NFL Top 100 Players Rankings Debate: Los Angeles Chargers WR Ladd McConkey deserves more respect

The annual 'Top 100 Players of 2025' has returned, once again sparking passionate debate throughout the NFL community.

Voted on by the players themselves, the list ranks the best players in the league from 100 to 1. NFL.com then releases the rankings in stages during the offseason, with the final top ten set to be revealed on 1st September, just days before the regular season kicks off.

The first group of names, ranked 100 through 95, has just been released. Among them is a standout from last year’s rookie class: Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who placed No.100 on the list.

This is the first in a series of DAZN NFL articles examining player placements on the Top 100 list, and I begin with making the argument that McConkey deserves a higher spot.

The stats

The theory that wide receivers take up to three years to reach their potential has been largely debunked. There are cases where it still rings true, but the truly elite talents often make an impact from day one. This was true of 2024 triple-crown winner Ja'Marr Chase, standout Minnesota Vikings' wideout Justin Jefferson, and it's the same story with McConkey.

The 23-year-old finished the 2024 season with 112 receptions for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns - numbers good enough to break the Chargers' rookie record for receptions and yards, previously set by Keenan Allen in 2013.

The context in which McConkey achieved that feat matters because, as we all know, pass-happy offenses and a lack of competition for targets can inflate the production of wide receivers. And it's this point that forms the crux of the argument supporting my assertion that McConkey is better than the 100th-best NFL player.

With new head coach Jim Harbaugh implementing a run-heavy offense, the Chargers finished 27th in the league in passing attempts, averaging only 30 per game. Put simply, and relative to other teams and other wide receivers, McConkey would need to dominate target share among the Bolts' receivers if he were to produce a good season.

The fact that he did exactly that while competing with former first-round selection Quentin Johnson and Joshua Palmer, who, despite struggling with injuries in 2023, were expected to be the leading Bolts' wideouts last year, makes McConkey's exploits even more impressive.

As impressive as his performances in the regular season were, McConkey saved the best for the last and most important game of the year - the Chargers' Wild Card playoff game against the Houston Texans.

It was a game the Chargers ultimately lost when quarterback Justin Herbert capitulated under the spotlights, but it wasn't for lack of heroics on McConkey's part. He recorded an incredible 14 receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown, setting an NFL record for most yards by a rookie in a playoff game.

What others are saying about McConkey

Head coach Jim Harbaugh on whether the 2025 rookies can live up to OT Joe Alt and McConkey's achievements as rookies: "I wouldn’t expect anybody to accomplish what they did in their rookie season."

Head coach Jim Harbaugh, after McConkey set two team receiving records: "He's a mighty man. He's a football player. Great to see. And there have been a lot of great receivers in Chargers history to set the rookie receiving record. Just phenomenal."

Chargers' quarterback Justin Herbert: "He's such a tough player. He's a playmaker and finds ways to get open. He's a guy we trust on third down. Anytime we go out there, he's a threat. All I have to do is get him the ball, and he makes my job so much easier."

Chargers safety Derwin James: He's going to be a future All-Pro. I feel like he's one of the best receivers in this league for sure."

Josh Norris, NFL analyst at Underdog Fantasy: "I think it's obvious to see how [Malik] Nabers and [Briant] Thomas are special, but I'm not sure if enough people are lumping Ladd McConkey in that conversation when they really should be."

Conclusion

You would think McConkey's record-breaking season would have warranted inclusion in the Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion, but no. He was overlooked there, just as he has been with his placement in the Top 100 Players of 2025 list.

It's not easy to say definitively where McConkey should rank among the best in the game until the full list has been revealed, but if we assume roughly 20 wide receivers will be among those 100 as was the case last year, it's clear that the Bolts' superstar should not be ranked as low as No. 100. There are not 19 better wide receivers in the NFL right now.

A fairer spot would be in the 60-75 range, where Garrett Wilson and Jaylen Waddle placed in last year's list. In the seven seasons those two players have played between them, only one year - Waddle's 2022 season - compares favorably with what McConkey just did in 2024.

 

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