On July 24, NFL Network began its rollout of the annual "Top 100 Players of 2023," and the first couple of San Francisco 49ers players to be voted in by their peers were revealed on Wednesday (along with the rest of the athletes ranked 71-80). Safety Talanoa Hufanga is No. 78 in this year's group, coming in one spot ahead of another San Francisco defenseman, linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
The "Top 100 Players of 2023" is a video series produced by NFL Films highlighting this elite set of players and is now streaming on NFL+. Players 11-100 are being unveiled on the platform in groups of 10 every weekday through August 3. The video series concludes with a two-hour live show, "The Top 100 Players of 2023: The Top 10," on Monday, August 7 at 5:00 p.m. PT. and will be hosted by Rich Eisen and Andrew Whitworth.
The "NFL Top 100" began ahead of the 2011 season, and the list is determined by current NFL players voting on their peers for their body of work from the previous NFL season.
Hufanga made a splash in his sophomore season with the 49ers, earning a starting safety position alongside veteran Tashaun Gipson Sr. The now third-year pro amassed 97 total tackles (five tackles for loss), four interceptions, a defensive touchdown, nine passes defended and two forced fumbles in the team's 17-game regular season slate. As a result of his contributions to the league's No. 1 overall defense, Hufanga went on to get his first Pro Bowl nod and First-Team All-Pro honors of his career.
