2012 NFL Top 100: Power Ranking Players Who Should Be No. 1

One of the great things about the NFL offseason is how it gives us a chance to step back and see what players have done last season and what they could do next season. In anticipation of the 2012 season, the NFL Network puts together a list of the Top 100 players in the league. 

We thought it would be fun to get a jump on the list, which will be unveiled with players No. 100-91 tonight on the NFL Network, and speculate about who should be atop the list when all is said and done. 

These are personal opinions, but they do factor in the way the analysts comprising the list will be thinking. So we look at previous stats, as well as expectations for next season. 

Here are the players who we believe will be vying for the top spot on the list. 

Honorable Mention: Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, Arian Foster

The Patriots quarterback would be a perfectly worthy choice as the best player in the NFL, but with so much depth at other positions, he will find it difficult to crack the top spot. 

Fitzgerald managed to have another outstanding season despite having oft-injured quarterback Kevin Kolb and journeyman John Skelton throwing him the ball. 

Foster not only proved that 2010 wasn't a fluke with a dominant performance last year, but there were times when he was the only player racking up yardage for the Houston Texans. 

No. 3 Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

While no one seems to recognize that Jacksonville even has an NFL franchise, Jones-Drew keeps defying all logic. 

If you want consistent performance from a player this high, Jones-Drew has run for at least 1,300 yards in the last three years—including a career-high 1,606 yards in 2011. His performance is all the more remarkable when you consider that Blaine Gabbert was so bad. 

When you add in the 43 catches, 374 receiving yards and three touchdown catches, it is clear that there is no better all-around running back in the game right now than MJD. 

Jones-Drew is a dark horse candidate for the top spot on the NFL 100, but he has proven what he can do in less-than-ideal circumstances. 

No. 2 Darelle Revis, New York Jets

It can be difficult at times to measure a cornerbacks' true value, especially when you just look at the raw numbers. We want to see big numbers from our players, but if no one is throwing the ball in your direction then it is hard to put up stats. 

That is precisely why Revis is the best cornerback in the NFL, and a perfectly worthy selection for the No. 1 spot on the NFL Top 100 list. 

A cornerbacks' sole purpose is to take away half the field and make the opposing quarterback look elsewhere. No one does that better than Revis. He can shut down anyone on the outside, regardless of size or speed. 

No. 1 Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

While my personal vote would go for Revis, I am trying to put myself in the shoes of the people that compile the list. That is not to say Rodgers doesn't deserve the top spot; he absolutely does, and he proved it with his MVP performance last year. 

Quarterbacks who win the Super Bowl and follow that up with a historic MVP season, in which they complete 68.3 percent of their passes for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and six interceptions in 15 games are going to get a lot of love from lists like this. 

Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL right now. One of the best players and a perfectly worthy choice of the top spot on any list of top players in the sport right now. 

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