NFL Top 100 40-31 revealed: Who's too high and who's too low?

As the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2025 countdown continues, players ranked 40 through 31 have sparked plenty of debate, particularly due to their mix of up-and-coming stars and established veterans. 

• 40. Roquan Smith, LB, Baltimore Ravens
• 39. C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
• 38. Nik Bonitto, LB, Denver Broncos
• 37. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
• 36. Micah Parsons, EDGE, Dallas Cowboys
• 35. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
• 34. Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals
• 33. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
• 32. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
• 31. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

Too high

C.J. Stroud, No. 39
Stroud had a standout year in his rookie season, but due to various issues on the Texans offense, Stroud statistically fell off in 2024. While his decline is mainly due to external issues, his ranking at No. 39 feels a bit high. Other quarterbacks such as Baker Mayfield (50), Justin Herbert (56) and Matthew Stafford (59) all ranked lower than Stroud, despite having much better seasons. 

Travis Kelce, No. 37
The future Hall of Famer is still a brutal cover come game day, but Father Time is truly undefeated. And in the case of Kelce, 2024 was his worst season since 2015. Kelce is still a great tight end, but to still be ranked in the top 40 feels a bit rich. Other tight ends such as Trey McBride (65) are deserving of being in front of Kelce after the 2024 season. 

Nico Collins, No. 32
Collins undoubtedly is one of the best wideouts when healthy, but that's the issue, Collins is consistently injured. In 2024 Collins only suited up for 12 games, and even though he was dominant in those games, a ranking above CeeDee Lamb (35) feels a bit extreme. Collins deserves a spot in the top 50, just not over an elite wideout such as Lamb. 

Too low

Micah Parsons, No. 36
Parsons not being in the top 25 is very shocking given his status as one of the league's best at his position. Despite missing four games, Micah still finished the year with 12 sacks, and he was on pace to have a career year. His lower ranking feels more of a slight due to injury, more than performance on the field. 

CeeDee Lamb, No. 35
Lamb finished eighth in receiving yards in 2024, despite playing for over half the season with backup QB Cooper Rush. Lamb also missed two games last season, and had he played those two games, he likely would’ve ranked top five in total receiving yards. Lamb, like Parsons, also deserves to be much higher on this list. 

George Kittle, No. 31
Kittle has a strong argument to be considered the best tight end in the NFL. What makes the ranking perplexing is that Kittle is coming off one of his best years in his career (78 catches for 1,106 yards and eight TDs), but he somehow fell 17 spots in the rankings. Kittle easily deserves to be ranked in the top 20, among the best in the league.