• Jalen Carter kicks off numbers 41-50: A dynamic rookie season propels the Eagles’ interior defender into the top 50 ahead of the 2024 campaign.
• Two 49ers receivers complete the list: Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel sit at No. 49 and No. 50, respectively, as San Francisco’s elite offensive weapons.
• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF’s Fantasy Football Draft Simulator to create real, live draft simulations to prepare for your live draft!
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The 2024 PFF50 showcases the league’s elite talent, highlighting the NFL’s top 50 players. These rankings will be based on a combination of past performance, future potential and overall impact on the game.
At its core, PFF is a player evaluation company that quantifies hundreds of data points about any given game in an effort to identify the best players and use that information to create insights that can’t be found anywhere else.
This is a list of the top 50 players in the NFL heading into the 2024 season. No single number or rating dictates this list, but the rating – as well as PFF’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric — was used as a base while leaning towards the most recent season.
Editor’s Note: The PFF50 will be released throughout the week, starting with numbers 41-50 on Monday, July 15. The top 10 players will be released on Friday, July 19.
41. Independent Investigator Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles
During the first weeks of the 2023 season, his beginner season – Jalen Carter ranked and produced like a future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Donald. That level may have been unsustainable, but despite that, he finished his first season with an 89.0 PFF grade, ranking fifth in the NFL. Carter has the talent to be at the top of that list. Only players like Donald have shown that kind of instant impact at the position in the last decade.
Read more: 2024 NFL Defensive Line Rankings
42. CB Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Jaylon Johnson Johnson had a career year in 2023 and was arguably the best cornerback in the game. His 91.0 PFF coverage grade was the best in football, and he allowed just a 33.3 passer rating in coverage — a number lower than opposing quarterbacks could have achieved 50 times over. The Bears brought him back on a contract extension for 2024 and beyond, so Johnson is now tasked with repeating that level of play.
43. Private Investigator Derrick Brown, Carolina Panthers
Derrick Brown Brown is as good as they come when it comes to defending the run from the inside, but he also brings a real presence on the rush. In each of the last two seasons, he has recorded at least 40 quarterback pressures and a 77.9 PFF rushing grade, even though he pushes the pocket more than he generates sacks. Brown is a problem for opposing offenses to deal with.
44. T Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans
One of the best pass-protecting left tackles in the game, Laremy’s tussil earned the second-highest PFF pass-blocking grade among offensive tackles in 2023, behind only future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith. Tunsil can protect his quarterback with the best, but his run blocking isn’t on par with the other top tackles in the game, which explains the gap between him and some others at the position in these rankings.
45. LB Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints
At 35 years old, Demario Davis just continues to play high-level football as a linebacker for the Saints. Last season, he posted an 89.6 overall PFF grade, his best mark since 2019, racking up 48 defensive stops and missing just 11 tackles. He allowed an 89.3 passer rating when targeted in coverage, about 15 points below average at the position.
46. TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
While injuries have derailed part of his 2023 campaign, Marc Andrews Andrews played in 10 regular-season games with the Ravens and showed what kind of weapon he is in this offense. Passes thrown his way generated a 135.7 passer rating, the highest of any player at any position with 50-plus targets to his name. Andrews is a high-level player, and a healthy 2024 season will remind people of that.
47. C Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions
the one in Detroit Frank Ragnow is about as good as possible in the central positiondespite battling injuries at times for the Lions. He has allowed just one sack in each of the last two seasons, earning a 90.1 PFF run-blocking grade in 2023 en route to recording the highest overall grade at the position (88.1).
48. S Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins
Jevon Hollande is a dynamic and versatile defender at the heart of Miami’s defense. He missed some time in 2023, but he earned a 90.4 overall PFF grade on over 700 snaps and was one of the best coverage defenders in the game at any position. Holland can line up anywhere on the defense and is an exceptionally good tackler. He should anchor a defensive secondary that still looks like it could be one of the best in the league, at least on paper, heading into 2024.
Read more: Top 32 safeties ahead of 2024 NFL season
49. WR Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk doesn’t get the same volume of targets as other elite receivers, but that’s because there are so many mouths to feed in Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense. Aiyuk is one of the most efficient receivers in football on the targets he gets. Tyreek Hill He earned a higher PFF grade among wideouts than Aiyuk last season, and he averaged 3.01 yards per route run, giving up just two of 101 targets sent his way.
50. WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Deebo Samuel Samuel is a unique offensive weapon for the 49ers. He’s a very good receiver, but his ability to move around the backfield and carry the ball like a running back — and a very good one at that — is what makes him special. With 80 fewer targets than Tyreek Hill, Samuel forced just one fewer missed tackle as a receiver, and he added 19 more as a rusher. Samuel’s impact on San Francisco’s offense is evident when he’s not in uniform. He’s an elite force, even if his true position is hard to pin down.