If anything, the yearly NFL Top 100 list is great for creating arguments.
That's what we're doing here, especially after the league announced the No. 31 overall player, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
Wait, what? No. 31 overall?
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@49ers TE George Kittle comes in at No. 31! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/6a65lhQZRd
— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2025
OK, full disclaimer, being on the NFL Top 100 is an honor no matter what. And one might make the argument there's not a massive difference between No. 31 and No. 81. If you're in that range, you're awfully good at what you do. Period.
That said, Kittle was dropped down 17 spots despite a 2024 campaign that not only saw him record his fourth season of at least 1,000 yards but also move into third on the Niners' all-time receiving yards list, trailing only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens.
At least the writeup for Kittle on the NFL Top 100 list seems to take the 17-spot fall into account, questioning the weirdness of it in spite of Kittle's awesome 2024 campaign:
"Players voting on the Top 100 will never amount to exact science. Case in point? Last season, Kittle posted his most receptions, best PFF offensive grade (92.3) and best PFF receiving grade (92.4) since 2019. He collected his most receiving yards since 2018 and the second-most touchdown catches of his career. As a result, the six-time Pro Bowler promptly dropped 17 spots. Perhaps that's due to San Francisco's down year, but Kittle most certainly did not join the 49ers in the doldrums."
Related story: George Kittle is set to rewrite 49ers history in several ways in 2025
Perhaps the voters looked at San Francisco's woeful 2024 campaign and let that influence them in the All-Pro tight end's placement. And there'll be no shortage of fanbases who are befuddled at where their favorite players landed.
So, aside from just creating discussion/argument points, the NFL Top 100 list isn't much more than just, well... a list.
Kittle should have been in the top 20 at least, though.