July is the driest month of the year when it comes to NFL news, which makes it the perfect time for something like a top 100 players list. For the fourth straight year, we’re happy to bring you our 2025 NFLTR Top 100 Players. 

We’re not the only outlet that does a top 100 — NFL Media has done one with at least some democratic input from current players since 2011 — but our goal is to give more credit to players and positions that are often easy to overlook, especially in the trenches. We build it using traditional and advanced statistics, awards, positional value, career trajectory and a good old-fashioned dash of the eye test. Our list won’t be perfect but the goal is to give as much credit where it’s due as possible. 

We’ll be rolling this list out over the next couple of weeks, so keep checking back for updates to our 2025 NFLTR Top 100 Players list. 

• 100-91
• 90-81
• 80-71

Resources: 

• Pro Football Reference
• QB advanced stats
• Win rates from ESPN for OL and DL
• PFF advanced stats (grades, pass rush productivity, blocking efficiency, coverage stats)
• ESPN WR tracking metrics
• Past NFLTR Top 100s 

70 – Cardinals TE Trey McBride

McBride joined the 1,000-yard tight end club last season, a relatively exclusive group with just a few dozen members. He earned it with an outstanding season in which he was Arizona’s leading pass-catcher with 111 grabs and 1,146 yards — though in an oddity and to the chagrin of fantasy football owners, he scored just two touchdowns all year. That’s easily the biggest growth area remaining in McBride’s game, as he has just six touchdowns in three seasons. But at 25 years old and fresh off a huge season, McBride seems poised to be one of the top tight ends in football and one of the faces of the next generation at the position. 

69 – Colts LT Bernhard Raimann

Raimann isn’t a big name yet but he debuted on this list last year after a breakout season and proceeded to improve his game more in 2024. After being credited with 34 total pressures allowed in 2023, Raimann cut that number down to just 20 last year. He finished as PFF’s No. 8-graded tackle with an 85.1 grade, higher than the year before when he was No. 7. That sort of improvement is promising because the 27-year-old Raimann is still new to the game as a former Austrian exchange student. The 6-6, 303-pound Raimann has outstanding athleticism and a lot of potential still to tap into. 

68 – Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey

Last year, Humphrey was quietly on thin ice coming off what was a frustrating season for him personally in 2023. Even though the Ravens as a whole were successful, Humphrey missed significant time to injury and saw his production drop. With a huge 2025 salary, Humphrey risked becoming a cap cut with another challenging season.

Instead, Humphrey had one of his best years as a pro in 2024, setting a new career-high with 16 interceptions and tying another with 15 pass deflections. He also forced two fumbles, notched half a sack and returned one of those interceptions for a touchdown en route to first-team AP All Pro honors for the second time in his career. When the offseason rolled around, the Ravens restructured Humphrey’s contract and effectively guaranteed him around $17 million instead of moving on. 

Getting good luck in the health department was a big part of Humphrey’s success but the veteran also had the opportunity to move around the secondary in a versatile role, one the staff in Baltimore believes best suits his strengths. Humphrey played 500 snaps at slot corner compared to 316 outside, and had another 140 snaps in the box and 26 on the line of scrimmage. His 11 total pressures were the second-most among all cornerbacks in 2024, per PFF, and he thrived with the coverage assignments he got from the slot. Humphrey conceded 54 receptions on 87 targets for 549 yards, with a completion percentage of 62.7 (respectable) and a passer rating allowed of 62.9 (outstanding, No. 4 among all corners last year). 

67 – Broncos LT Garett Bolles

Bolles has been a solid tackle for a long time but he upped his game to another level in 2024 with a peak season. After recording pass pro efficiency ratings of 97.1 percent each of the two prior seasons, Bolles was all the way up at 98.1 percent in 2024, fifth in the league per PFF. If you filter to true pass sets — which are much higher degree of difficulty assignments because opposing rushers can pin their ears back and go — Bolles’ 97.4 efficiency rating was third best among all tackles. 

ESPN had a high assessment of Bolles’ work in pass protection as well, charting him with a 93 percent pass block win rate that was No. 7 among all tackles. The general consensus is that Bolles’ work as a pass protector is superior to his work as a run blocker, but that’s the more important part of playing tackle these days anyway. Bolles’ work in the run game was also competent enough for the Broncos to feel comfortable inking him to a four-year, $82 million deal in December, a deal which looks like a bargain now considering what even mildly competent tackles made in free agency this past spring. 

66 – Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

Prescott’s 2024 season is a challenging evaluation because of how it was cut short by a torn hamstring. The veteran played just eight games after signing a massive $60 million per year contract extension. It wasn’t all Prescott’s fault, but it’s hard to say Dallas got a good return on that investment last year. The Cowboys were 3-5 in Prescott’s eight starts and he had 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions in that span. His 45.3 QBR was by far the lowest of his career and he was on pace for a career-low in adjusted net yards per attempt as well. 

The “all-in” Cowboys had major problems on the offensive line, receiving corps and defense around Prescott, so the supporting ecosystem was significantly weaker than in 2023 when Prescott was an MVP candidate. Those areas should be better in 2025 and Prescott should be healthier, but coming into his age-32 season, it does feel like Prescott is starting in on the back nine of his career. The hamstring was his third notable injury in the last five years, and in the last few years we’ve seen both his rushing production decline while his sack rate has gone up. While I would bet on some kind of rebound for Prescott in 2025 — and for my money he remains one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the league — there are some warning signs to pay attention to. 

65 – Titans DT Jeffery Simmons

Simmons was healthier in 2024 than in 2023 and it was reflected in his production, especially in the run game. His tackles were up significantly from the year before and PFF charted him with 41 stops — third in the league among all defensive tackles. His sack production was down again from his peak a few years ago with just five, but once again Simmons was more disruptive than those numbers might suggest. ESPN charted him with a 12 percent pass rush win rate which was 10th in the NFL and he was one of just two players to rank in the top ten in both pass rush win rate and run stop win rate. 

PFF liked Simmons’ win rate as well, charting him at 12.7 percent and 12th in the NFL among qualifying interior defenders. The service credited him with 45 total pressures (18th in the league) and Simmons contributed to the stat sheet in a myriad of other ways as well, forcing two fumbles, recovering two and batting down four passes. He may have leveled off as a player at 28 years old but Simmons is an established commodity as one of the league’s best all-around defensive tackles. 

64 – Vikings LT Christian Darrisaw

One of the points of improvement for Darrisaw in last year’s writeup following his breakout 2023 season was that the former first-round left tackle needed to do a better job of staying healthy. Darrisaw missed 10 games over his first three seasons due to a combination of nicks and scratches. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit again — hard. Darrisaw tore his ACL after seven games last year and missed the remainder of the season. 

From a timing perspective, Darrisaw avoided a rehab that would bleed extensively into this upcoming season but he’s still going to be working his way back into form. The Vikings need him as before the injury Darrisaw had been developing into one of the best tackles in football. He finished 2024 with 10 pressures allowed in his seven games. 

63 – Chargers DE Khalil Mack

Mack is building a compelling case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day, as he continues to excel even as he pushes deeper into his 30s. His numbers last season weren’t as prolific as in 2023 when he turned back the clock and exploded for 17 sacks, but he remained productive in all phases of the game. He recorded another six sacks to bring his career total to 107.5, and PFF charted him with 52 total pressures and a stellar 87.7 grade against the run. His veteran savvy shows up in a lot of ways even if Mack isn’t near the top of the league in sacks, pressures and win rate anymore. For instance, he’s developed a real knack for batting down passes, recording a stunning 19 pass deflections over the past two seasons — more than most cornerbacks. 

62 – Eagles WR DeVonta Smith

The Eagles’ offense last year revolved around getting RB Saquon Barkley the ball as much as possible, which is understandable considering how well Barkley and the offensive line were performing. It was a winning formula that resulted in a Lombardi trophy, but it meant Philadelphia’s pass attack was less prolific. Smith had a career-low 89 targets in 2024 and it didn’t help that he missed four games. 

That doesn’t mean Smith was any less dangerous or efficient with his opportunities. He may have had only 89 targets but he caught a remarkable 76.4 percent of those for 833 yards and eight touchdowns. In ESPN’s receiver tracking metrics, Smith was No. 7 in overall score and No. 18 in open score while continuing to rate well above average in catch score despite his slim frame. Smith is an established commodity as one of the league’s top No. 2 receivers and someone who could probably be a primary target on a different squad. 

61 – Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

Last year was the kind of year many receivers like McLaurin dream about after being stuck in quarterback purgatory for ages. After spending the first five years of his career excelling despite catching passes from a rotating cast that included Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith, Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell, McLaurin saw a bump from playing with star rookie QB Jayden Daniels. His targets, receptions and yards were all similar to his career average, but McLaurin scored 13 touchdowns after averaging five a season and had a career-best (by far) 70.1 percent catch rate. 

Interestingly, McLaurin’s numbers in ESPN’s tracking metrics have dipped the past few years, especially his open score which measures separation. His open score of 38 was 99th at the position last year and his overall score of 48 was 34th, buoyed by better marks at the catch point and yards after the catch. McLaurin was an older prospect and will be turning 30 in September even though it’s just his seventh season. That said, his PFF receiving grade was still strong at 84.8, 14th in the league at the position, and other sources that look at route running like Reception Perception still rate McLaurin highly. Most importantly, he’s a perfect fit with Daniels, who isn’t going anywhere for a long time.