Eagles Top 25 Best Players Countdown: Our Top Choice Was Unanimous And Easy To Make

If this receiver continues to put up numbers these next five years that are similar to his first five seasons in the league, he could land in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Dec 31, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA – This should come as no surprise. Anybody who has followed our rankings of the top 25 Eagles heading into training camp should know our top-ranked player is receiver A.J. Brown.

His selection at No. 1 was unanimous by Sports Illustrated Eagles Today writers Ed Kracz and John McMullen.

The top 25 list has become an annual affair of Kracz and McMullen as the two reporters submit their top 25 lists at the same time so each would be unaffected by the others. No. 1 on the list is awarded 25 points and so on down the list with No. 25 receiving one point.

Brown received all 50 points.

His ascension to the top spot supplanted right tackle Lane Johnson, who was first in the rankings last year and second this year. Retired center Jason Kelce was second on last year’s rankings.

Brown has been everything the Eagles could have hoped for and more when general manager Howie Roseman traded for him on draft night two year ago.

In his first season, he caught 88 passes and broke the franchise record for yards receiving in a single season with 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns. He followed that by setting a single-season record for most catches in franchise history by a receiver with 106 - 10 behind tight end Zach Ertz's record of 116 set in 2018 - to go along with 1,456 yards and seven TDs.

A.J. Brown enjoys the pregame festivities during teammate DeVonat SMith's third annual celebrity softball game on June 29, 2024. / By Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Add his two years with the Eagles and the three he spent with the Tennessee Titans and his numbers after five seasons look like this:

• 379 catches

• 5,947 yards

• 42 touchdowns

• 6,017 yards from scrimmage

If he posts similar bumbers over the next five seasons, you could be looking at a Hall of Fame receiver.

The Eagles were wise to extend his contract for three years after the deal he signed when Roseman trade for him expires in 2026. He will be 32 when he is eligible for a new deal, though there will likely be some restructures along the way before reaching that point.

Brown got some backlash for refusing to talk to the media when last season was spinning out of control, but there’s no question about how his teammates and head coach Nick Sirianni feel about him because he was elected one of the team captains.

“He became a captain for us last year because he has a great work ethic, and he knows how to lead…he just works his butt off," said Sirianni. “He wants to be great. He has his sights on being great. He's been great, and he wants to continue to do it year after year and this year.”

Here is our final top 25 list for 2024:

No. 25: Kelee Ringo

No. 24 Cooper DeJean

No. 23: Isaiah Rodgers

No. 22: Avonte Maddox

No. 21: Brandon Graham

No. 20: Mekhi Becton

Mekhi Becton is hoping to make Philadelphia home for a while after the 11th overall pick in 2020 of the New York Jets, signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in the offseason / By Ed Kracz

No. 19: Milton Williams

No. 18: Cam Jurgens

No. 17: Devin White

No. 16: Bryce Huff

No. 15: Reed Blankenship

No. 14: Jordan Davis

No. 13: Josh Sweat

No. 12: Jake Elliott

No. 11 Darius Slay

No. 10: C.J. Gardner-Johnson

No 9: Dallas Goedert

No. 8: Landon Dickerson

No. 7: Saquon Barkley

No. 6: Jalen Hurts

No. 5: Jordan Mailata

No. 4: Jalen Carter

No. 3: DeVonta Smith

No. 2: Lane Johnson

No. 1: A.J. Brown

More NFL: Eagles Camp Storyline No. 6: Will A Third Receiver Materialize And Does It Matter?