Three Giants land on ESPN’s Top 100 list

The 2024 NFL season is almost hear, and outlets everywhere are gearing up for the start of the regular season.

As a part of that, ESPN has released its annual Top 100 list of the best players in the NFL.

Here’s how ESPN made their list.

To create our list, we asked a panel of dozens of ESPN NFL experts to rate players based on performance expectations for the 2024 season compared to their peers. Emphasis was placed solely on the upcoming season and predicting potential greatness, rather than past performance or positional value. From those ratings, we ranked the best players in the league.

ESPN has named three New York Giants among the 100 best players in the NFL, and none of them should be a surprise.

Andrew Thomas – 76th

Thomas might have been even higher on this list if he hadn’t been limited to 10 games last season because of a hamstring injury. When Thomas is on the field, he’s proved to be an elite left tackle. His 92.4% pass block win rate over the past two seasons ranks seventh among all tackles. Just look at the impact he has on the Giants’ offense. New York averaged 12.1 points per game over the first eight games when he wasn’t healthy. It averaged 18.1 points per game after he returned from the injury. He might be the most important player on the Giants’ entire roster. — Jordan Raanan

I certainly agree that Thomas should be ranked higher than this. Thomas is the sixth-ranked offensive tackle on the list, which does match his win rate as a pass blocker over the last two years.

On the flip side, I disagree with ESPN’s decision to discount positional value — players that have the greatest impact on the game from the most difficult positions should be recognized for such. And given that offensive tackle is a cornerstone position, a great one should rate higher than the bottom quarter of this list.

Right now, the biggest thing for Thomas is just staying healthy. He missed 7 games in 2023 and four games in 2021 (I’m not counting the game he sat with the rest of the starters in 2022). An offensive line is much more than any one player on that line, but it’s certainly easier to have good play when your best player is on the field.

Dexter Lawrence – 54th

Lawrence’s numbers as a nose tackle are unmatched. He racked up 24 quarterback pressures last season lined up across the center, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. No one else had more than eight. Look no further than what Aaron Rodgers said after facing him two years ago to see the respect he now commands around the league. “No. 97 is a premier player. And needs to probably get more recognition for the ability that he has,” Rodgers said. He’s starting to get noticed. — Jordan Raanan

Lawrence’s potential was always visible in flashes through the first three years of his career. But there was always something missing that let him go silent for stretches in games and even for weeks at a time.

That “something” was technique. Lawrence has a legitimately rare combination of size, power, and movement skills that makes him an absolute headache for interior linemen. But it wasn’t until he came under the care of Andre Patterson that his potential was fully unlocked. He isn’t just a big, strong kid anymore — he’s a true professional who really understands what he’s doing out there. Lawrence isn’t going to win every rep, but becoming a technician also makes him a much more consistent threat.

Brian Burns – 36th

Burns has had at least eight sacks in each of the past four seasons and his pass rush win rate of 20.4% is the 14th best among all players during that span. The Giants showed what they thought of Burns’ game in Carolina when they traded for him this offseason and then handed him a $141 million deal. So far, Burns has impressed. Cornerback Nick McCloud said he was in “awe” of the explosion Burns possesses at his size (250 pounds). The Giants even think Burns can take his game to the next level playing with Dexter Lawrence II in the middle and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the other side. — Jordan Raanan

We’ve been saying for a couple years now that the Giants’ defensive line is the unquestioned strength of the team. And with the trio of Lawrence, Thibodeaux, and now Burns out there, it would be a disappointment if it wasn’t great.

One of the more interesting factoids from last year was that while the Giants is that while they were 29th in sacks (34), they ranked 11th in pass rush win rate as a team.

There were a couple reasons for that: On one side being Wink Martindale’s reliance on the blitz, and on the other side QBs knowing the blitz was coming and getting the ball out immediately.

Shane Bowen’s defense will rely much more heavily on four-man pressure under quarters coverage. That’s where Burns, Lawrence, and Thibodeaux come in, and the Giants will rely on them to disrupt plays in the opposing backfield. Ideally, the addition of Burns will keep blockers from double-teaming everyone and at least one of them will find a favorable match-up.

The other interesting aspect of ESPN’s list is the age of the three Giants on it. Thomas is 25, while Lawrence and Burns are 26. It sometimes feels as though all three players have been in the NFL for ages, yet they’re only just now entering the prime of their career.

The Giants might not have the most stacked roster in the NFL (at least not yet), that honor belongs to the San Francisco 49ers with eight players on the list. However, it’s good news that their best players are all young. It’s a core they can keep together and keep adding to for years to come.