Have you ever had a debate with a friend about the best young player in the NFL? Or wondered about the top players older than you? We did too.
We decided to select the best current football players across as many age groups as possible, from the NFL, college, and high school. We asked NFL analyst Matt Bowen, draft analyst Jordan Reed, and ESPN high school recruiting coordinator Billy Tucker to select players based on how good each player is right now. The result was a list of 27 players ranging from 40 years old to 14 years old.
Picking the best player at age 40 was easy, since three-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers is coming off an Achilles injury. But what about after that? That's tricky. Patrick Mahomes or Myles Garrett at age 28? Penei Sewell, Sauce Gardner, Puka Nacua, Aidan Hutchinson and Kyle Hamilton at age 23?
Here's a look at the selections, from Rodgers to players just starting high school. (Tucker was 14-18, Reid was 19-22, and Bowen was 23-40.) Several players have birthdays in the summer. We used the publication date (June 13) as the cutoff for ages. We've included important stats to know, as well as notes on how each player performed.
Jump down the list:
College applicants | High school applicants
birthday: December 2, 1983
Important stats to know: Rodgers has won the NFL MVP award four times, second most in league history behind Peyton Manning's five, most recently in 2021 when he threw 37 touchdown passes and four interceptions.
Why he's the best at his age: Rodgers was limited to just four regular-season snaps in New York last season due to a season-ending Achilles tear, but he still showed he has the talent to be a top-tier pitcher in 2022. His rushing totals and scramble attempts have decreased at this stage of his career, but he remains one of the best pure throwers in the game, using a quick release to throw the ball anticipatory and in position.
In 19 seasons in the NFL, he threw 475 touchdown passes and scored another 35 as a runner.
runner-up: Mercedes Lewis, TE, Bears
