ESPN has officially released the Top 100 players of the 21st century (so far), and in total 12 players from the NFL made the list. Interestingly, unlike other lists that seem to only look at quarterbacks, there were only four quarterbacks who made the list.
According to ESPN, figuring out the Top 100 players of the 21st century was much deeper than just getting a group of sports analysts and creating the list. According to their site, this how they determined the rankings.
Experts in individual sports were asked to vote to rank the top athletes in their sport since Jan. 1, 2000 (no accomplishments before this date were to be considered). Those votes pared down pools in each sport to lists of 10 to 25 athletes each, which constituted the overall candidate pool for the top athletes of the 21st century so far.
Each voter was presented two randomly selected names and asked to pick which one has had the better career in the 21st century. Across repeated, randomized head-to-head matchups, more than 70,000 votes were cast at this stage, and using an Elo rating system, the list was pared down from 262 to 100. That list was then evaluated by a panel of experts for any inconsistencies or oversights, resulting in the top 100 ranking seen here.
The top three overall athletes were Michael Phelps (Swimming), Venus Williams (Tennis), and Lionel Messi (Soccer).
Tom Brady – New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 5th
There was little debate that Tom Brady would be the top NFL player as he is probably the greatest player of any era; the question was how high he would come up on the list. Coming in fifth feels a bit low if talking to any American fan since many consider it the most important position of any team sport. Still, looking at things from an international perspective makes a lot of sense.
There isn’t a lot of football competition around the world, so being the best in the NFL doesn’t necessarily translate to being the world’s best soccer or tennis player.
Key accomplishments: Seven-time Super Bowl champion, five-time Super Bowl MVP, three-time NFL MVP, two-time AP Offensive POY, 15-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, NFL record for career passing yards/TDs.
Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs – 18th
On the ESPN Top 100 list, five basketball players and four tennis players came in before the next NFL player. Again, this makes sense when you look at things from an international perspective and realize that there is a lot more competition to get to the top in basketball than there is with football.
Patrick Mahomes was listed as the second-highest football player, coming in at 18th. Mahomes is also the highest-rated player who could still realistically move up on the list. The 17 athletes ahead of him have either retired or are in the latter stages of their careers. Mahomes still has a handful of good years ahead of him.
Key accomplishments: Three-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time NFL MVP, two-time First Team All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, Statistically best season ever (2018).
Aaron Donald – LA Rams – 20th
Aaron Donald is the NFL’s first defensive player (and non-quarterback) to make the list. Donald, who may not get the same recognition and media coverage as his quarterback counterparts, is perhaps the most dominant player at his position. Nobody statistically is in the same universe as Aaron Donald, as he is every quarterback’s worst nightmare.
His most dominant season came in 2018 when he accounted for 20.5 sacks.
Key accomplishments: 10-time Pro Bowler, eight-time first-team All-Pro, three-time Defensive POY (tied for most all time), HOF All-2010s Team, 2014 Defensive ROY
Other Players to Make the List
- Peyton Manning (26th)
- Randy Moss (27th)
- Calvin Johnson (57th)
- J.J. Watt (58th)
- Ray Lewis (61st)
- Aaron Rodgers (91st)
- Darrelle Revis (96th)
- Ed Reed (99th)
- Charles Woodson (100th)
