"The Top 100 Players of 2025" -- voted on by the players themselves -- is underway on X and NFL+! The top 10 will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. ET live on NFL Network. Check back on Thursday for the 44th- and 43rd-ranked players.
2024 stats: 17 games | 71.4 pct | 4,500 pass yds | 7.9 ypa | 28 pass TD | 10 INT | 378 rush yds | 3 rush TD | 13 fumbles
Mayfield's Tampa Bay career renaissance continued in 2024, with his second campaign as a Buccaneer bringing him back into the Top 100 rankings for the first time since the 2021 list and matching his best ranking from his rookie season. He's gone from former first-rounder to journeyman to the starting quarterback for Tampa Bay, leading his team to the NFC South title each of the last two years. Mayfield earned an extension ahead of last season, and proceeded to outperform almost every statistic from his first season with the team, even receiving MVP and Offensive Player of the Year votes -- a far cry from the position he was in just two seasons ago. He'll have more to prove in 2025 without former offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who departed Tampa Bay in favor of a head coach gig in Duval.
NFL Pro Insight for Mayfield: Baker Mayfield finished with a 106.8 passer rating and a 71.4% completion percentage during the regular season, both of which set new Buccaneers franchise records.
2024 stats: 16 games | 46 tackles | 12 PD
The second of the cornerbacks the Eagles drafted to appear on this list, first-round selection Mitchell was tasked with shadowing some of the best wideouts in the game as a 22-year-old rookie and was more than up to the task, playing shutdown defense throughout the year. While his stat line might not jump out on first glance the way it does for other players, that's partially because quarterbacks just weren't throwing his way due to his sticky coverage. Among the star WRs he limited to few or no catches, Mitchell completely silenced the Commanders' Terry McLaurin in Week 11, leading to praise from the NFC East rival. Many had Mitchell as the best defensive rookie in the NFL last season, and though he ultimately finished second in voting for the honor, it's clear the cornerback is already playing like a veteran. The Eagles have to be eager to see just how high he can climb in Year 2 and beyond.
NFL Pro Insight for Mitchell: Quinyon Mitchell allowed an average of 1.5 yards after catch as the nearest defender in coverage this season, the fewest by any player with 30-plus targets and 0.4 fewer than the next-closest cornerback, Patrick Surtain II .
2024 stats: 17 games | 59 tackles | 18 tfl | 12 sacks | 4 FF | 1 FR
Greenard signed a four-year contract to join the Vikings last offseason, putting big expectations on his shoulders to produce and aid in the pass rush out of the gate. And Greenard did just that, establishing himself quickly in the Minnesota defense as a QB-hunting threat and part of the team's turnover-happy unit. Responsible for a quartet of takeaways himself, Greenard was rewarded for his impactful performance with his first Pro Bowl nod and a few points for Defensive Player of the Year voting. Set to stay in Minnesota for the long term, Greenard figures to maintain his new key role in the defense going forward, especially after some significant free agency departures.
NFL Pro Insight for Greenard: Jonathan Greenard was one of just two edge defenders in the NFL (alongside Myles Garrett) to record 50+ pressures, 10+ sacks, 25+ run stops (run tackle for a loss in EPA), and 10+ run stuffs.
2024 stats: 17 games | 81 rec | 959 rec yds | 11.8 ypr | 6 rec TD
Hill falling from the No. 1 player in last year's list to midway through the Top 100 in 2024 is a shocking drop. But viewing Hill's season in the context of the circumstances, it's certainly understandable. Hill and the Dolphins offense were without Tua Tagovailoa for a chunk of the season and utilized four QBs overall. And Hill, though he didn't miss a game, admitted he was battling a wrist injury the whole season. Despite all that, the wideout still managed to lead his team in receiving yards and flirted with a 1,000-yard campaign.
NFL Pro Insight for Hill: Tyreek Hill tied for the second-most receptions (23) and gained the fourth-most yards (202) after being in motion at the snap last season. Hill has gained 797 receiving yards after being in motion at the snap since joining the Dolphins in 2022, most in the NFL during that span.
2024 stats: 14 games | 37 tackles | 16 tfl | 11 sacks | 1 FF | 1 FR
With the Texans offense's struggles last season, the team's defense played a key role in Houston making it back to the playoffs. Ranking No. 6 in total yards allowed under head coach DeMeco Ryans, the front line was particularly vicious, ranking fourth in sacks behind the dynamic duo of Anderson and Danielle Hunter. Anderson was a Pro Bowler and Defensive Rookie of the Year in his opening campaign in Houston, and though he didn't return to the Pro Bowl in 2024, the defensive end was no less impactful. Topping his previous sack total by four, Anderson was efficient at getting into the backfield and finishing the job. The Texans have to be excited to see how the man they traded a haul of picks to draft will continue to grow and wreak havoc on offenses.
NFL Pro Insight for Anderson: Will Anderson converted 19.0% of his total pressures (58) into sacks (11) last season, nearly doubling his sack conversion rate from his rookie season in 2023 (10.9%).
2024 stats: 10 games | 649 snaps | 17 QBP allowed | 1 sack allowed (per Pro Football Focus)
A lingering ankle injury for Williams ended a streak of Pro Bowl selections at 11 straight seasons starting with his third season and dropped him from a Top 10 ranking on this list last year. But though his streak of accolades was halted and even with the hampered ankle, Williams still remained one of the top tackles in the business, consistently protecting quarterback Brock Purdy and ranking sixth among tackles with an 85.6 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus. The 36-year-old Williams said this offseason he has no plans of retiring yet and would love to reach at least 40 before hanging up the cleats. If he continues to maintain the high standard of play he's brought into his mid- and now late-30s, that goal could be in reach.
NFL Pro Insight for Williams: Trent Williams allowed an average time to pressure of 3.78 seconds last season, longest among left tackles with at least 25 pressures allowed. Williams allowed pressure on 7.6% of his pass blockings snaps, 10th-lowest among left tackles with at least 200 pass blocking snaps.
2024 stats: 14 games | 110 rec | 1,004 rec yds | 13.6 ypr | 11 rec TD
No one has played football at as consistently high a level as Evans over the course of the last decade. Evans continued his streak of 1,000-plus receiving yard seasons in 2024 despite missing three games due to injury, just managing to cross the mark with one final catch in Week 18. Evans has never dipped below that 1k standard in his 11-year career, and has now tied Jerry Rice for the most consecutive such seasons in a career. He'll look to pass Rice in that category in 2025 and get closer to the Niners legend's 14 overall 1,000-plus yard seasons. Set to turn 32 before the season kicks off, Evans hasn't slowed down yet, and only time will tell how long he can maintain this impressive streak of production.
NFL Pro Insight for Evans: Despite missing Weeks 8-10 with a hamstring injury, Mike Evans still hauled in six touchdowns against man coverage, tied for the fifth-most in the league. Since 2018, Davante Adams (42) is the only player in the NFL with more TD receptions against man than Evans (41).
2024 stats: 16 games | 42 tackles | 12 tfl | 4.5 sacks | 2 FF
One year removed from finishing second in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, Carter makes his debut in the Top 100 behind his first Pro Bowl campaign. Taking on a larger role as a starter in the defense, Carter was a part of the Eagles' young but impressive defensive front line, keeping opposing quarterbacks in check throughout the season and Philly's march to Super Bowl LIX. Carter notably made two key defensive plays to close out the Eagles' Divisional Round win over the Los Angeles Rams, recording a third-down sack of Matthew Stafford and then a QB hit on his incompletion the next play to force a turnover on downs to end the game.
NFL Pro Insight for Carter: Jalen Carter played 79.5% of the Eagles defensive snaps this season, the second-highest playtime rate at his position league-wide (despite sitting out in Week 18).
2024 stats: 16 games | 959 snaps | 22 QBP allowed | 3 sacks allowed (per Pro Football Focus)
Offensive linemen rarely get the love of other positions, but that doesn't mean players like Dawkins, who earned his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2024, are not crucial to their teams' success. The Bills advanced to the conference championship and Josh Allen was able to win the AP Most Valuable Player award behind his blindside protector Dawkins and the Buffalo front line. Dawkins was a vocal advocate of adding an award to NFL Honors to give credit to the work that offensive linemen do for their teams. It came to fruition with the Protector of the Year, and Dawkins should be one of the top candidates to take home the inaugural trophy next February as one of the top tackles in the sport.
NFL Pro Insight for Dawkins: Dion Dawkins aligned with the widest average split (1.97 yards) from the guard in 2024 of any tackle in a season dating back to 2016.
2024 stats: 11 games | 79 rec | 990 rec yds | 12.5 ypr | 3 rec TD
An unfortunate knee injury struck Nacua early in his sophomore season, limiting his time on the field and preventing the Rams and fans alike from seeing how he could have built on his unexpectedly sensational rookie campaign over a full 17-game slate. But when he was on the field, Nacua was dynamic as ever, almost hitting the 1,000-yard benchmark even while missing six games and adding another 141 receiving yards in the playoffs. With the Rams releasing Cooper Kupp earlier this offseason, L.A made it clear that the team trusts Nacua to step into that WR1 role, hoping 2025 can mark a return to health and continued impact for the 2023 late-round draft gem.
NFL Pro Insight for Nacua: From his return in Week 8 to the end of the regular season, Puka Nacua led all wide receivers with a target rate of 39.8% (min. 150 routes).
