With the 2024 Summer Olympics just around the corner, ESPN unveiled its top 100 professional athletes since the turn of the century.

Twelve current or former NFL players were included in the list, but only five landed in the top half of the rankings. One of those was Vikings Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss, who was slated 27^th overall. ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote:

At 6-foot-4 and with a 47-inch vertical jump, Moss could reach or jump over the tallest defensive backs who tried to cover him – hence the phrase "You got Mossed." But with speed that was measured below 4.3 seconds in the 40 during a private workout before the 1998 draft, Moss also could run away from the fastest defenders, be it on deep routes or even on what would now be called "bubble screens." Other factors contributed to his success as well, but the league had never before seen a player like Moss.

Moss was enshrined in Canton in 2018. He earned six Pro Bowl nods, was named a First-Team All-Pro four times and ranked second all-time in career touchdown catches (156).

Moss was the fifth NFL player ranked. Ahead of him were Tom Brady (No. 5), Patrick Mahomes (17), Aaron Donald (20) and Peyton Manning (26). The other NFL players included in the top 100 were Calvin Johnson (57), J.J. Watt (58), Ray Lewis (61), Aaron Rodgers (91), Darrelle Revis (96), Ed Reed (99) and Charles Woodson (100).

The following sports were represented in ESPN's Top 100, with number of athletes in parentheses: basketball (24), baseball (17), soccer (15), football (12), tennis (6), golf (4), boxing (4), track & field (3), auto racing (3) and hockey (3).

Another name Minnesota fans will likely recognize is former NBA star Kevin Garnett, who played for the Timberwolves during the same time Moss was with the Vikings. Garnett, who was a 13-time All Star and eight-time All-NBA selection, landed at No. 23.

Garnett was famously loyal to Minnesota, leading the Timberwolves to their first playoff series victories when he piloted them to the 2004 Western Conference finals. But despite winning his lone MVP award that season, it was in Boston where he would cement himself in history. He and Ray Allen teamed up with Paul Pierce to usher in a new big three era in the NBA and lead the Celtics to the 2008 title, plus another NBA Finals appearance two seasons later. Garnett bellowing "Anything is possible!" in the aftermath of the Celtics' Game 6 victory over their archrivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, has become an indelible championship moment.

As far as the top 10 athletes on ESPN's list?

Former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, who holds a record 28 Olympic medals, took the No. 1 spot. He was followed by Serena Williams, Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Brady, Roger Federer, Simone Biles, Tiger Woods, Usain Bolt and the late Kobe Bryant.

Biles will be competing in the upcoming Olympics after cementing her spot on Team U.S.A. during the trials hosted here in Minneapolis.

Since winning her first national title in 2013, Biles has gone undefeated in all-around competition in every meet she has competed in, a staggering achievement in a sport that used to age-out athletes in their teens. Now 27, Biles punctuated her return to gymnastics after taking two years off following the Tokyo Games by winning U.S. trials by an astounding 5.5 points. In her third Olympics in Paris, Biles can become the first gymnast to win all-around gold in nonconsecutive Olympics. She also has five skills that bear her name – including a vault with the highest difficulty level in women's gymnastics.

Click here to see the full rankings.

CBS names 'under-the-radar players' who could heavily impact 2024 season

Every year around this time, CBS Sports' Zachary Pereles rolls out his list of 50 “under-the-radar” players across the league who "could shape" the upcoming season.

Pereles noted there were some "big hits" in last year's list, as well as some misses. He explained his approach:

That's the nature of the beast when trying to predict key under-the-radar players. They might be under the radar because they simply haven't done enough to get on the radar; that might never change. On the other hand, predicting key players who are already on the radar is pointless. We know Patrick Mahomes, Christian McCaffrey, Justin Jefferson and Micah Parsons are going to be important. There's a sweet spot – and a method – to the madness. Maybe the player is assuming a bigger role. Maybe he's due for a bounce back. Maybe he plays a position who doesn't get much attention. Maybe he's joining a new team.

Pereles included one Viking on this summer's list: quarterback Sam Darnold, who was ranked at No. 2 and joined fellow passers Jacoby Brisset (Patriots) and Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew, who are vying for the starting spot in Las Vegas.

It's Darnold – not 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy – who enters training camp as the starter. Darnold is in a great ecosystem with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones, and [with Head Coach] Kevin O'Connell calling the shots. How well Darnold plays also could determine when (and, in turn, how well) McCarthy plays, making him a key player to watch, much like Brissett in New England.

While Darnold was the only current Viking featured by Pereles, fans will certainly recognize Eric Kendricks among a group of five linebackers. Kendricks, who played for the Vikings from 2015-22, signed with Dallas in free agency.

Much like the Cowboys first name on this list (Mazi Smith), Kendricks hopes to be a salve to Dallas' rush defense woes. Since 2020, Kendricks' 286 run tackles are sixth in the NFL, and while he may not be the All-Pro he once was, Kendricks should help a unit that ranked dead last in success rate against the run in 2023.