NFL Power Rankings: Jimmy Graham and the League's 25 Toughest Matchups

When I think of the phrase "matchup nightmare," NFL tight ends immediately spring to mind.

The well-worn sports cliche conjures up images of big, athletic pass-catchers—former basketball players, usually—plucking balls out of the sky, with all the grace of men half their size.

Jimmy Graham is one such sensation. A late convert from his power forward days at the University of Miami, Graham has been an instant hit in his second season, using his 6'6", 260-pound frame to wreak havoc on defenses.

Too quick for linebackers and too strong for corners and safeties, offensive coordinators salivate at the prospect of working with talents like Graham.

But tight ends don't monopolize the market—players on both sides of the ball create matchup problems every week in the NFL.

For me, a matchup nightmare is a player who, for the most part, executes what they want when they want. It's about winning one-on-one battles. It's about using speed, strength or smarts—and, usually, a combination of all three—to deliver for your team.

Allowing for injuries, here is a list of the top 25 guys in the league who give opposing players and coaches serious problems on Sundays.

25. Jamaal Charles

The forgotten man in the conversation of the NFL's best running backs, Jamaal Charles tore his ACL way back in the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions.

But this is a man who rushed for 1,467 yards on 230 carries in 2010—his 6.38 average is the second-best in NFL history, fractionally behind Hall of Famer Jim Brown.

What's more, Charles collected 468 yards on 45 catches at a 10.4-yard average. It is no wonder the Chiefs have suffered this year in his absence, not to mention the multiple injuries suffered elsewhere.

Charles' initial burst and top-line speed set him apart from most other running backs in the league, but combined with his elusiveness, the Chiefs have a home run threat who can make a mockery of even the best defenses.

In his three matchups versus top-10 rush-defenses last year, Charles ran for 229 yards and one score on 32 carries (7.2 average).

Put simply, he is a beast, and at 24 he has his best years in front of him—providing ACL surgery hasn't robbed him of his speed.

24. Jason Pierre-Paul

"JPP" has picked up where Michael Strahan left off, terrorizing quarterbacks and continuing the proud pass-rushing legacy best associated with the New York Giants.

With every game and every snap he takes, Pierre-Paul's reputation grows as a defender you have to account for. His athleticism has produced 10.5 sacks and counting this season. For a man who is so new to the game, his potential is frightening.

Don't agree with me? Then you don't agree with his teammates, who are blown away by his "freakish" abilities. 

Pierre-Paul, at just 22 years old, has the NFL world at his feet. It isn't hard to picture him as the league's top pass-rusher for the next 10 seasons. 

23. LeSean McCoy

LeSean McCoy's increased workload over the past three seasons has seen him emerge as an every-down running back who can score from almost anywhere.

With 1,134 yards through 12 games and five 100-yard efforts, McCoy has been critical to the Eagles' offensive production this season. Without him, the developing unease in Philadelphia would have snowballed into a full-blown crisis.

With a healthy Michael Vick offering a dual-threat out of the backfield in tandem with McCoy, opposing defenses have their work cut out in stopping the run.

McCoy has been shut down at times—the Week 4 visit of the San Francisco 49ers saw him carry nine times for 18 yards—but on other occasions, he has run roughshod over some of the best run-stopping teams in the league.

Case in point? Dallas in Week 8; McCoy touched the ball 32 times for 200 total yards and two touchdowns.

And at 23 years old, his best days of dashing are ahead of him.

22. Wes Welker

Welker makes the list in spite of his natural athleticism, which on first reading, sounds like a criticism of Tom Brady's favorite target.

But the diminutive wide receiver is so smart, and the chemistry with his quarterback is so strong that he creates space for himself by understanding his assignment and opposing coverages better than most around the league.

If his top-end speed cannot be considered elite, his acceleration and elusiveness can. Welker gains separation as well as any burner operating outside the hash marks.

And, with his partial reinvention as a deep-threat this season,—out of necessity, as much as anything else—Welker leads the NFL with 1,253 yards over 12 games.

Not so long ago, Welker was on pace to smash Jerry Rice's single-season passing yards record. That in itself is a measure of his talent.

Welker does all this on a reconstructed knee at 30 years of age. It is no wonder he commands the respect of the very best cornerbacks in the league.

21. Tony Gonzalez

How does he keep doing it?

A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Gonzalez continues to pluck balls out of the air at the tender age of 35.

His speed and athleticism may be on the decline, but nobody has produced more at the tight end position. Gonzalez owns all the receiving records worth owning, and in 2011, continues to create problems for opposing linebackers and safeties.

There are more exciting pass-catching tight ends in the NFL today, but if any of them even produce half of Gonzalez's career numbers, they should consider themselves lucky. "Gonzo" is the original, if no longer the best.

20. Mario Williams

Mario Williams is a monster of a man with the production to match.

The jury was out on whether or not the transition to outside linebacker in Wade Phillips' 3-4 defensive scheme in Houston would suit Williams' considerable frame in the long term.

With five sacks in five starts before a torn pectoral muscle ended his season, the doubters vanished

Williams is a special talent who can utilize a range of power moves to get after the quarterback. Very few men of his size are able to move with the speed and range he possesses.

And with 48 sacks in his old 4-3 scheme over the last five seasons, Williams proved himself worthy of the first overall pick in the 2006 draft.

19. Mike Wallace

The projection from college wideout to the professional ranks is always a tough assignment for NFL scouts.

Mike Wallace was a third-round pick in the 2009 draft as an elite burner with question marks over his abilities to transition to NFL-level route-running and to handle physical defensive backs.

But with more than 3,000 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns in 45 starts for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wallace has been an immediate hit and a legitimate home run threat on every play.

The cliche remains that you can't coach speed. Emmanuel Sanders, another Steeler, has it in spades. But Wallace has managed to achieve the deadly combination of searing pace and quarterback chemistry, making the Roethlisberger-to-Wallace connection one of the most feared in the league.

18. Andre Johnson

With some respect to Matt Schaub, there can't be many NFL fans over the past nine seasons who haven't wondered what Andre Johnson would have achieved with a future Hall of Fame quarterback throwing him the ball.

Imagine if Peyton Manning got his hands on Johnson back in 2003. Or Tom Brady. Or Aaron Rodgers now in the Green Bay system lighting up the league in 2011.

Johnson's 52 touchdowns have been collected against a backdrop of injuries on a mostly underperforming Houston Texans team.

When Johnson is healthy, he is a beast. At 6'3" and 226 pounds, his jumping ability combined with his strength is simply too much for defensive backs to handle.

One cornerback alone isn't tall enough or strong enough to dictate terms to him. Safeties are often rolled over the top on his half of the field, but double-coverage doesn't bother him either.

In fact, aside from Calvin Johnson in Detroit, I can't think of another wide receiver who has produced for so long whilst routinely dealing with double-coverage.

17. A.J. Green

At first, I thought I'd have a hard time placing a rookie on this list.

But when you look at what A.J. Green has accomplished his first 12 games in the NFL, you start to realize that the Bengals wideout is no ordinary rookie. He has the potential to be truly special.

Look at the numbers: 832 yards and seven touchdowns. His six plays of 40-plus yards are tied for first in the NFL.

And he has a rookie quarterback throwing him the ball.

Andy Dalton can also lean on tight end Jermaine Gresham for offensive production, but Green has quickly become the team's top threat, showing skills that bear a passing resemblance to none other than Randy Moss.

Green won't get close to the numbers Moss put up in his sensational debut season, but he doesn't have to to be considered one of the brightest young stars in the league.

16. Julius Peppers

Like Mario Williams elsewhere on this list, Peppers is a physical specimen.

There are very few people on the planet, let alone in the NFL, who are 6'7", weigh 287 pounds and can shift their frame at the speed of a man 100 pounds lighter.

The fact that the Chicago Bears' defensive end can makes him one of the most feared defenders in the league. He is a true matchup nightmare for slower, less athletic offensive tackles.

With 97 sacks in 150 games, Peppers has shown remarkable durability from the moment he played his first snap as a Panther in Carolina.

And in his 10-season career, he has yet to register a year without a forced fumble.

The five-time All-Pro selection is a difference-maker on every play, who specializes in giving quarterbacks nightmares.

Perhaps the biggest testament to his talent that I can provide is that his eight-sack performance through 12 games this season. It is remarkable in the context of his career numbers.

If Tim Tebow "just wins," Peppers "just sacks," and does it better than most.

15. Fred Jackson

Prior to the leg break that landed the five-year veteran on IR, Fred Jackson was a contender for the most exciting running back in the NFL this season.

For a man who weighs 215 pounds, Jackson possesses a unique combination of size, speed and elusiveness out of the backfield.

Long underrated by fans and media outside of Buffalo, his 934 yards in 10 games this season saw him crowned as the centerpiece of the Bills' offense.

If C.J. Spiller promised more, nobody told Jackson, who gashed defensive front sevens for long gains time and time again.

With a 5.5 yards per carry average for 2011, his production rivaled the very best runners in the league. Without him, the Bills look one-dimensional, heaping more pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick's shoulders.

14. Darrelle Revis

The man who invented a fantasy island in his name, continues to leave wide receivers stranded without a rescue boat.

With Darrelle Revis, you throw on him at your peril. Very few cornerbacks have carried such a reputation over the past few seasons.

Champ Bailey and Nnamdi Asomugha are two such examples, but the former's star is fading with age and the latter is suffering from an unexpectedly rough transition to the Eagles' defensive system.

That leaves Revis and his island as the consensus top lockdown corner in the league.

The opinions were forming in the wider NFL landscape back in Week 2 of the 2009 season. Back then, Revis held Randy Moss to just four receptions for 24 yards, picking off Tom Brady on one play in an effort that helped restrict the Patriots to just nine points.

Nine points?

You know a player is truly special when a subpar performance becomes national news. The Bills' Steve Johnson made headlines by torching Revis on a few plays just a couple of weeks ago.

Whether it was scheme-related or just an off-day, it was significant in its uniqueness. That might be one of the best compliments you can pay to a man who has closed down one half of the field for nearly five seasons as a New York Jet.

13. Antonio Gates

Gates makes the list not for his current season numbers, but for the body of work that has popularized the basketball conversion player in the eyes of the average fan.

In a world post-Gates, the power forward who can pluck a jump ball out of double-coverage is the must-have accessory for all NFL teams.

Suffering from plantar fasciitis (a significant foot injury) both this season and last and toe injuries before, Gates is a tough player who still has to be accounted for on every passing down.

Even though he only managed 10 games last season, he grabbed 10 touchdowns and was every inch the dominant aerial threat who can transform an offense into a red zone nightmare.

From 2004 to 2010, his worst haul for a single season was eight touchdowns and 704 yards. His numbers over that period have bettered all but the elite wide receivers of the NFL, giving Philip Rivers a target who has been the envy of offensive coordinators across the land.

12. Darren McFadden

"Run DMC" doesn't have the production nor the body of work over a long period of time as many of the names on this list.

In fact, given the number of injuries he has suffered in his four NFL seasons, this might be the most controversial of selections for the top 25.

But when he is healthy, McFadden is simply electric. No running back provides a spark quite like he can.

Chris Johnson would feel rightly aggrieved to miss this list in favor of a man whose best single-season rushing yards haul is about 850 yards inferior. That's not to mention the 20 total touchdowns in 45 games; LaDainian Tomlinson had 11 more in a single season back in 2006.

For me, this is just one of those cases where the stats don't tell the full story. Then again, he makes my list, so I would say that. But right now, McFadden offers a combination of blinding speed and quickness that defenses struggle to counteract.

In terms of toughest matchups, trying to bring down McFadden in the open field is somewhere near the top of the list. For that reason, he gets his dues here.

But I wouldn't expect everyone to agree...

11. Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning might not have played since 2010, but at Bleacher Report we don't focus just on the here and now.

If we're talking about toughest NFL matchups, a healthy Manning provides that to any defense trying to crack the code.

The tributes to his talents have been covered so many times before, so I don't want to bring up all his career numbers and achievements again. But thinking purely in terms of the challenge he presents opposing defensive coordinators, Manning is one of the top offensive players in the history of the game.

Nobody would ever confuse him with an athletic receiver or tight end, but there can't be many smarter players than Manning in NFL history.

His ability to avoid a pass-rush with subtle movements and quick releases stand out in a league obsessed with mobility and physical gifts. And his back shoulder fades are rivaled by few in the game today.

The future Hall of Famer had to make the list.

10. Jermichael Finley

Finley's 2010 season was curtailed by injury after just five games, making Green Bay's Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers all the more impressive.

The athletic tight end has been one of the most dynamic players in the league in recent times, even if his 13 touchdowns in four seasons don't catch the eye at first glance.

But as far as 6'4" pass-catchers go, Finley is one of the most talented around.

With 600 yards and six touchdowns this season, he is a standout performer on an offense who has multiple receiving options and a quarterback in other-wordly form.

You can argue that with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball, you could reasonably expect more production. But with Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson demanding attention themselves, you can't blame Finley for the quality of his teammates.

It would be interesting to see how he coped on an offense where Finley is the primary target. I have no doubt he would succeed, but some will always hold it against him until he branches out from his all-star cast in Green Bay.

9. Jared Allen

Jared Allen has been around the NFL for so long that it feels strange to think of him as a 29-year-old still in the prime of his career.

The Viking has set the gold standard for pass-rushing and shows no sign of slowing down. In the past five seasons (including the 12 games of 2011), Allen has racked up an average of 14 sacks.

There are defensive ends who enjoy breakout seasons, and then there are people like Allen who have breakout seasons—every season—for half of their careers.

Allen is a natural at the position, having proved himself as a rookie with nine sacks back in 2004. To be in range of Michael Strahan's 22.5 sacks record is testament to his athleticism and relentless motor.

There's not much I can add to Allen's legacy here. Just know that there are few who perform as consistently and at an elite level as he does each and every week.

8. Rob Gronkowski

The "Gronk" is the flavor of the month, having equaled the all-time record for receiving touchdowns by a tight end last weekend in the Patriots' 31-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Foxborough.

But at 22 years of age his raw athleticism should ensure that his name stays in the mainstream for some time yet. After just 28 games and a staggering 24 touchdowns in the NFL, the sky's the limit for the former Arizona product.

Gronk is on course to shatter all records for the position—in fact, his numbers are the envy of even the best wide receivers in the league. For a 6'6", 265-pound tight end with elite blocking ability, that is a rare feat.

Whisper it quietly, but Gronkowski is having an MVP season. I don't think for one second that voters would consider anyone in his position in the final reckoning, but he deserves at least an honorable mention in the conversation.

The only thing keeping him from the very top of this list is the length of his resume. There are others with a greater body of work, but there are few—if any—who are doing it quite like Gronk in 2011. 

7. DeMarcus Ware

At the same age as Jared Allen, there is little to separate Ware from the eight-year veteran in Minnesota.

Ware is lighter by 10 pounds and shorter by two inches, but the effect on opposing quarterbacks is exactly the same—they all go down at a relentless pace.

The Cowboys' outside linebacker is the top pass-rusher on the list, and with 5.5 more sacks than Allen since 2006 it was a close decision, but ultimately the correct one.

I've run out of superlatives to describe players like Ware, but to keep it simple, there is no player in the NFL who brings the same balance of athletic ability and elite production.

Then there's the fact that he's never missed a game in his seven-year career. There's no way to avoid Ware. He will line up against you, and he will find a way to bring you down.

The all-time sack record currently stands at 200 held by Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith. Ware is 105 away from breaking the record himself, but if he can keep himself healthy and playing into his mid-30s, he has a chance of getting there in a shorter span.

6. Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham is the latest in a long line of basketball converts to find success in football, making the game look ridiculously easy in the process.

With more than 1,000 yards already this season, the New Orleans Saints' tight end is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the NFL. He has the full trust of his quarterback Drew Brees and makes some of the most athletic catches seem routine.

Even though Graham's NFL career only spans 27 games, he has found a way to adapt to his new sport quickly, looking every inch the seasoned pro.

And by costing the Saints just a third-round pick in 2010, Graham is paying dividends on what might be the most rounded offense in the league.

5. Drew Brees

I can't go any further without mentioning the elite quarterbacks dictating terms in the NFL each and every Sunday.

Drew Brees has to be in consideration for the toughest matchups list—particularly when he is one of three men on track to shatter Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record and leading the nearest contender by 115 yards.

The Saints are scoring an average of 32.8 points per game, in no small part due to Brees' phenomenal talent.

Part of the difficulty of matching up against the Saints is Brees' ability to release the ball quickly, finding open receivers off three-step drops on short routes. By the time any defensive pressure finds its way to the quarterback, the ball has long left his hands.

With a 70.4 percent completion rate and 30 touchdown passes this season, Brees is having a rare year, and despite his tendency to throw more picks than other elite quarterbacks—with the caveat that he throws more passes, too—he is protecting the ball as well as ever with only 11 picks in 496 attempts in 2011.

Teams have struggled to contain Brees since his debut for the Saints back in 2006. He is almost the complete package and worthy of the highest praise—just not the top spot on this list.

4. Jason Witten

I have Jason Witten as my top-ranked tight end, and one of the toughest matchup for opposing defenses.

The pass-catching statistics don't support it; whichever way you cut it, there are tight ends with more production, either over a single season or a full career.

But few players with such ability are asked to block as regularly as Witten. That's because few do it as effectively as he can for Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys.

Ask Witten to split out as a receiver, and he is as athletic as anyone at the position. His measurables are identical to Rob Gronkowski, and with Tom Brady throwing him the ball, you suspect that Witten would enjoy the same production Gronk currently receives in the Patriots' system.

Unless you can develop a safety who can hit as hard as a linebacker yet jump like a receiver, the chances of you slowing down Witten are slim. He is an expert at finding the soft spot in defensive coverages, picking a seam and making teams pay. And with a nine-year career at the very top, he represents the past, present and future of elite production.

3. Calvin Johnson

"Megatron" has created a legacy in just 4.5 seasons as the most athletically-gifted talent in the NFL today.

At 6'5" and 235 pounds, he represents a new generation of monsters with wide receiver speed trapped in a tight end's body.

With the Detroit Lions, Johnson has never benefited from any stability at the quarterback position. Since 2007, he has caught balls from John Kitna, Dan Orlovsky, Daunte Culpepper, Matthew Stafford, Drew Stanton and Shaun Hill.

In such context, to average more than 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns a season since 2008 is not only remarkable but is also a credit to his supreme physical attributes.

Anyone who remembers his triple-coverage catch against the Dallas Cowboys this season won't need any more convincing, but Stafford must be grateful to line up alongside a guy who can snag jump balls against any defense on demand.

2. Tom Brady

The reigning league MVP is enjoying another remarkable season in a future Hall of Fame career, but with Aaron Rodgers running an unbeaten show over in Green Bay, Tom Brady falls just short of the top spot on the list.

What is there to say about Brady that hasn't already been said before?

He proved his status as an elite signal-caller back in 2006 when he played an entire season with a lack of weapons at the receiver position and took the Patriots all the way to an AFC title game.

When given Randy Moss, Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth, however, he set NFL records and took his production to a whole new level.

Moss may be gone these days, but the drafting of tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski in 2010 ensured that the offense didn't skip a beat.

Some defensive coordinators have devised game plans to slow down Brady. As I discussed in a previous article, any success against the Patriots tends to be fleeting, and given the scarcity of a Brady loss in the NFL, it is noteworthy when it happens.

Thanks to his combination of awareness in the pocket, laser-guided throws, and the experience to break down and dissect defenses, he is the perfect definition of a matchup nightmare.

1. Aaron Rodgers

As each week passes in the 2011 season, the more likely it seems that the Green Bay Packers will become just the second team to go 16-0 through a regular season.

At 12-0, Aaron Rodgers and his offense are proving to be nothing short of unstoppable.

Key to this success is Rodgers' absurd production. A 70.6 percent completion rate, a 125.3 passer rating and a 37:5 touchdown to interception ratio? That's almost unfair.

With some of the most accurate passing ever seen in a single season, Rodgers is locating his receiving corps at will, giving Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson nine touchdowns apiece, and bringing the aforementioned Jermichael Finley to the party with six more where possible.

Aside from the fact that opposing corners and safeties have next-to-no chance of intercepting a Rodgers pass this season, he continues to make plays with his legs, showing an awareness for oncoming pressure and scrambling to safety.

Along with Ben Roethlisberger, Rodgers is the best in the business at extending the play and finding a receiver on an improvised route.

By mastering and equaling the skill sets of a scrambler, a gunslinger and a precise pocket-passer, he is all of these things and more rolled into one elite package that cannot be denied.

If Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of a generation, Rodgers is the greatest today and, potentially, the best for years to come.

Defensive minds will work overtime to devise a method for slowing down the Green Bay offensive juggernaut. Meanwhile, us fans will just sit back and appreciate what might be the start of a dynasty for the reigning Super Bowl champions.