Jacobs endured an ugly start to the year amid the implosion of the Josh McDaniels era, with his rushing grade currently around 10 points below any prior season. He has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry through Week 14. Fortunately, Jacobs being utilized more frequently and effectively was a focal point of the Antonio Pierce regime, with Jacobs amassing at least 98 yards from scrimmage in three of the five games since.

Jacobs will turn just 26 the month before free agency and should still have plenty left in the tank.


31. RB DERRICK HENRY, TENNESSEE TITANS
There is only one “Tractorcito,” with his usage as a screen receiver in recent seasons adding another element to his game, causing comparisons to players like Steven Jackson and Chris Ivory to fall a bit short. Henry has not yet hit the proverbial wall, whether that is tied to a running back’s age or total carries. His 3.12 yards after contact per attempt in 2023 is still an 80th-percentile mark.

Going forward, Henry may not break off as many explosives as in years past, but he looks to have a few more seasons of bowling over defenders and scoring double-digit touchdowns in him.


37. C CONNOR WILLIAMS, MIAMI DOLPHINS
Williams started his career with the Dallas Cowboys at left guard and has blossomed in Miami at center, thriving as a run blocker in Mike McDaniel’s zone-blocking scheme where he’s able to quickly get to the second level and lead the way. While he doesn’t have the world’s strongest anchor in a phone booth, his fast first step off the line enables him to seal off defenders on the backside of runs by getting in position.


43. S XAVIER MCKINNEY, NEW YORK GIANTS
McKinney’s coverage grades as a free safety (81.4) and in the box (79.4) are top-10 marks among safeties in 2023, and there is a big enough sample size of box play despite his general deployment as a deep player. Over the past three seasons, McKinney’s 7.0 yards allowed per target in coverage ranks top-25 among safeties, and his 17 combined interceptions and forced incompletions put him in the top 20.

While he could make more plays at or near the line of scrimmage, he rarely whiffs on open-field tackles. The 24-year-old has missed just 7.8% of his tackle attempts over his career, 11th-best among 89 safeties with at least 100 tackles over the past four seasons, making him a reliable enough last line of defense.

44. C ANDRE JAMES, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
James clearly earned a lot of respect and trust from the previous Raiders regime, given that the team was willing to trade away franchise pillar Rodney Hudson to the Arizona Cardinals to have James supplant him at center.

The move has proven to be a smart one. James is patient and a clean fit in pass protection, able to mirror the shiftier interior pass-rushers and generally withstand power rushes, save for a few matchups with the true brute forces on the inside.