Just when NFL fans believed the league’s top 100 players poll would look predictable, including three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes claiming the top spot, the 2024 list provided plenty of shockers following its completed Aug. 2 unveiling.
It’s time to dive into the 10 biggest stunners, which also involves comparing the complete NFL list with Pro Football Network’s Top 100 rankings.
10 Surprises Include Patrick Mahomes No. 1 Snub, Plus Low Ranking for Justin Jefferson
Patrick Mahomes (4th on Player List, 1st on PFN List)
Let’s address this elephant in the room. Many across the league believed Mahomes would snatch the top ahead of the NFL’s Top 100 rankings. Even Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase gave the notion Mahomes would be No. 1, without trying to mention his name.
Mahomes claimed the top spot on PFN’s list, but he came in at No. 4 among the players poll — sparking strong reactions from the NFL world. The Kansas City Chiefs star ended up losing the top to a familiar face on his end.
Tyreek Hill (No. 1 on Player List, No. 7 on PFN List)
Tyreek Hill stunningly claimed the top of the player list. In the process, he helped spark a new debate for the Most Valuable Player talk.
Still, the Miami Dolphins wide receiver earned the most votes for No. 1 and made history — he’s the first wide receiver to take No. 1. Even Hill himself acknowledged on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he was expecting lots of reactions.
My comments and DMs about to be on fire now 😂
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) August 3, 2024
Christian McCaffrey (No. 3 on Player List, No. 5 on PFN List)
It’s not a surprise that the San Francisco 49ers star running back cracks the top five on both lists. After all, he produced a career-best 21 combined touchdowns.
But the shocking part is he ends up ranking ahead of Mahomes on the player list, whereas he’s placed four spots behind the QB he lost to in Super Bowl 58 on PFN.
Micah Parsons (No. 17 on Player List, No. 4 on PFN List)
The Dallas Cowboys’ All-Pro pass rusher ends up with one of the larger ranking gaps between the player list and PFN’s.
While he busted his way into PFN’s top five, he’s outside the top 15 on the player list even after leading the league in pressures with 102.
Justin Jefferson (No. 18 on Player List, No. 6 on PFN List)
Like Parsons, the Minnesota Vikings’ All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson is another that comes with a large gap ranking.
Granted, a counterargument for Jefferson’s NFL players poll ranking is his hamstring injury from ’23 that bottled him to 10 games. But the fact he still surpassed 1,000 yards shows his impact — and why he nearly snuck into PFN’s top five. Few receivers also have a résumé featuring three straight Pro Bowls in their first three seasons in the league.
Joe Burrow (No. 39 on Player List, No. 12 on PFN List)
The Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback faced a similar dilemma Jefferson had before the rankings were unveiled — he too was coming off a truncated ’23.
SEE MORE: Tua Tagovailoa Ranks Higher Than Joe Burrow on NFL Top 100
Joe Burrow nearly fell out of the top 40 of the player list by virtue. However, his impact on the game with an AFC title and another conference championship game appearance placed him near the top 10 at PFN.
Nick Bosa (No. 27 on Player List, No. 13 on PFN List)
While Christian McCaffrey avoided falling out of the top five on both lists, Nick Bosa fell to No. 27 through the player poll.
Bosa may not have produced numbers identical to his dominating 2022 season that led to NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, but he still delivered 10.5 sacks, making it three years in a row he delivered double-digit sacks.
Chris Jones (No. 6 on Player List, No. 16 on PFN List)
Staying with the defensive trenches, the Chiefs Super Bowl winner nearly crashed the top five of the player list while ranking 10 spots back on PFN.
Chris Jones, though, ranked ahead of Jefferson, Micah Parsons, and two more names we’re mentioning representing the QB position.
Dak Prescott (No. 16 on Player List, No. 32 on PFN List)
The three-time Pro Bowler Dak Prescott ascends from No. 40 in 2022 to No. 16 on the players’ list. In the process, he ends up ranking higher than Parsons and one of his QB peers, Burrow.
SEE MORE: Jalen Hurts Ranks Higher Than Dak Prescott on NFL Top 100
Meanwhile, Prescott ranked significantly behind the Bengals star QB and his Cowboys teammate on PFN.
Jalen Hurts (No. 15 on Player List, No. 43 on PFN List)
The Philadelphia Eagles star and past NFC champion ranked ahead of these notable names on the NFL player rankings: Prescott, Parsons, Jefferson, even his Pro Bowl wide receiver teammate A.J. Brown (No. 21 on Player List).
Hurts fell to No. 43 on PFN — with his 2023 decline as the reason behind the ranking.
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