The list of truly great, transcendent, gold jacket-destined NFL players is short. But the list of really good current players is rather long, and sometimes because of age or circumstance, the lines between great and good are blurred for legends on the decline.
That’s why the 2025 NFL Rank project celebrating the league’s top 100 players has a healthy batch of snubs.
ESPN’s NFL experts rated players based on performance expectations for the 2025 season in comparison to their peers. The project arrived about a month after we put a bow on our annual Top 10s project, in which NFL executives, coaches and scouts ranked the top players at each position entering 2025.
A review of the two rankings shows plenty of similarities in the order of each position — and a whole bunch of differences. We asked league personnel evaluators to peek at our rankings and nominate players who deserved to be included but weren’t.
Joe Alt, LT, Los Angeles Chargers
The premier offensive tackle club is tough to crack, but Alt is knocking on the door.
Alt ranked fourth among tackles in pass-rush win rate (94.3%) while playing from the right side as a rookie. This year, Alt moves to left tackle due to Rashawn Slater‘s season-ending leg injury. League evaluators believe he can handle the switch — and thrive as a result. He’s brimming with upside at 22 years old.
“He’s already technically sound and tough and smart and he’s still growing in his body,” an AFC executive said.
Jonathan Greenard, Edge, Minnesota Vikings
Greenard is making a compelling case to join the pantheon of top edge rushers. His 24.5 sacks over the past two seasons ranks seventh in the NFL. His 19.8% pass-rush win rate ranked in the top 10 among rushers in 2024, during which he added four forced fumbles. And word out of Minnesota is he has been unblockable at times during camp, signaling he plans to add to his 33 tackles for loss since 2023 in a big way.
“He’s got a really high motor and a good arsenal of pass-rush moves,” an NFC exec said. “He’s in his prime. Really good player.”
Vita Vea, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vea might be underrated in the national conversation but not inside the league. He’s a true game-wrecker.
“He’s the first guy you worry about when you play Tampa,” an NFL offensive coach said. “He can dominate the run game and has more pass rush than given credit for.”
Vea produced a career-high seven sacks while effectively stopping the run. He had 10 tackles for loss but also dropped into coverage at times — at 347 pounds. League execs, coaches and scouts voted him the No. 9 interior defensive linemen in the NFL.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Even coming off a down year, Smith is almost always in the top-10 wide receiver conversation … although he wasn’t one of the 15 wideouts (or 10 Eagles) named to this season’s top 100. He plays for a run-happy offense and plays the No. 2 role behind A.J. Brown, yet still averages 1,000-plus yards per year over his first four seasons — and that’s with missing five games since 2023.
When Brown missed early season action last year, Smith delivered with 14 catches, 155 yards and one touchdown in Weeks 2-3. He’s the classic eye-test, football-people-know receiver, the kind of player that transcends numbers.
“Great route-runner, super smooth with great body control, high cruising speed so he always makes it difficult for defenses,” an NFC executive said.
Nnamdi Madubuike, DT, Baltimore Ravens
While Madubuike’s production dipped — 6.5 sacks in 2024 compared to 13 the previous year — he’s always a mismatch problem for offensive linemen due to his combination of power and speed. Evaluators expect a better 2025 campaign thanks to a more complete Baltimore defense intact for a second season under coordinator Zach Orr. He’s been a top-seven interior rusher in back-to-back years.
“He’s got the type of lower body explosion you can’t teach,” an NFC scout said. “I’m expecting a good year for him.”
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
Cook was the No. 8 running back in ESPN’s top 10 rankings of executives, scouts and coaches — and seven backs made this year’s top 100. He’s going on back-to-back Pro Bowls and 1,000-yard seasons. And he’s playing this year on a four-year, $46-million extension. He’s a well-established back in his prime (25 years old) whose profile should only grow. Yes, he should be in the top 100.
“He’s perfect for that offense because of his versatility in the running and passing game,” an AFC personnel man. “He’s the focal point of that offense from a skill position standpoint.”
Brian Burns, Edge, New York Giants
Burns is consistently very good but rarely reaches greatness despite the skill set to do so. He has one double-digit-sack season in six years.
But more production could be on the way. He ranked fourth in pass-rush win rate last season (23.0), and a second year in the Giants’ system — with more support up front — should help. Burns is 27, squarely in his prime.
“If Abdul (Carter) is as good as he’s expected to be, along with Dexter Lawrence, [Burns] will have a lot of one-on-one opportunities,” an NFC scout said.
Jaycee Horn, CB, Carolina Panthers
A finally healthy Horn — who would have been the only Panther in the top 100 if chosen — is emerging as one of the game’s best all-around corners. He’s the rare corner who can play man coverage on the outside or with the physicality of a safety when inside the box. His 68 tackles (five for loss), two sacks and 13 pass deflections helped him secure a four-year, $100-million extension this offseason.
“I really think he has a chance to be a special player and a face of that franchise,” said a high-ranking NFL personnel man. “He’s what you want.”
Jalen Ramsey, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ramsey surprisingly slipped out of our top 10 cornerbacks list in July, but Pittsburgh believes he’s got plenty left in the tank at age 30. Once the gold standard at corner, Ramsey still plays with fluidity and speed that’s rare for a 6-foot-1 corner.
Some inside the league are expecting a resurgent Ramsey in 2025 after a trade from Miami to Pittsburgh which appears to have revitalized him.
“He can outstay his welcome,” said one NFL personnel director, referring to Ramsey’s previous stops with the Jaguars, Rams and Dolphins, none of which lasted more than three-and-a-half years. “But when he’s motivated and locked in, he’s still really good.”
Ramsey’s versatility will bolster Pittsburgh’s secondary. The Steelers used him all over the field in training camp, including as a slot corner, outside corner and safety.
DeForest Buckner, DT, Indianapolis Colts
Consistently one of the game’s most underrated players, Buckner — one of three DTs on the snubs last after six made the top 100 — keeps producing. Despite missing five games last year, Buckner averaged 0.54 sacks per game, his best clip since 2020. The Colts defensive attack still starts and stops with Buckner, whose 16.4 pass-rush win rate was among the best for defensive tackles.
“He reminds me a lot of Calais Campbell,” said one NFL personnel evaluator of the 6-foot-7 Buckner. “Long, high motor and can play well into his 30s.”
