Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL and he will be for a long time. There is no doubt, he must be the first player chosen in this position. The 27-year-old quarterback seems to be getting better every year. Last season, he led his counterparts in yards, 5,250, and touchdown passes, 41. Mahomes is rarely injured and his output is disconcertingly consistent. With his usual targets, he will accumulate points at an astonishing speed.
Derrick Henry divides like Jules Verne. We love it or we hate it. A one-dimensional player, the giant running back has only one function: to run in a straight line without falling. Even if it offers undiversified play, it works. With his head down, Henry will be a cautious choice again this season. He’s amassed over 1,500 yards three times in the past four seasons. The Titans offense is designed around Henry. No ball carrier ran more than him last year, with 349 runs.
No NFL player dominates his position more than Travis Kelce. He is ahead, light years ahead of all his counterparts across the league. It really is the only one in its category. With Kelce in his lineup, he is almost guaranteed to win the tight end duel week after week. In fact, Kelce plays and reports like a receiver, but at a position where competition is low. Having him in your lineup is like starting each week with a lead. He also has the advantage of being almost never injured. He had a career-high 12 touchdowns in 2022.
Now that Aaron Rodgers has moved on, the Jordan Love era can finally begin in Green Bay. A first-round pick in 2020, Love will have been able to learn, from the sidelines, from one of the best pivots in history. Nevertheless, the brief sample offered during the preseason games, or in relief to Rodgers, was quite convincing. With head coach Matt LaFleur, he will be well supervised. If he can develop a symbiosis with receiver Christian Watson, he will be adored.
The season will be long, again, in Arizona. At least it’ll open the door for James Conner, because he’s the only relatively stable player on this team. Unlike the best running backs in the league, he will rarely make long runs from one end of the field to the other. However, it stands out in the paid area. When the Cardinals have possession inside the 10 line, the ball usually ends up in Conner’s hands. And this one enters the end zone with ease.
George Pickens is far away. Very far even in the majority of lists provided by sites specializing in statistics. Still, the second-year receiver has everything to succeed. The size, at 6’3″ and 200 lbs, hands and agility. However, he is underestimated. His quarterback Kenny Pickett will also be in his second season and Pickens will be his main target. The Steelers are flying under the radar because they’re rebuilding, but Mike Tomlin will know how to produce these two stars of tomorrow.
Geno Smith wowed everyone in 2023: 17 games, 30 touchdowns, 4,282 yards and an NFL-high 69.8% completion rate. However, few athletes hatch at 32, soon to be 33. Prior to last season, Smith had never thrown more than 13 touchdown passes. He is likely to return to his usual performance, because nothing indicates otherwise, even if the Seahawks have an interesting team on offense. Choosing it is a risk.
Jonathan Taylor had been exceptional in 2021. But leg injuries forced him to miss much of last season. Taylor is still young at 24, but only one of his three NFL seasons has been statistically above average. Especially since the team’s new quarterback, Anthony Richardson, can play on the ground, so Taylor’s use could decrease. Too many doubts remain for Taylor to be considered a safe bet. Other players of equal or greater talent could be just as effective.
Another player to have had a fantastic season before slowing down his production. Cooper Kupp made a name for himself in 2021. Since then, successive injuries have slowed him down. The talent remains, there is no doubt, but no one knows in what state he will start the season. With a thigh injury during training camp, it’s hard to know how he will perform on the field. An important question, by the way, still lingers: who will throw the ball to him? This file is still not settled at the Rams and this intrigue will become important when the time comes to choose, or not, Kupp within his team.
