Tag: ESPN Top 100

Three Vikings make ESPN’s top 100 players for 2024 list

ESPN released their top 100 players for 2024, and three Minnesota Vikings make the list, with Justin Jefferson leading the way at 3.

The NFL’s preseason is over, and the regular season is finally approaching. Less than two weeks before the season kicks off, media outlets are getting one last push of content in anticipation of the season. That includes ESPN unveiling their picks for the top 100 players of 2024.

To create their list, ESPN surveyed dozens of in-house NFL experts to obtain their opinions on players for the upcoming season. The criteria were solely focused on projecting the coming season, disregarding past performance.

The Minnesota Vikings have three players on the list for this season. The first player on the list is offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw, who comes in at number 97 for ESPN. In their justification, they point out that Darrisaw’s movement skills are one of his best features as a lineman. He can block in space on screens and quick passes.

His “signature stat” was his run block win rate of 77%, which is the highest on the team. Their only question about Darrisaw—and likely why he isn’t significantly higher on this list—is his injury history. Still, they believe that Darrisaw will be selected for a Pro Bowl and/or All-Pro selection shortly.

Speaking of injuries, the next Viking on the list is tight end T.J. Hockenson, who comes in at number 79. However, Hockenson is likely to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and miss the beginning portion of the season.

Despite that, when Hockenson returns, he will likely be a major part of the Vikings’ offense. His “signature stat” is that he is one of only three tight ends to have 50 or more receptions and 500 or more receiving yards in each of the past four seasons, joining Kansas City Chiefs Travis Kelce and Houston Texans’ Dalton Schultz.

Unsurprisingly, the final Vikings player on ESPN’s Top 100 for 2024 is Justin Jefferson. Jefferson kicks off the top 3 for ESPN’s projection, coming in behind only quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, making Jefferson the highest-rated non-quarterback on the list. Which goes along well with his new contract that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.

Despite playing only 10 games in 2023 due to a lingering hamstring injury, Jefferson still turned in his fourth-straight season over 1,000 yards, despite the quarterback carousel the Vikings experienced after Kirk Cousins’s injury. Jefferson proved last season that it doesn’t matter who throws him the ball; he’s going to produce.

He will have to prove that again this season, as the Vikings are slated to have Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback, who has famously struggled so far in his career. If Darnold struggles again this season, it could be a repeat at the position for Minnesota.

Jefferson’s “signature stat” is his average of nearly 100 yards (98.3) per game over his four seasons, which is the highest mark in NFL history for players with at least 50 career games.

C.J. Stroud dubbed highest Ohio State Football alumni in ESPN top 100

Stroud continues to move on up the respect scale. #GoBucks

The Ohio State Football program has continually produced elite NFL talent. From players like Michael Thomas to, more recently, quarterback C.J. Stroud, the Buckeyes have created a strong pipeline from Columbus to numerous NFL franchises.

Several first-round picks have gone on to be All-Pro-caliber players at the highest level in the sport. That said, ESPN has released its top 100 players entering the 2024 NFL season, and many Buckeyes cracked the list.

C.J. Stroud came in as the top non-Joe Burrow former Ohio State player. Burrow was No. 13, and Stroud was ranked No. 15. Nick Bosa was right after Stroud at No. 16.

“With the added playmakers for Stroud, there’s no reason to think he can’t throw for close to 5,000 yards,” ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime wrote. “Last year, he led the league in passing yards per game (274) among eligible quarterbacks, and now he has All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon to help elevate his game. In camp, there have been some days of struggle, but when he has been on, he has ripped the defense apart.”

Multiple Buckeyes did crack the list with the entire 100 able to be viewed here. Of note, Garrett Wilson, the Jets star receiver, came in at No. 35 on the list.

As for Stroud, he put up a historic rookie season, ending with 4,108 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. With the Texans adding Stefon Diggs late last season, their offense is expected to be more potent this upcoming year.

For other players like Bosa, Wilson, and a slew of other Buckeyes, the hopes are high as the 2024 NFL season is set for kickoff in just over a week.

Where does UNC RB Omarion Hampton rank in ESPN’s Top 100 college football players?

Omarion Hampton isn’t just the best UNC football player, but one of the country’s best. See where he lands on ESPN’s Top 100 current player rankings.

Last season, the North Carolina Tar Heels continued to show the college football world why they have one of the sport’s premier offenses.

The main reason for UNC’s strong offensive production, even in its disappointing losses, was a breakout season from running back Omarion Hampton. North Carolina’s junior back started 2023 on the depth chart behind now-Houston Texan British Brooks, but a career performance against App State in Week 2 all but changed that.

With Drake Maye and Devontez Walker gone to the NFL, Hampton is poised for an even larger role this fall.

In ESPN’s rankings of the current Top 100 college football players – ahead of the 2024 season – Hampton rings in at 27th.

“Hampton came in as a highly touted freshman in 2022, but really emerged as the feature back last year – rushing for 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns, while adding 29 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown – as a Doak Walker Award finalist,” ESPN’s rankings said about Hampton. “His rushing yards total ranks second on the school’s single-season list.”

Hampton, who is now eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft this year, burst onto the scene with a 234-yard, 3-touchdown performance in North Carolina’s double-overtime victory over App State last year. Hampton’s best streak of 2023 spanned from mid-October to mid-November, when he rushed for 100 yards in six consecutive games.

Will Hampton continue to improve and not just be amongst the top 2024 backs in college football, but the best back in college football?

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

3 Minnesota Vikings make ESPN’s top 100 players

Three Vikings made the list with two others left off

A few weeks after NFL Network released their top 100 list, ESPN listed their top 100 players heading into the 2023 NFL season and the Minnesota Vikings have three players on the list.

  • WR Justin Jefferson-2
  • OLB Danielle Hunter-81
  • QB Kirk Cousins-94

Jefferson and Cousins also made the NFL’s top 100 list with the star wide receiver ranking second and the Vikings starting quarterback ranking 42nd.

It should come as no surprise that Jefferson ranked as highly as he did. He is the best non-quarterback in the National Football League and cemented that by winning the Offensive Player of the Year award with 128 receptions for 1,809 yard and seven touchdowns.

Hunter had an excellent season despite what some of the narratives are surrounding him. He had 10.5 sacks and ranked eighth in pressures with 70 on the season.

Despite a small drop statistically, Cousins had his best season as a quarterback. He was aggressive down the field more than he ever had been previously and took the Vikings to a new level offensively.

Not making the list were Harrison Smith, who ranked 97th in the NFL’s top 100 and T.J. Hockenson.

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Two Iowa Hawkeyes make ESPN’s top 100 college football players in 2022

Riley Moss and Jack Campbell are stars in the world of college football, illustrated once more by their inclusion in ESPN’s top 100 players.

Football is back and the Iowa Hawkeyes are looking to yet again turn in another top season under head coach Kirk Ferentz. While it ended in disappointment, last year was still a massive success for the Hawkeyes, finishing No. 23 in the final USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll rankings with a 10-4 record.

A lion’s share of that success can be attributed to Phil Parker’s defense. They were among the nation’s elite in nearly every metric, leading the country in interceptions with 25. The unit returns a ton of talented players and is eager to turn in an even better performance in 2022.

Two Iowa Hawkeyes defenders were featured on Wednesday as ESPN unveiled its list of the top 100 college football players entering 2022. According to ESPN, cornerback Riley Moss enters the season as the nation’s No. 52 player, while linebacker Jack Campbell is rated as the country’s No. 71 player.

Here’s what ESPN’s staff wrote about Moss’ placement at No. 52.

Moss was tied for second on the team with four interceptions last season. He had 39 total tackles and five pass breakups for the Hawkeyes. He’s a senior this season and is positioned to be one of Iowa’s best defenders again in 2022. – ESPN.

Riley Moss was one of the most impactful cornerbacks not only in the Big Ten last year, but in the entire NCAA. He took home the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year as the top defensive back in the Big Ten Conference, and he was also an Associated Press third-team All-American.

Naturally, Moss received first-team All-Big Ten recognition at cornerback as well. Despite the Senior Bowl and NFL calling this past offseason, Moss decided to return to Iowa for one more season to lead a fantastic Hawkeyes unit. Like Campbell, you’ll find Moss’ name on a litany of award watch lists as he tries to put together a final definitive statement season as a Hawkeye.

Meanwhile, ESPN had the following to say about Campbell checking in at No. 71 nationally.

In 2021, Campbell ranked second in the Big Ten with 140 tackles, which were the fifth-most in Iowa history. Five times last season, he had at least 10 tackles. Campbell has been named preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele and is also on the LOTT Impact watch list coming into the 2022 season. – ESPN.

For Campbell, this is his first appearance in the ESPN 100. He is the sixth ranked linebacker, but is the highest ranked from the Big Ten conference. Campbell was a First Team All-Big Ten linebacker in 2021, as was voted a Second Team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America. The Iowa linebacker enters the season on a multitude of award watchlists, his draft stock already starting to rise.

Moss and Campbell will be back on the field Sept. 3 looking to create some magic in 2022 for the season and home opener against the No. 2 ranked team in the FCS ranks in opponent South Dakota State.

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Five Longhorns featured in ESPN’s All-Time Top 100 RBs

Texas has a rich history of excellent running back play.

Before Bijan Robinson became a superstar in the Texas backfield, the Longhorns had a rich history of excellent running back play over the past six decades.

ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked the top 100 running backs in college football from the past 60 seasons. Texas has produced plenty of candidates to be considered for the list.

We see very few running backs getting 25 carries per game, and only three RBs have won the Heisman in the 21st century. The position is evolving, but it’s still a key piece of almost every college football offense. So let’s take a moment to commemorate the best backs we’ve seen.

Of two Heisman winners, four Doak Walker Award winners and multiple All-Americans who have worn the burnt orange over the years, five former standout Longhorn running backs ended up on Connelly’s list.

Texas and USC are the only schools with five former players making the cut.

Here is where each Texas running back ranks in the top 100:

Trae Young comes lands in the top 20 of ESPN’s NBA Top 100

Former Sooners great Trae Young gets chosen as a top 20 player in ESPN’s ranking of the Top 100 NBA Players entering the 2021 season.

We’re smack dab in the middle of football season, but it’s never a bad time to highlight one of the great Sooners of the past in other sports. As ESPN attempts to rank the Top 100 basketball players entering the 2021 season, Trae Young finds himself at number 17 on ESPN’s rankings.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Young, who rose 12 spots from the 2020 version of the list.

One big question: What’s next? Young is one of the most ascendant young stars in the league, but the big questions here are does he have another gear and can he click into it this season? The keys are shooting efficiency and turnovers. Last season, Young made just 34.3% of his 3s (and just 31.3% in the postseason) and was among the league’s leaders in giveaways. If he can improve in those areas, he immediately becomes an MVP candidate for Atlanta. – Kirk Goldsberry, ESPN

Why he rose 12 spots: You might be old enough to remember when people (guilty!) wondered whether Young’s size would limit his playoff value. Instead, Young delivered one of the best postseason debuts in recent memory, leading the Hawks to the conference finals with 28.8 PPG and 9.5 APG and firmly establishing himself as a star. – Kevin Pelton

Trae Young had a tremendous postseason for the Atlanta Hawks, helping them reach the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.

In his first postseason, the former Oklahoma Sooners star averaged 28.8 points per game, 9.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.

Trae Young is one of the best young players in the NBA and his game has only gotten better since entering the league. Heading into his fourth season with the Hawks, he should be one of the favorites for league MVP in the 2021-2022 season.

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Eagles clearly snubbed in an ESPN ranking of the NFL’s top-100 players for 2021

Eagles clearly snubbed in an ESPN ranking of the NFL’s top-100 players

The Eagles are a rebuilding franchise looking to rebound from a 4-11-1 record during the 2020 NFL season.

Even with the disappointing season and new head coach, Philadelphia still has elite talent on the roster, so it was clearly odd that no Eagles’ player landed on ESPN’s top-100 players of 2021 list that was recently revealed.

The Eagles and Jaguars were the only two teams out of 32 in the NFL to have no players appear on the list.

Tim McManus of ESPN Nation explained his role in the snubbing.

Why the Eagles didn’t have a player on ESPN’s 2021 NFL Rank: The Eagles deserve zero accolades, individual or otherwise, coming off last season. Did you watch them play? Their four-win campaign was so bad it ended with the only Super Bowl-winning coach in franchise history, Doug Pederson, getting fired, and one-time franchise quarterback Carson Wentz being shipped out.

The offensive line was so banged up, it set an NFL record with 13 iterations in the first 14 weeks. Eagles’ quarterbacks were sacked 65 times. Their leading wide receiver, Travis Fulgham, finished with 539 yards. The defense managed eight interceptions, the third-worst in the NFL. Do I need to go on? The Eagles were terrible, and it dragged everyone’s individual value down in the voting process.

Whether it’s Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, or Brandon Brooks, when healthy, all five players have a gripe. Last summer, Zach Ertz, TE (No. 48); Fletcher Cox, DT (No. 49); Darius Slay, CB (No. 61) and Johnson, OT (No. 71) all made the cut.

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ESPN ranks Dak Prescott at No. 12, QB among 4 Cowboys in Top 100 players list

A look at a more believable ranking of the best talent in the NFL has 4 Cowboys, all on offense, ranked accordingly. We don’t know what the NFL Network list was, but this one makes more sense for 2021. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys had a down season in 2020, no doubt about it. However, the NFL Network’s top 100 list for 2021, based on its title shouldn’t reflect that. There’s no way on this big blue and green marble that there is only one Cowboys player worthy of being in the top 100 players across the league but that’s the claim, with future Hall of Famer Zack Martin checking in all the way down at No. 85.

The list is embarrassing and a farce and should be dismissed as a recap on 2020 which should’ve been released in March instead of August. ESPN has since produced their own list, which actually reflects rankings of what is anticipated for the coming season, not what happened in 2020, and the Cowboys are fairly represented. Martin is joined by fellow lineman Tyron Smith, wideout Amari Cooper and of course QB Dak Prescott who ranked just outside the top-10 players in the league.

5 Sooners featured on ESPN’s top 100 players entering 2021

With talent across the board, 5 Oklahoma Sooners are featured on ESPN’s top 100 players entering 2021.

The Oklahoma Sooners are one of the most talented teams in college football. After a strong finish to the 2020 season and few, albeit significant, losses from that squad, the Sooners take a deep team with rich talent across the board into the 2021 season.

As it has been since he took the job as offensive coordinator, Lincoln Riley’s offense is loaded with skill position players and an offensive line that should be one of the best in college football this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, Alex Grinch has his most talented unit to work with at every level of the defense.

Today, ESPN released their top 100 players entering the 2021 college football season, and five Oklahoma Sooners were featured.