Using our advanced data and player ratings, we’re identifying the players who were the best in the NFL during the 2025 season in various categories and situations.
As much as we try to proclaim players as the best in the NFL in certain specific situations, such assessments are inherently subjective.
It’s the eye test, anecdotal evidence and reputation that fans and media lean on the most. And there’s nothing really definitive about these definitive statements, no matter how emphatically we make a case.
But it is possible to use numbers to analyze players at a slightly more granular level and pinpoint standouts in specific facets of the game.
Using our advanced data and player ratings, we’re identifying the players who were the best in the NFL during the 2025 season in various categories and situations.
NFL Superlative All-Stars: Go to a Position
Quarterbacks/Running Backs/Wide Receivers/Tight Ends/Offensive Line/Edge Rushers/Interior Defensive Linemen/Linebackers/Defensive Backs
NFL Superlative All-Stars: Quarterbacks
Most Accurate Passer: Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
The shorter the throw, the easier it is to be accurate, so we’re only looking at quarterbacks whose average air yards per attempt was greater than the league average (8.04) during the regular season. Of the QBs with at least 250 attempts, Darnold’s 86.9 well-thrown percentage while averaging 8.60 air yards was the best in the NFL.
Best Game Manager: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
To find the league’s best game manager of 2025, we looked at the quarterback who effectively played it safe with an elite pickable pass percentage (PKP%) while averaging below-average air yards. Goff registered a league-best 2.03 PKP% with 6.93 air yards per attempt. He liked to pass short and sweet.
Best Deep-Ball Passer: Drake Maye, New England Patriots
Among QBs with at least 50 attempts that went 15 or more yards in the air, Maye led the NFL with a 78.6 well-thrown percentage and ranked third with a 4.27 pickable pass percentage. The league averages on such throws during the regular season were 67.5% and 8.97%, respectively.
Riskiest Gun-Slinger: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears led the NFL with 24 pickable passes – throws which we deem could or should have been intercepted. Purdy had 18 but on 255 fewer adjusted attempts (no throwaways or spikes). As a result, Purdy finished the regular season with a 6.64 PKP% that was easily the worst mark in the league.
Quickest Release Time: Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Tagovailoa ended up with the quickest release time in the NFL among qualified signal callers at 2.49 seconds on average. Getting rid of the ball quickly certainly didn’t help Tua much, as he ended up with a 5.98 PKP% (NFL average was 3.97%) and was benched late in the season.
Slowest Release Time: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
If you’ve spent any time watching him play, it’s probably not surprising Williams had the longest release time during the regular season at 3.06 seconds on average. He also ranked ninth with 47 scrambles, averaging 6.62 yards per carry on such runs – the third-highest mark in the league among qualifiers.
Most Elusive Quarterback: Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
It might be surprising that Williams isn’t also listed here, but Nix led the NFL with 7.47 yards per carry on scrambles and was second only to Brock Purdy (7.7) in sack-per-pressure rate percentage at 8.0. But both stats were better than Williams’ 6.62 yards per carry and 9.0% sacks per pressure rate, while Purdy only averaged 5.14 yards per carry on scrambles.
Luckiest Quarterback: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
We mentioned earlier how Williams led the NFL with 24 pickable passes. Yes, that’s true, but he also only finished with seven interceptions during the regular season. That minus-17 differential between passes that could have or should have been picked and actual interceptions thrown was the largest in the league. Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys was second at -13 with 23 pickable passes and only 10 INTs.
Unluckiest Quarterback: J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
Just how unlucky was McCarthy in his first campaign on the field? He finished the regular season with 12 interceptions despite throwing only 10 pickable passes. How is this possible? Scenarios such as tipped passes, drops and throws that bounce off a receiver’s hands and into the defender’s grasp don’t count as pickable passes.
Best at Making Difficult Throws: Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks
It has to be Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen or maybe Caleb Williams, right? Nope, it’s Darnold with an 81.4 well-thrown percentage on difficult throws, which are passes with a poorly thrown expectation of 40% or higher based on air yards, section of the field (middle to outside), whether the QB was planted or moving, and whether there was pressure.
Best Under Pressure: Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert, Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett and Tyler Shough were the only QBs to rank above the league average in well-thrown percentage, air yards per attempt and pickable pass percentage among those with at least 75 attempts under pressure. Herbert, however, had the best numbers in all three categories.
Best on the Move: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Hurts led the league with an 88.3 well-thrown percentage among those with at least 50 attempts on the move in 2025. He did so while also having an above-average 8.26 air yards per attempt and the third-best pickable pass rate (3.90%) on such throws.
Best in the Clutch: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
The MVP candidate threw for eight touchdowns and just one interception in the fourth quarter when the Rams led or trailed by seven points or less. Stafford also had the third-best passer rating (113.6) and the fourth-most yards per attempt (8.21), and he tied for second with seven plays of 25 or more yards in those situations.
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Running Backs
Toughest to Bring Down: Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Tough running helped Robinson lead the league with 2,298 scrimmage yards (yes, ahead of Christian McCaffrey’s 2,126 yards) in 2025. He averaged an NFL-best 2.41 yards after contact while also ranking third with .311 missed or broken tackles forced per touch (MBTK/TOU) among running backs with at least 125 carries.
Best at Juking/Cutting Past Defenders: Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
If a player jukes out an opponent, we don’t track it as contact, but it is counted as a forced missed tackle. So if an RB ranks high in MBTK/TOU but low in yards after contact, it’s likely he’s really good at making defenders miss before they’re even close enough to make contact. Warren had an NFL-best .326 MBTK/TOU while also posting a below-average 1.77 yards after contact. We also name him the most dangerous RB in the passing game.
Best at Getting Open in the Passing Game: Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
What about Christian McCaffrey, you ask? Among RBs with at least 40 targets, Robinson led the NFL in burn percentage (62.7), burn yards per target (9.76) and big play percentage (20.0). He topped CMC in all three categories and catch rating (.940 to .936), which is a rating from 0-1 that indicates how well a receiver successfully hauls in passes that are considered catchable.
Best Against a Stacked Box: Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
Henry ranked second in the NFL with 1,595 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. He was also third with 2.29 average yards after contact and fifth in yards per carry on plays with a run disruption. And he did it all while facing a league-high 73.4 bad box percentage, which represents how often the defense is lined up with at least one more player than the offense has blockers when the player is lined up at running back.
Best Pass Blocker: Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Stevenson won 94.7% of his 1-on-1 pass blocking matchups in 2025, making him the best in the league in those situations over Javonte Williams of the Dallas Cowboys (75.0%). He also has a 79.5 pass-block rating that ranks behind only Williams’ 82.2, though Williams had a much-smaller sample size when it came to opportunities.
Best Hands Out of the Backfield: Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
White was the only running back with at least 45 targets to finish the season with a 1.000 catch rating, which indicates how well a receiver successfully catches throws that are considered catchable on a scale from 0-1. White had 40 receptions for 218 yards without a drop. He also had the best catch-over-expected rating (plus-6.7%) among qualified RBs.
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Wide Receivers
Top Touchdown-Maker: Davante Adams, Los Angeles Rams
A burn occurs when a receiver “wins” his matchup against a defender on a play in which he is targeted, regardless of whether the pass from the quarterback was catchable or not. No one won his matchup for a touchdown more than Adams as his 19 touchdown burns led the NFL, well ahead of Chris Olave of the New Orleans Saints and Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 14 each.
The Most Quarterback-Friendly Target: Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Flowers finished with both the league’s best burn rate at 70.3% and open percentage (how often a receiver is open on throws in which he’s targeted) at 85.6 among WRs with at least 75 targets. He also had an NFL-best 81.0% open rate on throws of 15 or more air yards – well ahead of Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s second-best 68.8%.
Pass Catcher With the Best Hands: Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Nacua had the best catch-over-expected rating (plus-6.9%) among qualified wide receivers, while Ricky Pearsall (+14.2%) of the San Francisco 49ers and Jalen Coker of the Carolina Panthers (+12.3%) also deserve recognition, albeit in a much-smaller sample size.
Best Catch-and-Go Guy: Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Rice led the NFL with an average of 8.0 run after catch yardage with only a 4.5 average depth of target. The league average depth of target was 11.2 yards, so Rice was the king of screens and short passes designed to give him a chance to break one.
Best at Getting Open: George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys
Our player ratings are designed to describe a player’s skill set. Offensively, that includes pass protection, run blocking and route-running ability. Route rating measures the last of those three, with anything above 90 considered elite. They’re best thought of as “players most difficult to defend in pass coverage.” Pickens has an NFL-best 97.4 route rating, meaning he’s the best at being open and the most dangerous with the ball in his hands. Pickens won 57 of 89 man coverage matchups.
Best All-Around Receiver: Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
Why is Nacua the best wideout overall? Of course, he led the NFL in receptions (129) and ranked second in receiving yards (1,715). Oh, and he also was No. 2 in route rating (94.3) behind Pickens. But that’s not what makes him the best all-around receiver. What does? The fact that he tops all qualified WRs with a 78.0 block rating as well.
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Tight Ends
Best at Getting Open: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle ranks first in the NFL among qualified tight ends with a route rating (83.2). He was also second in receiving yards per game (57.1) and third in receptions per game (5.2) among those who played in at least 11 games. Kittle also had seven receiving TDs in his 11 contests.
Best Receiving Tight End: Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
It likely wasn’t difficult to guess this one since the data matches what we saw all season. McBride easily paced the league in receptions (126), yards (1,239), burns (102), burn yards (1,521) and touchdown burns (13) among tight ends with at least 50 targets during the regular season. And really, it wasn’t close.
Best Pass Blocker: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle is not only one of the league’s top pass-catching tight ends, but he’s also No. 1 in pass-block rating (75.0) among qualified tight ends.
Best Run Blocker: Noah Gray, Kansas City Chiefs
Though Travis Kelce remains Kansas City’s main tight end in the passing game, Gray has become a valuable blocking TE. He led all qualified tight ends with a 77.3 run-block rating and had the third-most 1-on-1 run-blocking matchups on the Chiefs. So he was productive and heavily used.
Tight End With the Best Hands: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Bowers, who was limited to 12 games, led the league in catch-over-expected rating (6.5%) among tight ends with at least 60 opportunities. Sam LaPorta (10.5%), Pat Freiermuth (7.7%) and Mark Andrews (7.2%) also deserve recognition with elite ratings in a smaller sample size.
Best All-Around Tight End: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
Kittle was limited to 11 games due to injury, but he’s the only one to rank in the top 10 in pass-block rating, run-block rating and route rating among qualified tight ends. He ranks first in pass-block rating (75.0), first in route rating (83.2) and 10th in run-block rating (73.9). Kittle also ranked fourth during the regular season with a 29.6 big-play percentage.
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Offensive Linemen
Best Pass Blocker at Offensive Tackle: Darnell Wright, Chicago Bears
Wright was one of the unsung reasons why the Bears enjoyed a dramatic turnaround in 2025. He emerged as the league’s top pass blocker among all qualified tackles with a 93.4 rating. Wright had a 1-on-1 pass protection win rate of 87.5%, with just 19 losses in 152 opportunities.
Best Pass Blocker on the Interior OL: Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
More on Nelson later, but he ranks first in the NFL among qualified interior offensive linemen with an 88.3 pass-block rating. He also finished the regular season third in pressure rate allowed (5.0%) and fourth in adjusted sack rate allowed (0.2%) among centers and guards. Nelson won 86.6% of his pass protection reps, with just 15 losses.
Asked to Do the Most in Pass Protection: Kelvin Banks Jr., New Orleans Saints
It’s safe to say Banks was a workhorse on the offensive front in New Orleans. He ended the season with 30 more 1-on-1 matchups than any other offensive lineman and 55 more than any non-Cincinnati Bengals lineman.
Best Run Blocker at Offensive Tackle: Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions
Sewell is one of the big reasons Detroit’s rushing offense has been so good with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. He rates first among all qualified offensive tackles in run-block rating with a 96.4, which easily falls into the elite category. Sewell had a run block win rate of 84.9% while also being in the top five among right tackles in opportunities.
Best Run Blocker on the Interior OL: Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos
Meinerz rates strongly across the board, ranking eighth in pass-block rating (84.5) among qualified interior offensive linemen. But there is no one better in the run game in the middle with a league-best 94.2 rating. That was well ahead of David Edwards’ next-best 91.6. Meinerz also had a run block win rate of 81.9% over 171 opportunities.
Best All-Around Interior Offensive Lineman: Quinton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
Nelson is the only player to have a rating of 86 or better in both pass and run blocking among qualified interior offensive linemen. He ranks first in pass blocking (88.3) and 11th in run blocking (86.3).
Best All-Around Offensive Tackle: Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions
Sewell and Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers are the only two offensive tackles with ratings above 90 (elite) in both pass and run blocking. Sewell, however, rates better than Williams in both categories – first in run-block rating with a 96.4 (Williams third at 92.3) and fourth with a 91.9 pass-block rating (Williams fifth at 91.5).
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Edge Rushers
Best Pass Rushing Edge: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Garrett was close to a 100 rating at 99.0 in pass rushing, with Micah Parsons of the Green Bay Packers second among edge rushers at 92.6. Garrett won 76 of 101 pass rush 1-on-1 matchups for a win rate of 75.0% that is easily the highest with Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans second at 66.0%.
Best Run Defending Edge: Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
No edge rusher had been tougher against the run than Crosby, who owns the top run-defense rating (90.2) of any qualified defensive end. Crosby had 93 run defense wins. Only Tank Lawrence had a higher win rate, but he had 16 fewer opportunities than Crosby had wins. Did we mention that Crosby also finished the season with 10 sacks?
Best Tackling Defensive Lineman: A’Shawn Robinson, Carolina Panthers
It wasn’t easy to get past Robinson on Carolina’s defensive front. The edge rusher was the league’s best tackling defensive lineman with 1.52 yards allowed per tackle.
Best All-Around Edge Rusher: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
We mentioned Garrett’s sensational pass-rush rating, but he is also fourth with an 84.4 rating against the run. He was the only edge rusher with an 84 rating or better in both categories.
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Interior Defensive Line
Best Pass Rushing Interior DL: Jeffrey Simmons, Tennessee Titans
Simmons ranks first in pass-rush rating (93.9) among qualified defensive tackles. He also led all interior DL in pressure rate (28.6%) and ranked second in adjusted sack rate (5.7%).
Best Run Defending Interior DL: Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks
John Franklin-Myers has a 95.6 run-defense rating, but with a much-smaller sample size. Williams has a 94.2 run-defense rating while also posting an impressive 85.7 pass-rush rating.
Best All-Around Interior DL: Jeffery Simmons, Tennessee Titans
Simmons, Quinnen Williams, Leonard Williams, Chris Jones and John Franklin-Myers are all tough against the run and pass. But when you add up the run-defense and pass-rush ratings, no one has a better total than Simmons. He ranks first in pass-rush rating (93.9) and sixth in run-defense rating (89.1) among qualified defensive tackles.
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Linebackers
Best Pass Rushing Inside Linebacker: Kaden Elliss, Atlanta Falcons
Though Bobby Wagner of the Washington Commanders has a higher pass-rush rating (80.8), Elliss established his 80.5 rating with about twice as many chances.
Best Run Defending Inside Linebacker: Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders
With more opportunities, Wagner gets the nod as the best middle linebacker against the run. His 72.0 run-defense rating ranks just ahead of Kaden Elliss’ 71.2 mark.
Best Tackling Inside Linebacker: Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders
Yes, Wagner had a solid season in Washington. He’s also our best tackling middle linebacker with just 2.28 yards allowed per tackle. Wagner had seven missed tackles on 169 attempts.
Best All-Around Linebacker: Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
Baun has solid ratings across the board with a 71.1 run-defense rating (15th among qualified LBs), a 72.5 pass-rush rating (8th) and a league-best 87.2 coverage rating. He also had the 10th-best pressure rate (34.9%) and the sixth-best burn-allowed rate (36.7%) among LBs in 2025. When you add it all up, Baun’s 230.72 combined rating in all three skills was No. 1.
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NFL Superlative All-Stars: Defensive Backs
Best Pass Rushing Defensive Back: Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers
James leads all defensive backs with a 75.5 pass-rush rating, ranking ahead of Charvarius Ward of the Indianapolis Colts (72.0) and Nick Emmanwori of the Seattle Seahawks (71.7).
Best Run Defending Defensive Back: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
We’ll get into Hamilton’s greatness in a bit, but he was the top guy here with a 77.5 run defense rating that ranks No. 1 among cornerbacks.
Best Tackling Defensive Back: Nick Cross, Indianapolis Colts
Not only did Cross have the best run-defense rating among defensive backs, but he also led all defensive backs with 2.33 yards allowed per tackle. Cross had 14 missed tackles on his 135 attempts.
Best All-Around Cornerback: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
Hamilton has the only 100 rating in any category with his league-leading coverage rating, and he also led the NFL with a 77.5 run defense rating among cornerbacks. Additionally, Hamilton paced the league with just 0.44 burn yards per snap while also ranking ninth in big play-allowed percentage (17.1). While he is thought of primarily as a safety, Hamilton plays all over the field and played more snaps in coverage this year at inside cornerback (165) than deep safety (134).
Best All-Around Safety: Brian Branch, Detroit Lions
Branch has an 87.3 coverage rating to lead all qualified safeties, and he also ranks fourth with a 72.3 run-defense rating. In fact, his combined rating (228.39) in run defense, pass rush and pass coverage is the best in the league, with Elijah Molden on the Los Angeles Chargers ranking second (224.32).
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Opta Analyst’s Greg Gifford also contributed to the NFL Superlatives. For more coverage, follow on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
2025 NFL Superlative All-Stars: The Masters of Particular Sets of Skills Opta Analyst.
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