The 2026 NFL season is here, and we have updated our Pre-Season Football Monitor.

As we have expanded our projects, we can’t say we've expanded the team behind the scenes!  As a result, we are a little behind on this one, and we could only post the top 50 of the Pre-Season Monitor at this time.

We will add more during the season (and yes, we know that defeats the purpose of pre-season), but thank you for your patience.

We have unveiled the Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, Offensive Linemen, Defensive Linemen/Linebackers/Pass Rushers/EDGE, and we conclude with Defensive Backs: The Cornerbacks and Safeties.

They are:

#1 CB, #1 Overall: Jalen Ramsey, Pittsburgh Steelers, #20 Last Year.

#1 S, #24 Overall: Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals, #28 Last Year.

#2 S, #28 Overall: Harrison Smith, Minnesota Vikings, #38 Last Year.

#3 S, #44 Overall: Minkah Fitzpatrick, New York Jets, #43 Last Year

Look for more updates soon!

Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  We are pleased to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Arizona Cardinals.

As for all of our top 50 players in baseball, we look at the following: 

1.  Duration and Impact.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Advanced Statistics.

4.  Playoff performance.

5. Their respective legacy on the team.

6. How successful the team was when he was there.

7. Respecting the era in which they played.

Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm.  Please note that we have implemented this for the first time.  This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.

Last year, the Arizona Cardinals were awful, winning only three games.  As this team's origins date back over a century, it takes a lot to enter this list, or even move up within it.  As such, there was only one elevation in this list.

As always, we present our top five, which saw no changes.

1. Larry Fitzgerald
2. Larry Wilson
3. Charley Trippi
4. Roger Wehrli
5. Dan Dierdorf

You can find the complete list here:

Eight-time Pro Bowl Safety Budda Baker moved to #12 from #17.

Of note, now a Minnesota Viking, Quarterback Kyler Murray remained at #49.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

Coming out of the University of Washington as a consensus All-American and Pac-12 standout, Bishard "Budda" Baker slid out of the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft almost exclusively because he measured just under 5 feet 10 inches tall. Recognizing his elite athletic engine and relentless closing motor, the Arizona Cardinals traded up in the second round (36th overall) to secure his services. It required very little time for the rest of the league to realize the Cardinals had walked away with one of the premier draft steals of the decade.

Baker exhibits a relentless, sideline-to-sideline drive that completely eliminates geometric angles in the run game. What sets him apart as an elite modern defensive back is his exceptional tactical flexibility; he has the smooth hips and quick diagnostic speed to cover slot receivers as a nickel corner, the ability to shut down deep seams as a free safety, and the crushing power to engage and shed blockers in the box as a hybrid linebacker. His rapid closing speed makes him a nightmare for offensive coordinators trying to exploit space.

In 2017, his quick entry into the professional scene immediately highlighted his dynamic presence. Baker gained national attention as an All-Rookie pick and a Pro Bowl special-teams gunner, topping the NFL in special teams tackles and smoothly transitioning into a starting defensive role later that season.

Once he permanently inherited the starting strong safety role, Baker blossomed into one of the most dominant defensive anchors in football. During his 2019 campaign, he completely dominated the defensive leaderboard by pacing the entire National Football League with 104 solo tackles (147 total stops), capturing his first First-Team All-Pro nod at safety. He replicated that supreme standard during the 2020 season, generating 118 total tackles, 2 interceptions, and 2.0 sacks to earn his second First-Team All-Pro selection while leading Arizona's defense back into playoff contention.

Baker became just the second defensive back in Cardinals franchise history to record over 100 solo tackles in a single season, establishing a standard of downhill run support rarely seen from the safety position.

That high-leverage dominance kicked off a historic run of individual peer recognition. Baker rattled off seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections at safety (2019–2025), bringing his total to eight Pro Bowls overall when including his rookie special teams nod. He maintained that relentless standard right through the 2025 season, recording another 120 total tackles, crossing the 1,000 career tackle threshold, and earning yet another NFC Pro Bowl nod to lead the defense.

Baker has amassed over 1,000 career tackles, 8.0 sacks, 8 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles, and 8 Pro Bowl selections in a Cardinals uniform.

2025 Pre-Season Rank #28, 2024 Pre-Season Rank #43, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #78, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #86, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #113, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #147.  Peak Period: 2020-24.

There are a lot of parallels with our highest-rated cornerback, Jalen Ramsey, and our highest-ranked safety, Budda Baker:

Both have a loaded baseline we are comparing them to, and both feel like something is missing.

We have had Baker at #1 in Safeties since the removal of Earl Thomas, but honestly, we aren’t in a golden era of Safeties.  It is a high bar for this position, and the Hall itself often ignores that spot on the field.  Regardless, Baker is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection (seven as a Safety, one in Special Teams), and his tackling numbers are incredible, as among all Safeties over the past seven seasons, his tally is easily the highest.

Baker is now 30, and there is no reason he can’t keep producing at a high level; given the Safety baseline, he will have to.