theScore's Top 100 NFL Players of 2014: 10-1

The Top 100 NFL Players of 2014 were selected by a panel of theScore's NFL Editors including Gino Bottero, Arun Srinivasan, Dan Wilkins and David P. Woods based on the individual players' performance this past regular season.

theScore's Top 100 NFL Players of 2014

100-71
70-51
50-31
30-11
10-1

Darrelle Revis, CB, Patriots
47 tackles, 2 INTs

"Revis Island" doesn't conjure the same feelings of dread it once did, but it probably should. At age 29 and two years removed from ACL surgery, Revis produced a season that was in line with his prime years in New York. He shadowed opponents' top receivers, picked off two passes, knocked down another 11 and allowed a passer rating of only 72.6 when thrown at by opposing quarterbacks. How very Revis-like. - David P. Woods

Andrew Luck, QB, Colts
4,761 passing yards, 43 total TDs

In three pro seasons, Luck has earned three Pro Bowl nods and made the postseason three times. The emergence of wide receiver T.Y. Hilton allowed Luck to really take his game to the next level. The Stanford product enjoyed his best statistical season in 2014, racking up career highs in passing yards and touchdowns, leading the league in the latter category. - Gino Bottero

Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys
88 receptions, 1,320 yards, 16 TDs

If he wasn't there already, Bryant's 2014 season certainly puts him in the conversation for the best receiver in the NFL. Sure, the Cowboys' running game played a big part in the team's turn around, but the offense wouldn't have been anywhere close to the unit it was without Bryant's big-play ability on the outside. There's no way he gets close to free agency at the end of this year, as Dallas will do everything possible to avoid having him hit the open market. - Dan Wilkins

Tom Brady, QB, Patriots
4,109 passing yards, 33 TDs

Brady had another clinical campaign, throwing 33 touchdowns against nine interceptions. After starting 2-2, Brady took matters into his own hands, throwing 14 touchdowns and no interceptions during October and the Patriots cruised to homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Brady appeared to be declining after last season, but responded with one of his better seasons in recent memory. At 37, one has to wonder when Brady will begin to regress, but it doesn’t appear to be anytime soon. - Arun Srinivasan

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Steelers
2,215 scrimmage yards, 83 receptions, 11 total TDs

Bell’s ascension to his status as the NFL’s best running back was one of 2014’s most pleasant surprises. A second-round pick in 2013, Bell entered the NFL as a 244-pound bruiser. Two seasons later, he’s 20 pounds lighter and the closest thing we’ve seen to LaDainian Tomlinson in his prime. Bell still has functional power, but he's also as shifty as they come. Add to the mix tremendous vision and high-end receiving ability and you have the recipe for one of the NFL's most versatile and terrifying weapons. - David P. Woods

Richard Sherman, CB, Seahawks
57 tackles, 4 INTs

Sherman wasn't able to replicate the kinds of stats he's posted in the past in 2014, but that was largely because quarterbacks did all they could to avoid him. Sherman set the tone for another Pro Bowl season by pitching a shutout in Week 1 when he wasn't thrown at a single time by the Green Bay Packers. Sherman's receiver was targeted once for every 8.5 snaps he was in coverage, the highest rate in the league by a comfortable margin. He also rated second among cornerbacks against the run, according to Pro Football Focus. - Gino Bottero

Justin Houston, LB, Chiefs
68 tackles, 22 sacks, 4 FFs

Never in the history of football has a defensive player had the impact Houston did in 2014 with less fanfare. Houston’s 22 sacks are only a half-sack shy of the all-time record, yet you don’t hear him mentioned as an MVP candidate. He deserves to be. Houston was as consistent as he was dominant rushing the passer, failing to record a sack in only three games. He was well-rounded, too, grading out as a top-five run defender at his position. Not bad for a guy building his resume ahead of unrestricted free agency. - David P. Woods

Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers
129 receptions, 1,698 yards, 14 total TDs

If you weren't paying attention to what Brown was doing in Pittsburgh this year, you seriously missed out. Hauling in 129 passes - the second-highest single-season mark in NFL history - Brown led the league in receiving yardage and added an impressive touchdown total. While he doesn't have the kind of imposing size like that of some other top receivers, Brown is a nightmare for opposing defensive backs due to his exceptional route-running ability and unmatched quickness. He's gotten better with every season in the league, and there's no reason to think he's going to slow down any time soon. - Dan Wilkins

J.J. Watt, DE, Texans
78 tackles, 20.5 sacks, 5 total TDs

Watt had the best season by any defensive player since Lawrence Taylor’s 1986 MVP campaign. 3-4 defensive ends just aren't supposed to put up the stats Watt did, recording 20.5 sacks and 44 quarterback hits. Watt’s transformative season almost led the Texans to the playoffs, an outcome that would have seen the 25-year-old win MVP honors. Easily the best pass rusher in football, he also recorded five touchdowns. There isn't a player in the league who can impact the game like Watt can. He should be a unanimous choice to win Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons. - Arun Srinivasan

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers
4,381 passing yards, 40 total TDs

If he hadn't already, Rodgers solidified his spot as the league's MVP by limping around Lambeau Field on a gimpy calf to lead the Packers to a comeback victory over the Detroit Lions and a fourth consecutive NFC North title in a memorable Week 17 performance. After telling Packers fans to "relax" after Week 3, Rodgers embarked on a 10-game stretch in which he threw for 2,955 yards and 30 touchdowns with two interceptions. No quarterback has ever been as dominant at home as Rodgers was in 2014. In guiding the Packers to a perfect 8-0 record at Lambeau, Rodgers posted a 133.2 quarterback rating, throwing for 25 touchdowns and zero interceptions. - Gino Bottero