NFL: The Future of the League

The 2011 NFL season is finally underway.  Teams are ready, players are hungry and every coach's preparation is starting to pay off—or not.

Another season of hard-nosed pigskin will allow us, as fans, to deliberate and form our own opinions on who are the best players in the league.

Unfortunately for those players on the outer fringe of greatness, such as Darren McFadden, Hakeem Nicks and LeSean McCoy, veterans who have occupied the throne over the past five years are still here.

With that said, the future of the NFL will not be determined by the Tom Bradys, Adrian Petersons or Andre Johnsons.  It will be handed over to the young athletes that currently have nowhere to go but up.

Here are the group of players that will sooner than later carry the future of the league.

10. Cam Newton

Whoever said Cam Newton couldn't adapt to the fast-paced action that the NFL has to offer, you've been fooled.

Not only has Newton thrown for 400 yards in consecutive games, but he's looked comfortable doing so.  It's scary to think that a young quarterback, with size and shear talent, has adapted to the league this quickly.

Besides a few interceptions behind one of the worst surrounding casts in the league, the young rookie from Auburn has easily performed like a top 10 quarterback, if not better.

Going forward, Newton's potential is only going to grow.  As veterans like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees face an uphill battle with longevity in the next three or four years, No. 1 will have the chance to take the league by storm and outplay nearly any defense.

9. Eric Berry

I'm putting Eric Berry on this list because beyond a 26-year-old Eric Weddle, the future of the safety position is in his hands.

Strictly based on talent and pro-level potential, Berry has been one of the best young safeties to come into the league in a long time.  He's a ball hawk, a great defender, an outstanding tackler, a hard worker and possesses everything that encompasses an NFL defender.

With that said, Kansas City's prized possession needs to stay healthy.  Berry is currently out for the season with a torn ACL but has age on his side.

From the point that he comes back, including the inevitable decline of Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed in the coming years, Berry is the only worthy candidate to serve as the NFL's No. 1 safety.

8. Josh Freeman

Simply put, Josh Freeman is the epitome of a winning quarterback.

Even with a suspect surrounding cast, including an inexperienced running game and wide receiving core, Freeman continues to win football games.

He went 10-6 in 2010 amidst one of the most top-heavy divisions in football and proved everybody wrong when he grasped the concept of not turning the ball over as a 23-year-old.

Freeman's accurate, a top five mobile quarterback and is coming off a year in which he threw 25 touchdowns and posted a 95.9 QB Rating.

When you consider that he's doing what he's doing with a mediocre team at best, his production and maturity is that more amazing.

If you don't believe Freeman is a legitimate top 10 quarterback in only his third season, now is the time to come out from under your rock.

7. Clay Matthews

Clay Matthews being on this list is pretty self-explanatory.

He's only 25, has 23.5 sacks over his first two seasons, helped the Green Bay Packers win a Super Bowl and is arguably the most prolific defensive threat in the NFL.

Matthews has accomplished so much at such a young age that it would be unfair not to put him on this list even though he's currently one of the best players in the league.

With that said, he could easily end up in the Hall of Fame when it's all said and done and isn't going to have any trouble tormenting offenses for the next five years.

6. LeSean McCoy

As a New York Giants fan, I hate to admit it, but LeSean McCoy is arguably a top five running back right now.

The 23-year-old led the Philadelphia Eagles in rushing in 2010 and continues to be their main offensive threat.  Unless of course you're a true Michael Vick believer, then he comes in at a close second.

McCoy currently has 217 yards rushing and three touchdowns through the first two games of the season, ranking him in the top five in both categories.

If Vick is unable to play in the upcoming weeks or the Eagles finally decide to pound the rock, the football world will finally get their fair share of McCoy.  Because let's face it, Philadelphia doesn't exactly give the young back the carries he deserves. 

By the end of 2011, McCoy could easily be the second-best ground threat in the NFC behind Adrian Peterson.

In fact, with the way that Peterson, Chris Johnson and Jamaal Charles run the ball, the Eagles' back could become the league's best runner in three or four years.

5. Matthew Stafford

Well, Matthew Stafford is finally healthy.

The result?  How about 600 yards and seven touchdowns through two games.

With Calvin Johnson at his helm, Stafford is poised for greatness over the next decade.

He's already become one of the most productive and consistent quarterbacks in the league, when healthy.  With that said, the Detroit Lions better be on their A-game every week in order to protect the face of their franchise.

As we dig deeper and deeper into Peyton Manning's future, if he has one, along with Tom Brady and Drew Brees' eventual battle with longevity, Stafford could supplant himself as a top three arm in the NFL over the next five years.

4. Hakeem Nicks

I would like to think that it isn't because I'm one of the biggest New York Giants fans you'll ever meet, but it's becoming truly evident that Hakeem Nicks is that damn good.

In only his third season, at the age of 23, Nicks has already posted a 1,000-yard, 10 touchdown season.

He already has some of the best hands in the league and consistently proves that size does matter.

Nicks has battled with minor injuries here and there, but his ability to produce nearly every weekend reigns heavy over nagging ankles sprains.

To be honest, besides Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson, there's nobody I'd rather have than Nicks.  Maybe Larry Fitzgerald, but Nicks is younger and a more physical type of player.

By league standards for a big wide receiver with great hands, think Randy Moss, Nicks should have no problem running things in New York until the end of the decade.

3. Brian Orakpo

I honestly don't think Brian Orakpo could be any better, and that's scary considering he's only 25.

Similar to Clay Matthews, Orakpo is easily one of the NFL's most frustrating defenders for opposing offenses.  His 19.5 sacks in his first two years is pretty evident in the fact that the young linebacker has the league by a stranglehold.

It also doesn't hurt to be 6'4", 260 lbs. and be able to run a 4.63 40-yard-dash.

As it stands right now, Orakpo is a top five linebacker in the league, and, with his size and chase-down capabilities, 2011 could be the year he surpasses the rest of the field.

2. Ndamukong Suh

Come on, did you really think I was going to put any other defender at No. 2?

I'm fairly young compared to other NFL fans who've been watching the game for over 40 years, but I've never seen a more dominant defensive tackle that has taken over the league after just one season.

Well, Ndamokung Suh is that guy.

Through just 18 games of action, Suh has not only made his No. 2 overall pick worthwhile, but he's cemented himself as the best defensive inside lineman in the game.

He posted 10 sacks in 2010, has helped turn around one of the worst defenses in the NFL over the past 10 years, and he's only 24.

Suh is the quintessential future holder of the NFL.

1. Darren McFadden

This may come as a surprise, but Darren McFadden holds the future of the NFL.

Not to the point where his failing would sink the league, or anything like that, but I'd go as far as saying that his explosive numbers over the past year and a half is exactly what the league needs.

As a matter of fact, it's exactly what the Oakland Raiders need.

McFadden is the key in towing the Raiders out of the depths of the NFL, changing their misfortune over the past 10 years by running hard on his way to becoming the best of the best.

Let's be honest, Chris Johnson isn't rushing for 2,000 yards again anytime soon.  Adrian Peterson is still the No. 1 running back in the NFL, but his brutal ground game can't last more than five years.  Jamaal Charles, who's the only comparable style-runner to Chris Johnson, just experienced a season-ending knee injury. 

Michael Turner, Maurice Jones-Drew and Joseph Addai all look like their best years are behind them, and LeSean McCoy and Rashard Mendenhall don't get enough carries to top the league in production.

That leaves McFadden.  It's a process of elimination, even though he has the raw talent to get there on his own.

So, before you know it, look for the Arkansas Razorback to top the league in rushing as soon as this season.