Ranking the NFL's Top 200 Players of 2024: Honorable Mentions
These players missed the cut but will be in the conversation next year
It’s time to tick everyone off by revealing their favorite players who didn’t make my NFL Top 200 for 2024. As I said in the first part of this exercise, picking the top 200 this year was the hardest it has ever been, so I left quite a few quality players off the final ranking. Today, we’ll explore more than 80 honorable mentions.
Tier 10 l Tiers 8 & 9 l Tiers 6 & 7 l Tiers 4 & 5
The players that appear in this honorary Tier 11 are all quality starters or rotational contributors who could grow into starting roles. There’s a nice mix of breakout candidates still on their rookie contracts and veteran holdovers in their thirties.
I want to stress again that all of the players listed below are very good. I’m probably too low on some of them. This is just where my process brought me this year.
There’s also a section at the very bottom of this article talking about the best rookies. Rookies weren’t included on the top 200 this year since I ran out of space, but I think there are almost 20 first-year players with the potential to perform at that level.
If you’re wondering where the 2025 NFL Draft reports have been, don’t worry. You’ll start seeing more regular draft content again next week. I just need to get through this week, and then I’ll have more time to convert my summer notes into reports for you all.
Tier 11: Notable Honorable Mentions
There are almost too many honorable mentions to count, but I’ll do my best to run through every player I considered but didn’t include in the top 200.
Young edge rushers like Baron Browning, Yaya Diaby, George Karlaftis, Boye Mafe, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Tuli Tuipulotu, Travon Walker, and Keion White were the first casualties in this process. As a card-carrying member of the pass rush advocator club, it hurt to leave so many of these guys off the ranking.
Some of these rushers have inflated numbers that don’t match their tape evaluations, but they all have the physical traits to develop into top 200 players. You can make the case some are already at that level.
Veteran journeymen Jadeveon Clowney and Chase Young also earned consideration, as did New Orleans’ Carl Granderson. Sam Williams (injury) and Byron Young were farther down the list.
Grady Jarrett would’ve made the list if not for the injury he suffered last year potentially impacting him in 2024. Developing talents in Travis Jones and Devonte Wyatt and established starters like David Onyemata and Zach Sieler also earned consideration.
NFL linebackers are in an odd place. Most of the position’s best players are in their thirties, including Matt Milano, who I had penciled in as a top 80 player before he suffered a torn biceps. Chiefs Nick Bolton and Leo Chenal and Bengals Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson were also on the short list. I feel compelled to mention Bobby Wagner, but his best days are multiple seasons behind him.
Nickel corners Kenny Moore II and Greg Newsome II (just taken off PUP list) earned consideration. Moore would’ve easily made the list at the start of the 2020s, but I’m a little less sure about him now. Keep an eye on Roger McCreary and Ja'Quan McMillian as potential future inclusions.
I think Jaycee Horn would at worst be an average starting cornerback, maybe even a Pro Bowler, if he could just stay healthy. Riq Woolen lit the world on fire in 2022 as a freaky athlete who UTSA converted from wide receiver to corner. Turnovers masked a lot of the bad plays and technical breakdowns Woolen suffered as a rookie. Once the turnovers dipped in 2023, more people began to notice how much he still needed to learn.
Marshon Lattimore always seems to be on the brink of having a top ten or bottom ten season among corners. His peak games are undeniably elite, but injuries and age are starting to hinder him. Lattimore will jump into the top 100 if he gets back to his 2021 form.
Maybe Asante Samuel Jr. breaks into this cornerback debate too.
Similar to Lattimore, Budda Baker is a household name in his late twenties coming off several injury-shortened seasons. I was never as high on Baker as other members of the media to begin with, but he’s still one of the better bounce back candidates in the honorable mention section.
We’ve got four more names at safety to cover. Jordan Poyer can still be a top 200 player, or even top 150 player, but the league told us a lot with how it approached him this offseason. I love Grant Delpit’s game, but top 200 is a bit rich. Geno Stone was a stud ballhawk in 2023, but I need to see him do it again before buying in. Kyle Dugger was also considered.
Switching to offense, let’s talk veteran left tackles. I think Garett Bolles, Taylor Decker, and Jake Matthews will play for their respective teams until the end of time. All of them are in their early thirties, but it feels like they’ve been around the league for decades. Bolles, Decker, and Matthews are each capable of putting together top 200 seasons.
Bernhard Raimann is an ascending player who could make the top 200 leap in 2024. Ronnie Stanley looked like he was the next guy up in 2019, but injuries just took too much from him in recent years.
Over on the right side of the line, I wanted to mention Cleveland’s Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones. Conklin recently got off the PUP list. He and Jones both suffered season-ending injuries in 2023. Missed time is always a concern with Conklin, which is why he didn’t make the cut. I think Jones will be a long-term starter in the NFL once he gets the chance.
Rob Havenstein belongs in the same bucket as Bolles, Decker, and Matthews. I had him down for a spot in the top 200, but then he got hurt in camp and fell off the list.
Jonah Jackson was the only left guard not in the top 200 who earned consideration.
A handful of right guards were on the short list for top 200 candidates. Michael Onwenu, Brandon Scherff, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Kevin Zeitler are all impressive starters, but not top 200 players. Zeitler was one of my top snubs. Lloyd Cushenberry III was the only extra center I considered including.
D'Andre Swift was the best running back left on the cutting room floor. Najee Harris (volume) and Jaylen Warren (efficiency) have their bright spots. So does Tony Pollard if Tyjae Spears doesn’t eat too far into his carries.
How long do you have to cover all the wide receivers? Actually, I feel like most of the qualified candidates appear in the top 200. I could see arguments for Diontae Johnson and Calvin Ridley getting large volume targets this year and maybe Tyler Lockett if he has a vintage season. Keep an eye on second-year options Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jayden Reed.
Tight end is a mess. The position is as deep as it has been in my lifetime, but there’s also a lot of volatility. Evan Engram gets a ridiculous amount of volume, but most of his targets are short routes that set him up for yards after the catch. He isn’t being used like a traditional tight end.
Pat Freiermuth and Cole Kmet are franchise tight ends, but their situations come with concerns. Freiermuth has a disastrous quarterback room, and Kmet is splitting targets with one of the best skill position groups in the NFL. One of Green Bay’s second-year options in Luke Musgrave or Tucker Kraft will be great. Maybe both.
Rookies to Consider for the Future
Finally, let’s breeze through some rookies who could land on the top 200 next year. Joe Alt, Graham Barton, and Amarius Mims are the three names I gravitate to on the offensive line. Brandon Thorn recently wrote about how well Zach Frazier and Dominick Puni played in the preseason too. I’m a fan of Tyler Guyton in Dallas.
Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams at quarterback, Marvin Harrison Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Malik Nabers at wide receiver, and Brock Bowers at tight end are the other players who should have the volume to pull it off. Maybe Ben Sinnott too.
Transitioning to defense, Laiatu Latu, Byron Murphy, and Jared Verse figure to make the most noise along the defensive line. Braden Fiske should have the numbers, but stunts will inflate those totals. There aren’t many other players I think will thrive immediately. Maybe Mike Sainristil and Nate Wiggins make the splash plays to win fans over.