The Top 10 Skill Position Units in NFL (No QBs)

The NFL obsession with QBs knows no bounds. Heck, even the NFL Network has thrown out a headline incorporating 'The Denver Tebows.'

Truth be told, though, a quarterback's weapons on offense are absolutely pivotal. Just look at Tom Brady's statistics when threw to a bunch of no-names (Reche Caldwell anyone?) in 2006 and compare them to those in 2007, when Randy Moss was running nine routes and Wes Welker was confounding everyone with option routes.

So, which units of tight ends, receivers and running backs are the best in the league? Find out in this ranking of the league's Top 10 skill position units.

No. 10: Pittsburgh Steelers

Key Personnel

RB: Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman

WR: Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown

TE: Heath Miller

Strengths: The young wide receivers on this unit are absolutely dynamic. Mike Wallace has excellent speed and can beat almost anyone on a vertical route. Antonio Brown is shifty with a good burst, and can beat most corners on a series of underneath moves. Heath Miller provides a reliable target and big body over the middle and in the red zone. The running backs are solid, if not spectacular, carrying the football.

Weaknesses: The wide receiving corps lacks some size, and teams have been successful playing physical with them at the line of scrimmage. Heath Miller and the RB corps are not usually explosive players—none of the backs are great at catching the football and creating in space. Overall, this team can struggle in the red-zone with its lack of size in the receiving corps and backs who are not particularly strong after contact or in short-yardage.

No. 9: Detroit Lions

Key Personnel:

RB: Jahvid Best, Kevin Smith

TE: Brandon Pettigrew

WR: Calvin Johnson, Nate Burleson, Titus Young

Strengths: Well, Titus Young is really underrated as a No. 3 wide recei—nope, just kidding it's Calvin Johnson. Needless to say, this freak of a receiver has it all. Excellent size, speed, and jumping ability. I'm sure those who watched any of his two-touchdown games or 200+ yard games know this too well. Throw in an above-average tight end in Brandon Pettigrew and decent supporting receivers, and this Lions unit has enough to give defensive coaches fits.

Weaknesses: The backfield. This team really could not establish a run game in 2011. It's hard to blame them entirely as much of their unit was lost to injury, but even with Best back there this team is not exactly flush with talent. We'll see if Mikel Leshoure can make a difference. While Megatron carries the receiving unit, a secondary receiver who was a little more reliable could really make a difference for a team that struggled at times on third down.

No. 8: Oakland Raiders

Key Personnel

RB: Darren McFadden, Michael Bush

TE: Kevin Boss

WR: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore, Jacoby Ford

Strengths: It's that beastly backfield. McFadden is great in all areas—good speed, size, catching ability and he really showed the total package this year before getting hurt. After that, Michael Bush demonstrated that he was much more than just a short-yardage, grinding back. With Heyward-Bey and Moore's breakout years, the receiving corps revealed it's much more than just the track champions of the league.

Weaknesses: Letting Zach Miller go and replacing him with Kevin Boss was a downgrade at the tight end position. In addition, the receivers—while extremely fast—are often not the most perfect route-runners or sure-handed group on the field. It's still a very strong unit that with health would likely have become a more dominant unit than it was this year.

No. 7: Dallas Cowboys

Key Personnel:

RB: DeMarco Murray, Felix Jones

TE: Jason Witten

WR: Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson

Strengths: This is a very strong pass-catching unit. Jason Witten is an excellent route-runner with good hands. Miles Austin is a dynamic receiver with big-play ability. Dez Bryant has all of the physical attributes to be a top-five receiver in the league. Laurent Robinson really surprised everyone this year and is about as good a No. 3 wideout as you'll see in the league.

Weaknesses: While the injuries obviously hurt, the backfield is just good—not great. Neither back is great at catching the ball, which would be a big bonus for Romo, who excels at extending plays and improvising. Dez Bryant, for all his physical talent, hasn't put together many games where he was a game-changing force for 60 minutes. 

No. 6: San Diego Chargers

Key Personnel:

RB: Ryan Mathews, Mike Tolbert

TE: Antonio Gates

WR: Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, Vincent Brown

Strengths: Incredible size on this receiving corps. Just as Al Davis might have drafted a track team, it's possible A.J. Smith drafted a basketball team. Floyd, Jackson and Gates tower over defensive backs and linebackers, creating mismatches all over the field and potential big-play opportunities. The emergence of Ryan Mathews this year added more speed and created a solid one-two punch at running back.

Weaknesses: Antonio Gates has certainly lost a step, though he remains extremely productive in his older age. The top two receivers have had some trouble staying healthy as well. If you wanted to be nitpicky you could say this team could really use a good slot, underneath guy to exploit defenses that play zone and try to take away deeper routes.

No. 5 (Tied): New England Patriots

Key Personnel:

RB: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead, Stevan Ridley

WR: Wes Welker, Deion Branch

TE: Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez

Strengths: Gronk and Hernandez. Simply put, the Patriots have two of the top five tight ends in the league. The two provide huge matchup problems for every team. Throw in an excellent possession receiver in Wes Welker, and this is a loaded unit. The RB unit, while not explosive, is sure-handed and generally avoids putting the team into difficult down-and-distance situations. Woodhead, at his best, is an above-average third down back with good elusiveness.

Weaknesses: The Patriots have no receivers who can consistently beat anyone outside the numbers. The RB corps, while solid, has only one explosive runner at all in Ridley—and he lost the team's trust after some fumbling difficulties. Hernandez has had occasional lapses catching the ball. 

No. 5 (Tied): Green Bay Packers

Key Personnel

RB: James Starks, Ryan Grant

WR: Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones

TE: Jermichael Finley

Strengths: Much like the Giants, this team has an out-of-this-world receiving corps. Nelson can make huge plays on vertical routes and is surprisingly hard to bring down. Jennings runs great routes and has excellent speed and escapability. Jermichael Finley presents a mismatch against safeties and linebackers with his size and speed.

Weaknesses: The running back corps struggles out of the backfield, even with so much attention focused on stopping the pass. Neither guy is particularly great catching the ball and running in space, which hurts, given Rodgers' scrambling ability. Finley, for all his talent and physical ability, has unreliable hands.

No. 4: Philadelphia Eagles

Key Personnel:

RB: LeSean McCoy

WR: DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant

TE: Brent Celek

Strengths: Speed. The wide receivers are burners, and McCoy can pick up huge chunks out of minimal space. McCoy is also one of the best in the league catching the ball out of the backfield. Jackson and Maclin provide matchup problems because both guys can beat you deep on any play. Celek had a big season this year and has great hands and good size.

Weaknesses: As good as the receivers have been at getting open, they have suffered their fair share of critical drops that have cost the Eagles dearly. Jackson is the definition of an enigma. On the one hand, he can be a matchup nightmare. On the other, he can be a nightmare for his own team if he's not engaged, like we saw for much of this year.

#3: New York Giants

Key Personnel:

RB: Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs

TE: Jake Ballard

WR: Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham

Strengths: A sensational trio of wide receivers. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks can both make huge plays out of anything. Nicks is great on jump-balls, while both guys excel after the catch. Mario Manningham can be the forgotten man, but is very solid as well. Ahmad Bradshaw is a good pass-catcher and a decent runner out of the backfield.

Weaknesses: Jake Ballard is decent, but lacks game-changing speed or size. The running back duo at times has struggled in short-yardage situations. Neither Bradshaw nor Jacobs has breakaway speed, and Jacobs misreads runs too often. 

#2: Houston Texans

Key Personnel:

RB: Arian Foster, Ben Tate

WR: Andre Johnson, Jacoby Jones, Kevin Walter

TE: Owen Daniels, Joel Dreesen

Strengths: A potent running attack, and perhaps the best pass-catching back in Arian Foster. Foster is the total package in the open field. Add in Ben Tate's power and change-of-pace and this team can run on almost anyone. That opens a strong passing attack with a top receiver in the league, in Andre Johnson. The tight ends also form a potent one-two punch, with the elusive and fast Owen Daniels teaming with the sure-handed big target Joel Dreesen.

Weaknesses: After Johnson, the receiving corps is pretty thin. Jones has great talent, but can be erratic in his route-running and shoddy with his hands. Walter isn't particularly fast or elusive. Foster did lose 3 fumbles in the regular season, if you really want to quibble.

No. 1: New Orleans Saints

Key Personnel:

RB: Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram, Chris Ivory

WR: Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem

TE: Jimmy Graham

Strengths: Where to start, where to start. The depth on these units is just incredible. And how about Jimmy Graham, who is an absolute physical freak and matchup nightmare. Darren Sproles is also a guy who gives DCs fits, either squirting out of the backfield or catching the ball—constantly making linebackers look foolish. Lance Moore is an underrated slot receiver, who managed eight touchdowns despite injuries. Marques Colston is as good at winning jump balls as anyone. Henderson and Meachem have great speed and are big-play threats at all times.

Weaknesses: While they have four talented backs, none has really established himself as a stellar every-down back. Injuries are mostly to blame for that, but if Thomas or Ingram could become 'The Guy' it would be an improvement. Henderson and Meachem could improve on consistency with their route-running. Again, another small quibble—there's really not much to pick out with the NFL's best group of playmakers.

Recap

Let me know who you think I snubbed, overrated or underrated. Some of my hardest omissions were the Tennessee Titans (CJ2K and Kenny Britt at the top of their game—wow),  the 49ers (Frank Gore + Vernon Davis), and the Falcons (Michael Turner + Roddy White + Gonzo + Julio). Anyone else I miss? Are the Packers too low, Texans too high? Let me know.