As the NFL’s Top 100 countdown continues this week, the new rankings revealed that Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Zack Martin has only risen in the esteem of his fellow players since last season. Despite ranking lower this year in CBS Sports’ Top 100 players for the 2024 season, Martin actually rose 15 spots from where he was last in the NFL’s Top 100.

Coming in at No. 53, the former Notre Dame star is poised to once again hold down the offensive line from his right guard position this season. He is entering the second to last year of his long-term deal with the Cowboys, and could be in for a big payday – if he decides to continue his NFL career past his 11th season.

“Martin has been arguably one of the best guards in the league since he was drafted in 2014, impressing year after year with his consistency,” NFL.com’s Coral Smith writes. “Building a name as an incredibly clean player, Martin’s stat sheet reveals the astounding figure that he has more Pro Bowl nods (nine) than holding penalties in his career (eight). He had just one total penalty in 2023, a false start, on his way to the aforementioned ninth Pro Bowl and a seventh first-team All-Pro selection.”

Martin began making the NFL Top 100 rankings ahead of his fourth season in the league. He debuted at No. 58 after receiving All-Pro First-Team honors for the 2016 season. He then came in at No. 71 in 2018, No. 59 in 2019, No. 55 in 2020, No. 85 in 2021, No. 68 in 2022 and No. 68 again in 2023.

Cowboys in NFL Top 100

The Cowboys that made the top 100 last year were DeMarcus Lawrence (99), Zack Martin (68), Trevon Diggs (60, Dak Prescott (56), Tony Pollard (55), CeeDee Lamb (34) and Micah Parsons (9). Pollard is gone – now with the Titans – but the remainder of the players on the list are expected to rank highly in the new NFL Top 100.

One player to watch for in the rankings is Trevon Diggs. He was considered one of the top cornerbacks in the league entering the 2023 season. However, he tore his ACL in Week 2, which has led to analysts assuming he’ll take a step back in his comeback season this year. Diggs didn’t make CBS Sports’ list of the top 100 players or even receive honorable mention, though Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland did after setting a new NFL record for pick-sixes last season.

The NFL Top 100 countdown will continue this week with the players ranked from 50-41 on Friday.