Even though the Las Vegas Raiders struggled last season, there is no denying that the franchise has one absolute cornerstone on each side of the ball. Defensive end Maxx Crosby has been one of the best defenders in the league for years now, while tight end Brock Bowers immediately established himself as the elite at his position in his first NFL season.
Every year, the NFL releases its top-100 players, so it should be no surprise that both Crosby and Bowers found themselves very high on the list. In fact, both found themselves in the top-25 of the NFL’s list and deservedly so.
Even though Crosby dealt with injuries for the first time in his NFL career, missing five games, his standing remains very high as he came in as no. 22 on the NFL’s top-100 list:
An O-line’s worst nightmare. @CrosbyMaxx has been named one of the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2025.
📰 https://t.co/f0vsLfki8l pic.twitter.com/G4hxrnEBxK
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 22, 2025
Even though Crosby’s sack numbers were down with just 7.5 in the 12 games he played, the Raiders star still ranked in the top-10 with 17 tackles for loss, proving he is still one of the most disruptive forces in the league.
Not far behind Crosby on the top-100 list was Bowers, who, after just one season, came in at no. 24 on the NFL’s top-100 list:
Best in class. @brockbowers17 has been named one of the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2025.
📰 https://t.co/LKwxGjAr77 pic.twitter.com/FFRPnhUwjF
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 21, 2025
Bowers put forth a truly historic rookie season with the Raiders, breaking NFL records for receptions and yards by a rookie tight end, as well as receptions by any rookie period. Bowers also broke the Raiders franchise record for receptions in a season while being named to the Pro Bowl and a First Team All-Pro selection.
Both Crosby and Bowers are surely thankful for their placements on this list, but are likely far more focused on team success in 2025, as they aim to lead the Raiders team to a postseason berth and a chance to make an impact on the NFL’s biggest stages.
George Kittle says Raiders need to ‘let Maxx Crosby be Maxx Crosby’
The Raiders participated in joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers, which allowed their All-Pro tight end George Kittle to get a glimpse of what could be in store for the rest of the league. And a couple of plays led Kittle to ask the Raiders not to lose sight of what makes Maxx Crosby special and to let him do what he does best.
