The Detroit Lions took a huge leap last year to reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time in over 30 years. What is the number of Lions ranked in the Pro Football Network’s NFL Top 100 list?
Is Justin Jefferson the top-ranked wide receiver, and did Jordan Love land ahead of Aaron Rodgers on the list?
NFC North Players in PFN’s NFL Top 100
1) Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (6th overall)
Although he missed seven games with a hamstring injury, Justin Jefferson still finished the 2023 campaign with 1,074 receiving yards. He’s posted more receiving yards (5,899) through his first four NFL seasons than any player in league history. Jefferson is the all-time leader in receiving yards per game (98.3) and is 12+ yards per game ahead of second-place Calvin Johnson.
Jefferson won Offensive Player of the Year in 2022 after leading the league with 128 catches and 1,809 yards and is now the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback after inking a $35 million per year extension in June.
2) Penei Sewell, OT, Detroit Lions (15th overall)
The Detroit Lions boast one of the NFL’s most impressive offensive lines; Penei Sewell is the star of the unit and the best right tackle in the league entering the 2024 campaign.
The former No. 7 overall pick routinely shuts down opposing pass rushers with his size, strength, and technique, but Sewell is also more than athletic enough to make inconceivable run blocks in space.
3) Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Detroit Lions (22nd overall)
Aidan Hutchinson’s sack production only increased from 9.5 to 11.5 from 2022 to 2023, but his underlying metrics made a much more significant leap. The ex-No. 2 overall pick more than doubled his QB hits (from 15 to 33); he went from 53 pressures in his rookie campaign to 101 last year.
Triple-digit pressure totals are rarified air. Future Hall of Famers like Donald and J.J. Watt hit that mark, while Crosby and Parsons reached 100+ pressures after the NFL added a 17th game in 2021.
4) Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions (24th overall)
While the Lions don’t necessarily have a prototypical WR1 on their roster, Amon-Ra St. Brown more than fills the role.
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A genuine draft steal as a fourth-round selection, ASRB ranks fifth in receptions, sixth in targets, and eighth in receiving yards among WRs since entering the league in 2021. Only Hill and Lamb have generated more receiving first downs over the past two seasons.
5) Jaylon Johnson, CB, Chicago Bears (37th overall)
Although Jaylon Johnson flashed over his first three NFL seasons, he put all the pieces together in 2023, when he was arguably the league’s top CB. Johnson set career bests in completion rate (55.2%), yards per target (4.8), and yards per completion (8.7) last season.
The former second-rounder allowed only 195 yards and a 33.3 passer rating as the nearest defender in coverage, both of which paced the league.
6) Frank Ragnow, C, Detroit Lions (49th overall)
Frank Ragnow has a lost campaign on his ledger (2021), but his five other seasons for the Lions have been outstanding. Ragnow’s power on the interior of Detroit’s offensive line has been transformative, and he’s been rewarded with three Pro Bowls and two second-team All-Pro nods since 2020.
7) Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers (58th overall)
Coming into the season with just one pro start in relief of former Green Bay Packers starter Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love finished second in the NFL in touchdown passes (32), fifth in passing efficiency, and ninth in QBR while leading Green Bay to nine regular-season wins and a Wild Card rout of the Cowboys.
In 2024, Love could become an MVP candidate while leading the NFL’s youngest offense.
8) Christian Darrisaw, OT, Minnesota Vikings (62nd overall)
Injuries – including two 2022 concussions and ankle and groin issues in 2023 – have hindered Christian Darrisaw’s availability over three NFL seasons. But the Minnesota Vikings left tackle has been elite when healthy.
Last year, Darrisaw ranked fourth among OTs in PFF’s pass-blocking grades in true pass sets, which exclude play action, screens, quick game, and other tactics that make life easier on offensive linemen.
9) Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions (64th overall)
Tight end is such a demanding position that rookies often have trouble adjusting to the NFL — but don’t tell that to Sam LaPorta.
After being drafted 34th overall by the Lions in 2023, LaPorta broke the league record for receptions by a rookie TE (86). His 10 touchdowns led all tight ends, while his 889 receiving yards ranked fifth.
10) T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings (82nd overall)
T.J. Hockenson was in the midst of a career-best season (95-960-5) before tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 16. A reliably explosive athlete, Hockenson posted 13 catches of 20+ yards, second-most among tight ends. He’s not expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
How Hockenson recovers – and meshes with Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy – will determine where he lands on the 2025 version of The PFN 100.
11) DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears (89th overall)
DJ Moore established an instant connection with Justin Fields in his first season with the Chicago Bears, setting career-high marks across the board while ranking sixth in the NFL in receiving yards and success rate.
One of the league’s more underrated and dynamic wideouts, Moore has ranked inside the top 20 in average yards after the catch in four of the past five years.
12) Jaire Alexander, CB, Green Bay Packers (90th overall)
Jaire Alexander’s high-end play is as good as nearly any NFL corner’s, but injuries have kept him off the field. A shoulder sprain cost him 13 games in 2021, while another shoulder issue kept Alexander on the sidelines for all but seven games in 2023.
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However, he earned second-team All-Pro nods in 2020 and 2022, allowing a sub-70 passer rating in both seasons. If he can stay healthy, Alexander is the best player on a rebuilt Packers defense.
13) Xavier McKinney, S, Green Bay Packers (96th overall)
Xavier McKinney should be an immediate upgrade for a revamped Packers spine. The Alabama product played the best football of his career in 2023, spending time deep, in the box, and manning the slot while playing over 1,000 defensive snaps.
McKinney allowed the fifth-lowest passer rating (52.1) among safeties with at least 200 coverage snaps.
