The NFL will reveal the 2024 iteration of its annual "Top 100 Players" list beginning on July 22. As per usual, drastic change is expected with several ascending talents expected to make their debut appearance on the often-controversial selections.
With the initial release less than two weeks away, we've identified five players who deserve to be featured for the first time.
BROCK PURDY, QB, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Brock Purdy failed to make the 2023 list despite achieving history in 2022. After taking over at quarterback following injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, Purdy led the 49ers to a perfect 6-0 record to conclude the regular season before ushering them to two postseason victories. His dreamlike season ended with an injury in a NFC Championship Game defeat.
The NFL wanted to see more in 2023 before placing him among the 100 best players, and Purdy delivered.
Purdy proved that 2022 was no one-off. The former "Mr. Irrelevant" finished fifth in the league in passing yards with 4,280. The 49ers captured 12 victories and advanced to Super Bowl LVIII, dropping a nailbiter to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. Purdy is going to place incredibly high on this list.
KYREN WILLIAMS, RB, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Kyren Williams exploded for the Rams this past season. The former Notre Dame standout rushed for a third-best 1,144 yards as the Rams fielded the NFL's 11th-best rushing attack. The only players who rushed for more yards than Williams in 2023 were Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey, who placed 25th and 35th on last year's top 100 list.
Williams is going to make his top-100 debut, and there's a strong argument to be made that he should place within the top 75.
C.J. STROUD, QB, HOUSTON TEXANS
The question isn't whether Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud will feature or not, but rather how high he will place. The historic rookie signal-caller shattered several franchise rookie records en route to being named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Stroud became just the fifth quarterback in history to surpass 4,000 passing yards as a rookie.
Stroud led the entire NFL in passing yards per game (273.9)—he could have topped all quarterbacks in passing yards had he not missed two games with injury. Stroud concluded his memorable season with 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns, highlighted by a historic 470-yard performance versus the Buccaneers in Week 9.
Don’t be shocked if he’s ranked in or near the top 25.
PUKA NACUA, WR, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Stroud wasn't the only rookie who guaranteed himself a spot on this list by achieving history. Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua was a complete revelation in 2023. The fifth-round playmaker recorded 105 receptions for 1,486 yards, shattering the single-season receiving yards record of 1,473 previously set by Bill Groman in 1960 (!).
Nacua's 105 catches also set the single-season rookie record for receptions, previously set by Jaylen Waddle in 2021. He was named to the Pro Bowl and labeled a second-team All-Pro selection as a result. Very few receivers should place ahead of Nacua.
JOSH HINES-ALLEN, EDGE, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Surprisingly, Jacksonville EDGE Josh Hines-Allen has never featured on this list. He recorded 10.5 sacks as a rookie in 2019 and remained consistent in 2021 and 2022 with 7.5 and 7.0 sacks (his sophomore 2020 season was derailed by injury). Hines-Allen's argument was significantly strengthened this past season and he'll no longer be denied.
Hines-Allen completely broke out of his shell by totaling a career-high 17.5 sacks. Former NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt was the only pass rusher in the league to record more quarterback takedowns. The Jaguars signed Hines-Allen to a five-year extension worth $150 million earlier this offseason.
