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The NFL Network revealed its list of the top 100 players in the NFL heading into the 2024 season, as voted on by the players. On Sunday, players ranked between 81 and 100 were revealed.
There are some surprises in that mix.
The most glaring one is that Lawrence made the top 100 at all. He’s coming off a season that saw him throw for 4,016 yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions while completing 65.6 percent of his passes, while leading the Jaguars to an 8-8 record in his starts.
Those aren’t horrific numbers, by any means, but they were fairly mid. His passing yards ranked 10th in the NFL last season, his touchdowns were tied for 15th with Sam Howell and his interceptions were tied for the fourth most in football with Patrick Mahomes and Tua Tagovailoa.
Yes, those two are excellent players, but they also managed to lead their teams to winning records and playoff berths (and in the case of Mahomes, a Super Bowl title).
Lawrence was rewarded for his play this offseason with a five-year, $275 million extension. But to this point, the former No. 1 overall pick has felt like a bit more hype than consistent production in his short NFL career. He’s a good player who has the tools to potentially be great, but that hasn’t quite translated to this point, making his inclusion on the top 100 a bit of a surprise.
Some people will point out that Rodgers and Cousins are somewhat surprising picks, considering they spent a good chunk of 2023 sidelined with injuries. Both are expected to bounce back, however, and both have some excellent playmakers around them.
Some players could make the argument that they are ranked too low.
Reddick has four straight seasons with double-digit sacks. Barkley narrowly missed hitting the 1,000-yard rushing mark last season but did accumulate 10 touchdowns. David exceeded 100 tackles for the 10th time in his career last season, and has never dipped below 87 tackles in a season across his 12-year career. Perhaps he was docked somewhat for his age, given that he’s 34, but it didn’t slow him down last year.
Finally, offensive lineman can be tough to judge from the outside looking in, but both Wirfs and Lindstrom were ranked in PFF’s top-50 players heading into the 2024 season and graded out well last year. They are potentially ranked a bit low on the NFL Network’s list.
