B/R NFL 1000: Live Q&A, Debates and Reaction from Our Experts

This forum won't be used to make the obvious joke that kickers and punters aren't football players. As coaches always say, "Special teams are one third of the game."

Specialists are critical components to any roster and reliability is a huge factor in their evaluation. However, their impact is definitely outsized compared to their overall contributions. Just ask John Harbaugh when he relied on a rookie kicker to keep the Baltimore Ravens' season alive and the subsequent miss basically cost the head coach his job.

Keep the following in mind: The Seattle Seahawks' Jason Myers and Houston Texans' Ka'ami Fairbairn attempted a season-high 48 field goals during the previous campaign. Myers, who was the league's scoring champion in 2025, also attempted 48 extra points. He contributed 125 kickoffs as well. In total, Myers was on the field for 221 snaps during the regular season.

For comparison, over 1,000 position players contributed more snaps last season.

Beyond the very best at their respective positions—the Dallas Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey among kickers, the Minnesota Vikings' Will Reichard as a first-team All-Pro and Seattle's Michael Dickson as the top punter—specialists simply aren't on the field enough to warrant stronger consideration among the top half of the B/R NFL 1000.

At first blush, the Los Angeles Rams' acquisition of Myles Garrett created a fervor with his new team automatically taking the lead as the favorite to win Super Bowl LXI. After all, Garrett is the game's best player.

Upon further evaluation, the gap between the two sides of the deal may have been larger than initially expected.

Obviously, the Cleveland Browns were dead set on landing a quality, young centerpiece as part of the deal, which they got with the addition of Jared Verse. The 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year is only 25 years old, with a pair of Pro Bowl appearances in his first two seasons. The former first-round pick provided the type of high-end return that was necessary to pry Garrett from his long-time home.

Although, the difference between Garrett and Verse at this stage of their careers is significant. Garrett remains in the prime of his career after a record-setting campaign. He is a legitimate impact difference-maker that opponents must account for on everyone single snap. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year could, somehow, be even better with the Rams because of an upgraded supporting cast—which doesn't even include Aaron Donald, who may still unretire.

Meanwhile, no one denies Verse's talent or what he's done to date. However, he struggles to finish, has yet to record eight sacks in a season and still needs to grow in certain areas. He ranked as Bleacher Report's 10th edge-defender and 128th overall player. Verse can improve and still be miles aways from Garrett's status.

The Browns allowed an all-time great to leave because of organizational incompetence that didn't allow the franchise to take full advantage of his presence. Verse provided a nice return. But he's a sizable downgrade in this particular scenario. Plus, Cleveland fully understands that extra draft picks don't equate to winning football.

Throughout the evaluation process, a heavy emphasis was placed on being a complete performer.

For example, the San Francisco 49ers' George Kittle stands as Bleacher Report's TE1, because he can dominate as a pass-catcher and as a blocker. He's a complete contributor, unlike others at his position. (For those wondering, the previous comment explains why the Las Vegas Raiders' Brock Bowers' isn't higher on the site's rankings.)

In Brian Burns' case, he may be a top sack-artist, but he's leaves a lot to be deserved as an every-down performer.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection posted a career-high 16.5 sacks during the 2025 campaign, which ranked second behind Myles Garrett's record-setting total. At the same, the 28-year-old veteran is not strong at the point of attack, lacks impact as a run-defender and struggles to finish plays, particularly when trying to tackle running backs. Burns can be a quality contributor when working from the backside of a play or he's unblocked. But he's far more effective when he can pin his ears back and get after opposing quarterbacks.

To be fair, Burns' best quality remains highly valuable. He's simply not a dominant all-around player and his effectiveness becomes greatly minimized when opponents attack him directly.

Sheer dominance deserves to be acknowledged. While the NFL is a quarterback-driven, skill position-heavy league, Johnson is easily one of the league's top pure football players regardless of position.

"Johnson gets less help than any NFL right tackle by a wide margin and is head-and-shoulders above them all in pass protection," Thorn stated. "Furthermore, he's closer to the Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell as a run-blocker than Sewell is to Johnson in pass protection. The six-time Pro Bowl honoree has been at this level for many years, too."

Thorn added, "If pass-pro is the most difficult part of playing O-line, specifically one-on-one, Johnson is better in that area than anyone on either side of the line."

Offensive tackle is considered a premium position, because it keeps the quarterback upright. In today's game, right and left tackles are basically interchangeable because of how reliant squads tend to be on the passing game.

Johnson may be 36 years old, with an extensive injury history, but he's better at his job, particularly the most important aspect, than nearly everyone else in the league at theirs.

The NFL 1000 was a monthslong undertaking with the bulk of the evaluations falling on the shoulders of four individuals.

Dame Parson highlighted the quarterbacks and offensive skill positions, except for tight end. Brandon Thorn addressed the offensive trenches, individually breaking down each of the five positions. On defense, Matt Holder handled the front seven. Along the back end, as well as tight end, Daniel Harms addressed those positions.

The primary directive was to evaluate each of the league's players based on where they currently stand. B/R's scouts initially did so through a blind evaluation process. Each worked individually to get the truest grade without being influenced by the thought process of others. Ultimately, they all came together and a board was fleshed out based on those evaluations. The group worked off an internal board, which turned out to be the primary tiers found in the final product.

Obviously, nuance is needed in many instances. For example, the Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter was evaluated as cornerback and wide receiver, while given a final overall grade. An injury's effect on the grade was determined on a case-by-case basis, often viewed through the lens of where those individuals currently stand in their recovery.

As for specific position designations, those could be a floating target based on a player's specific usage. Either they were determined by the primary position they're expected to play this fall—for example, the Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell moving from right to left tackle—or the highest rate of snap deployment from a season ago. The latter became specifically important for defensive backs and even tight ends, which are broken up into different categories.

In the end, individuals with the same grades were differentiated through roundtable discussions between the entire B/R Scouting Department.