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Quincy Milton III ranks the top 50 players in the NFL. From Patrick Mahomes to Baker Mayfield, who is in the top 50 heading into the 2025 season?
NFL Power Rankings: Top 50 Players Ahead of 2025 Season
In a league with nearly 1700 active players on game day, to be considered among the top 50 is a great honor. These are the truly elite players in the NFL. Each player makes an extraordinary impact on their team. As one might expect, many of the top teams in the league employ multiple top 50 players. Without further ado, let’s look at who makes our top 50 as we head into the 2025 season.
50. Baker Mayfield, QB – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield has officially entered the chat as a top player in the NFL after nearly flailing out of the league. Mayfield’s last two seasons have been among the league’s best at quarterback, and he has proven with multiple offensive coordinators that it is not a fluke. With many of the same weapons at his disposal in 2025, Mayfield has a chance to continue ascending.
49. Justin Herbert, QB – Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert may not be putting up gaudy statistics these days, but he is still a great player. The Chargers have returned to their winning ways with Jim Harbaugh in town as head coach. Herbert should continue ascending under Harbaugh. Herbert is the definition of a guy who simply gets the job done.
48. Maxx Crosby, Edge – Las Vegas Raiders
Maxx Crosby is one of the league’s premier pass rushers. Crosby is a complete game-wrecker. He embodies what it means to be a Raider with his level of grit and resilience.
47. Travis Kelce, TE – Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce is clearly aging, but he remains a top-50 player in the league. His veteran savvy and cohesiveness with quarterback Patrick Mahomes is impressive. Kelce’s numbers in recent years have also only been pedestrian by his standards. He has still recorded two straight seasons with at least 93 catches and 823 receiving yards.
46. Brian Thomas Jr., WR – Jacksonville Jaguars
Brian Thomas Jr. was the best wide receiver of his class in 2024. Thomas established himself as a true alpha in the Jaguars’ offense. Due to a unique combination of size and speed, Thomas is here to stay. He could climb this list significantly by next season.
45. Quinnen Williams, DT – New York Jets
Quinnen Williams has established himself as a premier defensive tackle in the NFL. Williams truly broke out in 2022 and has continued to deliver Pro Bowl-caliber seasons ever since.
44. Budda Baker, S – Arizona Cardinals
Budda Baker may be in his late 20s, but he has resurged in recent seasons. His 164 total tackles in 2024 were good for second in the league. His accomplishment is made even more impressive by the fact that he recorded that many tackles as a safety. Baker is still a mainstay for a Cardinals’ defense in need of all the help it can get.
43. Kerby Joseph, S – Detroit Lions
Kerby Joseph is coming off a season in which he led the league with 9 interceptions. He is an absolute ball hawk who has never finished a season with less than four interceptions. Joseph is on his way to perennial All-Pro status if he can keep up this production.
42. Jared Goff, QB – Detroit Lions
Jared Goff is a ways removed from his shortcomings in Los Angeles. He has been embraced by the Detroit fanbase, and he has delivered with MVP-quality play over the last few years. He has been a huge reason why the Lions have remained atop the NFC since their emergence two seasons ago.
41. Jayden Daniels, QB – Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels took the league by storm as a rookie in 2024. His poise in the pocket and general unflappability made him an anomaly as a young quarterback in the NFL. Daniels is ready to take a huge step forward as he enters Year 2 in the league.
40. Kyle Hamilton, S – Baltimore Ravens
Kyle Hamilton is a fantastic do-it-all player for the Ravens. He has enjoyed two straight massive seasons, which have resulted in All-Pro honors. The fourth-year player is just getting started.
39. Bijan Robinson, RB – Atlanta Falcons
Bijan Robinson took a huge leap forward in 2024. After being touted as a special talent entering the league in 2023, the Falcons finally leaned into Robinson during the second half of the 2024 season. Robinson is now poised to take off just like some of the other running backs present on this list.
38. Brock Bowers, TE – Las Vegas Raiders
Brock Bowers had the best rookie tight end season we have ever seen in 2024. In fact, it was one of the best rookie seasons we have ever seen, period. Bowers is just getting started. It is scary to imagine what his 2025 season may look like with a significant upgrade at quarterback.
37. Nico Collins, WR – Houston Texans
Nico Collins has blossomed into one of the bona fide No. 1 wide receivers in the NFL. The Texans have him signed at a steal of a number, given that he signed his extension prior to the wide receiver market explosion. Collins is a big play waiting to happen. As long as he is healthy, he will give defensive coordinators nightmares.
36. Puka Nacua, WR – Los Angeles Rams
As a fifth-round selection in 2023, Puka Nacua was never expected to amount to much in the NFL. All he has done is become the Rams’ top receiving option and one of the best overall wide receivers in the league. He can block and catch passes with the best of them.
35. Jalen Hurts, QB – Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts receives a lot of criticism for the way the Eagles often do not need his services to win games. However, whenever Hurts has been forced into a position in which he needs to go take a game, he delivers. He is now a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP. There is nothing left to prove for Hurts.
34. Trey McBride, TE – Arizona Cardinals
Trey McBride fully broke out in 2024. He recorded a 1,000-yard season while simply dominating opposing defenders. McBride lacked in the touchdown department. If he begins finding the end zone, he will enter another stratosphere as an NFL tight end.
33. Chris Jones, DT – Kansas City Chiefs
Chris Jones had a down season statistically in 2024, but he remains one of the best defenders in the NFL. Outside of Patrick Mahomes, Jones is the next most important player on the Chiefs’ roster. He is a wrecking ball up the middle. Opposing offensive lines cannot stop Jones; just slow him down.
32. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB – Detroit Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs displayed down the stretch of the 2024 season that he is one of the elite running backs in the game. He shares time with fellow running back David Montgomery, which caps his overall production. Montgomery is a quality player in his own right, but Gibbs has become an elite runner and receiver out of the backfield.
31. Jalen Carter, DT – Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Carter has emerged as one of the best defensive linemen in the game. After slipping in the 2023 NFL Draft due to some off-the-field issues, Carter landed in the lap of an already elite Eagles team. He has turned into an All-Pro and Super Bowl champion.
30. Nick Bosa, Edge – San Francisco 49ers
Nick Bosa has not been as dominant over the last two seasons as he was early in his career, but he is still one of the league’s best edge rushers and overall defensive players. Bosa continues to be a massive piece of a quality 49ers defense. With Robert Saleh back as the defensive coordinator in 2025, a huge season could be in store for Bosa.
29. Creed Humphrey, C – Kansas City Chiefs
Perhaps the most unsung hero of the Chiefs is Creed Humphrey. As the center point of the offensive line, Humphrey has done well to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes over the last several years.
28. A.J. Brown, WR – Philadelphia Eagles
A.J. Brown is quietly one of the best players in the NFL. The Eagles receive a lot of props for their running game, but it is Brown who is the heartbeat of the passing game. Brown has also become a very unselfish player. In 2024, he seemed to acknowledge the fact that the Eagles can win in a variety of ways.
27. Derek Stingley Jr., CB – Houston Texans
Derek Stingley Jr. had a quiet rookie season in 2022, but he has become one of the elite corners in the game. With two straight five-interception seasons and a first-team All-Pro nod in 2024, Stingley has fully ascended. He should be a Texans stalwart for years to come.
26. Sauce Gardner, CB – New York Jets
Sauce Gardner is one of the Jets’ various hits in the draft in recent seasons. Gardner has been elite since Year 1. Although he may not have the interception numbers of his draft classmate, Derek Stingley Jr., Gardner has still been a terrifying presence for opposing quarterbacks. He is simply rarely targeted due to the fear he strikes.
25. Chris Lindstrom, OG – Atlanta Falcons
Chris Lindstrom has turned into one of the elite guards in the NFL. He has been selected to three straight All-Pro teams and will look to protect second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the coming season.
24. Dexter Lawrence II, DT – New York Giants
Dexter Lawrence II has become a high-end player for the Giants. Although he missed out on an All-Pro selection in 2024, Lawrence recorded a career year. He is now a part of what looks to be a potential elite defensive line in New York.
23. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR – Detroit Lions
Amon-Ra St. Brown can infamously count the 16 wide receivers drafted ahead of him in the 2021 NFL Draft. NFL teams were very wrong during that draft. St. Brown is a special route runner who can break down a defense in a hurry.
22. George Kittle, TE – San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle is coming off two of the best seasons of his career despite having entered his thirties. The do-it-all tight end can get it done as a receiver and as a menacing blocker. He is easily the league’s best overall tight end at the moment.
21. T.J. Watt, Edge – Pittsburgh Steelers
The recently paid T.J. Watt is the second great Watt brother to grace the league. He is the glue that holds the entire Steelers’ defense together. When Watt is out due to injury, the modern Steel Curtain does not look like itself.
20. Danielle Hunter, Edge – Houston Texans
After many years in Minnesota, Danielle Hunter made the pilgrimage to Houston in 2024. While his 2024 season was not as prolific as 2023, Hunter was still an absolute wrecking ball for the Texans’ defense. Hunter was so good that he and the team agreed to a massive contract extension that landed Hunter a raise.
19. Penei Sewell, OT – Detroit Lions
Penei Sewell is the stalwart anchoring the Lions’ line following the retirement of center Frank Ragnow. Sewell has always had massive expectations. After being selected No. 7 overall in 2021, Sewell quickly emerged as an elite player at his position. There have not been many question marks around Sewell throughout his career.
18. Trey Hendrickson, Edge – Cincinnati Bengals
Trey Hendrickson led the league in sacks in 2024. He seems to be getting better with age, with two back-to-back 17.5 sack seasons over the last two years. Hendrickson is more than worthy of a new contract. One that the Bengals seem to be having trouble figuring out.
17. Aidan Hutchinson, Edge – Detroit Lions
Aidan Hutchinson lost much of the 2024 season to injury, but his start to the season suggested that he had entered another stratosphere. In just five games in 2024, Hutchinson racked up 7.5 sacks. He was playing out of his mind and would have made it back into the lineup if the Lions had made the Super Bowl.
16. CeeDee Lamb, WR – Dallas Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb began his career quietly, but he has climbed the ranks to become one of the best wide receivers in the game. He is a matchup nightmare, with an ability to line up both inside and out. He is also as smooth as they come, making it look easy on the field.
15. Patrick Surtain II, CB – Denver Broncos
Patrick Surtain II is the league’s reigning DPOY. He is a true shutdown cornerback. Throwing at Surtain almost certainly means that your pass will be broken up or intercepted. The Broncos are in for a great several years from their defensive backfield with Surtain around.
14. Jordan Mailata, OT – Philadelphia Eagles
Jordan Mailata is one of two bookends on an elite Eagles’ offensive line. Mailata’s youth (28 years old) means that he will be around for many years to come.
13. Derrick Henry, RB – Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Henry defies all logic in regards to running back aging. Henry is 31 years old, and still running like he is 21. As he heads into Year 10, he has a chance to make significant strides on all-time rushing lists, literally.
12. Saquon Barkley, RB – Philadelphia Eagles
Did you see what Saquon Barkley just did last season? The guy was on a tear with the Eagles en route to 2,005 rushing yards. After spending six seasons in mediocrity in New York, Barkley was finally given a chance to shine with the Eagles in 2024.
11. Ja’Marr Chase, WR – Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase has special physical skills and an incredible aptitude as a wide receiver. He is the reigning Triple Crown winner and has a realistic chance to repeat that feat this year. He makes his quarterback, Joe Burrow, a better player every time he is on the field.
10. Justin Jefferson, WR – Minnesota Vikings
Ja’Marr Chase may have won the Triple Crown this year, but Justin Jefferson still takes the cake as the best wideout in the league. Jefferson is about as smooth a route runner as you can be. He is also incredibly tough and has some of, if not the best, hands in the league. He is a true game-changer.
9. Fred Warner, LB – San Francisco 49ers
Fred Warner is a game wrecker at linebacker, akin to a prime Bobby Wagner in Seattle. Warner anchors the 49ers’ defense. Without his play and his voice, the unit would look a lot different.
8. Tristan Wirfs, OT – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tristan Wirfs is entering the 2025 season with an injury, but he is one of the top players in the league. He has had the pleasure of blocking for Tom Brady and now Baker Mayfield. He is the anchor of one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
7. Lane Johnson, OT – Philadelphia Eagles
Lane Johnson is currently the best offensive lineman in the league. At age 35, he continues to do an incredible job at protecting the quarterback and opening massive lanes for the Eagles’ running backs. He is displaying no signs of slowing down as he enters the last few seasons of his career.
6. Joe Burrow, QB – Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow is possibly the best pure passer in the game right now. He is about as accurate as they come at all three levels of the field. While he has not won an MVP award at this point, he has played like one at several points throughout his career.
5. Micah Parsons, Edge – Dallas Cowboys
Micah Parsons has opened his career with three straight 12-plus sack seasons. He is possibly the most versatile player in the league with an ability to line up on the defensive line or as a linebacker. Now, the Cowboys just need to pay their man.
4. Lamar Jackson, QB – Baltimore Ravens
To think that the NFL once saw Lamar Jackson as a potential wide receiver is unbelievable. We are far removed from Jackson’s pre-draft process. The two-time MVP is a bona fide top-five player in the league.
3. Josh Allen, QB – Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has nearly worked himself into a tier of his own. If it were not for Patrick Mahomes, Allen would reign supreme as the best quarterback in the league. The reigning MVP should have no problem continuing to frustrate defensive coordinators every week.
2. Myles Garrett, Edge – Cleveland Browns
Myles Garrett is the best game wrecker in the game, and it’s frankly not even close. Garrett is excellent in the running and passing games. Garrett has not recorded fewer than 14 sacks in a season since 2020. The guy is an iron man and deserves his spot on this list.
1. Patrick Mahomes, QB – Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes may not be putting up the same statistics he did near the beginning of his career, but he is still holding onto the top spot as the best player in the NFL. The Chiefs found themselves in a flurry of one-score games in 2024, but Mahomes was always there to bail them out at the end of the game. However, Mahomes’ grip on the top is slipping. Expect a bounce back in 2025.
