NFL Rookies

NFL All-Rookie team 2024/25:

We’re taking a small break from the NFL playoffs to spotlight the players with the best debut seasons. As always, I constructed a full 11-player lineup on both offense (11 personnel) and defense (nickel personnel), along with four special teamers (kicker, punter, return specialist, and core team player). I also added six key substitutes/backups for the first two units.

Overall, I’d say this is one of the strongest rookie classes we’ve had in recent memory, with six names who at worst should be on the fringe of Pro Bowl nomination and a handful of names who didn’t even quite make the cut who I’d already label as average starters. So this wasn’t an easy exercise, although several guys were no-doubters based on how bright they were able to shine straight away. And just for clarity purposes, I only took the regular season into account.

Let’s meet the squad:


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NFL Power Rankings, Power Rankings

Power Rankings after the first quarter of the 2024 NFL season:

We’re a month into the NFL season and as always for me, this is the first time to take the temperature of the league, stacking up all 32 teams against one another. Records are obviously the biggest indicator, but especially with how the early season has played out, I think there’s quite a significant discrepancy between the quality of team and the first number next to their name in several cases.

Whenever I post any list like this, I like to remind people that these are power “rankings” rather than standings – anybody can simply look those up themselves and I did add records next to each squad. However, you will see groups with slightly worse records placed above others, who may have benefitted from a weaker schedule so far or just weren’t as impressive to me in the way they were able to emerge victorious. The same is true for one side outranking another, who they might’ve lost to already, since this is intended to be a placement based on how many sides everybody should be favored against at this moment, rather than one specific matchup.

Let’s get to it:


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NFL games, NFL Weekly Recap

Three takeaways from each week one NFL game (2024):

Week one of the 2024 NFL season is in the books and before we even kicked off on Sunday, there was a lot going on, with last-minute contracts being finalized, star players getting handcuffed and more. For now, we‘ll focus on what we saw across the actual matchups however.

You‘re going to hear a bunch of overreactions based on what we saw in these opening games and especially with so many star players not taking part in preseason at all, there‘s a good chance many of them look very different the next time they step on the field. Nevertheless, there‘s a lot to take away for now, as we get our first look at new schemes, rookies, regrouped units, etc.

I‘m going to outline three takeaways for all 16 games based on watching the broadcasts and/or tape afterwards. So obviously these are rather subjective in terms of on what stood out to me, but I’ll try to encapsulate what matters most for individual players and teams here.

Let’s dive in:


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NFL Predictions

Predicting the entire 2024 NFL season:

We’re less than a week away from the NFL season being kicked off with an AFC Championship game rematch, where this time around it’s the Ravens travelling to Kansas City, as the Chiefs begin their quest to becoming first team to ever win three titles in a row.

So it’s time for me to once again put all of my predictions out there in the ether – all the major awards, playoff seedings and who I have facing each other in Super Bowl LIX. I will outline my top three finalists for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and such, along with a few honorable mentions at the end. To determine the playoff picture, I went through all 272 individual matchups, taking into account important circumstances, such as rest (dis)advantages, how games fit within those schedule and of course personnel clashes.

I have added the full Excel file with every single team’s weekly result and final record at the very bottom, if you’re interested!


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Storylines around the NFL

Most pivotal figures heading into the 2024 NFL season:

With the NFL season just around the corner, instead of bringing up storylines and figures about dominating conversations on TV already, I wanted to discuss a few names that maybe we don’t fully understand who they are or how big a factor they may be in a new role/place, but have the potential to define the landscape of the league.

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Fantasy Football

Fantasy diamonds for 2024:

We’re just three weeks away from kicking off the 2024 NFL season and many of you are currently preparing for your fantasy drafts. So here’s my annual video on players you should be targeting, specifically in later rounds and deeper leagues!

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NFL Predictions

NFL teams most likely to go from worst to first in 2024:

Going through all eight NFL divisions, I ranked the teams who finished last across those last season by likelihood of going first in 2024! Let me know who you think will make a jump!

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NFL Top 100, Player Rankings

My NFL top 100 players of 2024:

It’s that time of the year again. Players across the NFL have voted for their peers and created a list of the top 100 among those – and so did I. As always, I have to mention the fundamental issue with how the official list is put together, considering each participant only lists their first 20 names, which encourages some biases for teammates. Players at the end of the ranking would otherwise not make the cut.

Once again, this list is about the 100 best players in the league, regardless of position, heading into 2024 – not judging their play last season exclusively but also not turning this into an actual projection exercise. Some of them are easier to measure and there is probably some inclination towards those who affect the game significantly through multiple avenues. However, you will only find 11 quarterbacks among these names. And specifically on that topic, I tried to isolate the player from the situation, which is why some MVP candidates may not have made their way onto the list, even if their numbers would suggest that they should be.

Please note that players like Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Nick Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Dre Greenlaw were not eligible in this discussion, considering we don’t fully know their availability and effectiveness for this upcoming season. I also didn’t feel comfortable ranking Cooper Kupp or Nick Bolton, who each played about half a season in 2023, but once again I’m not quite sure where they stand health-wise.

Here it is:

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NFL Film Breakdowns, Storylines around the NFL

Should the Jaguars have paid Trevor Lawrence 275 million dollars?

Contracts for quarterbacks across the NFL was balooned over the last decade plus. Trevor Lawrence striking a five-year, 275-million-dollar contract recently became a big topic for discussion.

I want to break down if the player is worth that money based on his tape, if the Jaguars are currently setting him up for success with the infrastracture around him and if the deal actually could end up being advantageous for the franchise down the road!

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NFL Offseason, Storylines around the NFL

Second- and third-year breakout candidates for the 2024 NFL season – Offense edition:

We’ve been heavily focused on video and podcast formats recently. So now it was time to get back to writing about players and delivering detailed evaluations/outlooks for one of my favorite pieces of the offseason. Split up into offense and then defense next week, we’re looking at some young players across the league I expect to make a leap in 2024.

For the purposes of this exercise, considering it’s tough to set the guidelines for what counts as an actual “breakout”. Therefore, I relied mostly on statistical metrics that exclude players from this category – no 1000-yard rushers or receivers, players that have scored double-digit touchdowns, earned a Pro Bowl/All-Pro nominations or are just generally considered one of the better performers at their respective positions. Also, I generally stayed away from players who have barely seen action in the pros yet.

Also, in order to not repeat myself, I won’t mention names like Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann (who has established himself as an average starter I’d say) and Broncos tight-end Greg Dulcich (who missed pretty much all of 2023), since they made the list last year.

Let’s begin:


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