BY JACK WHITE

Every year, ESPN surveys coaches, executives, and scouts in the NFL to determine a list of the top ten players at each position. Typically, the lists that receive the most controversy are the quarterback and receiver rankings, and this year was no different. So today, I thought I would rerank the top ten QBs and WRs in the NFL in an effort to effectively demonstrate who I believe are actually the top players in each category. Hopefully, I stir up less controversy in the process.

QB

1.  Josh Allen (ESPN rank: 1)

ESPN and I both agree on the top two spots in this list, starting with Allen. Although his turnover prone tendencies returned in the divisional round game against Denver, he has cut the turnovers down tremendously after averaging 20+ in his first four seasons. Not to mention, he has had to elevate the play of lackluster skill position players around him since the departure of Stefon Diggs, which he has done arguably better than anyone in the league.

2.  Patrick Mahomes (ESPN rank: 2)

Despite a downward trend in his production the last three seasons, this is still a three-time Super Bowl champ and two-time MVP. While it can be admitted that he has become sloppier with his play, it doesn’t help when his run game is nonexistent, his offensive line couldn’t block a Tonka Truck, and his WRs seem to spend more time in jail than at practice.

3.  Joe Burrow (ESPN rank: 4)

The best pocket passer in the NFL, Burrow has been the main reason why the Bengals remain playoff contenders when he is healthy. Besides Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals are decidedly below average at every other position, especially on defense. This can be seen in a year like last year, when Burrow was out for most of the season and the team went 1-8 without him.

4.  Lamar Jackson (ESPN rank: 5)

At his peak, there is not a singular football player on the planet better than Lamar Jackson. His elite pocket passing combined with his escapability make him the hardest quarterback to stop. I am a little bit concerned with the downturn of his rushing stats the last two years, as that is a key part of his game that makes the Ravens offense one of the best in the league. Even as just a passer, however, he is good enough to crack the top 5 (see: 41 TDs and 4 INTs in 2024).

5.  Matthew Stafford (ESPN rank: 3)

Coming off a career best MVP season in which he threw for 46 TDs and only four INTs, it is understandable why he was ranked at number three in ESPN’s edition of this tier list. However, it is impossible to ignore that Stafford is 38 years old and not getting any younger. So while I do expect him to have another great season, with the four QBs ahead of him getting back to full health (besides Mahomes), I couldn’t put Stafford ahead of any of the elite (and much younger!) faces of the league.

6.  Drake Maye (ESPN rank: 8)

How about this for a face of the league? Maye burst onto the scene in 2025 with leading the comeback of the New England Patriots, who finished 14-3 and made it to the Super Bowl. While his postseason play wasn’t nearly that of his regular season play, it is easy to forget that Maye went toe-to-toe in MVP voting with Matthew Stafford and finished with the best QBR in the league (77.1). Now loading up with AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs, Maye will have to address the “schedule merchant” allegations as he deals with one of the hardest schedules in the NFL in 2026.

7.  Justin Herbert (ESPN rank: 7)

An undeniable talent, Herbert has put up gaudy regular season numbers since entering the league in 2020. However, his postseason results have been nothing short of disastrous, with him owning an 0-3 record that includes a 27-0 collapse to Jacksonville in 2022 and a 14/32, four INT game against the Texans in 2024. He will have to turn around his playoff performance if he has any hope of climbing this ladder.

8.  Caleb Williams (ESPN rank: 10)

Honestly, I don’t even care about his stats. Just turn on his YouTube highlights, watch his numerous comebacks that included gravity-defying throws time and time again, and tell me that there are ten quarterbacks better than him. Honestly, it would be hard to name five. Yes, the completion percentage needs to get better, but I have full confidence in Ben Johnson to help Caleb mature as a passer.

9.  Sam Darnold (ESPN rank: unranked)

How can you not include the reigning Super Bowl champ QB in this list? Everyone wrote Sam Darnold off after his unceremonious exit from New York, and then spent a few years as a journeyman backup around the league. However, something clicked in Minnesota in 2024, as he went 14-3 as a starter and threw for 35 TDs with 12 INTs. He followed that comeback season up with a playoff performance for the ages in 2025, as he outdueled the top two MVP finishers enroute to winning Seattle its first Super Bowl in 11 years. 

10.  Dak Prescott (ESPN rank: 6)

However much we want to clown on the Cowboys, we have to give Dak his props at some point. Coming off his fourth career season with 30+ TD passes and finishing 5th in QBR at 70.2, the Cowboys’ high octane passing game would not be the same without Dak’s gunslinging abilities. However, he will have to win a playoff game if he wants to place any higher on this list.

WR

1.  Ja’Marr Chase (ESPN rank: 1)

It could have been him or his former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson at number one, but Chase’s consistent production even with a revolving door at QB when Burrow is out shows how undeniable his ability is.

2.  Jaxon Smith-Njigba (ESPN rank: 3)

For a while, it looked like JSN was on pace to break Megatron’s legendary receiving yards in a season record. While he ultimately fell short, his route running and shiftiness allowed him to account for 44% of his team’s receiving yards en route to a Super Bowl victory. For someone who lacks top-end speed and size, it’s truly incredible how he is able to create separation and YAC to the degree he does.

3.  Justin Jefferson (ESPN rank: 2)

Jefferson took the league by storm when he entered the league in 2020, going on to set the record for the most receiving yards during a player’s first five seasons. His production tapered off a little bit last year with “Nine” as his QB, but his pedigree of clutch catches and production keeps him in the top three.

4.  Puka Nacua (ESPN rank: 4)

The immediate runner up to JSN in receiving yards this past season, Nacua is the epitome of the guy you game plan but can never stop. His route running and acceleration allows him to create separation with ease, and he has some of the best hands in the NFL as well; 129 receptions and 1,715 yards is just absurd production.

5.  Ceedee Lamb (ESPN rank: 5)

Starting the year off with an ankle injury, Lamb was never the same and finished with the worst statistical season since his rookie year. However, this is still a guy who is somehow open on every play and went for 1750 yards and 12 TDs on 135 receptions just two years ago. I anticipate he will have a massive bounce-back year, as he is still in the middle of his prime at age 27.

6.  Amon-Ra St. Brown (ESPN rank: 5)

While certainly not flashy, St. Brown has made a name for himself by creating separation and YAC better than almost anyone in the league. He is one of the keystones of the high-powered Lions offense that has been tearing up the league the last 4 years (except for this past year). He just completed his third consecutive 1000-yard, 10 TD season, needing one more to tie Megatron’s record.   

7.  AJ Brown (ESPN rank: 9)

Coming off a down year in which DeVonta Smith surpassed him in production, it was widely assumed that Brown would wish to find a new home in the offseason. And that he did, teaming up with Drake Maye and the Patriots as they look to follow up a phenomenal campaign. While it is true that Brown did not play well for a good bit of last season, he still showed flashes of why he is the most physical receiver in the NFL, most notably with a 12 catch, 132-yard, two TD performance against the Bears.

8.  Tee Higgins (ESPN rank: unranked)

It was quite surprising to see Higgins not garner any buzz for a spot in the top 10. Although his production won’t blow anyone out of the water, as he has just two seasons with 1,000 receiving yards, he has in my opinion the best hands in the NFL. Time and time again, he will make ridiculous touchdown catches and highlight reel plays. To me, his production has been hindered with the amount of targets that Chase sees (and for good reason), but Higgins would be a WR1 on over half of all the other teams in the league. If you’re still not convinced, go on YouTube and watch his highlights, and report back. He is the absolute TRUTH.

9.  George Pickens (ESPN rank: 7)

Coming off a trade from Pittsburgh in which he was essentially dumped for character issues, it was fair to question whether Pickens was a good pickup for Dallas. However, with Ceedee Lamb missing multiple games due to injury, Pickens stepped up to have career bests across the board with 93 catches, 1,400 yards, and nine TDs. He showed a consistent ability to make extremely difficult catches and get behind the defense, leading a Dallas offense that averaged 27.7 PPG.

10.  Drake London (ESPN rank: unranked)

How did Drake London go unranked? Coming off a 1200 yard, 9 TD effort in 2024, London suffered from middling QB play and a lingering knee injury that limited him to 12 games and plenty of missed throws. Despite that, he went off for 19 catches, 276 yards, and four TDS against the Patriots and Bills, two of the NFL’s best teams a season ago. Unfortunately, the future doesn’t look very bright, because both QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. were some of the league’s worst last year.