NFC East Player Power Rankings: Guard Edition

We continue our positional player power rankings with a look at a foursome of unheralded guards. I'm not saying they're less heralded than other guards. I'm just saying that no guards are ever heralded.

1. Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles: Mathis was without a doubt the best guard in all of football last season, dominating as a run blocker and doing a stellar job in pass protection on a one-year contract. The veteran's career year came out of nowhere, but it was so good that even a decent-sized drop-off in 2012 would still land him in the top spot on this list next summer.

2. Chris Snee, New York Giants: I wonder if the 30-year-old former All-Pro is slowing down a bit, as he appeared to struggle more than usual last year. Then again, the line was a mess and that might have affected Snee. If the rest of the line can be more sturdy in 2012, he might be able to return to his superstar form.

3. Kory Lichtensteiger, Washington Redskins: The 27-year-old was on fire before tearing his ACL in Week 6 last year. I really look forward to seeing what the former fourth-round pick can do with a full season to work with in 2012, because on paper, he was better than Snee in a limited sample size in 2011.

4. Danny Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles: Watkins struggled a fair bit as a rookie, but the 2011 first-round pick should benefit greatly from a proper offseason. He showed flashes last year, and in a division with guards like Nate Livings, Mackenzy Bernadeau, Chris Chester and Kevine Boothe, upside alone gets Watkins on this list.

Like I said, guard isn't a strong point in the NFC East. I really felt like I was reaching with Watkins, but there's no one else I feel good about. Bernadeau could emerge this year in Dallas, but he's missed his entire first offseason with the team due to injury.