Things to Know about the NFLPA x Opendorse Influencer Hot List

Topics

Share

A look at the top 10 active NFL players in Total Engagements, Growth Rate and Most Consistently Active.

Odell Beckham Jr., Cam Jordan and D.K. Metcalf are more than powerhouses on the professional football field; they are also among the rapidly growing influential player voices and leaders in fan engagement on social media. In a new annual list, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) and its social media activation partner Opendorse analyze the social media activity of current NFL players and rank the most influential and marketable for brands.

The list includes data that measures consistent engagement, audience growth rate and overall activity from the players across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook over last season and through May 31.

Of note, Beckham Jr. is ranked first among NFL players in engagement on Instagram, while Tom Brady is in the top spot for engagement on Twitter.

Opendorse, the social publishing platform that helps athletes and influential people share content, has connected more than 1,000 active and retired NFL players with hundreds of brands to activate social media campaigns, reaching more than one billion fans worldwide. Based on Opendorse data, professional athletes drive 11x higher engagement with fans than brands on social media.

View the top 10 active NFL players in Total Engagements, Growth Rate and Most Consistently Active.

Overall Total Engagements

This list reflects total engagements on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook:

  1. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns
  2. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  3. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
  4. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots
  5. J.J. Watt, Houston Texans
  6. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
  7. Patrick Mahomes II, Kansas City Chiefs
  8. Todd Gurley, Atlanta Falcons
  9. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
  10. Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

Top Growth Rate

This list reflects players with rapidly growing followers (percentage of new followers, minimum 100K total):

  1. D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
  2. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
  3. Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers
  4. Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts
  5. Patrick Mahomes II, Kansas City Chiefs
  6. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
  7. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
  8. Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys
  9. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
  10. Steven Nelson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Most Consistently Active

Consistent activity is a leading indicator for marketability on social. It keeps players engaged with their audience, while providing marketers with actionable, predictable data with which to build effective campaigns. We rank the most active players who also met audience (top 50%) and engagement (+0.5%) thresholds.

  1. Cam Jordan, New Orleans Saints
  2. Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City Chiefs
  3. Derrius Guice, Washington Redskins
  4. Richard Sherman, San Francisco 49ers
  5. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
  6. Melvin Gordon, Denver Broncos
  7. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
  8. Mohamed Sanu, New England Patriots
  9. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
  10. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks