2011 NFL Power Rankings: Top 25 Best Players at Every Position

The National Football League leaves little room for argument when discussing who the best teams are, or who had the best running game over the last five seasons. But when it comes to ranking the best players, you're almost asking for a fight.

The task of ranking the 25 best players at every position was not easy, especially when you consider this is a prediction for the 2011 season.

Who will the 25 best players at every position be for the 2011 season? Well, I'm glad you asked.

Quarterbacks

The quarterback position is often called the most important in the game of football. That's hard to disagree with.

The quarterback is in charge of so much on every play that it is easy to lose track of all they do. Quarterbacks, as cliched as it sounds, are truly an extension of the coaching staff on the field.

1	Tom Brady	New England Patriots
2	Aaron Rodgers	Green Bay Packers
3	Michael Vick	Philadelphia Eagles
4	Peyton Manning	Indianapolis Colts
5	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints
6	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers
7	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers
8	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons
9	Matt Schaub	Houston Texans
10	Joe Flacco	Baltimore Ravens
11	Jay Cutler	Chicago Bears
12	Josh Freeman	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
13	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys
14	Matt Cassel	Kansas City Chiefs
15	Eli Manning	New York Giants
16	Matthew Stafford	Detroit Lions
17	Sam Bradford	St. Louis Rams
18	Mark Sanchez	New York Jets
19	Kevin Kolb	Arizona Cardinals
20	Jason Campbell	Oakland Raiders
21	Colt McCoy	Cleveland Browns
22	David Garrard	Jacksonville Jaguars
23	Ryan Fitzpatrick	Buffalo Bills
24	Kyle Orton	Denver Broncos
25	Alex Smith	San Francisco 49ers

Running Backs

The running back position has lost some of the glamour it carried during the Barry Sanders/Emmitt Smith days. The dominance of "running back by committee" approaches and the decreased career expectancy of top running backs have made the position less important in many minds.

Not mine. Having a good running back is still a must-have for a well-rounded NFL offense.

1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings
2	Chris Johnson	Tennessee Titans
3	Arian Foster	Houston Texans
4	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
5	Ray Rice	Baltimore Ravens
6	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers
7	Steven Jackson	St. Louis Rams
8	Michael Turner	Atlanta Falcons
9	Maurice Jones-Drew	Jacksonville Jaguars
10	Rashard Mendenhall	Pittsburgh Steelers
11	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears
12	Darren McFadden	Oakland Raiders
13	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles
14	Peyton Hillis	Cleveland Browns
15	Ahmad Bradshaw	New York Giants
16	DeAngelo Williams	Carolina Panthers
17	Felix Jones	Dallas Cowboys
18	LeGarrette Blount	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19	C.J. Spiller	Buffalo Bills
20	Ryan Grant	Green Bay Packers
21	Jahvid Best	Detroit Lions
22	Joseph Addai	Indianapolis Colts
23	Mark Ingram	New Orleans Saints
24	Cedric Benson	Cincinnati Bengals
25	Ryan Williams	Arizona Cardinals

Fullbacks

In front of most great running backs you will find a great fullback leading the way. The importance of the fullback position is making a bit of a comeback in the NFL as more teams move to a West Coast offense approach.

Due to the limited number of teams using a fullback full-time, we have only listed 12 fullbacks.

1	Vonta Leach	Baltimore Ravens
2	Le'Ron McClain	Kansas City Chiefs
3	Lawrence Vickers	Houston Texans
4	Mike Tolbert	San Diego Chargers
5	Michael Robinson	Seattle Seahawks
6	Leonard Weaver	Free Agent
7	Madison Hedgecock	Free Agent
8	Brad Hoover	Free Agent
9	John Kuhn	Green Bay Packers
10	Ahmard Hall	Tennessee Titans
11	Greg Jones	Jacksonville Jaguars
12	Naufahu Tahi	Minnesota Vikings

Wide Receivers

The wide receivers in the NFL today are more talented than any group in the rich history of the NFL. Today's players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before. They're using this amazing advantage to shatter NFL passing records each season.

1	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans
2	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions
3	Roddy White	Atlanta Falcons
4	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals
5	Brandon Marshall	Miami Dolphins
6	Greg Jennings	Green Bay Packers
7	Hakeem Nicks	New York Giants
8	Reggie Wayne	Indianapolis Colts
9	Miles Austin	Dallas Cowboys
10	Steve Johnson	Buffalo Bills
11	Mike Wallace	Pittsburgh Steelers
12	Dwayne Bowe	Kansas City Chiefs
13	Wes Welker	New England Patriots
14	Santonio Holmes	New York Jets
15	Vincent Jackson	San Diego Chargers
16	Marques Colston	New Orleans Saints
17	Brandon Lloyd	Denver Broncos
18	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia Eagles
19	Anquan Boldin	Baltimore Ravens
20	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys
21	Chad Ochocinco	New England Patriots
22	Mike Williams	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23	Mario Manningham	New York Giants
24	Kenny Britt	Tennessee Titans
25	Austin Collie	Indianapolis Colts

Tight Ends

A good tight end is the difference between kicking a field goal in the redzone and scoring a touchdown. A great tight end will open up the middle of a defense unlike any other player on your roster.

1	Antonio Gates	San Diego Chargers
2	Jason Witten	Dallas Cowboys
3	Jermichael Finley	Green Bay Packers
4	Dallas Clark	Indianapolis Colts
5	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers
6	Zach Miller	Seattle Seahawks
7	Marcedes Lewis	Jacksonville Jaguars
8	Owen Daniels	Houston Texans
9	Dustin Keller	New York Jets
10	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots
11	Tony Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons
12	Heath Miller	Pittsburgh Steelers
13	Brandon Pettigrew	Detroit Lions
14	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers
15	Jermaine Gresham	Cincinnati Bengals
16	Aaron Hernandez	New England Patriots
17	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints
18	Chris Cooley	Washington Redskins
19	Kevin Boss	Oakland Raiders
20	Tony Moeaki	Kansas City Chiefs
21	Jared Cook	Tennessee Titans
22	Brent Celek	Philadelphia Eagles
23	Ben Watson	Cleveland Browns
24	Kellen Winslow	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
25	John Carlson	Seattle Seahawks

Offensive Tackles

If the quarterback is the most important player on the field, the guys lining up at offensive tackle may rank No. 2 and 3.

Having a great left tackle is as important to a Super Bowl run as any position other than quarterback. Teams with a bookend tackle will win games, while those without one will struggle.

1	Jake Long	Miami Dolphins
2	Joe Thomas	Cleveland Browns
3	Ryan Clady	Denver Broncos
4	Jason Peters	Philadelphia Eagles
5	Eric Winston	Houston Texans
6	Tyson Clabo	Atlanta Falcons
7	Marshall Yanda	Baltimore Ravens
8	Andrew Whitworth	Cincinnati Bengals
9	D'Brickashaw Ferguson	New York Jets
10	Jordan Gross	Carolina Panthers
11	Doug Free	Dallas Cowboys
12	David Stewart	Tennessee Titans
13	Sebastian Vollmer	New England Patriots
14	Marcus McNeill	San Diego Chargers
15	Michael Oher	Baltimore Ravens
16	Michael Roos	Tennessee Titans
17	Jeff Backus	Detroit Lions
18	Rodger Saffold	St. Louis Rams
19	Joe Staley	San Francisco 49ers
20	Branden Albert	Kansas City Chiefs
21	Duane Brown	Houston Texans
22	Matt Light	New England Patriots
23	Sean Locklear	Washington Redskins
24	Winston Justice	Philadelphia Eagles
25	Russell Okung	Seattle Seahawks

Guards

A powerful offensive guard can kick start the run game, dominate defensive tackles and give quarterbacks a close, personal body guard whether they are in the pocket or outside it.

Few positions are as underrated as that of offensive guards. Here's to the most overlooked men in the NFL.

1	Carl Nicks	New Orleans Saints
2	Logan Mankins	New England Patriots
3	Harvey Dahl	St. Louis Rams
4	Jahri Evans	New Orleans Saints
5	Josh Sitton	Green Bay Packers
6	Chris Snee	New York Giants
7	Kris Dielman	San Diego Chargers
8	Andy Levitre	Buffalo Bills
9	Chilo Rachal	San Francisco 49ers
10	Wade Smith	Houston Texans
11	Travelle Wharton	Carolina Panthers
12	Steve Hutchinson	Minnesota Vikings
13	Bobbie Williams	Cincinnati Bengals
14	Brandon Moore	New York Jets
15	Mike Iupati	San Francisco 49ers
16	Daryn Colledge	Arizona Cardinals
17	Leonard Davis	Free Agent
18	Justin Blalock	Atlanta Falcons
19	Ryan Lilja	Kansas City Chiefs
20	Ben Grubbs	Baltimore Ravens
21	Matt Slauson	New York Jets
22	Kory Lichtensteiger*	Washington Redskins
23	Vince Manuwai	Free Agent
24	Geoff Schwartz**	Carolina Panthers
25	Nick Cole*	Philadelphia Eagles

* Also plays center

** Also plays tackle

Centers

The most cerebral of the five offensive line positions, the center is responsible for getting his teammates in position, reading the defense correctly, making changes to the blocking assignments, and probably most important, getting the ball to the quarterback.

1	Alex Mack	Cleveland Browns
2	Nick Mangold	New York Jets
3	Jeff Saturday	Indianapolis Colts
4	Ryan Kalil	Carolina Panthers
5	Dan Koppen	New England Patriots
6	Nick Hardwick	San Diego Chargers
7	Maurkice Pouncey	Pittsburgh Steelers
8	Scott Wells	Green Bay Packers
9	Andre Gurode	Dallas Cowboys
10	Jeremy Zuttah*	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
11	Lyle Sendlein	Arizona Cardinals
12	Brad Meester	Jacksonville Jaguars
13	Chris Myers	Houston Texans
14	Todd McClure	Atlanta Falcons
15	Rich Seubert*	Free Agent
16	Kyle Cook	Cincinnati Bengals
17	Casey Wiegmann	Kansas City Chiefs
18	Jonathan Goodwin	San Francisco 49ers
19	Olin Kreutz	New Orleans Saints
20	David Baas	New York Giants
21	Shaun O'Hara*	Free Agent
22	Samson Satele	Oakland Raiders
23	Jeff Faine	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24	John Sullivan	Minnesota Vikings
25	Joe Berger*	Miami Dolphins

* Also plays guard

4-3 Defensive Ends

A great pass rusher will elevate your defense from good to Super Bowl worthy. For teams running a 4-3 defense, these players are the best in the business.

The difference between a 4-3 end and a 3-4 end are that in a four-man front, defensive ends are generally smaller (around 250-270 lbs) and are more athletic than 3-4 ends. A defensive end in a 4-3 defense has a primary objective of rushing the quarterback.

1	Trent Cole	Philadelphia Eagles
2	Julius Peppers	Chicago Bears
3	Charles Johnson	Carolina Panthers
4	Terrell Suggs	Baltimore Ravens
5	Dwight Freeney	Indianapolis Colts
6	Ray Edwards	Atlanta Falcons
7	Jared Allen	Minnesota Vikings
8	Justin Tuck	New York Giants
9	Elvis Dumervil	Denver Broncos
10	John Abraham	Atlanta Falcons
11	Chris Clemons	Seattle Seahawks
12	Jason Babin	Philadelphia Eagles
13	Cliff Avril	Detroit Lions
14	Chris Long	St. Louis Rams
15	Osi Umenyiora	New York Giants
16	Lamarr Houston	Oakland Raiders
17	Robert Mathis	Indianapolis Colts
18	Raheem Brock	Seattle Seahawks
19	Aaron Kampman	Jacksonville Jaguars
20	Carlos Dunlap	Cincinnati Bengals
21	Greg Hardy	Carolina Panthers
22	Jason Pierre-Paul	New York Giants
23	Austen Lane	Jacksonville Jaguars
24	Jacob Ford	Tennessee Titans
25	Matt Shaughnessy	Oakland Raiders

3-4 Defensive Ends

A defensive end in the 3-4 defense must be able to stop the run, handle double team blocking from the tackle and tight end, and be quick enough to run to the edge to stop the run. It's a tough job, but these guys do it the best.

1	Aaron Smith	Pittsburgh Steelers
2	Justin Smith	San Francisco 49ers
3	Stephen Bowen	Washington Redskins
4	Shaun Ellis	New England Patriots
5	Brett Keisel	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	Darnell Dockett	Arizona Cardinals
7	Kendall Langford	Miami Dolphins
8	Jason Hatcher	Dallas Cowboys
9	Wallace Gilberry	Kansas City Chiefs
10	Calais Campbell	Arizona Cardinals
11	Adam Carriker	Washington Redskins
12	Randy Starks	Miami Dolphins
13	Mike Wright	New England Patriots
14	Ray McDonald	San Francisco 49ers
15	Marcel Dareus	Buffalo Bills
16	Vonnie Holliday	Arizona Cardinals
17	Tony McDaniel	Miami Dolphins
18	Marcus Spears	Dallas Cowboys
19	Antonio Smith	Houston Texans
20	Ron Brace	New England Patriots
21	Gerard Warren	New England Patriots
22	Phillip Daniels	Washington Redskins
23	Ryan Pickett	Green Bay Packers
24	Jacques Cesaire	San Diego Chargers
25	J.J. Watt	Houston Texans

4-3 Defensive Tackles

The perfect combination of pure strength and unstoppable athleticism, defensive tackles are expected to do it all.

There are two types of defensive tackle. You have your 4-3 tackles who excel at rushing the passer and stopping the run, and a 3-4 nose tackle whose job is to stuff the run.

These are the 25 best pure defensive tackles.

1	Haloti Ngata	Baltimore Ravens
2	Richard Seymour	Oakland Raiders
3	Ndamukong Suh	Detroit Lions
4	Kevin Williams	Minnesota Vikings
5	Jason Jones	Tennessee Titans
6	Cullen Jenkins	Philadelphia Eagles
7	Gerald McCoy	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8	Shaun Rogers	New Orleans Saints
9	John Henderson	Oakland Raiders
10	Corey Williams	Detroit Lions
11	Aubrayo Franklin	New Orleans Saints
12	Nick Fairley	Detroit Lions
13	Fred Robbins	St. Louis Rams
14	Geno Atkins	Cincinnati Bengals
15	Jonathan Babineaux	Atlanta Falcons
16	Brandon Mebane	Seattle Seahawks
17	Chris Canty	New York Giants
18	Brodrick Bunkley	Philadelphia Eagles
19	Tony Brown	Tennessee Titans
20	Pat Sims	Cincinnati Bengals
21	Barry Cofield	Washington Redskins
22	Terrance Knighton	Jacksonville Jaguars
23	Tyson Alualu	Jacksonville Jaguars
24	Tommy Kelly	Oakland Raiders
25	Antonio Dixon	Philadelphia Eagles

Nose Tackles

To play nose tackle in the NFL you must be able to eat up space in the middle of the offensive line, handle multiple blockers and completely shut down the run game.

Being a decent pass rusher is just an added bonus for the big men in the middle of NFL defenses.

Due to the limited number of teams running a 3-4 defense, only 12 nose tackles are listed.

1	Vince Wilfork	New England Patriots
2	Kyle Williams	Buffalo Bills
3	Jay Ratliff	Dallas Cowboys
4	Sione Pouha	New York Jets
5	B.J. Raji	Green Bay Packers
6	Paul Soliai	Miami Dolphins
7	Antonio Garay	San Diego Chargers
8	Kelly Gregg	Kansas City Chiefs
9	Casey Hampton	Pittsburgh Steelers
10	Shaun Cody	Houston Texans
11	Dan Williams	Arizona Cardinals
12	Ron Edwards	Carolina Panthers

4-3 Outside Linebackers

A good outside linebacker in the 4-3 defense has to be a multi-talented player. Rushing the quarterback, stopping the run and covering tight ends in pass coverage are all part of the daily job description for these dual-purpose players.

1	Lance Briggs	Chicago Bears
2	Chad Greenway	Minnesota Vikings
3	Jon Beason*	Carolina Panthers
4	Daryl Smith	Jacksonville Jaguars
5	Von Miller	Denver Broncos
6	Stephen Tulloch*	Detroit Lions
7	Kamerion Wimbley	Oakland Raiders
8	Sean Weatherspoon	Atlanta Falcons
9	Rey Maualuga	Cincinnati Bengals
10	James Anderson	Carolina Panthers
11	Keith Rivers	Cincinnati Bengals
12	Stephen Nicholas	Atlanta Falcons
13	David Hawthorne	Seattle Seahawks
14	Danny Clark	New Orleans Saints
15	Paul Posluszny*	Jacksonville Jaguars
16	Quincy Black	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17	Michael Boley	New York Giants
18	Geno Hayes	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19	Keith Bulluck	New York Giants
20	JoLonn Dunbar	New Orleans Saints
21	Justin Durant	Detroit Lions
22	Aaron Curry	Seattle Seahawks
23	Will Witherspoon	Tennessee Titans
24	Zach Diles	St. Louis Rams
25	Clint Session	Jacksonville Jaguars

* May also play inside linebacker

3-4 Outside Linebackers

The one player on the defense who is going to scare the quarterback the most is that 250-lbs terrorist coming off the edge of the offensive line every down.

Outside linebackers in a 3-4 defense are locked in to the quarterback, and their only job is to knock him on his ass.

1	DeMarcus Ware	Dallas Cowboys
2	Tamba Hali	Kansas City Chiefs
3	Clay Matthews	Green Bay Packers
4	LaMarr Woodley	Pittsburgh Steelers
5	Cameron Wake	Miami Dolphins
6	James Harrison	Pittsburgh Steelers
7	Brian Orakpo	Washington Redskins
8	Anthony Spencer	Dallas Cowboys
9	Koa Misi	Miami Dolphins
10	Shaun Phillips	San Diego Chargers
11	Manny Lawson	Cincinnati Bengals
12	Jarret Johnson	Baltimore Ravens
13	Mario Williams	Houston Texans
14	Matt Roth	Free Agent
15	Tully Banta-Cain	Free Agent
16	Calvin Pace	New York Jets
17	Parys Haralson	San Francisco 49ers
18	Bryan Thomas	New York Jets
19	Antwan Applewhite	San Diego Chargers
20	Frank Zombo	Green Bay Packers
21	Rob Ninkovich	New England Patriots
22	Andre Carter	New England Patriots
23	Clark Haggans	Arizona Cardinals
24	Aldon Smith	San Francisco 49ers
25	Ryan Kerrigan	Washington Redskins

Inside Linebackers

If the quarterback is your leader on offense, the inside linebacker in both a 3-4 and 4-3 defense is by far the captain of the defense.

Their job responsibilities are closely in line with what a center does on offense—get the unit lined up, make sure you read the offense's keys and then adjust as needed. Then unleash hell.

1	Patrick Willis	San Francisco 49ers
2	Ray Lewis	Baltimore Ravens
3	Lawrence Timmons	Pittsburgh Steelers
4	Bart Scott	New York Jets
5	Jerod Mayo	New England Patriots
6	James Farrior	Pittsburgh Steelers
7	Brian Urlacher	Chicago Bears
8	David Harris	New York Jets
9	Karlos Dansby	Miami Dolphins
10	Derrick Johnson	Kansas City Chiefs
11	E.J. Henderson	Minnesota Vikings
12	Desmond Bishop	Green Bay Packers
13	Takeo Spikes	San Diego Chargers
14	DeMeco Ryans	Houston Texans
15	Brandon Spikes	New England Patriots
16	Rolando McClain	Oakland Raiders
17	James Laurinaitis	St. Louis Rams
18	Bradie James	Dallas Cowboys
19	Daryl Washington	Arizona Cardinals
20	London Fletcher	Washington Redskins
21	D.J. Williams	Denver Broncos
22	A.J. Hawk	Green Bay Packers
23	Channing Crowder	Free Agent
24	Kevin Burnett	Miami Dolphins
25	Mario Haggan	Denver Broncos

Cornerbacks

Cornerbacks must be confident, tough, fast, strong and athletic. They really have to be able to do everything on their own, with little help coming from the safety on each play.

To be a great cornerback you must have swagger. The best in the business certainly do.

1	Nnamdi Asomugha	Philadelphia Eagles
2	Darrelle Revis	New York Jets
3	Charles Woodson	Green Bay Packers
4	Brandon Flowers	Kansas City Chiefs
5	Tramon Williams	Green Bay Packers
6	Leon Hall	Cincinnati Bengals
7	Asante Samuel	Philadelphia Eagles
8	Brent Grimes	Atlanta Falcons
9	Devin McCourty	New England Patriots
10a	Johnathan Joseph	Houston Texans
10b	Joe Haden	Cleveland Browns
11a	Antoine Winfield	Minnesota Vikings
11b	Antonio Cromartie	New York Jets
12	Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	Philadelphia Eagles
13	Dunta Robinson	Atlanta Falcons
14	Champ Bailey	Denver Broncos
15	Cortland Finnegan	Tennessee Titans
16	Patrick Peterson	Arizona Cardinals
17	Brandon Carr	Kansas City Chiefs
18	Aqib Talib	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19	Vontae Davis	Miami Dolphins
20	Antoine Cason	San Diego Chargers
21	Sean Smith	Miami Dolphins
22	Ronde Barber	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
23	Josh Wilson	Washington Redskins
24	DeAngelo Hall	Washington Redskins
25	Jimmy Smith	Baltimore Ravens

Safeties

Whether it is playing in the box to stop the run, shadowing Mike Vick in the pocket or dropping back into deep coverage and making a play on a jump ball, to play safety in the NFL you have to be able to attack the football, no matter where it is.

Part cornerback, part linebacker, playing safety requires equal amounts of toughness and athleticism.

1	Troy Polamalu	Pittsburgh Steelers
2	Ed Reed	Baltimore Ravens
3	Nick Collins	Green Bay Packers
4	LaRon Landry	Washington Redskins
5	Adrian Wilson	Arizona Cardinals
6	Eric Berry	Kansas City Chiefs
7	Michael Griffin	Tennessee Titans
8	Earl Thomas	Seattle Seahawks
9	Quintin Mikell	St. Louis Rams
10	Antrel Rolle	New York Giants
11a	Kerry Rhodes	Arizona Cardinals
11b	Antoine Bethea	Indianapolis Colts
12	Kenny Phillips	New York Giants
13	Eric Weddle	San Diego Chargers
14	Danieal Manning	Houston Texans
15	Brodney Pool	New York Jets
16	Dawan Landry	Jacksonville Jaguars
17	Roman Harper	New Orleans Saints
18	Malcolm Jenkins	New Orleans Saints
19	Patrick Chung	New England Patriots
20	Michael Huff	Oakland Raiders
21	T.J. Ward	Cleveland Browns
22	Ryan Clark	Pittsburgh Steelers
23	Chris Harris	Chicago Bears
24	Yeremiah Bell	Miami Dolphins
25	Jairus Byrd	Buffalo Bills