Three's (Elite) Company: Rams Trio Appears In Top 100

Three players repped the Rams in CBS' ranking of the 100 best active NFL players.

Aaron Donald is used to taking down NFL quarterbacks in the fall and it appears that throwers are no longer safe during the offseason, either.

CBS Sports' ranking of the top 100 active NFL players is topped by the Los Angeles Rams' defender, supplanting Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Donald is joined in the top 10 by receiver Cooper Kupp and fellow defender Jalen Ramsey, who are respectively ranked fifth and 10th. Los Angeles' representation from the defending champions is also found in the 48th (Matthew Stafford) and 93rd slots (Bobby Wagner). 

Donald's place in NFL history has been a hot topic of debate since his dominant Super Bowl performance helped the Rams capture their second title. CBS doesn't sound ready to crown him the best defensive player of all-time quite yet, but the fact that such a possibility remains realistic made his placement at the top of the list of active players almost inevitable.

"His ability to take over a game is second to none on any defensive line," says CBS. "He is one of the best inside players of all time, and might be the best ever when his career is over."

Donald and Kupp recently earned new contracts from the Rams this offseason for their effort in the team's Super Bowl run. Ramsey, set to enter his third full season in blue and yellow, was praised for improving "near the line of scrimmage last season" and for "evolv(ing) into a much better zone-coverage player". Ramsey ranked 15th on last season's list, while Donald and Kupp (second and fifth respectively) remained in the top five. 

The Rams were one of eight teams to feature five players on the list, which also featured strong Los Angeles representation thanks to the champions' SoFi Stadium co-tenants. Paced by Justin Herbert (20th), the Los Angeles Chargers had nine representatives, three more than their closest competition (a tie between Dallas, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay).