A.J. Brown Is 1st Patriot on NFL Top 100 and His Best Football Could Still Be Ahead
The New England Patriots are on the board.
Announced on Monday morning by the NFL, New England's newest wide receiver, A.J. Brown, checked in at No. 80 on the 2026 NFL Top 100 list.
The list is a product of an NFL Network poll of players in the league and is widely respected as one of the true barometers of talent in the game.
First Patriot to be honored this year
Brown is the first Patriots player to be selected as the NFL announces its countdown to No. 1 at a rate of two players per day. The Ole Miss product is the second receiver named on the list. Carolina's Tetairoa McMillan was the No. 87 selection.
Playing for the Philadelphia Eagles a year ago, Brown caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 29-year-old, for whom New England dealt a fifth-round draft pick next year and a first-rounder in 2028, has posted 1,000-plus receiving yards in six of his seven pro seasons.
Instant hit at minicamp
Brown joined the Patriots in early June after the trade and made an immediate impact with his new teammates.
"It's hard not to get excited with the player he is. Starting off the bat, what a great teammate so far," said quarterback Drake Maye at June mini-camp. "We just look forward to playing with a guy of that caliber. I know he's been a great player in this league everywhere he's gone. He's a guy you see on SportsCenter that next day making plays, scoring. The best thing about him is that he's been a winner. He's coming in with that stature, his ability and his size, the respect."
How high can he rise?
And, of course, the question persists, how big of a jump can Brown make with Maye throwing him the ball now, instead of Jalen Hurts.
Back in 2022, Brown went from Tennessee with Ryan Tannehill to the Eagles and Hurts. The Ole Miss product went from 63 for 869 and 5 TDs to 88 for 1,496 and 11 TDs.
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This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 9:30 AM.