Biggest risers, fallers in Prisco’s Top 100 list for 2024: Lions stars move up most; Derrick Henry plunges

As he always does this time of year, CBS Sports senior writer Pete Prisco released his list of the 100 best NFL players. Once again, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes tops the list. This is not surprising at all.

There are some surprises there, even if they aren’t in the top 10. And since Prisco does this every year, we can also compare this season’s roster for 2023with the aim of highlighting the biggest risers and fallers from one year to the next, as well as the highest-rated players who were new additions this season and the highest-rated players who left the list entirely.

First, the top 10 risers and top 10 decliners between 2023 and 2024 on Prisco’s Top 100 list.

After a bounce-back season during which he more than doubled his sack total, Hendrickson made the biggest jump of any player in the Top 100 in 2023 and 2024. This was his third double-digit sack campaign in the last four years. . . Each of the Lions’ stars was paid very well this offseason, reflecting their high-level performance during the first three years of their careers. Sewell has emerged as one of the best tackles in the NFL regardless of which side he plays, while St. Brown is perhaps the best slot receiver in the league.

Smith made his fourth consecutive appearance on the All-Pro team in 2023, which marked his second appearance on the First Team. Since arriving in Baltimore, he has taken his game to another level. Lindstrom is in the prime of his career and is universally considered one of the best guards in the game. He made back-to-back Pro Bowls and All-Pro Second Teams. Mailata is one of the NFL’s most surprising elite tackles, but that’s exactly what he’s grown into. He and Lane Johnson will now be counted on to hold the line without Jason Kelce.

Crosby is apparently getting better and better. Three consecutive Pro Bowls, two All-Pro teams, leading the league in tackles for loss in consecutive seasons, a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2023… and he plays basically every snap. Lamb led the NFL in receptions last season and has now increased his totals in receptions, yards and touchdowns in every season he has been in the league. The progression from solid rookie to Pro Bowler, to Second Team All-Pro, to First-Teamer and third place in Offensive Player of the Year voting has been remarkable.

Brown is one of the best defenders in the NFL, a gigantic man at 6-5 and 320 pounds. He doesn’t have huge numbers, but that’s by virtue of his role. Wirfs moving from the right side of the line to the left and somehow managing to improve it was incredible, and he deservedly moved up the list.

Some of the biggest declines fell largely due to age. That’s the case with Martin, Henry, Johnson and David, for sure. You could argue the same applies to Ramsey, although he had a bad year by his standards. Simmons missed some time and fell back along with the rest of the Tennessee defense, Alexander only played seven games, Fitzpatrick played 10, Lawrence stabilized in Year 2 under Doug Pederson, and Burns wasn’t as effective at rushing the passer as he was the year before. .

Below we will detail which players made the list this year and which ones dropped out.

So we have our new entries in the list. Unsurprisingly, most of these players are on the younger side. Allen is 26, McDuffie is 23, Winfield is 25, Johnson is 25, Hamilton is 23, Stroud is 22, Aiyuk is 26, Madubuike is 26. Even Bates is 27. And veteran Hunter (29) is still under 30. Each of these players is coming off a season in which they made the Pro Bowl, one of the two All-Pro teams, or both.

On the other hand, Prisco’s list of players who left the Top 100 includes two players who retired, Donald and Kelce. Diggs just turned 30, Kupp is 31 and coming off an injury-plagued season, Chubb is 28 and coming off an absolutely serious injury, Heyward and Miller are 35 each. Even Taylor missed a lot of time last season due to an injury/contract dispute. The only players who seemingly fell out solely for performance reasons were Thomas and James.