The annual NFL Network Top 100 Players list has officially started counting down, with the rankings voted on by players from around the league. While that list will slowly trickle out names leading up to the start of the 2026 season, CBS Sports' Pete Prisco recently published his own version in full. Only two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers made his list, with T.J. Watt slotting in at No. 88 and Cam Heyward ranking 39th.
At 37 years old, most NFL players are either starting to slow down significantly or are already out of the league entirely. Heyward has done the complete opposite. He continues to play at an elite level and somehow looks even more dominant with each passing season since turning 30 years old. Every season, he proves that age has not caught up to him.
His spot on Prisco's list is another sign of the respect he has earned. Even with that recognition, Heyward still feels like one of the most underrated stars in the NFL. Outside of Pittsburgh, he rarely gets mentioned among the league's elite defenders, even though his level of play continues to put him in that conversation year after year.
Cameron Heyward's ranking on latest Top-100 list proves he is one of the NFL's most unique stars
At this point in his career, most players are either out of the league or far removed from their peak years, but Heyward is still producing at a level that keeps him firmly in the conversation among the NFL’s best interior defenders. While he may not have quite replicated the dominance of his 2024 season, when he earned All-Pro honors and delivered one of the strongest campaigns of his career, he remains steady, reliable, and impactful year after year.
What stands out most is the consistency. He was ranked 37th last year and only slipped to 39th this year, showing that he is still seen as one of the premier players at his position. That kind of year-to-year stability this deep into a career is rare, especially on the interior defensive line, where the physical toll is constant.
Among true defensive linemen, meaning interior players and not edge rushers, only Jeffery Simmons of the Titans ranked higher at 20th, which highlights just how highly Heyward is regarded across the league. He continues to anchor the Steelers defense and prove that his game still translates at the highest level, even as he approaches 40.
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