Ranking the NFL's Top 200 Players of 2024: Tier 10

Today, we'll review Tier 10 of the NFL Top 200, covering players No. 200-181

The NFL top 200 players of 2024 ranking is finally here! Over the next week, I’ll release six total posts breaking down the league’s best players. This list is not a ranking based on how players performed in 2023. Instead, it’s my attempt to project player performance for the upcoming season. This entails using stats, traits, and film study to predict progression, regression, breakout stars, and more.

This process was significantly harder than I remember it being in past years. For anyone who isn’t a long-time reader, I went through this exercise in 2021, 2022, and 2023. This is my most-detailed version of the top 200 since 2021, when I did a ten-part series.

I think the difficulty I had creating this year’s top 200 speaks to the depth of talent in the NFL (or maybe my lack of sleep). Please be respectful with any disagreements you have. These are ultimately just my opinions, which don’t mean much in the grand scale of the multi-billion dollar football ecosystem.

I broke the top 200 into ten unique tiers. Most players are interchangeable within their tiers and some selections were almost too close to call. I even added five extra spots to make it a top 205 ranking because I went back after finalizing the order and realized I needed to add a few more players.

There will be a Tier 11 honorable mentions segment posted by itself next week before the final edition of this series. That standalone post will cover more than 80 players that I considered for this series but decided to leave off the final ranking.  

I thought about starting this series with the honorable mention section, but I realized a lot of people might be upset by some of the names I left out. So I’m going to string you along for a few days, and then you can get mad at me sometime next week.

Rookies were not included on the top 200 this year, mainly because I needed their spots for more established players I couldn’t justify leaving off.

Tier 10: Quality Starters with Tremendous Potential

205. James Cook, RB Buffalo Bills

Cook has been in and out of the doghouse because of his fumbling issues, but he broke through last year. He’s Buffalo’s most productive skill player left on the roster. Cook is a speedy receiving threat who can catch passes at multiple levels. He finished sixth in yards from scrimmage (1,567) last year. 

204. Kobie Turner, DT Los Angeles Rams

Turner burst onto the scene as a rookie, producing 48 pressures alongside Aaron Donald. Donald’s retirement puts pressure on Turner to carry a heavier load, but the addition of rookie Braden Fiske provides a nice path forward for the young Rams line. Expect a lot of stunts and games up front to confuse offensive linemen.

203. Osa Odighizuwa, DT Dallas Cowboys

Dallas quietly hit on a defensive lineman in their 2021 draft class not named Micah Parsons. Odighizuwa is an impressive mover who plays with a low pad level. He has always offered upside rushing the passer but took his run defense to a new level in 2023.

202. Ed Oliver, DT Buffalo Bills

Oliver never quite reached the heights analysts thought he would back when he was a star at Houston. However, the 26-year-old has developed into one of the NFL’s best pass rushing defensive tackles. Oliver applied pressure on 13.43% of his pass rush attempts in 2023 and tied Dexter Lawrence and Justin Madubuike for the fourth-most total pressures (65) by an interior player.

201. Malcolm Koonce, Edge Las Vegas Raiders

After barely playing for his first two seasons in the NFL, Koonce took off during the second half of 2023. He finished the year with 52 pressures while applying pressure on 15.12% of his rushes. Koonce is more known for his speed, but he can also convert that speed into power.  

200. Arik Armstead, DT Jacksonville Jaguars

Injuries took 13 games from Armstead over the past two years. The 30-year-old clearly wasn’t himself in 2022 and looked good in 2023 before requiring surgery for a meniscus injury. Armstead is a position versatile defensive lineman who defends the run at a reliable level with some flashes of elite play. He also routinely applies pressure on or over ten percent of his pass rush attempts.  

199. Kenny Clark, NT Green Bay Packers

Clark is getting a little long in the tooth at nearly 29 years old, but the Packers still view him as a pillar of their defense. He’s coming off a career-high 7.5 sacks and posted the third-most pressures of his career (61) last year, which ranked seventh among interior defensive linemen. Clark is powerful and provides an excellent mix of pass rush and run defense.

198. Andrew Van Ginkel, Edge Minnesota Vikings

Van Ginkel isn’t your traditionally sized edge rusher, but that didn’t prevent him from applying pressure on 16.51% of his pass rushes in 2023. He has good straight line speed to redirect from blocks and chase down running backs or rolling quarterbacks. Van Ginkel makes up for his lack of mass with speed and various counters.

197. Josh Sweat, Edge Philadelphia Eagles

Sweat is one of the most explosive edge rushers in the NFL. His speed and cornering ability are supported by an array of chops or cross-chops and using his arms to establish leverage on moves like long-arms. Sweat set a career-high with 828 snaps in 2023. We’ll see how he steps into an even larger role along Philadelphia’s defensive line this coming season.

196. Harrison Smith, S Minnesota Vikings

Smith is still playing ball at a high level despite being 35 years old. His experience, football IQ, and willingness to still contribute in run defense make him the central pillar of a secondary that Minnesota reinforced with other veterans over the summer, including Stephon Gilmore.

Smith is still athletic enough to survive Brian Flores’ insane pressure fronts. These diverse fronts limited Smith’s ball production in 2023 but also gave him opportunities to utilize his underrated skills as a blitzer.

195. Joey Bosa, Edge Los Angeles Chargers

Injuries robbed us of what could’ve been a perennial All-Pro career for Bosa. He only appeared in 14 games over the past two seasons and looked like a far cry from his former self in 2023. Hopefully, the 29-year-old turns the clock back this season because he has the power and detailed hand usage to dominate offenses.

194. DaRon Bland, CB Dallas Cowboys

Bland ranked much higher in my initial draft of the top 200, but he recently suffered a foot fracture that requires 6-8 weeks to recover after surgery. Bland earned All-Pro honors in 2023 after intercepting nine passes and returning five for touchdowns. Those splash plays covered for some inconsistent performances. Bland is not a true lockdown corner, but he could follow the Trevon Diggs route and actually have a better year following his interception-heavy season.

193. Tyson Campbell, CB Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville identified Campbell as a franchise player, signing him to a four-year, $76.5 million extension this offseason. The 24-year-old has flashed since his rookie season and understands leverage in man and zone concepts well. He just needs to put everything together for a full 17 games.

192. Kyle Pitts, TE Atlanta Falcons

Am I back in on Pitts? Not completely. There’s a reason why he’s this low on the list. Pitts has all of the athletic potential and measurables to be a consistent 800+ yard tight end. He even hit 667 yards in 2023 with a run-centric offense and horrendous quarterback play. Unfortunately, 800-yard seasons might still feel like a letdown for the former fourth overall pick.

191. Michael Pittman Jr., WR Indianapolis Colts

Pittman’s average depth of target took a hit these past two seasons, but he should have more opportunities to create downfield with Anthony Richardson. Richardson is admittedly a bit of a wild card, but the Colts didn’t give Pittman a three-year, $70 million extension to target him fewer than 140 times in 2024. The volume will be there.

190. Travis Etienne Jr., RB Jacksonville Jaguars

Etienne saw his efficiency decline last year as the Jaguars stagnated on offense, but he still led the NFL in missed tackles forced (finishing fourth in the NFL in carries). There’s some boom-or-bust to Etienne’s game, but he has the acceleration and dual-threat ability to be a pillar on a playoff team.

189. Bryce Huff, Edge Philadelphia Eagles

Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency. Huff is a lightning bolt. He amassed 67 pressures in 2023, 15th-most among edge rushers, on the fewest pass rush attempts of anyone in the top 25 for pressures. He applied pressure on 20.06% of his rushes, but he rushed on 334 of his 481 defensive snaps. Huff is not a consistent three-down defender and struggles against the run. It’ll be interesting to see how his role evolves with the Eagles.

188. Jonathan Greenard, Edge Minnesota Vikings

Greenard showed flashes of his potential in 2021 before hitting the gas last year. His motor and array of inside counters make him difficult for heavy-footed offensive tackles to match. Greenard also has the power to pry open the B-gap or flatten the offensive tackle and create an easier outside path to the quarterback.

187. James Conner, RB Arizona Cardinals

Conner is still rumbling along at 29 years old. He set a new career-high with 1,040 rushing yards in 2023 and hit five yards per carry for the first time. His large frame contributed to him amassing 817 yards after contact, the third-most in the NFL. Conner’s 60 missed tackles forced tied for second among all running backs with Christian McCaffrey.

186. Kendall Fuller, CB Miami Dolphins

Fuller’s week-to-week performances occasionally feel like a rollercoaster, but he’s still an above-average starter. Miami didn’t make a ton of splashy moves this offseason, but signing Fuller has the potential to be a home run addition. Fuller has long arms and plays with disruptive physicality at the catch point. He also possesses impressive closing burst to undercut throws.

185. Raheem Mostert, RB Miami Dolphins

It feels silly to put the player who tied Christian McCaffrey for the NFL lead in touchdowns this far down the list. Mostert has back-to-back seasons with 1,000 yards from scrimmage, but he’s 32 years old on a team that could flip its running back depth chart at the drop of a hat.

184. Tyrann Mathieu, S New Orleans Saints

Mathieu’s effort in run defense has certainly waned with age, but the 32-year-old is still one of the sport’s more consistent ball magnets. New Orleans cut down on Mathieu’s time in the slot in 2023, allowing him to operate in space more and rely on his world class instincts. He still plays tight coverage when needed.

183. Aaron Jones, RB Minnesota Vikings

Injuries are starting to become a regular concern with Jones, who turns 30 years old this December. When healthy, Jones is one of the league’s most dynamic and efficient running backs. If you could guarantee me one full season where he played at the level he did versus the Cowboys and 49ers this past postseason, I would elevate him into the top 40.

182. Justin Simmons, S Atlanta Falcons

Simmons turns 31 in November, but he and Jessie Bates III could be a truly special duo for the Falcons. Simmons hasn’t intercepted fewer than three passes in a season since 2017. He has the size to play multiple roles in the secondary, and his football IQ is off the charts. Simmons knows how to bait quarterbacks in throws and still has the athleticism to play single-high concepts.

181. George Pickens, WR Pittsburgh Steelers

Can Pickens be more than a slant and fade receiver for the Steelers? The 23-year-old runs a few concepts well but struggles to create with a larger menu of routes. He’s inconsistent at creating separation on nuanced routes but generates the momentum-swinging explosive plays to be a Pro Bowler with competent quarterback play. Pickens thrives at the catch point, but relying on contested catches is an unstable play style.