The Top 20 NFL Players To Build a Franchise Around

Let's imagine you just inherited $10 billion, and you want to invest in an NFL team. You could pick any player in the NFL to start a franchise with—just take him off any team, and he's yours.

Here is what my list would look like. Taking things like age, injury history, off-the-field issues and, of course, on-field production into consideration, these are the 20 most explosive impact players the NFL has to offer. 

20. Calvin Johnson Jr., WR

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Big-Play CJ is first player on this list. And it's for one simple reason: He's an elite WR, with never-seen-before skills, he's Moss athleticism and Larry Fitzgerald character, and he's been an elite WR without an average QB throwing the ball to him.

Throughout his career, he's been catching overthrown, under-thrown, thrown-into-coverage and just badly thrown footballs. I don't know if there is a defense for Calvin Johnson. He's nicknamed Megatron for a reason. This year alone he has proven how good he can be with a franchise QB. He's on pace for 32 touchdowns, but he's well worth this spot when you consider his age and production. 

19. Joe Thomas, LT

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With passing the football at such an offensive premium, elite pass-blockers are great to build around. Joe Thomas is exactly what you want out of a draft pick. He plays hard, proving it by making the Pro Bowl every year since being drafted out of Wisconsin in 2007. No matter who is playing QB for you, Joe Thomas makes them better by giving them more time.

The only reason the best offensive lineman in the game is so low on the list is because he's not a skill position player, and doesn't get enough press. Being in the top 20 is no joke, even for an offensive lineman. At 26 years old, Thomas is having an outstanding career. 

18. Clay Matthews, OLB

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Clay Matthews is a wrecking ball. An intelligent one. He plays the running game very well, as well as being an absolute force off the edge. Every NFL team would welcome Clay Matthews to their roster with open arms.

Much like Mayo and Willis, DeMarcus Ware and Matthews are No. 1 and 2 respectively. The drop-off isn't great, but you've yet to see Ware, and here is Matthews. So the drop-off is significant enough. 

17. Arian Foster, RB

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I'm not a fan of one-year wonders—at all. But Arian Foster's year last year is too good to ignore. I thought he should have won the MVP, but not being a QB disqualifies him from that honor.

In 14 career starts, he has 21 career TDs. He had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage last year, and nothing seems to be able to slow him down (besides Tennessee in Week 15). Foster provides your franchise with a dual-threat player in the backfield, as his receiving skills are often overlooked, but that's not deserved.

If Foster improves, he skyrockets into the third-best RB in the NFL in my opinion, behind Peterson and Chris Johnson. 

16. Jerod Mayo, ILB

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I feel as though Mayo never gets the credit he deserves. When all of the veterans left New England, Mayo stepped up. Mayo is the undeniable leader of that defense, and matches his leadership with his playing ability. He led the NFL in tackles last year, and he had five passes deflected. He's not as far behind Willis as people would assume.

Mayo is a cornerstone of a franchise. And Belichick got him young linebackers to work with in Cunningham and Spikes. I fully expect all of these players to step it up big in the next couple of years under Mayo's guidance.

15. Peyton Manning, QB

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If it weren't for his age, he'd be top 10. The ultimate student of the game, Peyton Manning is never surprised by what he sees out on the field. It's up to the guys around him to execute.

He is surprisingly a member of the "only throwing for fewer than 10 INTs one year in his career" club. For the record, that's more than an interception every other game on average. That's not as flawless as we like to think some of these guys are.

Still, with that in mind. If you're drafting 15th in make-believe NFL world with every player in the NFL in the pool, and Manning lands on your lap, pull the trigger. 

14. Drew Brees, QB

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The leader's leader. Drew Brees has literally rebuilt a franchise by himself. How anyone could say or think otherwise is beyond me.

His accuracy and arm strength are elite, but he sometimes (although rarely) makes a bad decision. This past year alone he had 22 INTs; since starting for the Chargers in 2002, he has only had one year where he's thrown for fewer than 11 INTs. This has always kept him out of my discussion for being one of the top two QBs in the NFL, despite his Super Bowl ring, and his leadership during that run.

Still, he's 32, but is absolutely a leader. And with the premium placed on QBs as it is, this is the one position where taking an older guy to start a franchise isn't the worst idea ever. Unlike RB.

13. Larry Fitzgerald, WR

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Larry Fitzgerald is the best WR in the NFL. Better than Megatron, better than Andre Johnson, better than Welker. He makes play after play, proving so in the Super Bowl loss to the Steelers. His ability to run routes is second to none in the NFL.

When a ball is thrown in the air towards Fitzgerald, no matter what, there is a 51 percent chance he comes down with it. He's just that good. Fitzgerald makes any QB better (I don't consider Derek Anderson or Max Hall real NFL QBs), and improves any run game by making the safeties respect him. The best WR in a pass-first NFL warrants this spot.

He's 28 years old, but I think he will be the top WR in the NFL for four to five more years. 

12. Tom Brady, QB

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He's getting up there in age, but he's still a top-15 player to start a franchise with. That's how good Tom Brady is, all-time. I personally don't believe it's close between him and Peyton Manning, as I would take Brady 10 out of 10 times over him. So that debate can happen in the comments if you'd like, but Brady just has that "it" factor to such a degree that it's his strongest quality.

He could help build any franchise and put them in the right direction. If he plays for the next 10 years like he said he'd like to, well then you're set anyway.

11. Josh Freeman, QB

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Woah, Josh Freeman? Hear me out.

Freeman is a natural-born leader. A big-bodied, big-armed, accurate QB who won't make mistakes and often helps his teammates out of jams. Every member of the TB offense trusts Freeman, and they trust him going forward. His sophomore year was outstanding, and he's only improving.

Along with all his physical tools, he's a student of the game. He came out of college young, and has a ton of time in his body to learn. He's 23. He has six more years before most QBs hit their prime. If he plays to his potential, Freeman could go down as one of the best fourth-quarter players of all time. I said it, and am willing to put my neck out there.

I'm very excited to see his career unfold, and expect great things out of him. 

10. Darrell Revis, CB

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You're about to notice most of the top 10 guys all change the passing game. That's because of the league we live with. It's a passing league. And taking away the No. 1 option from a QB is a way to not only waste his time in the pocket, but take his top talent away from him.

Revis does those things, and when you throw it towards him, you pay for it. Revis also can play the run well, is a top talent in the NFL and the top talent at the CB position.

9. Troy Polamalu, SS

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I can honestly say he is the best defensive player to play in the past 11 years. Including Ray Lewis. He is the difference between a championship run and missing the playoffs. He's the most important player on that Steelers roster, and is by far a game-changer.

He is above all the CBs because of his impact on the run game alone. I've never seen someone make a play when it's needed more consistently than Troy. He's 30 years old, and he's a little banged up; otherwise he would be much, much higher on this list. 

8. DeMarcus Ware, OLB

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DeMarcus Ware is someone whose value is far more than his stats, and he consistently puts up good stats. He's a sack machine, but that doesn't tell the story. He is disruptive on 100 percent of the opposing team's passing plays. He is constantly wreaking havoc.

If you can't land yourself a franchise QB, you might as well get someone who can ruin everyone else's. 

7. Chris Johnson, RB

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Chris Johnson is a phenomenal offensive weapon; you can run an offense entirely through him and expect it to succeed. His small frame could be a cause for concern down the road. But he is absolutely the player Reggie Bush was supposed to be.

He's still young, and a very good option for an offense to run through.

6. Adrian Peterson, RB

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I was torn between Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson. I went with Peterson because of the clear fear he invokes in a defense. Defenders are actually afraid to try and tackle him. Towards the end of the game, the defense is playing scared because of him.

For that, Peterson gets the nod over Johnson. He is a modern-day bull. People are afraid to play defense against him. That fear he puts into the defense gets him the No. 6 spot.

5. Ben Roethlisberger, QB

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Along with Philip Rivers, Big Ben makes those around him better. He is married now, so I suppose rape accusations won't be popping up every now and then. If you take his off-the-field concerns away from him, he's a damn good football player that comes up best in the clutch.

He's not a bad place to start building a franchise.

4. Philip Rivers, QB

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He's kind of a jerk. But you can credit that to his desire to win on a constantly underachieving San Diego squad. He consistently puts up good numbers, and plays well when his team needs him the most. He is a leader in every sense of the word.

He makes those around him better, and that is absolutely the most important trait in a franchise player.

3. Patrick Willis, ILB

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After all, defense wins championships, right? Patrick Willis is a sure tackler, a good pass-rusher, a good coverage middle linebacker and a top-five field general. He commands that SF defense and would start for any team in the NFL, including Baltimore.

Willis is on his way to building a hell of an NFL career, and he's still young. With his combination of athleticism and intelligence, Willis is one of the best defensive players in the NFL, if not the best.

2. Matt Ryan, QB

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Matt Ryan seems like a flawless human being—Tiger Woods-pre-scandal perfect. He's a highly intelligent player with a great head on his shoulders, and he delivers on the football field. When the Falcons needed to start their franchise over, they went with Matt Ryan, and they just traded tons of future ammo to get Ryan a weapon.

They recognize his ability to lead a franchise, if you were making a franchise, you don't have to look much further than Ryan to find your centerpiece. 

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB

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There is no place better to build a franchise than at the QB position. Rodgers defines class, character and talent. He's every franchise's dream. He's still young, and about to hit his prime.

Leading a team to a Super Bowl before your prime is a great way to get on this list. He's the ultimate franchise guy.

Honorable Mentions

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RB, Darren McFadden

WR, Andre Johnson

DE, Jared Allen

RB, Jamaal Charles

QB, Matt Stafford

CB, Leon Hall

LB, Lawrence Timmons