The NFL season is right around the corner, so it’s time for us to roll out our 2024 NFL Rank — and debate the final list.

NFL Rank is our annual projection of the top 100 players based on expectations for the upcoming season, compiled by dozens of ESPN experts. Of course, there were conflicting thoughts on the list itself and who was ranked too high or too low. So, we asked nine of our NFL analysts — Matt Bowen, Kalyn Kahler, Matt Miller, Eric Moody, Jordan Reid, Ben Solak, Aaron Schatz, Lindsey Thiry and Field Yates — to debate our ranking. They identified snubs, surprises, overrated/underrated players and rookies who could crack the top 100 next year.

Are a couple of quarterbacks a little overrated? Are we sleeping on a few wide receivers? And which 2024 first-rounders could make the list in 2025? Our panelists make their cases, starting with perhaps the biggest snub, whom three of our panelists lobbied for.

Jump to a section:
Biggest snubs
Who’s overrated? | Who’s underrated?
Top-10 snubs | Rookies to watch

Check out the full 2024 NFL Rank

McDuffie’s 2023 campaign showed his ability as an elite slot cornerback. In 16 starts, he posted three sacks, five forced fumbles and 80 total tackles for the Kansas City Chiefs. He also was a sticky cover man with two touchdowns allowed all season. He’ll replace L’Jarius Sneed this season as the team’s premier outside corner, moving back to the role he played in college that led to him being selected in the first round of the 2022 draft. ​– Miller

For all the shine McDuffie got during last season’s Super Bowl run, I’m surprised he didn’t make the list. Calling him just a slot corner is unfair; he has played outside successfully in his career. And it’s a rare thing to be equally dominant in both spots. He also can play man or zone coverage interchangeably and tackle with the best. And he is wicked smart. Do you see where I’m going with this? — Solak

McDuffie was named a first-team All-Pro as the preeminent slot cornerback in the NFL, a well-deserved honor for a key cog of the back-to-back champs. McDuffie could see his overall set of responsibilities change a bit this season with the trade of Sneed, but it should only showcase what he is capable of. McDuffie has incredible route recognition, short-area burst, reactive skills and overall toughness that make him an elite player at one of the pillar positions in NFL roster building. — Yates

Who else was snubbed from our top 100?

Brown led the NFL with a run stop win rate of 47% last season, while his 95 tackles on rushing attempts were the most of any defensive lineman. He is a powerful mover at 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, with the disruptive traits to wreck plays up front. With his impact and production, Brown is more than deserving of a spot in the top 100. — Bowen

The biggest snub has to be Tucker, one of the best kickers in the NFL. I understand why a kicker failed to break into the top 100. But the kicking game still exists, and teams with elite kickers are going to have an edge over others this season as everyone tries to figure out how to best the new kickoff rules. — Kahler

Olave saw increases in targets (138), receptions (87), receiving yards (1,123) and touchdowns (five) in his second NFL season, finishing in the top 20 among receivers in everything but TDs. He also is just the third receiver in Saints history to surpass 2,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons. Yet he didn’t crack the top 100. With minimal competition for targets in 2024, Olave should keep trending upward. Let’s see if he breaks into the top 100 again in 2025 after making our list last year. — Moody

Despite playing with multiple quarterbacks since entering the league in 2019, McLaurin has managed to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark in four out of his five campaigns. He is a smooth route runner who has continued to be a reliable target in Washington. McLaurin will be playing with yet another new signal-caller in 2024, but he has a chance to have one of his best seasons yet with first-round QB Jayden Daniels leading the offense, as Daniels was one of the best deep passers in the FBS last year.​ –– Reid

Collins ranked third in the ESPN receiver tracking metrics last season. He also ranked second among qualifying wide receivers in my Route DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) metric, which measures performance based on routes run rather than just targets. Only Tyreek Hill was higher. Quarterback C.J. Stroud didn’t come into an empty locker room; Collins and Tank Dell helped make Stroud’s successful rookie season as much as Stroud helped make Collins’ significant 2023 improvement and Dell’s fantastic first campaign. — Schatz

This is predictive, and Mack isn’t getting any younger at 33 while going into his 11th NFL season. However, he showed no signs of slowing last season in ranking fourth in the league with a career-high 17 sacks — and he did so despite his edge-rushing counterpart Joey Bosa spending the final seven games on injured reserve. Going into the 2024 campaign, Mack will be under the direction of first-year defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who called Mack “one of the best football people I’ve ever been around,” and Mack could benefit from the return of Bosa, whom foes will have to account for in playing on the opposite edge. — Thiry

Who is too high/overrated on our list?

Hutchinson is a top-25 player in this league. He’ll set a physical edge versus the run game, get home to the quarterback (11.5 sacks in 2023) and make plays late in the down due to his effort level. But I don’t agree with Hutchinson being ranked over Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby (No. 26), who is a more disruptive and productive pass rusher. — Bowen

I know the stats are gaudy, and I know he is better than Jimmy Garoppolo, but Purdy is not the eighth-best quarterback in football nor a top-30 player in the league. He is a creative thrower with the anticipation and accuracy to push the ball downfield, but the targets and coaching that San Francisco offers cover many of his warts. He’s a fine starting quarterback, but if I had to win a game tomorrow with a league-average offense, I’d take several of the quarterbacks listed below Brock. — Solak

Stroud had an outstanding rookie year. There’s no doubting how good he was. By DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), it was the second-most productive rookie season for any quarterback since 1979. But is he really the fifth-best quarterback in the NFL already? He ranked 15th among qualifying quarterbacks in QBR last season (57.5). This ranking is based on the idea that Stroud will improve even more in his second season, but that’s unlikely. Quarterbacks who play as well as Stroud did don’t necessarily take another leap in Year 2 because they were already so good in Year 1! I would not put Stroud ahead of Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford or Justin Herbert because I question whether he can show consistency by either repeating his 2023 production or getting even better in 2024. — Schatz

What about too low or underrated?

Ward continues to be one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league. Last season, he logged two interceptions and broke up nine passes. When I look at his tape, I see a top coverage defender with the transition speed and upper-level technique to win on the perimeter. Ward belongs in the top 50 — if not higher. — Bowen

Having Hamilton as the second-best safety and just a hair under Antoine Winfield Jr. (No. 46) is perfectly defensible. Having Hamilton as the 20th-best defensive player in football is much tougher for me to swallow. We love to laud secondary players for their versatility, but there really isn’t anyone in the league who can do more on a field than him. Hamilton’s blend of size (6-foot-4, 224 pounds), range, recognition, quickness and coverage ability is unique, and it makes him one of the five or six most valuable defenders in the league, by my estimation. — Solak

Cornerback statistics are very inconsistent from year to year, so you don’t want to crown anybody as the best in the league based on a single season. Nonetheless, Johnson was the best cornerback in the NFL in 2023. He led the league in my new cornerback DVOA metric, which accounts for both coverage when targeted and frequency of being targeted. He ranked third in success rate on targets and fourth in yards per target allowed. The Bears ranked third against No. 1 receivers, primarily because of Johnson. — Schatz

Which player deserves to be in the top 10 but isn’t quite there on our list?

This answer will feel similar to the MVP decision-making logic, but Burrow is a bigger reason his team will win in 2024 than some of the non-quarterbacks in the top 10. Burrow has thrown 94 touchdowns in his first 50 career NFL games, which ranks as the sixth most in NFL history. Coming back from injury, Burrow is positioned to have a big year. — Kahler

It’s difficult to argue that the outstanding players in the top 10 don’t all deserve to be there, but if we could add one more, it would be Burrow. Entering only his fifth season, he already has proved himself among the top quarterbacks in the league after leading the Bengals to back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances in 2021 and 2022 and a Super Bowl berth to cap the 2021 campaign. After undergoing season-ending surgery that caused him to miss the final seven games in 2023, watch for the 27-year-old to return with a vengeance to prove he and the Bengals can get back to championship form. — Thiry

St. Brown immediately caught my attention as someone who should be in the top 10 but wasn’t. He is the leader of the Lions’ wide receiver group, especially after signing a four-year extension this offseason, and he’s one of the most consistent pass catchers in the league. St. Brown had the most games with 100-plus receiving yards last season (nine), and his connection with quarterback Jared Goff, who finished second in passing yards in 2023, is undeniable. Seeing St. Brown ranked 25th was surprising. — Moody

Which 2024 rookie could crack the top 100 in 2025?

It’s the preseason and already Williams is showing why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft and proclaimed a generational talent by NFL scouts. His command of the entire field with excellent vision, mobility and arm strength is truly special, and he’s just getting his first taste of the NFL. It’s exciting to think where Williams will be next year with 17 games of pro experience under his belt. Chicago has surrounded Williams with a good offensive line, a deep run game and the division’s most talented receiver corps. All the pieces are in place for a rookie season on par with what C.J. Stroud did last season in Houston.​ — Miller

Nabers is expected to be the Giants’ WR1 right away, so he’s in store for a productive rookie season. He has unique explosiveness and the ability to change the course of games instantly, and he is a threat at all three levels of the field. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if he finishes inside of the top 10 in both catches and receiving yards in 2024. — Reid

One of us has to choose Harrison, as he enters the NFL as one of the best wide receiver prospects in some time and — in my opinion — the most pro-ready prospect from the 2024 draft class. Harrison does everything well that you are looking for in a receiver, with a rare combination of power and suddenness in his 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame. He is excellent both before and after the catch and is in a position to dominate targets for his team right away in Arizona. — Yates