The NFL has begun releasing its annual top 100 players list ahead of the 2024 season.
Fans of the Indianapolis Colts didn't have to wait long to see the first member of their team's ranking, with LB Zaire Franklin coming in at number 100.
Franklin was voted into the top 100 NFL players by his peers for the first time in his career this year, coming in as the 100th-best player in the league.
The Colts drafted Franklin with the 235th pick in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He began his career as a special teamer and quickly became one of the team's best assets on special teams. He slowly but surely climbed up the NFL ladder with him, earning a significant role on defense in 2021, with him starting at LB 11 of the team's 17 games.
Since landing the starting role, he has continued to elevate his game to new heights, breaking the Colts single-season total tackles record in back-to-back seasons. This earned him a new three-year extension with the team this offseason. Not too shabby for a former 7th-round pick.
Here are some of the things said about Franklin in the video released by the NFL revealing his ranking in this year's top 100.
"Yeah 44 he brings it"
- Texans HC DeMeco Ryans
"He's a dawg. Our defense as a whole is we don't talk trash, but Z is the one they're talking trash for everyone"
- Colts Edge Kwity Paye
"Let's get this out of the way first. Zaire Franklin is a dog. He trailed future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner in tackles in 2023. And he is a true sideline-to-sideline LB."
- NFL Top 100 Narrator
