Ahead of the 2025 NFL season, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco released his annual ranking of the league’s best players.
A couple of former Clemson stars – Dexter Lawrence and Tee Higgins – made Prisco’s top 100 NFL players of 2025.
Lawrence landed at No. 29 on the list entering his seventh season with the New York Giants.
The 6-foot-4, 340-pound defensive tackle is fresh off his third straight Pro Bowl selection last season after also earning Pro Bowl honors in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Lawrence became the first Giants player to be voted to three straight Pro Bowls since safety Landon Collins from 2016-18.
Lawrence saw his 2024 season end early with an elbow injury on Nov. 28 against the Dallas Cowboys. But in his 12 games this past season, the 2019 first-round pick (17th overall) posted a career-high 9.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles for loss while also recording 44 total tackles, 16 quarterback hits, a forced fumble and one pass defended.
“Big Dex missed time with injury last year, but he was a force before being sent to the sidelines,” Prisco wrote. “He can play the run as well as anybody, but he can also push the pocket. He’s a massive force inside.”
Last year, Lawrence was ranked No. 19 on Prisco’s list of the top 100 NFL players.
As for Higgins, he checked in at No. 70 among Prisco’s top 100 players of 2025 after not being ranked in the top 100 last year.
After playing on the franchise tag in 2024, Higgins got a long-term deal with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, agreeing to a four-year, $115 million contract extension that made him the ninth highest-paid receiver in the league in terms of average annual value ($28,750,000).
Higgins missed a handful of games during the 2024 campaign due to injury but was once again highly productive when healthy, posting 73 receptions for 911 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns across 12 games. It marked the fourth time in his five NFL seasons that Higgins has tallied 900-plus receiving yards. A 2020 second-round pick (33rd overall), Higgins had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2021 and 2022.
“The Bengals rewarded Higgins with a new contract this year because he’s such a big part of their offense,” Prisco wrote. “It’s different when he’s on the field with Ja’Marr Chase. He had 72 catches in 12 games with 10 touchdowns last season.”
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is once again ranked No. 1 on Prisco’s list, ahead of Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett at No. 2. Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson round out the top five, with Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow just outside of the top five.