Top 10 NFL Players – May 2019

Jun 17, 2019 | Athlete Spotlights

Top NFL Players With the Highest Social Interactions Among Fans

May is a month of preparation for NFL players across the country. The NFL Draft in April brought new talent to the practice field for their first seconds with their new fans, while existing players prepare for the upcoming season. With pre-season just a few months away the players, athlete’s social media posts are constantly checked by the restless fans, awaiting the 2019-20 season. Players post about the upcoming season, rookies, and their life outside of football to get the fans involved. Hookit analyzed the top 10 NFL players with the most social media interactions in the month of May. Still in the number one spot is Tom Brady with 8.4M interactions this month. Behind him is Julian Edelman and Le’Veon Bell. The New York Giants star running back, Saquon Barkley, quickly moved up the ranking this month and secured spot number four with 1.4M interactions, 1.1M interactions more than he had in last month.

Note: All data from Hookit Engagement rankings on June 10th, 2019. Data is updated consistently to reflect live rankings on the Hookit Ranks page.

No Rest for the Patriots Duo

Tom Brady and Julian Edelman’s success did not stop after their big win in the Super Bowl. They are also thriving on all social media platforms. The two New England Patriots players have secured the top two spots on our list this month.

Tom Brady has acquired over 11M followers on various social media accounts over the years. With 8.4M interactions across 49 posts in the month of May, the Patriots quarterback has again secured his number one ranking for social interactions. After celebrating his sixth Super Bowl win in February, Tom Brady has recently been posting pictures of him practicing and getting ready for the upcoming season, a teaser for fans of what’s next for Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Julian Edelman increased his number of interactions by almost 2M since last month, leading to 5M interactions this May. Edelman was named the Super Bowl MVP with 10 receptions for 141 yards. Like Brady, Edelman has been posting pictures and videos of him running drills and getting ready for the upcoming season. These posts have received high interaction numbers when compared to his other posts this month. His instagram has accounted for 4.7M of these interactions while Twitter and Facebook share the other 300K interactions.

Saquon Barkley Secures Fourth Place

In February 2019, Saquon Barkley was named Offensive Rookie of the Year, and since then, he has gained 72K followers across his social media platforms. In the month of May alone, Barkley has posted 42 times and received 1.3M interactions. He posted an Instagram at the Met Gala with other NFL players, such as Tom Brady and Julian Edelman, but his most engaging post was an Instagram video sponsored by Nike. This video got over 500K views and 2,000 comments.

JJ Watt Popped the Question

JJ Watt, the Texans defensive end, has jumped up 6 places since last month and currently sits in 8th place. He posted 76 posts in the month of May and gained 417.4K interactions. The majority of his interactions came from a post of him and his fiance, Kealia Ohai, sharing a moment by the water after JJ Watt proposed. Many of his posts this month have not touched on football but the fans seem to love the glimpse into JJ Watt’s personal life.

The Wrap Up

Fans engage with athletes’ posts in order to get an inside look at their favorite NFL players. Social media allows for players to post about their profession but also about personal matters, if desired. May is not an extremely busy month for NFL athletes when it comes to team commitments, but with the next season around the corner, their social media profiles keep the fans involved and excited for kick off. Some players post with friends and family while others post about their team. Whether it be a workout video or a sunset engagement photo, these players have been in the spotlight this month and staying there would immensely benefit their current sponsors.

Note: All data is from official Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram Business accounts. Any personal Instagram account data is not included in these rankings.

Written by Katie Carroll

Katie is a third-year student at San Diego State University with an interest in marketing, sports, and events. As a content marketing intern at Hookit she creates engaging stories from data that are focused on digital and social media. Sports have always been a huge part of her life and living in sunny San Diego allows her to play, watch, and write about them! She also likes to go to the beach and travel to different parts of the world. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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