Broncos Defensive Star Cracks Top 100, Moves Up 17 Spots

It’s taken a while for Denver Broncos defensive tackle Zach Allen to be recognized as a defensive star, but he’s quickly moving up the ranks. Allen snagged the 73rd spot in the NFL’s latest release of its Top 100 players, which is up from No. 90 last year. 

Allen first surfaced on the NFL radar in 2024, when he had a standout season, according to the team’s website. Allen followed that up with his first Top 100 appearance last year, as he was ranked at No. 90. 

His stats more than justify this move up the rankings, which were listed on the team website. Allen earned his first career first-team All-Pro honors and Pro Bowl nod as he notched 38 tackles, seven sacks, six passes defensed and a league-high 47 quarterback hits. His 73 quarterback pressures were the most among all interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus.

Allen also grabbed a share of another unique record. He also became just the second player since 2006 to record at least 40 quarterback hits in back-to-back seasons, joining J.J. Watt, as Watt lauded Allen in several late-season tweets. 

The defensive tackle is also the first Bronco player to appear in this year’s version of the Top 100, with several more expected to follow. Linebacker Nik Bonitto should appear somewhere in the Top 50, perhaps higher, and mutliple offensive linemen should also make the cut after several were nomiated for the league’s inaugural version of the Protector of the Year award. The Top 100 has been around for 16 years now, and it’s become a reliable guage of who ranks where. 

Allen also credited his intense study of film as a big part of the reason for his latest jump. 

“There’s a difference between just watching the film and actually absorbing the film,” Allen said in a recent piece written by Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “From that video I learned how to really process. When you watch film, and I tell guys, you’re always supposed to be writing notes.

“I’m a pen-and-paper guy, but if I’m watching in the cold tub, I’ll write notes on my phone. My photo app has videos of rushes I like from around the league. You get new ideas and pick new things up and the best way to learn is just to see it.”

But Allen also does it on the field. He’s a big part of the reason the Broncos almost broke the all-time NFL record for sacks, and the Broncos are hoping for more of the same this year.