Super Bowl XLIX: Power Ranking the Top 25 Players in This Year's Game
All year long, NFL fans are buried under a never-ending avalanche of power rankings. From after free agency to after the draft, through training camp to preseason and after every single week, you can find new sets of NFL power rankings on every sports-related website.
Now, the 2014 season has been whittled down to just two teams; power ranking them would be silly.
But what if we power ranked the players?
At Bleacher Report, we've done just that. Instead of a straight-ahead list of each team's best players, we've put both rosters in a blender and let the cream rise to the top. Regardless of the position played, or the previous reputation, we're taking the 25 best players right now and ranking them against each other.
Talent and production count for a lot, but a true power rank also factors in streaks, trends and form over the last few games.
With Super Bowl XLIX nearly upon us, here are the 25 best individual players who will be on the field on February 1.
No. 25: New England Patriots Outside Linebacker Rob Ninkovich
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Rob Ninkovich has a knack for making huge plays in big spots. Not only did he lead the Patriots in sacks this season (eight), he had an interception, four passes defensed and a fumble return for a touchdown.
That said, Ninkovich is not the most physically dominant player. His Pro Football Focus grade during the regular season, minus-6.4, ranked 41st out of 46 qualifying 3-4 outside linebackers. Much of that came from his poor pass-rush grade, minus-6.2. For having played 1,040 snaps in 16 starts as the top pass-rusher of the No. 8 scoring defense, eight sacks is actually pretty poor.
Still, he's been clutch in the playoffs. He's actually PFF's top-rated 3-4 outside linebacker this postseason, mostly on the strength of his pass rushing. Though Ninkovich has no postseason sacks, he leads all 3-4 outside linebackers in both quarterback hits (three) and hurries (13). This hot streak helped him edge out the rest of the field to get on our Top 25 board.
No. 24: Seattle Seahawks Defensive End Cliff Avril
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Cliff Avril would have ranked much higher if we were power ranking the 2013 edition.
Playing much more situationally, Avril was incredibly effective. With 15 games played in 2013, but only two starts, he had eight sacks and six forced fumbles. Starting all 16 games this season and playing more snaps, he posted just five sacks and a single forced fumble.
Not only did playing full time force Avril on the field in situations where he doesn't excel, those extra snaps sapped some of his mighty strip-sack mojo.
Nevertheless, Avril earned a plus-6.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, sixth-highest of the Seahawks defenders and 13th-best among 4-3 defensive ends.
Avril's been incredibly productive in the playoffs, earning two sacks, three quarterback hits and seven hurries, per PFF. Unfortunately, his minus-3.4 run defense grade and two flagged penalties prevent him from rocketing back up this list.
No. 23: Seattle Seahawks Cornerback Byron Maxwell
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For all of the media attention the Seahawks secondary gets, Byron Maxwell is rarely in the spotlight.
Opposing quarterbacks, though, pay Maxwell plenty of attention. Lining up on the other side of All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, Maxwell gets picked on like crazy. Per PFF, he was thrown at every 10.1 snaps he played during the regular season.
Not only did his total of 71 targets lead the Seahawks, Maxwell was targeted 66.4 percent more often than Sherman, whose target rate was one every 15.2 snaps.
Despite all the extra work, Maxwell held up fine. He had two picks and seven passes defensed in the regular season, and he held opposing quarterbacks to a passer efficiency rating of 81.1. In the playoffs, despite facing Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers, he did even better: one interception and an opponent passer rating of 64.9.
He's no Sherman, but he's not easy pickings.
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No. 22: New England Patriots Defensive Lineman Vince Wilfork
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Vince Wilfork is not the player he used to be.
The five-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro used to be the best in the world at what he does. Now, he's a beneficiary of the so-called world theory: There are only so many human beings in the world big and talented enough to stuff two running lanes by themselves.
The 6'2", 325-pound *cough* defensive tackle has anchored the Patriots defense for the last decade. Now, he rotates and flexes and sticks to his strengths. Against the run, he's still a force to be reckoned with; against the pass, he's mostly decorative.
However, Wilfork is still a difference-making player, and the Patriots will wish they had three of him every time Marshawn Lynch takes a handoff.
No. 21: Seattle Seahawks Receiver Doug Baldwin
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Of the top three receivers on each of the two Super Bowl XLIX teams, only Seahawks wideout Doug Baldwin makes our Top 25.
There's a reason for that.
Baldwin had 66 regular-season catches for 825 yards and three touchdowns, leading Seahawks pass-catchers in all three categories. He did this on just 98 targets, per PFF.
The Patriots' top receivers, Brandon LaFell and Julian Edelman, had a few more catches (74, 92, respectively) for a few more yards (953, 972) and touchdowns (seven, four), but they benefited from significantly more targets (119, 134). Baldwin is a smart, crafty receiver with a sixth sense for getting open while his quarterback extends plays, and he has just enough speed to make defenses pay for sleeping on him.
He won't have an easy time getting open if Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis shadows him, but he may only need to get open once.
No. 20: New England Patriots Outside Linebacker Chandler Jones
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In a season where double-digit sackmasters seemed to be a dime a dozen, the Patriots pass rush desperately lacked a terrifying edge-rusher.
Chandler Jones was as close to one as they had in 2014, racking up six sacks—tied for second-best on the team—in just nine starts. Jones, coming off the opposite side from team sack leader Rob Ninkovich, provides the other bookend to the Patriots pass rush.
Jones has turned up the heat in the postseason, notching five quarterback hits and 10 hurries in the Patriots' two playoff games, per PFF. A big day from Jones could go a long way toward containing dangerous Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
No. 19: Seattle Seahawks Outside Linebacker Bruce Irvin
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Two years ago at this time, it seemed like the mercurial Bruce Irvin was maturing into an outstanding situational pass-rusher. He started zero games in 2012 but racked up eight sacks. If his development had continued, he could've become a Von Miller-esqe sackmaster.
Instead, the Seahawks have settled for a very good, three-down, all-around outside linebacker.
Irvin finished second on the team in sacks in 2014, with 6.5 in 13 starts. He also had two interceptions (both returned for touchdowns), 26 tackles and 13 assists. Pro Football Focus graded Irvin as the 11th-best 4-3 outside linebacker this regular season, out of 40 qualifiers.
PFF charted Irvin with a sack, three quarterback hits and five hurries over the Seahawks' two playoff games; he'll need to keep up that pace in Super Bowl XLIX. The more pass rush Irvin can provide against Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the more likely the Seahawks will be able to replicate the Super Bowl success the New York Giants have had against him.
No. 18: New England Patriots Free Safety Devin McCourty
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The Patriots secondary has taken a significant step forward in 2014, and Darrelle Revis has played a big role in that.
Getting much less press, though, has been the steady play of free agent Devin McCourty. He's not a ball hawk like Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas or a two-way piledriver like Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, but McCourty's incredibly consistent deep coverage has been vital to the Patriots' defensive turnaround.
McCourty isn't just Pro Football Focus' eighth-best safety of 2014, he hasn't turned in a grade below minus-1.0 all season, and he hasn't been flagged for a single penalty. That kind of mistake-free consistency is enormous in a Super Bowl, where one untimely error can unravel an entire championship season.
No. 17: Seattle Seahawks Punter Jon Ryan
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No, Ryan's not this high in the power rankings because he threw a touchdown pass in the NFC Championship Game...but it didn't hurt.
Ryan's an outstanding punter and a huge part of the Seahawks' success. They finished fourth in the NFL in offensive starting field position, per Football Outsiders, and No. 1 in opponents' starting field position.
That's not a coincidence: Per Pro Football Focus, only 26.4 percent of his regular-season punts were returned, easily the best in the NFL. Ryan pinning opponents deep adds nearly another first down to three-quarters of opponents' drives; that's doubly huge when opponents are trying to drive down the field against the NFL's top scoring and yardage defense.
The passing touchdown, almost certainly the first thrown in the NFL by a Canadian college football player, means Ryan's entering the Super Bowl coming off the best performance of his career.
No. 16: Seattle Seahawks Middle Linebacker Bobby Wagner
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Here's how deep this Super Bowl is: Bobby Wagner is a 2014 first-team All-Pro, just having been voted the No. 1 inside linebacker in football, and he's No. 16 on this list.
There's no doubting Wagner's talent. In each of his three seasons, though, he's started fewer games. After racking up five sacks and two interceptions in 2013, he got only two sacks and no picks in 2014. Part of that likely comes from the departed defensive line depth putting more pressure and run-stuffing responsibility on him; part of that is from only starting 11 games.
However, in both of the Seahawks' two postseason games, Pro Football Focus gave Wagner a negative grade.
The Seahawks will need his run-stopping ability against LeGarrette Blount, and any big plays he can give them against Tom Brady's short and intermediate passing, in Super Bowl XLIX.
No. 15: Seattle Seahawks Center Max Unger
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Max Unger is one of the best centers in the NFL, as evidenced by his two Pro Bowl berths and one first-team All-Pro nod in the last three seasons.
However, he lost all but six games of this season to toe, ankle and knee injuries, returning to duty at the outset of the playoffs. In two playoff games so far, he's been solid. PFF graded Unger at plus-2.4 in those two games, putting him in a three-way tie for second-best-graded center of these playoffs.
Unger told Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune at media day he's 100 percent, and "feel[s] strong."
Presuming the extra week of rest between the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl XLIX has him in even better shape than he's been in, he should be all set to take his game back to an All-Pro level. That's great news for Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks, who rely on Unger to anchor an offensive line that's struggled with injuries and consistency all season.
No. 14: New England Patriots Running Back LeGarrette Blount
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LeGarrette Blount is one of 2014's most intriguing stories. After disappointing (and being disappointed) in a second-banana role with the Pittsburgh Steelers, an act of insubordination led to Blount's release.
Once the Steelers let him walk, the Patriots had no problem pouncing on the new free agent. Having been successful with the Patriots in 2013, Blount walked right in off the street and took over the Patriots' starting gig.
Blount had a massive AFC Championship Game, racking up 148 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries against the Indianapolis Colts. However, he was invisible in the divisional-round game against the Baltimore Ravens, getting just three carries for one yard.
Whether he's the focal point of the Patriots offense or a benchwarmer seems to hang on head coach Bill Belichick's game plan and whims—and he could just as easily be Super Bowl MVP or a non-factor in Super Bowl XLIX.
No. 13: New England Patriots Right Tackle Sebastian Vollmer
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Both of the Seahawks' top pass-rushers, Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, do their best work from the left side of the defensive line. Manning the right side of the Patriots offensive line, keeping Tom Brady safe, just happens to be the Patriots' best offensive lineman: right tackle Sebastian Vollmer.
Vollmer, a 6'8", 320-pound Teutonic behemoth originally from Dusseldorf, Germany, was Pro Football Focus' best-graded right tackle during the 2014 regular season—and only one of two Patriots offensive linemen to finish with a positive mark.
In two playoff games, though, Vollmer has posted unremarkable numbers, including only his fourth negative single-game mark of the season in the AFC Championship Game. Right when the Patriots need him most, Vollmer hasn't been at his best.
Still, there's no denying Vollmer's quality. He's been named to three different second-team All-Pro squads in the last five seasons (AP, 2010; PFF, 2012 and 2014). If he wants to finally get a Pro Bowl bid or make the first-team All-Pro squad next season, erasing Avril and Bennett in a Super Bowl XLIX win would go a long way.
No. 12: Seattle Seahawks Outside Linebacker K.J. Wright
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K.J. Wright might be this list's fastest riser. A practically unknown quantity outside the Seahawks' front office, locker room and fanbase before he came up with a crucial third-down pass defense late in the NFC Championship Game, he has been an increasingly important part of the Seahawks defense all year.
As the strong-side linebacker, Wright is responsible for covering tight ends in the context of the Seahawks' base Cover 3 defense. His athleticism allows the defense to cover the seam effectively without going into nickel or dime coverage; this keeps the Seahawks big and beefy and aggressive against the run.
"In the offseason," Seahawks general manager and executive vice president John Schneider told Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, "we identified K.J. as one of our core players moving forward and aimed to keep him as a part of the Seahawks family for a long time."
Wright, who'll likely match up with All-Pro Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski more often than not, has a chance to prove he earned that deal in Super Bowl XLIX.
No. 11: Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson
15 of 25Russell Wilson is a great young quarterback and a fantastic player.
It's no slight to him that he's so far from the very top of this list; Super Bowl XLIX will feature many of the very best players in the NFL.
Statistically, it's hard to make the case that Wilson belongs in the top tier (or even, really, second tier) of NFL quarterbacks. With the Seahawks running game and defense, he doesn't need to throw often; he had the 19th-most attempts of any quarterback this season. His passing-stat totals are understandably low.
His rate stats, though, aren't much more impressive. He ranked fourth in interception rate, seventh in average yards per attempt and 10th in NFL passer efficiency rating, but just 17th in touchdown rate and a lowly 20th in completion rate.
Nevertheless, with a patchwork offensive line and arguably the least-dominant receiver corps in the NFL, Wilson's Seahawks finished 10th in scoring. His knack for making plays with his brain, arm and feet have won the Seahawks many games this season—especially in the first half of the year, when the defense wasn't quite as, well, defensive as we've come to expect from Seattle.
Wilson fell a few more slots for coming into the Super Bowl off the worst game of his professional career.
No. 10: Patriots Inside Linebacker Dont'a Hightower
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Dont'a Hightower has a fantastic football name. Fortunately for him, and the Patriots, he's also a fantastic player.
Pro Football Focus' second-best graded inside linebacker of 2014, the 6'3", 270-pound Hightower doesn't just have massive, tailback-eating size. His surprising athleticism makes him solid in coverage and beastly when blitzing.
Hightower's six sacks in 12 starts tied defensive end Chandler Jones for second-best on the team in 2014, and his 58 solo tackles ranked him third. His PFF coverage grade, plus-8.9, was fifth-best in the NFL.
In the postseason, Hightower hasn't been as hot as his partner on the interior of the Pats defense, Jamie Collins. PFF charts Collins, at plus-4.9, as the second-best inside linebacker of this postseason; Hightower is third with a plus-1.4.
The Patriots will need all the help they can get from Hightower and Collins to contain the dangerous Seahawks backfield.
No. 9: Seahawks Defensive Lineman Michael Bennett
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Michael Bennett carries a lot more pressure on his big frame than he did during the previous Super Bowl. After the free-agent departures of defensive linemen Chris Clemons and Red Bryant, Bennett moved into a full-time role as the Seahawks' top pass-rusher.
Bennett, as he told the gathered mass of reporters at media day, is not stressed about it.
"I wake up every day," Bennett said, "and look in the mirror and say, 'Damn, I look good,' so I can't be stressed." His play reflected it: He led the Seahawks in sacks during the regular season, with seven, and was graded as PFF's second-best 4-3 defensive end.
Many Seahawks celebrated their NFC Championship Game win by acknowledging the crowd, but only Bennett was carefree enough to borrow a police officer's bike and take a victory lap of CenturyLink Field.
Bennett has had a relatively quiet postseason, with no sacks. But PFF credits him with eight quarterback hurries, so it's only a matter of time before we see the NFL's most lascivious sack dance again.
No. 8: Seattle Seahawks Free Safety Earl Thomas
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Earl Thomas, in the estimation of many, hasn't had his best year.
According to Pro Football Focus, Thomas was the fifth-best safety in the NFL this year; they've graded him as seventh-best in the playoffs. He's taken a back seat to backfield partner Kam Chancellor, whose amazing divisional-round performance put away the Carolina Panthers almost single-handedly.
Yet Thomas earned his fourth straight Pro Bowl berth and third straight first-team All-Pro nod this season, reflecting his well-earned title as the best coverage safety on Earth.
As the effective center fielder in the Seahawks' base Cover 3 defense, Thomas is responsible for a huge swath of the field. He's snagged only one interception this year, compared to last year's five, but he's defended eight passes, forced four fumbles and led the Seahawks in tackles, with 80.
Not bad for a coverage safety.
No. 7: Seahawks Strong Safety Kam Chancellor
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Way back in 2012, when the Seattle Seahawks unveiled their new Nike-created uniforms, they tapped safety Kam Chancellor to model the threads. Chancellor had been to the Pro Bowl once in his first two seasons, but he was severely lacking in terms of franchise-carrying star power.
Since then, of course, fellow 2010 rookie Earl Thomas emerged as an all-everything free safety, the Seahawks drafted Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch rose to power as the game's best power back, and nobody would consider Chancellor the biggest star in Seattle.
That doesn't mean he's any less of a player.
He reminded the world just how good he is in the divisional round against the Carolina Panthers. His nine tackles, two assists, 90-yard interception return touchdown and heroic vaulting field-goal block were an incredible individual effort—and a big reason why the Seahawks are playing for all the marbles.
No. 6: Seattle Seahawks Running Back Marshawn Lynch
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Marshawn Lynch, the unquestioned MVP of Super Bowl media days, will be one of the best players on the field too.
Lynch had a typically strong 2014 season. He finished fourth in rushing yards (1,306), tied for first in rushing touchdowns (13) and had the second-highest yards-per-carry average of his career (4.7). In the postseason, he's had 39 carries for 216 yards—a whopping 5.5 yards-per-carry average—and a touchdown.
The 5'11", 215-pound monster is every linebacker's worst nightmare. With 88 missed tackles, as charted by Pro Football Focus, Lynch put a clown suit on 31.3 percent more defenders than second-ranked tailback DeMarco Murray.
With all of that said, 157 of Lynch's 216 postseason yards came in the NFC Championship Game. The Carolina Panthers were able to bottle him up. The Patriots ranked much better (10th) in rushing average allowed than either the Packers (22nd) or Panthers (29th), per Pro-Football-Reference, so there's at least a chance New England can keep Lynch from going Beast Mode in Super Bowl XLIX.
No. 5: New England Patriots Inside Linebacker Jamie Collins
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Jamie Collins keeps breaking out.
He's had many breakout games, two breakout seasons and now a breakout postseason. He's gone from second-round pick to promising backup to solid rotational player to unquestioned starter to defensive lynchpin.
The Indianapolis Colts' screen-heavy AFC Championship Game game plan seemed specifically designed to attack Collins; the 45-7 scoreline reveals just how well that worked out.
The 6'3", 250-pound phenom has incredible explosion and start-stop and change-of-direction skills. His rapidly improving vision and football IQ let him apply that physical talent to stuffing the run, covering the pass and rushing the passer.
Though he was snubbed across the board in Pro Bowl, All-Pro and All-NFL lists in 2014, his postseason performances will have him on every preseason shortlist for everything in 2015.
No. 4: Seahawks Cornerback Richard Sherman
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In the eternal debate of Revis vs. Sherman, this game will be used as a measuring stick—even though the two won't ever be on the field at the same time.
For each of the last four regular seasons, one or the other has been generally recognized as the game's best cornerback. Both players got off to (relatively) slow starts at the beginning of the year, but both finished strong over the second half of the season, and each snagged an interception off one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in their respective conference championship game.
Revis has made a name for himself by focusing on a team's top receiver and erasing that player from the game: stranding him on "Revis Island." Sherman locks down his right side of the field in the Seahawks' aggressive base Cover 3 defense.
Both players have a massive impact on the game and funnel opportunities to the other members of their secondary. Since neither the Seahawks nor Patriots have an all-world receiver, the perceived "winner" might be the one who makes fewer big plays.
Despite an elbow injury, Sherman is still one of the very best corners in football, and one of the best players in this game.
No. 3: Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady
23 of 25What is there left to say about Tom Brady?
The 10-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion rebounded from arguably the worst four-game stretch of his career to have a decent season. He didn't approach his career bests in any statistical category, and he didn't come close to the NFL leaders in most of them. (He finished as high as fifth, in both touchdowns and NFL passer efficiency rating.)
Nevertheless, Brady played more than well enough over the latter three quarters of the season to put the team in position to win—after all, the Patriots went 10-2 over the last 12 games. Brady has also played very well in this year's playoffs, completing 65.9 percent of his passes for 7.0 yards per attempt, six passing touchdowns and two interceptions.
Though Russell Wilson has had a statistically comparable season, Brady enters Super Bowl XLIX off a massive 45-7 blowout. Wilson's brutal four-interception implosion, meanwhile, nearly cost the Seahawks their berth in the big game.
No. 2: Patriots Cornerback Darrelle Revis
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Darrelle Revis gets the edge over Richard Sherman here, mostly because Sherman's nursing an injury and Revis is not. Were these two cornerbacks equally healthy, the Bleacher Report site might have needed some emergency code work to show two slides at once.
Revis has been the best man-coverage corner in the NFL practically since he entered the league in 2010. After a season spent wandering Tampa Bay in a Buccaneers scheme that failed to suit his strengths, he's had more impact than any team-switching veteran since, well, the Patriots acquired Randy Moss in 2007.
It's no coincidence that Revis getting comfortable in head coach Bill Belichick's defense coincided with a massive, historic turnaround in the Patriots' overall performance. Revis, playing in his first Super Bowl, should be primed to make a career-defining mark in this game.
No. 1: Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski
25 of 25He's more than just a tight end: He's a force of nature.
The 6'6", 265-pound Gronkowski isn't just the best tight end in this Super Bowl, or the best tight end in the playoffs. He's the best tight end in the NFL, and he's pretty far ahead of the pack.
Gronkowski's 2014 Pro Football Focus grades put him in rare company. Along with Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda and Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, he's one of just a handful of top-ranked players who are 150 percent (or more) better than the No. 2-ranked player.
With 82 catches, he's only three behind prolific tight end Jimmy Graham. With 1,124 yards, he's 116 ahead of No. 2, Greg Olsen. With 12 touchdowns, he's tied with Antonio Gates and Julius Thomas at the top of the list.
Including wideouts, Gronkowski tied with T.Y. Hilton for 21st in receptions this regular season. He's sandwiched between Alshon Jeffery and Calvin Johnson at 15th in receiving yards. He's tied for fourth overall in touchdowns, with the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Randall Cobb. He's hot, too, racking up 10 catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns in two postseason games (despite not being used much in the 45-7 blowout of the Indianapolis Colts).
He's the only terrifying receiving weapon either Super Bowl team has. Whether he eats is going to have a massive effect on the outcome.
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