The Los Angeles Rams entered the offseason with the reigning NFL MVP, the league’s receptions leader and a team that had come within one win of the Super Bowl.
After adding the Defensive Player of the Year, that collection of talent has shown up in NFL.com’s projections for the best player in the Top 100 rankings.
NFL.com named 12 prime candidates to finish No. 1 in the player-voted NFL Top 100, and the Rams accounted for three of them: quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Puka Nacua and edge rusher Myles Garrett.
No other team placed more than one player on the list.
The actual top 10 will be revealed one player at a time from Aug. 24 through Sept. 4, leaving the final order unknown.
But having one-quarter of NFL.com’s top candidates is quite the sight.
Stafford and Nakua Give Rams Two Offensive Cases
GettyMatthew Stafford and Puka Nacua of the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford’s case begins with the strongest individual season of his career.
The 38-year-old led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes while throwing eight interceptions, earning his first AP NFL MVP award.
NFL.com also noted that Stafford became the third player, in the fourth such instance, to throw at least 45 touchdown passes with fewer than 10 interceptions in one season.
He climbed into the No. 1 conversation after finishing 59th in last year’s Top 100.
The position helps his chances.
Quarterbacks have taken the top spot in 10 of the first 15 editions of the list, which has been determined by votes from current players since 2011.
Stafford now carries the burden of reigning MVP at the sport’s most influential position.
Though Nacua lines up at wide receiver, he holds a similar statistical impact to Stafford in 2025.
He led the NFL with 129 receptions, finished with 1,715 receiving yards and scored 10 touchdowns during his third season.
His dominant play earned him first-team All-Pro honors and made him a finalist for AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
His jump could be nearly as dramatic as Stafford’s.
Nacua ranked 41st last year, placing him well behind the established names near the top of the list.
His 2025 season changed that standing while reinforcing his place as the centerpiece of the Rams’ passing game.
A wide receiver has reached No. 1 only once, making Nacua’s path narrower than Stafford’s.
His peers, however, saw a receiver who remained productive deep into January.
Nacua added 24 catches for 332 yards and two touchdowns across three playoff games as Los Angeles advanced to the NFC championship game.
Garrett Gives Rams a Third Path to No. 1
GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 6: Myles Garrett of the Los Angeles Rams #95 throws out the first pitch prior to the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium on June 6, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Garrett may have the most overwhelming statistical case of the three.
He set an NFL single-season record with 23 sacks in 2025 and finished with 33 tackles for loss, the second-highest total in league history.
The season brought Garrett his second AP Defensive Player of the Year award, fifth first-team All-Pro selection and seventh Pro Bowl honor.
He was already eighth in last year’s Top 100. Unlike Stafford and Nacua, Garrett enters this year’s vote from an established position inside the top 10.
The Rams acquired him from the Browns on June 1, sending an edge rusher and three draft picks to Cleveland.
The deal made Los Angeles the first team in NFL history to pair the reigning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, according to NFL Network Research.
So now, Stafford gives them an elite answer at quarterback. Nacua offers one of the league’s most productive pass catchers. Garrett arrives as the game’s most decorated current defender.
It’s an absolutely stacked squad.
But in the end, NFL players will ultimately decide whether any of them reaches No. 1.
Los Angeles Rams Account for 25% of NFL’s No. 1 Player Candidates