Is Karna an average warrior in the entire Mahabharata?

Is Karna an average warrior in the entire Mahabharata? Karna is basically among the top three warriors of his era. Overall, Dronacharya is the only one I would put above Karna. But in terms of best striking capability, Karna was ahead. Arjuna had a better track record, but Karna with equal celestial advantage can match him. As evident on the 17th day. “On seeing that Prajapati, the self-creating one, had arrived, the gods spoke to him. ‘O god! Let this struggle for victory between these two lions among men be pacified.’ Hearing this, Maghavan758 prostrated himself before the grandfather and said, ‘Let the entire universe not be destroyed because of Karna and Arjuna. O self-creating one! You had earlier said that Vijaya and the other one are identical. O illustrious one! I am bowing down before you. Source: Karna Parva, Vyasa Mahabharata critical edition. He is stated to be stronger than Bhisma( he himself said it). That is the reason I have spoken many harsh words to you. I know your valour in battle and that the enemy cannot withstand you. I know your devotion towards brahmanas, your valour and your supreme attachment to generosity. There is no man like you and you are like an immortal. I spoke harsh words towards you to prevent dissension in the lineage. In the use of arrows, in aiming at a target, in dexterity and in the strength of your weapons, there is no one like you, with the exception of Phalguna and the great-souled Krishna. O Karna! You went to the king's capital and as a single archer, defeated all the kings in battle, for the sake of the king of the Kurus. The powerful King Jarasandha was invincible in an encounter and prided himself in battle. But even he wasn't your equal. You are devoted to brahmanas. You are truthful. You are like the sun in your energy and are superior to anyone else. You have been born from a god. You are invincible in battle. You are more than a man on earth. Today, I am giving up the anger I felt towards you earlier. Ashvathma and Karna are mostly equal both in terms of potential and consistency. Based on his overall performance. He's above warriors like Bhimasena, Satyaki and Ghaktkacha. Bhimasena won some battles because Karna went easy on him, the moment he became serious, Bhimsena was seen hiding behind an elephant. Karna dragged the mighty Bhima by the tip of his bow. He consistently humiliated Ghaktkacha. Caught his Rudra Vajra with his bare hands. There was no single moment where Ghaktkacha managed to dominate the battle. He either stalemated or fled the battle. Karna defeated Ghaktkacha well over 8 times in this battle. Satyaki isn't worth mentioning whatsoever. He only won once with Daruka and Shree Krishna's divine chariot. Without it, Karna defeated him over ten times. Without the Divine chariot Satyaki didn’t even touch Karna. Satyaki with the entire Pandava host attacked Karna and they still lost. Warriors like Dhristhadyumna, the other Pandava brothers and other Maharathas aren't even close. He defeated all of them every single time. Captured Yuddhisthira, which Drona and Bhisma both failed to do. Karna also baffled all of Arjuna’s astras on the 17th day including the Aindra astra and the higher Brahmastra. His performance seemed to be even more impressive than Arjuna. One equal footing, they performed similarly( although Karna still didn't have a celestial chariot). Now for anti feats or why Karna lost to weaker warriors? Every single warrior in Mahabharata has lost to weaker warriors. Dhristhadyumna and Yudhisthira both had moments where they seemed to be comparable to Dronacharya, but that didn't go in their favour over time. I would also like to say, Karna comparatively has more feats. Other than Arjuna, most warriors on this list do not have feats outside of kurukshetra War. Karna did conquer the whole world as mentioned in BORI CE. He also defeated Jarasandha, Shishupala and several thousand kings of the entire Bharatha in the Kalinga Swayambara. He defeated Jarasandha again in a wrestling match. He was also stated by Parshurama to be his equal. Bhagwan Shree Krishna himself praised Karna. He did several times infact. Had he possessed the armour and had he possessed the earrings, the powerful Karna would have been able to defeat everyone in the three worlds, even the immortals. Vasava, X Kubera, Varuna, lord of the waters, and Yama would not have ventured against Karna in an encounter. Had that bull among men possessed those, you with your Gandiva and I with my sudarshana chakra would not have had the capacity to defeat him in a battle. It is for your welfare that Shakra used delusion to rob him of his earrings. The conqueror of enemy cities was also robbed of his armour. It is because he sliced off the armour and the sparkling earrings and gave them to Shakra that Karna came to be known as Vaikartana. However, though that spear has now gone, I swear to you truthfully that he is incapable of being killed by anyone other than you. He is devoted to brahmanas. He is truthful. He has engaged in austerities. He is devoted to his vows. He is compassionate towards his enemies. It is for these reasons that Karna is known as Vrisha. He is terrible in battle. He is mighty-armed. His bow is always raised. He is like a lion in the forest, crushing the leaders of crazy herds of elephants. In the field of battle, he crushes tigers among the rathas. He is like the sun when it has attained midday and no one is capable of looking at him. O tiger among men! He has fought with all the foremost and great-souled ones on your side. So in my opinion, Karna is definitely among the top three warriors of his era.