Who Is NFL's Most Dominant Non-QB?

Enough with Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.

The NFL's a pass-happy, quarterback-driven league. Understood. I'm sure you're as fed up with reading those two tired phrases as much as I am.

We know how astounding Brees, Rodgers and Brady are and the impact they have on every game in which they play.

But they aren't the only dominant players in the football today.

Definitely not.

So who's the most dominant non-QB in the NFL?

I recently posed this question on Twitter and got some obvious responses and a few rather interesting ones.

Candidate No. 1: Rob Gronkowski

Nominated by: @HockeyVic8920

Rob Gronkowski is fresh off the most productive season any tight end has ever had in NFL history. He caught 90 passes for 1,327 yards and an "are-you-serious?" 17 touchdowns.

The 6'6", 265-pound train has become the favorite target for Tom Brady, and rightfully so.

He can easily "box out" secondary members. He blows by most linebackers and has hands the size of a baseball mitt.

At the ripe age of 23, there's no telling how good this effervescent kid can be.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Graham is an absolute stud tight end in his own right and someone capable of being as good as Gronkowski, if not better, which makes one skeptical of Gronk as the league's most dominating player when he might not be the most dominant tight end.

Candidate No. 2: Ray Lewis

Nominated by: @mj_baroz

Ray Lewis reigned over the NFL as the league's most intimidating player for years in the 2000s, but can anyone really say he's the most dominant non-QB in the NFL today?

I can't.

He was injured in 2011 and played in only 12 games, though he did muster 95 total tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception for the Ravens.

A certain first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, the 37-year-old Lewis remains one of the most intimidating figures in the game and does a lot that goes beyond the stat sheet for Baltimore's defense, but he's simply not nearly as dominating as he once was.

Candidate No. 3: Justin Smith

Nominated by: @Ryan_Boser

Smith is easily the most underrated defender on this list. He switches between two unsexy and unglamorous positions, DT and 3-4 DE, but the impact he has on every game—and frankly, every snap—is monumental.

His stats are extremely impressive too.

Outside of a disappointing two-sack season in 2007, his last with the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith has tallied at least five sacks and 53 tackles every year since entering the NFL in 2001.

His nonstop motor is coupled with immense strength and deceptive agility to make him one of the premier defensive linemen in football.

In 2011, Smith had 58 tackles, 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles while opening a countless number of lanes to the quarterback for rookie Aldon Smith, who had 14 sacks of his own.

Candidate No. 4: Patrick Willis

Nominated by: @HockeyVic8920 and @JasonWellsM

Patrick Willis is on the fast track to taking the distinction of the game's best linebacker away from Ray Lewis. Many think he already has.

The five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro burst onto the scene as a rookie with 174 thumping tackles and four sacks and hasn't let up since.

He sat out three games due to injury in 2011, so his tackle total was only 97, but his speed, power, awareness and intrinsic instincts have made him one of the most feared and productive defenders in the NFL.

Is there a better young middle linebacker playing right now?

No way.

Candidate No. 5: DeMarcus Ware

Nominated by: @Dumonjic_Alen

DeMarcus Ware didn't instantly come to my mind, but Alen's suggestion is an astute one. Ware, due to his low-key demeanor, has somewhat quietly pieced together a staggering NFL career. He's had 11 or more sacks in each of the last five seasons.

A 20-sack 2008 seemed like the apex of his career after he mustered only 11 sacks the following year. But he improved steadily over the next two seasons and finished with 19.5 sacks in 2011 after a stellar 15.5-sack 2010.

At 30 years of age, in seven NFL years, Ware has 99.5 sacks, good for 14.2 per season.

With teams' increased propensity to throw the football in today's game, Ware is absolutely vital to the Dallas Cowboys, and there's no questioning it—he's been the most consistent and dominant pass-rusher over the last five years.

Not even Jared Allen can match the 80 sacks Ware has accumulated since 2007.

Candidate No. 6: Calvin Johnson

Nominated by: @Aaron_Nagler and @Grundy208

Calvin Johnson, the aptly nicknamed "Megatron," was the most dominating receiver in the NFL in 2011.

He caught 96 passes for 1,681 yards with 16 receiving touchdowns, many of which were of the jaw-dropping variety.

The former Georgia Tech star caught 12 touchdowns in 2010 and has steadily improved his production in all the major receiving statistical categories since 2009.

The 6'5", 235-pound Johnson boasts a rare blend of blazing speed, imposing physicality and impeccable route-running.

He averages nearly 10 touchdowns a season in his career.

Larry Fitzgerald is the only NFL wideout who deserves to be discussed in the same breath as Johnson when discussing the most intimidating, fast and successful receivers in the game.

At 26 years old, Megatron is well on his way to becoming the unquestioned best non-QB in football.

Is he already there?

Candidate No. 7: Darrelle Revis

Submitted by: @MatthewJStein and @JRochlen

Darrelle Revis is the lone cornerback on this list, and that's because he's simply in a class by himself—on his own island, if you will.

He's had his way with nearly every true No. 1 in the game, and although teams have shied away from throwing in his direction, the former Pittsburgh Panther has a respectable 18 career interceptions.

A guy you can leave man-to-man against the best, most physically gifted wideouts in the game, Revis has set a new standard for defensive backs during a time when defensive backs are getting torched by quarterbacks and receivers more than ever.

Candidate No. 8: Haloti Ngata

Nominated by: @AaronGalasik

The Baltimore Ravens' Haloti Ngata, an interesting final candidate.

Though Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs are the true household names and have received the majority of media attention over the years, Ngata has been a defensive centerpiece in Baltimore since joining the Ravens in 2006.

Playing nose tackle in the team's 3-4 defense, Ngata hasn't simply eaten blockers; he's dominated offensive lines.

He has 17 career sacks and constantly disrupts interior blocking schemes.

A fine athlete, Ngata can chase down cut-back runners and hit quarterbacks attempting to scramble. At 28, he's got plenty of outstanding football in front of him and is arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL.

Verdict: Calvin Johnson

Not one of the players on this list physically outmatches his opponents and other guys who play his position more than Calvin Johnson.

He's 6'5" and 235 pounds of unadulterated speed, strength and leaping ability.

He has the ability to utterly dominate a football game like no one else on this list. Though his production ultimately relies on Matthew Stafford delivering him the ball, Johnson is seemingly always open.

DeMarcus Ware, theoretically, comes in at No. 2 due to the way he can potentially alter a team's entire offensive game plan and the fact that he's not a liability against the run. Jared Allen is the lone honorable mention that could have made the top three, but I wanted to stick with the players nominated to me via Twitter.

Who's the most dominant non-QB in your estimation?