120 Sports unveils the Millennial Athlete Index: NFL Edition

CHICAGO, Sept. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, 120 Sports reveals the Millennial Athlete Index: NFL Edition, featuring the top 25 NFL players 25 & under, as determined by both a Millennial fan vote and a panel of football experts. 120 Sports'  "Millennial Athlete Index" franchise first began this January with a comprehensive all sports list of Millennial fans' favorite athletes, and continues to release specific lists of the most relevant and top young athletes in each sport.

To be considered for inclusion on the NFL Edition list, players had to be 25 years or younger as of Opening Sunday of the 2015 NFL season. Players were evaluated based on their relevance to Millennials as well as on their long-term performance potential in the NFL. To determine the top 25 athletes, 120 Sports consulted:

• The results of a fan poll surveying over 100 Millennials in partnership with popular polling and rankings website, Ranker.com.
• The expertise of football analysts, writers and former players:
  • Sports Illustrated NFL writers: Doug Farrar and Chris Burke
  • Sports on Earth NFL writer: Andrew Garda
  • Pro Football Focus: Sam Monson, Michael Renner and Neil Hornsby
  • 120 Sports analysts and former NFL players: Bryant McFadden, Derek Rackley, Travis Johnson, and Chris Martin.

The rankings from both the experts and the fan poll were combined to generate the following index:

1. Luke Kuechly - Age 24, Panthers LB
2. Odell Beckham Jr. - Age 22, Giants WR
3. Tyron Smith - Age 24, Cowboys OL
4. Khalil Mack - Age 24, Raiders LB
5. Robert Quinn - Age 25, Rams DE
6. Aaron Donald - Age 24, Rams DT
7. Le'Veon Bell - Age 23, Steelers RB
8. Lavonte David - Age 25, Buccaneers LB
9. Marcell Dareus - Age 25, Bills DT
10. Teddy Bridgewater - Age 22, Vikings QB
11. Sheldon Richardson - Age 24, Jets DT
12. Randall Cobb - Age 25, Packers WR
13. T.Y. Hilton - Age 25, Colts WR
14. Bobby Wagner - Age 25, Seahawks LB
15. Eddie Lacy - Age 25, Packers RB
16. Patrick Peterson - Age 25, Cardinals DB
17. Travis Frederick - Age 24, Cowboys C
18. Zack Martin - Age 24, Cowboys OL
19. Amari Cooper - Age 21, Raiders WR
20. Desmond Trufant - Age 25, Falcons DB
21. Mike Evans - Age 22, Buccaneers WR
22. Sharrif Floyd - Age 23, Vikings DT
23. Sammy Watkins - Age 22, Bills WR
24. Keenan Allen - Age 23, Chargers WR
25. Jurrell Casey - Age 25, Titans DL

These rankings provide additional data points and insights including:

• Seven players were first-round draft picks in the 2014 NFL Draft.
• Luke Keuchly was the most popular player among Millennial voters in the South and Northeast.
• Odell Beckham Jr. received the most votes from Millennial female voters.
• Only 1 QB included on list.
• Highest draft pick: Marcell Dareus (3^rd overall in 2011 Draft).
• 8 players were not first-round draft picks.
• 16 players hail from the NFC, while only 9 from the AFC.
• 9 players from the SEC.
• More WR than any other position (7).

120 Sports, which uses up-to-the-moment insight from consumer trends to shape the way it produces its 24 hours of daily live and on-demand programming, will reveal the official "Millennial Athlete Index: NFL Edition" with in-depth analysis and discussion from the experts at 6 p.m. ET this evening.

To learn more about 120 Sports, visit http://www.120sports.com or follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/120Sports and Twitter https://twitter.com/120Sports.

120 Sports is the ultimate destination for up-to-the-moment expert commentary on all trending sports topics.  The digital-only broadcast network offers 76 hours of live content, plus more than 1,200 on-demand video clips, each week. Equity partners in 120 Sports include Time Inc. /Sports Illustrated, MLBAM, the NHL, the PGA TOUR, Campus Insiders and Silver Chalice.

SOURCE 120 Sports