John JR Robinson – defines “pocket”! Uncomplicated and grooooves.
Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Frank Zappa, lots of studio drumming) – amazing skill, especially with polyrhythms.
Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
Steve Jordan (John Mayer and others) – excellent pocket/groove drumming. Introduced the concept of using two 16" crash cymbals as hi-hats.
Honorable mention:
Teddy Campbell
Dave Weckl
Chris Coleman
I was recently reminded that I was always a fan of Matt Cameron when he was with Soundgarden…
Not necessarily in this order:
Jack DeJohnette
Billy Cobham
Lenny White
Larnell Lewis
Yeah, watching him play a Metallica song after listening thru it ONE time, then playing along with it all the way thru…
That video made me a fan.
I didn’t know him before that, but he is incredible.
And I am not a Metallica fan, so that has no part of me liking It / him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axGn6qeJHcM
This dude is so good as is the entire band Meshuggah…imagine everyone in the band playing different time signatures but it all sounds right.
New doco on Netflix called Count Me In. Awesome doco on drummers and gives me a new appreciation for Keith Moon. Lots of female drummers covered too, which is a welcome addition.
Hideki Aoyama is a machine. His dad, Jun, was a well respected drummer, and Hideki plays pop with groups like the Jam Project and Momoiro Clover Z, but the first Babymetal concert you go to he just blows you away. I saw them at a festival several years ago so the no one had heard of them, but everyone talked about him after the show.
How he keeps up the pace for an entire show is beyond me.
What! I dig Jojo Mayer quite a bit, too. 
(4290) Jojo Mayer & Nerve - Live in Europe (Hinterhof, Basel) - YouTube
My favorite drummer is a guy named Jim Ferguson. He lives 4 houses up from me. He’s a hell of a drummer, but more critically, he’s the guy I get to play with regularly, so he’s the most important drummer in my life.
When I was a kid it was Peter Criss for sure, his drum set was ridiculously huge and it rose up in the air with two giant cats underneath it.
In my adult life my favorite drummer is for sure John Bonham, plain and simple.
And after him, I saw Ravi Coltrane a few years back and the only thing I could watch and listen to was the drummer, no idea who he was but he was insanely good.
The real funny spot starts at 5:40, classic Nicko.
This is a fun one. Wow, she can play bass for sure but this is definitely the Simon Phillip I love, so in the pocket and expressive.
Fumiya Morishita from Unlucky Morpheus is a machine. He’s in three or four bands. They ever lose that guy, it’s gonna be hard shoes to fill.
Neil Peart of Rush, Dave Grohl and Iain Pace would be my favourites
