Top 10 NFL Players – August 2019

Top 10 NFL Players with the highest social interactions among fans

August and the start of football season are synonymous. The Hall of Fame Game, the kickoff to the NFL preseason, saw the Broncos edge out the Falcons. Of course, August NFL games are full of 2nd and 3rd stringers dueling for their place on the final roster. That said, there is plenty of intrigue to go around, with lots of open questions from the offseason, like how well the Browns new offense will gel, what the Chiefs retooled defense can do, and how the Gronk-less Champs will do as Brady continues to age (or does he?). These questions and more will be answered throughout the season, but we’ve got some movement in the top 10 NFL players on social media for the month of August. Let’s break it down.

Patriots reign

The defending champs are still sitting at the top of the social engagement charts with Patriots QB Tom Brady and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman at #1 and #2, respectively. Instagram was where the fans were the most engaged for the New England teammates, both garnering more than 80% of their engagement on the photo and video sharing platform. While Brady posted only 8 times during August on Instagram, Edelman posted 24 times on the platform and nearly double the posts as Brady across all channels. The pair help each other’s social engagement, with Edelman’s video wishing TB12 a happy birthday being his most popular post of the month, garnering over 1M views and 4x as many comments as any other post in August.

Offense has more fun

There are playmakers and all stars on both sides of the ball, but fans heavily favored the offense in August with 3 RBs, 3 WRs, and 2 QBs in the top 10. The only two defensive players to make the top 10 were JJ Watt, a perennial fan favorite, and Myles Garrett,  who is entering his 3rd season for the trending Browns. August saw Le’Veon Bell back on the field for the first time since January 14th, 2018, his final game before his holdout battle with the Steelers. His new Jets family particularly liked and commented on this photo of Le’Veon and Saquon Barkley, a fellow star RB in New York.

New blood in the top 10

While the top 10 are flanked by NFL “old-timers” Tom Brady and Larry Fitzgerald, several young stars have made their way into the top 10. Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffery, and Myles Garrett are all in their 2nd or 3rd season in the league and have clearly positioned themselves as impact players of the future. These athletes are showcasing not only their feats on the field, but also posting about poetry, partners, and inspirations. 

Wrap Up

As August wraps up, September rings in the regular season and games that matter. Fan engagement will be at an all time high as every team starts with a fresh slate. Top athletes will need to perform both on the field and on social to keep their teams on top and their fans engaged. Every season brings surprising results, so stay tuned for the September rankings to see how the players kick off the 2019 social season.