• Derrick Henry and Amon-Ra St. Brown top the 31-40 group: Henry will thrive behind a poor offensive line in 2023.only C.D. Lam He had more catches than Brown (119) during last year's regular season.
• Jalen Carter rounds out Nos. 41-50: A dynamic rookie season has propelled the Eagles interior defender into the top 50 heading into the 2024 season.
• Get an early start on fantasy football: Use PFF's fantasy football mock draft simulator to create an actual live mock draft simulation and get ready for your live draft.
Estimated reading time: 9 mins
The 2024 PFF50 highlights the top 50 players in the NFL, showcasing the league's elite talent. The rankings are determined based on a combination of past performance, future potential and overall impact on the game.
PFF is essentially a player evaluation company, quantifying hundreds of data points on every play to identify the best players and then using that information to generate insights you can't get anywhere else.
This is a list of the 50 best players in the NFL going into the 2024 season. This list is not determined by a single number or rating, but the ratings are: PFF's Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric — as a foundation, but leans more towards the latest season.
Editor's note: The PFF50 will be released over the course of a week, starting with Nos. 41 through 50 on Monday, July 15. The top 10 players will be released on Friday, July 19.
31. RB Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Derrick Heyeahry's productivity has declined over the past two seasons, There's been no decline. Instead, what we witnessed is the effect that football's worst offensive line can have on even an elite running back. Last season, Henry averaged 3.3 yards per carry after contact, broke 57 tackles and earned a PFF grade of 90.1, but Tennessee's blocks averaged just 0.9 yards before contact, ranking 30th in the league. Expect to see a significant resurgence in Henry's production in Baltimore.
32. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Amon Ra Saint Brown He has become one of the most productive receivers in the game. C.D. Lam During last year's regular season, he recorded more catches than Brown (119), moved the chains 75 times with his receptions, caught 50 percent of his contested targets (a great number for an undersized receiver), and earned a PFF composite grade of 90.6 for the season.
33. LB Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Since arriving in Baltimore, Roquan Smith Smith is as good as any linebacker in football and he continued to perform that way in 2023, recording seven pass breakups in the regular season and showcasing the coverage skills that made him an attractive draft candidate in 2018. Smith is also one of the most efficient tacklers in the game, but he'll have to get that done with a new defensive coach and partner in 2024 after Mike McDonald moved to Seattle. Patrick Queen He moved as a free agent.
34. EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
There is a ton of edge rushing talent in today's NFL. Aidan Hutchinson He could become just the fifth player in the last 18 seasons to record 100 pressures in a season.Micah Parsons Hutchinson has yet to be named to the All-Pro first or second team, despite being named All-Pro for the first time last season. Hutchinson happens to be an All-Pro caliber player in an era where there are at least four All-Pro caliber players at his position. Last year was just his second year in the NFL, so it may be that we don't yet know how good he really is.
35. CB Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos
Denver's defense struggled for much of last season, and even the team's best players struggled because of it. Patrick Sartain II Surtain allowed three touchdowns this season and had a 93.9 completion percentage when targeted, the worst of his career, but when evaluating the 24-year-old, it seems foolish to attribute those results to anything other than positional inconsistency and perimeter issues. Watching the tape still shows Surtain to be an elite cover cornerback and one of the best in the game.
36. CB Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs
Always underrated, Trent McDuffie McDuffie was one of the best players in his short NFL career. Given a tough assignment from the start by the Chiefs, he played both in the slot and out wide and allowed 10.7 yards per catch last season with a PFF overall grade of 82.9. Rujarius Sneed That could see him assume a bigger role within the Chiefs' defense in 2024 and get the recognition he deserves.
37. S Jesse Bates III, Atlanta Falcons
A true ball hawk at safety, Jessie Bates III Last season, Bates showed he could thrive in a new defense, recording six interceptions with the Falcons and earning a PFF coverage grade of 90.2, just eclipsing his career-high with the Bengals in his first try. Bates is an elite coverage safety with the range to punish reckless passes.
38. G Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons
It's getting harder to argue Chris Lindstrom Over the past few seasons, he has been rated as the best guard in football. He had a great 2022 and was nearly as good in 2023, allowing only 15 total pressures and earning a PFF run-blocking grade of 87.5. He was one of only two guards to earn a grade of 74.0 or higher as both a run blocker and a pass protector.
39. G Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs
One of the best pass-blocking guards in the game Joe Thuney While that was down from the previous two years, it was his third straight season with a PFF pass-blocking grade of 83.0 or higher. He allowed two sacks on 740 pass-blocking attempts and his run-blocking was above his season average.
40. CB Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins
Delayed injury Jalen Ramsey He struggled to fit into Vic Fangio's defense last season, sitting out the game until Week 8, but posted PFF coverage grades of 89.0 or better in two of his first three games. Overall, he allowed just a 53.0 passer rating in his coverage, showing he's capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the best cornerbacks in the game. 2024 will be an exciting season to watch Ramsey, even if he's no longer in Fangio's defense.
41. DI Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
During the first few weeks of the 2023 season, his rookie season – Jalen Carter He was scoring and producing like a future Hall of Famer. Aaron DonaldThat level was probably inevitably unsustainable, but he still finished his debut season with a PFF composite grade of 89.0, good for fifth in the NFL. Carter has the talent to be right at the top of this list. The only player at his position in the last decade or so who has shown that kind of immediate impact is someone like Donald.
Read more: 2024 NFL defensive line rankings
42. CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Jaylon Johnson He had the best year of his career in 2023 and was arguably the best cornerback in the league. His PFF coverage grade of 91.0 was the best in football and he allowed just a 33.3 pass rating in coverage, which was lower than an opposing quarterback would have if they had thrown the ball on the ground 50 times. Now Johnson will be expected to repeat that level of play, as the Bears brought him back with a contract extension beyond 2024.
43. DI Derrick Brown, Carolina Panthers
Derrick Brown While he's one of the best players in the interior in run defense, Brown is also a force to be reckoned with on the pass rush side — he's recorded at least 40 quarterback pressures and a 77.9 PFF pass-rush grade in each of the past two seasons, despite more pocket pressure than sacks — and he's a real nuisance for opposing offenses to deal with.
44. T. Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans
One of the best pass-protecting left tackles in the game. Laremy Tunsil He finished with the second-best pass-blocking grade among PFF's offensive tackles in the class of 2023, behind only a future Hall of Fame candidate. Tyron SmithWhile Tunsil can protect the quarterback at the highest level, his run blocking isn't at the same level as other top tackles, which could explain the difference between him and others at his position on this ranking.
45. LB Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints
At age 35, Demario Davis He continues to play elite-level football as a Saints linebacker. Last season, he posted an 89.6 PFF composite grade, his highest since 2019, with 48 defensive stops and just 11 missed tackles. His pass rating when targeted in coverage was 89.3, about 15 points below average for the position.
46. TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
Although an injury caused him to miss part of his 2023 campaign, Mark Andrews Andrews appeared in 10 regular season games for the Ravens and showed what a weapon he can be on offense. Passes thrown to him produced a 135.7 passer rating, the highest of any player at any position with at least 50 targets. Andrews is an elite-level player and will remind people of that if he has a fully healthy season in 2024.
47. C Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions
Detroit Frank Ragnow about Best for center positionDespite battling injuries at times with the Lions, he allowed just one sack in each of the past two seasons and earned a PFF run-blocking grade of 90.1 in 2023, the highest overall grade at his position (88.1).
48. S Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins
Jevon Holland A dynamic, versatile safety who will be the centerpiece of Miami's defense. Despite sitting out 2023, Holland was one of the best cover defenders in the game at any position, earning a PFF composite grade of 90.4 in over 700 appearances. Holland can line up anywhere on the defense and is very good at tackling. Heading into 2024, he should be a key part of a secondary that, at least on paper, looks to be one of the best defenses in the league.
Read more: Top 32 safeties heading into the 2024 NFL season
49. WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk While he hasn't gotten as many targets as some of the more elite receivers due to the amount of talent available in Kyle Shanahan's 49ers offense, Aiyuk has been one of the most efficient receivers in football with the targets he has gotten. Tyreek Hill He received a higher PFF grade than Aiyuk among wide receivers last season, averaged 3.01 yards per route run and dropped just two of the 101 passes thrown to him.
50. WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel For the 49ers, Samuel is a unique offensive weapon. He's a very good wide receiver, but his ability to move into the backfield and carry the ball like a running back — and a very good running back at that — is what makes him special. With 80 fewer targets than Tyreek Hill, Samuel has only one less missed tackle as a receiver and 19 more as a rusher. Samuel's impact on San Francisco's offense is evident when he's not in uniform. It's hard to define his true position, but he's an elite force.
