Every NFL team’s top three players entering the 2024 season | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics | PFF

• The youth movement is real in Houston: C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins and Will Anderson Jr. make up the Texans’ top three players heading into 2024.

• Marvin Harrison Jr. immediately jumps into the Cardinals’ top three: Quarterback Kyler Murray has a new weapon to work with in the No. 4 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.

• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF’s fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to get ready for your live draft!

Estimated Reading Time: 18 minutes

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As our offseason content rolls on, we wanted to widen the scope to take a look at every roster in the NFL to identify who the top players are for each team heading into the 2024 season. 

JUMP TO A TEAM:

ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CIN | CHI | CLE | DEN | DAL | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals were projected to get the No. 1 overall pick entering last season, but they exceeded expectations — if not in the win column, certainly with how competitive they were given their roster circumstances.

Quarterback Kyler Murray returned from an ACL tear and looked fine. His previous season was a down year, but he is still a top talent. Budda Baker is coming off a down year after requesting a trade but is still one of the Cardinals’ best players. Running back James Conner earning an 89.2 rushing grade last season made it a close decision between him and Baker.

Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. is genuinely one of the best players on the team, and his numbers will show that if he’s fully healthy this year.

Also Considered: RB James Conner, TE Trey McBride

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Atlanta Falcons

Chris Lindstrom was once again the highest-graded Falcons player on offense last season, earning an 89.7 overall grade. This marks the third year in a row where he has graded above 84.0 as one of the best offensive linemen in football.

Safety Jessie Bates III also earned an elite season grade (90.6), and he was named a first-team All-Pro. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is new in town and coming off one of his least aggressive seasons in terms of pushing the ball down the field and big-time throws, which could be a sign his age is catching up to him. But he has been so efficient in his career that he can’t be left off this list, as he will be a major catalyst for Atlanta’s playoff push, if one is to be made.

Also Considered: CB A.J. Terrell, DI Calais Campbell

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Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson earned an elite PFF overall grade with an 83.0 passing grade and a 92.5 rushing grade in 2023 on his way to earning a second MVP award.

Roquan Smith has been a game-changer on defense since arriving from Chicago, and Kyle Hamilton had a breakout 2023 season, earning elite grades as a pass rusher and in coverage as an extremely versatile defensive back who earned All-Pro honors.

Justin Madubuike made this one a close call, with his 13-sack 2023 season helping him solidify his role as the centerpiece of the team’s defensive line.

Also Considered: DI Justin Madubuike, TE Mark Andrews

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Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen is the easy choice here; he remains one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, as he led the league with 41 total big-time throws (playoffs included). Then this list gets tough.

Stefon Diggs, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Von Miller and Tre’Davious White are either no longer on the team or no longer what they were as impact players. Matt Milano is one of the best linebackers in the NFL but is coming off a season-ending foot injury.

Greg Rousseau recorded just five sacks last year but played the second-most snaps of any defensive lineman on the team (660) and earned the highest grade (87.2).

Also Considered: DI DaQuan Jones

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Carolina Panthers

Derrick Brown was the lone bright spot for the Panthers last season, earning an elite 90.9 overall grade while playing more than 900 snaps.

Cornerback Jaycee Horn missed all but four games last season, yet he is, without a doubt, still one of the best players on the team.

Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney posted the third-highest season grade of his career last year (85.7), and although he is new to the team and only getting older, he is one of the Panthers’ top players. No single full-time Panthers offensive player earned a season grade above 78.0 in 2023.

Also Considered: G Robert Hunt

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Chicago Bears

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson earned an elite 91.0 coverage grade last season en route to a new contract as a second-team All-Pro.

Edge rusher Montez Sweat came to Chicago from Washington and was just what the doctor ordered for the Bears’ defensive line. From Week 9 on, he recorded a team-leading 39 pressures and six sacks.

Despite poor quarterback play, D.J. Moore recorded the highest receiving grade of his career (89.5) and set new bests in receiving yards, catches and touchdowns.

Also Considered: QB Caleb Williams, WR Keenan Allen, LB T.J. Edwards

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Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals’ studs didn’t play as well as they could have in 2023, making this a harder list to compile.

Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase remain on top, as they are two of the best at their positions when healthy. Chase surpassed 1,000 yards receiving and an 84.0 receiving grade for the third straight season.

Trey Hendrickson gets the nod for the No. 3 spot after earning an 84.1 overall grade and a 90.7 pass-rush grade in 2023. The only players with more sacks than Hendrickson over the past four years are T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett.

Also Considered: WR Tee Higgins, S Jordan Battle

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Cleveland Browns

Myles Garrett has been insanely productive for his entire NFL career, and yet, he somehow took things to new heights in 2023. On his way to Defensive Player of the Year honors, Garrett recorded a 94.2 overall grade with an unbelievable 10 PFF pass-rush game grades above 90.0. He also set the PFF record for highest pass-rush win percentage in a season (27.3%).

Za’Darius Smith made it two straight seasons with a pass-rush grade above 84.0, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah took a big leap in 2023 as the centerpiece of the Browns’ defense. He recorded a 76.8 overall grade with an 87.4 pass-rush grade and a 73.2 coverage grade.

Also Considered: CB Denzel Ward, WR Amari Cooper, RB Nick Chubb

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Dallas Cowboys

It’s unfortunate that Dak Prescott’s final game of the season, a playoff loss to the Packers, went as poorly as it did, because he was playing like an MVP during the regular season His 87.0 passing grade was the highest mark of his career. Both he and CeeDee Lamb posted offensive grades above 91.0 to lead the Cowboys on that side of the ball.

Meanwhile, edge defender Micah Parsons earned the team’s highest PFF overall grade (92.5) and pass-rush grade (93.7). Demarcus Lawrence also produced an elite overall grade (91.2), and he would have been strongly considered here if he wasn’t on the same team as Parsons.

Also Considered: G Zack Martin, EDGE Demarcus Lawrence

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Denver Broncos

It was not a great year in Denver. Cornerback Patrick Surtain II is the obvious choice on this list, yet he finished 2023 with a career-low 64.7 coverage grade.

Offensive guard Quinn Meinerz played more than 1,000 snaps and earned an 83.7 overall grade, which was the best among full-time Broncos starters.

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton was fine last season, but it was clear the offense would lack potency with Russell Wilson as the quarterback.

Also Considered: EDGE Baron Browning, T Garett Bolles

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Detroit Lions

Detroit has a roster capable of winning a Super Bowl, and it is led by the same trio of stars we had on this list last year.

Amon-Ra St. Brown earned an elite receiving grade for the second straight season. Meanwhile, Penei Sewell took a massive leap from an 82.3 overall grade in 2022 to a 93.5 mark in 2023. Aidan Hutchinson also ascended to the elite level, generating a 91.4 pass-rush grade thanks to his 121 quarterback pressures.

Also Considered: QB Jared Goff, C Frank Ragnow, DI Alim McNeill

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Green Bay Packers

It was a down year for Rashan Gary and Jaire Alexander compared to what they are capable of, but they were still the Packers’ two highest-graded defenders, with 80.9 and 75.9 overall grades, respectively.

As for the offense, Jordan Love has to take one of these spots for the leap he made. He was elite in the second half of 2023, earning a 90.7 passing grade in the final eight games of the regular season.

Also Considered: None

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Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud had an incredible rookie season campaign and posted an 83.1 overall grade on the year. He recorded the third-most completions of 20-plus yards (32) with the lowest turnover-worthy play rate when throwing that distance.

Wide receiver Nico Collins was on the receiving end of a lot of those big passes, earning the team’s lone elite offensive grade (91.0. He shattered his career bests in basically every receiving category.

Rookie pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. chipped in with an 82.6 overall grade, a 77.4 run-defense grade and a 76.6 pass-rush grade.

Also Considered: T Laremy Tunsil, CB Derek Stingley Jr.

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Indianapolis Colts

Picking these three was a debate between talent level and recent production. Offensive linemen Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith and Ryan Kelly all earned season grades higher than Nelson, but Nelson is still the best of the bunch, for now.

Samson Ebukam earned a higher overall grade than DeForest Buckner, but Buckner beat him out in pass-rush grade (87.1).

Wide receiver Michael Pittman did take over for running back Jonathan Taylor from last year’s list due to his consistency as the team’s top receiver.

Also Considered: RB Jonathan Taylor, CB Kenny Moore II, T Bernhard Raimann

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Jacksonville Jaguars

Josh Allen was an easy choice for this exercise last year, and it’s even easier ahead of 2024. His 84.7 overall grade in 2022 jumped to 89.4 in 2023 thanks to his 16.5 sacks.

Trevor Lawrence was the highest-graded offensive player in Jacksonville last year (81.1). His deep passing was excellent, helping him rank top 10 in most categories on throws beyond 20 yards. But he also turned the ball over at a high rate.

Running back Travis Etienne was consistently impactful in the first two years of his career, notching 1,000-plus yards and 0.25 missed tackles forced per carry in each season.

Also Considered: LB Foyesade Oluokun, CB Tyson Campbell, DI Arik Armstead

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Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs’ “Big 3” has been the cornerstone of their back-to-back Super Bowl runs.

Patrick Mahomes didn’t have his most efficient season in 2023, but it was still Mahomes. Chris Jones posted an overall grade above 89.0 for the sixth time in the past seven years and excelled once again as a pass rusher. Tight end Travis Kelce posted a receiving grade above 87.0 for the eighth straight season.

Cornerback Trent McDuffie also deserves plaudits after he earned an 84.8 overall grade and an 81.5 coverage grade in 2023.

Also Considered: CB Trent McDuffie, C Creed Humphrey

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Las Vegas Raiders

It was a down year for the Raiders’ offense, as no player earned an overall grade above 82.0. Davante Adams recorded his lowest receiving grade since 2017, but a lot of that was beyond his control — even if PFF grades are there to judge beyond production. He’s still Davante Adams.

Kolton Miller earned the highest overall offensive grade on the team (81.1), marking his third straight year of topping 81.0.

Maxx Crosby was once again brilliant, earning an 82.7 overall grade with a 92.7 run-defense grade.

Also Considered: LB Malcolm Koonce

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Los Angeles Chargers

It felt like Justin Herbert was a one-man show in 2023. Despite a poor showing from his offensive line and receiving group, he still earned an 83.1 passing grade while starting to push the ball downfield more with his big arm.

Rashawn Slater recorded the lowest overall grade of his career (76.6), but his consistency and talent level put him in this group.

Khalil Mack returned to his elite ways, with a 91.8 overall grade, a 90.8 run-defense grade and an 86.3 pass-rush grade. It was his highest single-season grade since 2020.

Also Considered: S Derwin James, EDGE Joey Bosa, CB Asante Samuel Jr.

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Los Angeles Rams

This list becomes far easier to construct following Aaron Donald‘s retirement.

The Rams’ young additions on defense could show up here soon, but they aren’t quite in the top-three conversation yet. Instead, we have two stud receivers in Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp and the man who is still throwing at a high level despite entering his 16th season, Matthew Stafford.

Nacua earned an 88.1 grade as a rookie with over 1,400 yards and 105 receptions. Stafford earned an 83.8 passing grade with 32 big-time throws, while his 2.1% turnover-worthy play rate placed second in the league — behind only Dak Prescott.

Also Considered: None

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Miami Dolphins

Tyreek Hill continues to look unguardable when healthy, as his 93.5 overall grade in 2023 was the highest of his career. He has never recorded a season grade below 80.0.

Fellow receiver Jaylen Waddle also had a fantastic season, earning a 90.2 overall grade and passing the 1,000-yard mark for the third straight year. Tua Tagovailoa claims the third spot following his 90.2 passing grade and 36 big-time throws last year.

Also Considered: T Terron Armstead, CB Jalen Ramsey, EDGE Jaelan Phillips, RB De’Von Achane, S Jevon Holland

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Minnesota Vikings

Justin Jefferson is one of the best receivers, if not the best, in the NFL. The 2023 campaign marked his fourth straight receiving grade above 90.0.

T.J. Hockenson has also become a very reliable and steady presence in the Vikings ‘offense, earning a 79.6 grade on the season.

Tackle Christian Darrisaw wasn’t as dominant in 2023 as in 2022, but his 85.1 PFF grade in 2023 is nothing to stick your nose up at.

Also Considered: T Brian O’Neill

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New England Patriots

Offensive lineman Mike Onwenu was an option here, but that’s about it for Patriots offensive players.

Matthew Judon had a down year but is still one of the top players on the team. Jabrill Peppers earned the highest grade of any New England player (87.3), buoyed by a 90.7 run-defense grade and an 83.2 coverage grade. Kyle Dugger also didn’t have a great year, but we know he is better than the 61.7 grade he recorded. Rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez may have been in the mix if not for injury.

Also Considered: OL Michael Onwenu

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New Orleans Saints

Demario Davis continues to perform at a very high level despite entering Year 13. He posted the best overall grade on either side of the ball in New Orleans, at 89.6, which was the second-highest mark of his career.

Chris Olave has established himself as the go-to player on offense with back-to-back receiving grades above 82.0 to start his career.

Tyrann Mathieu got the nod for the third spot here after earning an 81.3 overall grade while logging more than 1,000 snaps at age 31.

Also Considered: T Ryan Ramczyk, EDGE Carl Granderson

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New York Giants

Although Andrew Thomas was the Giants’ highest-graded player on offense in 2023, it took only a 77.1 overall mark to achieve the feat. Still, he has elite potential from what we saw in 2022.

New York’s defense was much better last year, as Dexter Lawrence earned an elite 92.9 grade with an 89.5 run-defense grade and a 92.6 pass-rush grade.

The third spot goes to new Giant Brian Burns, whose impact will be felt immediately. He has earned a 70.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade in each of the past four seasons.

Also Considered: EDGE Kayvon Thibodeaux, WR Malik Nabers

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New York Jets

Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner remain two of the top players in the league at their positions after once again pacing the Jets’ defense in PFF grade, earning 90.8 and 88.6 marks, respectively.

Garrett Wilson claims the third spot instead of Aaron Rodgers because Wilson’s talent level is incredibly high, even though his 73.5 receiving grade in 2023 was a big step down from his 85.9 figure as a rookie.

Also Considered: QB Aaron Rodgers, RB Breece Hall

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Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles’ finish to the 2023 season led to a feeling of disappointment from this group when it was all said and done, but bright spots were aplenty.

A.J. Brown once again posted an elite receiving grade in 2023, and Jalen Hurts was right behind him with an 87.1 mark. The third spot could have easily gone to one of the starting offensive tackles, but Jalen Carter was incredible as a rookie. He earned the highest defensive grade on the team (89.5) with an 84.6 pass-rush grade and a 16.6% pass-rush win rate.

Also Considered: T Lane Johnson, T Jordan Mailata

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Watt was once again one the best defensive players in football, earning a 91.9 overall grade for the year as a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

It was a down year, grades-wise, for Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick, who both missed significant time due to injury. When you look at the rest of the roster these are still the top three players on the team.

Also Considered: EDGE Alex Highsmith

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San Francisco 49ers

Six or seven players on this roster could easily form the top three on a team. Ultimately, we are sticking with the same choices from last year.

Trent Williams posted a 92.0-plus PFF grade for the fourth consecutive season, and Fred Warner earned the best single-season grade of his career in 2023 (90.9). Then there is Nick Bosa, who surpassed a 90.0 pass-rush grade for the third year in a row.

It’s not just the dominance and excellence of these three; their consistency keeps them here over some seriously talented players also considered.

Also Considered: RB Christian McCaffrey, WR Deebo Samuel, QB Brock Purdy, TE George Kittle

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Seattle Seahawks

Kenneth Walker III made a strong push for one of the two offensive spots on this list this season, as he earned the highest offensive grade on the team (83.5). But Geno Smith also earned an 83.5 mark and has put together two years of really solid quarterback play.

Meanwhile, D.K. Metcalf nearly set a career-high receiving grade in 2023 (82.3).

In just his first year in the league, Witherspoon earned the highest overall grade of any Seahawks defender — an 84.1 figure with a 79.7 coverage grade.

Also Considered: RB Kenneth Walker III, EDGE Leonard Williams

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Antoine Winfield Jr. was the star of the show for the Buccaneers in 2023. His 90.7 overall grade, 91.5 run-defense grade, 92.7 pass-rush grade and 84.0 coverage grade were all career highs except for coverage, which was his second-best mark. His 2023 performance was Defensive Player of the Year worthy.

Tristan Wirfs and Mike Evans didn’t post elite grades — 83.6 and 81.8, respectively — but were still two of the team’s top players. As always, Lavonte David remained incredibly impressive in his older age, and he was considered.

Also Considered: LB Lavonte David, WR Chris Godwin, DI Vita Vea

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Tennessee Titans

This was not an easy decision — and not in a good way.

With Derrick Henry no longer on the roster and Jeffery Simmons having a down year by his standards, there weren‘t a ton of obvious picks for this exercise.

Simmons remains one of the most talented and impactful defensive linemen, so he stays, even after earning a 68.4 grade this past season.

DeAndre Hopkins’ 81.7 overall grade was the highest on the offense outside of Henry. And the new man in town, L’Jarius Sneed, was a top cornerback for the Chiefs’ Super Bowl runs and had to slide into one of the three spots, even amid some uncertainty in a new defense.

Also Considered: EDGE Harold Landry III

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Washington Commanders

The only three defensive players to earn a season grade above 70.0 for Washington last year are no longer on the team. On the other side, the top offensive player was Jacoby Brissett, who is also elsewhere. You can see why the organization completely cleaned house.

Quarterback play has held Terry McLaurin back from truly being a consistent star, and even then he passed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the fourth straight season.

Jonathan Allen earned the lowest season grade of his career (60.5), but it was a clear outlier. The last spot goes to one of the Commanders’ many new guys: Frankie Luvu. Luvu is coming off three strong seasons in Carolina, especially as a blitzer.

Also Considered: DI Daron Payne, T Sam Cosmi