If we go by that logic of "farmers" in Merckx era, then we can say the same about this era.
This era is basically 3/4 riders above everybody, and the rest is farmers.
What is the name of the guys Pogacar beat in strade bianche, Giro? I'm not going to talk of the Tour because the competition he faced was injuried competition, even if it was better than the competition he faced in the previous races.
There is 3/4 guys that win every race, especially Pogacar who won a lot this year, and then there is a bunch of farmers who always lose against those guys.
What if the level of the riders/teams today is just way higher than in Merckx' era and these 4 or 5 riders (Vingegaard in stage races included) are just on such a level that it makes top talents look like average riders?