Ranking the NFL’s 10 Best Players of 2025

Tennessee was one of the worst teams of the season. With heavy attrition in their core of defensive backs paired with uninspired coaching, opposing offenses barely broke a sweat when heading down to Nashville. However, when the defense did put an end to a drive, it was all thanks to one man, Jeffery Simmons. Simmons was the sole heartbeat on the Titans roster. He racked up 12 sacks, 42 hurries, 42 stops and 3 forced fumbles, all of which ranked him first among his peers at DT. Simultaneously, he finished second at his position in total pressures with 64. If Robert Saleh is able to field a serviceable supporting cast around him, Simmons is a dark horse to end up as the Defensive MVP next year.

9: Kyle Hamilton

Baltimore’s star safety finished his 2025 campaign with 105 tackles, 1 sack, 7 TFLs, 9 passes defensed and 11 pressures. There’s no one stat that Kyle Hamilton spearheads. However, it’s the combination of the diverse statistical numbers he puts up that highlights his value to Baltimore. In sixteen games, Hamilton played 200+ snaps at high safety, 250+ snaps in the slot, 200+ snaps at outside linebacker, 130+ snaps as an edge rusher, 50+ snaps at middle linebacker, 35+ snaps at defensive tackle and 30+ snaps at outside cornerback. Regardless of the role he plays, he carries his own weight. Hamilton’s one of the most versatile players in the entire game, and he’s the backbone of the Ravens defense.

8: Dak Prescott

With a young and powerful offensive line, two true alpha receivers along with effective TEs and RBs, Dak Prescott commanded the firepower in Dallas to a highly efficient degree. Prescott’s unit was the NFL’s second best offense, posting 6,663 total yards, with 4,527 of those coming through the air. He also scored 30 TDs and had to compensate for a bottom two defense which constantly put the pressure on him and the offense to perform miracles in order to secure a win. Had the team as a whole played even half as good as he did, Prescott would’ve been a front-runner for MVP.

7: Bijan Robinson

Whether it’s in the pass game or on the ground, Bijan Robinson will knock it out of the park. Robinson concluded his season with career-high numbers for the third consecutive year. This time, he nearly doubled his receiving totals from the previous season, catching 79 passes for a staggering 820 yards, ending up as 2025’s leader in total scrimmage yards. He was unstoppable, powering through tacklers and ranking second among all RBs in yards after contact while also escaping that contact with a number of 115 tackles evaded.

6: Joe Thuney

A major catalyst for the strides Ben Johnson found in his rookie year as Chicago’s head coach was the reshuffling he did of the offensive line. No piece on that line was more important than Joe Thuney, who became the NFL’s first ever Protector of the Year award winner. Thuney was given a heavy workload, ranking first among his position in snaps played. At 33 years old, he handled it like a pro, and played at an elite level in both the run and the pass. According to ESPN, he was second in IOL pass-block win-rate, and third in IOL run-block win-rate, being the only man in the top three for both categories. Additionally, he logged not only just 15 pressures allowed, he didn’t let opposing rushers get to his QB a single time, putting up a goose egg in sacks allowed.

5: Puka Nacua

Nacua’s rise is showing no signs of stopping, and 2025 was his best season yet. The physical receiver paired up with Davante Adams and was able to put up consistent high yardage totals against the toughest of opponents. He ended his year ranking first in yards after catch, yards per-route-run (among receivers with at least 100 routes run) and second in total yards. Though he caused the Rams a lot of off-field headaches this season, there’s no doubt that they’d look entirely different without his services.

4: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

One of the most important pieces on the Seahawks roster for their Super Bowl run is their star wideout, who’s bloomed into an Offensive Player of the Year award winner. Thanks to newfound chemistry with Sam Darnold, Smith-Njigba recorded 1793 receiving yards and 10 TDs. His route-running was top-tier, and he excelled no matter where he was on the field. What makes his season especially impressive is that he played this well despite a limited amount of opportunities. Klint Kubiak’s offense ended the year ranking 30th in pass play percentage, meaning his number one receiver led the league in yardage without being anything resembling a pass-heavy team.

3: Will Anderson Jr.

Leading this year’s best defense in terms of total yardage allowed and negative EPA per-play is Will Anderson Jr. Anderson has slowly molded into one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL. He’s quick, powerful and elite in all facets of the game. Though he ranked 27th among all edges in snap count, he still logged 93 pressures, 70 hurries and 13 sacks. Additionally, he totaled 20 TFLs and 33 stops. Yes, Houston’s defense is filled to the brim with killers, debatably making Anderson’s job easier. However, he’s the leader of the pack, and perhaps the biggest cog in the machine that is the Texans defensive unit.

2: Matthew Stafford

MVP award winner Matthew Stafford decided to have the best season of his career and likely guaranteed his spot in canton. Stafford helped Sean McVay’s offense finish as the highest scoring and best passing unit in the sport. With Davante Adams and Puka Nacua as his primary targets, he threw for a league-leading 4707 yards and 46 TDs. What’s particularly impressive is that he accumulated those stats despite facing some of the best defenses the game could offer. Houston’s ferocious “Swarm” only held him to 245 yards and a completion percentage of 72.4. Furthermore, in three games against the Seahawks, he amassed 961 passing yards, 8 passing TDs and no interceptions.

1: Myles Garrett

The newest record-holder for the NFL’s single-season sack title added another defensive MVP to his resume. Garrett is the perfect mixture of football IQ and alien athleticism. The way his body twists and turns to bring the QB down looks simply unnatural, and his attributes translate to on-field success. Along with the record-breaking 23 sacks, he also logged a league-leading 33 TFLs and league-high PFF EDGE grade of 92.7. On the topic of those 23 sacks, a further display of Garrett’s dominance is the fact that he surpassed the previous record in significantly less snaps than the prior holders. Michael Strahan reset the record through 567 snaps in 2002, TJ Watt matched that number in 2022 with 616 snaps. Meanwhile, what was Myles Garrett’s snap total? 437. He’s an all-time great, and is this year’s best player in the league.