ClutchPoints
NFL training camp is kicking off, and that means the regular season is just around the corner. The Kansas City Chiefs were finally dethroned as champions by the Philadelphia Eagles, but there is tons of talent even outside of those two cities. So who are the 50 best NFL players for the 2025 season?
Travis Kelce was still viewed as the best tight end in football heading into last year. A down season has led to him being supplanted in that regard and forces him down the Top 50 NFL player rankings this year. Even so, don’t count out a return to form in what could be Kelce’s last season before retirement.
He is arguably the best tight end of all time, and the Kansas City Chiefs will, as always, compete for the Super Bowl. Kelce has 1,004 career receptions for 12,151 yards and 77 touchdowns. He will be 36 years old next season, though, and his 823 yards and three touchdowns in 2024 were the lowest of his career since his rookie season when he only played one game.
Fans have almost undervalued Kelce’s 2024 performance, though. He still had 97 catches and helped the Chiefs to their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons. The Chiefs’ receiving corps will be healthier, though, so he might not have to carry as big a burden this year. However, a suspension could be forthcoming for Rashee Rice.
The Denver Broncos were revitalized and made the postseason last season for the first time since they won Super Bowl 50. Quarterback Bo Nix’s big rookie year played a part in that, but it was still their elite defense that led the way.
Nik Bonitto uses speed to get after the quarterback, and it resulted in 13.5 sacks. He also had an affinity for making highlight plays last season. Bonitto had a 70-yard pick-six and a 50-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
The Broncos’ defense was full of unheralded and underappreciated studs. In addition to Bonitto, Zach Allen doesn’t get the credit that he deserves. Allen was dominant in both run support and when pressuring the quarterback. He has a great motor and earned Second Team All-Pro honors last season.
Baker Mayfield – after looking like a fringe draft bust after being selected first overall in 2018 – has been too dominant since becoming a Tampa Bay Buccaneer not to rank among the best players in the NFL. Mayfield played for three teams before landing in Tampa Bay, but he has made the Pro Bowl in each of his two seasons with the Buccaneers.
Mayfield threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023, and he blew those numbers out of the water with 4,500 yards and 41 scores last season. The swagger and competitiveness that got him drafted first overall are translating to...
