NFL's Top 100 Players of 2018: 40-31

The countdown of the NFL's Top 100 Player of 2018 continued on NFL Network Monday night with the players ranked 40-31.

40. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
39. Tyron Smith, OT, Dallas Cowboys
38. Jared Goff, QB, Los Angeles Rams
37. Joey Bosa, DE, Los Angeles Chargers
36. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings
35. A.J. Bouye, CB, Jacksonville Jaguars
34. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE, Dallas Cowboys
33. Kareem Hunt, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
32. Jadeveon Clowney, DE, Houston Texans
31. Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

New to the Top 100:
Adam Thielen
A.J. Bouye
DeMarcus Lawrence
Kareem Hunt

Kareem Hunt opened the his 2017 rookie season with a fumble. He didn't have a second fumble.

Adam Thielen. Anyone that was surprised by Thielen's performance in 2017 wasn't paying attention in 2016. His NFL evolution has been steady and amazing. Not only was he not drafted out of itty bitty Mankato State in 2013 he had to tryout to earn a shot at training camp.
2013-practice squad
2014-special teams contributor
2015-special teams standout/occasional offensive contributor
2016-69 catches for 967 yards
2017-#36 on the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2018
Thielen's performance is no fluke. He gets open early in routes and often and catches everything thrown his way. That was a big reason for Case Keenum's stellar season. Thielen is a fantastic route runner, terrific hands, and very good speed. He signed a nice contract extension after his "breakout" 2016 season. He's already outperformed that contract. He's a humble, hungry football player and he's one of the best receivers in the game.

Tyron Smith at #39 doesn't feel right. He dropped 21 spots from his 2017 ranking through no fault of his own. The Cowboys running game went from explosive to pedestrian when a suspension put Ezekiel Elliott on the sideline. A backfield duo of Alfred Morris and Rod Smith still averaged over 4.5 yards per carry. That might be even more impressive than what the Cowboys line did in 2017. Smith is a beast.

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones is sure to show up on this list soon. Until then he's been excellent in his commentary on his peers. His breakdown of some of DeMarcus Lawrence's pass rushing technique's were fun and informative. It brought up fond Top 100 memories of Luke Kuechly talking about the difficulties of covering Charles Clay.

Thielen is the sixth Vikings player to appear on this year's Top 100.
Kirk Cousins
Linval Joseph
Strefon Diggs
Xavier Rhodes
Harrison Smith
Adam Thielen

Everson Griffen is sure to join them. Seven Top 100 players is a nice total. All but Diggs are in the middle of their prime years. Diggs hasn't even touched his yet.

Next week: 30-21! Ooh, the anticipation is building.