The Top 7 Safeties in the NFL

Here's how I see the rankings of the best safeties in the NFL, regardless of their strong or free designation.

I'm sure some of y'all will disagree with my Top Seven, so feel free to respond and let the debates begin.

Note: I used this ill Brian Dawkins photo for illustrative purposes. He's not in my list, but he should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, period.

Let's get crackin', folks.

7. Brandon Meriweather

What do you know, another great defensive back from the U.

After an excellent sophomore season, Meriweather has begun proving Belichick & Co. right yet again for making him a first-round draft pick in 2007.

I really wanted the Eagles to draft this baller. Then the Pats nabbed him, which was almost confirmation of his ensuing greatness.

6. Michael Griffin

His 75 tackles and seven INTs helped lead the NFL's third-best defense last year. Along with SS Chris Hope, who just missed making this list, the Titans have perhaps the league's top safety tandem.

Griffin was an exceptional player at Texas and should continue progressing into a Pro Bowl-caliber player.

5. Adrian Wilson

The best player on a defense that surprised a lot of people on their way to the Super Bowl, Wilson fills up the stat sheet and flies to the football.

Adrian is a vicious hitter who doesn't miss many tackles and always knows where to be on the field.

Look for him to return to his 2005-'06 form; over those two seasons, he recorded 13 sacks and almost 200 tackles.

4. Bob Sanders

This dude's a straight-up beast.

An injury-plagued '08 will not keep this monster down. His stats don't tell half the story; the running backs and receivers he hits do. Sanders is a merciless hitter, he's deceivingly quick and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

3. Oshiomogho Atogwe

One of the most underrated, overlooked players in football, Atogwe is a ridiculous talent trapped on an awful team.

He forced 6 fumbles and snagged 5 picks in '08, giving opposing offenses trouble all year long. In 2007 he snatched 8 interceptions.

Entering his fifth season, Atogwe is hungry to gain the respect that he deserves. Here's hoping people begin to take notice.

If ya don't know, now ya know.

2. Troy Polamalu

What can you say that hasn't already been said about this freak of nature?

I'm not even going to bother with statistics.

The quiet leader of the best defense in football and two Super Bowl rings speak volumes.

You could make a strong argument that this cat is the best in the business.

1. Ed Reed

Arguably the best defensive player in all of football, Reed is constantly making huge plays.

He led the NFL with 9 INTs in '08, adding two more and a TD in the playoffs. It seems that once he gets the ball in his hands, there's about a 97 percent chance he's going to take it to the house. The dude is filthy.

43 interceptions since his rookie year in '02 is simply unheard of. And that's not including the playoffs. Another couple years of this kind of stellar play and we're surely watching a first-ballot Hall of Famer.