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50.) Ndamukong Suh, DT, DET
How good was Ndamukong Suh as a rookie? He led the NFL in sacks as a DT. He was the biggest contributor to one of the league's best defensive lines. Ndamukong Suh honestly had one of the best rookie seasons by a defensive players in decades, so much so that Devin McCourty could have had the year he had and not come close to receiving any support for Defensive Rookie of the Year. McCourty's an all-pro in the making. Suh is a hall-of-famer in the making.
49.) Cameron Wake, OLB, MIA
Bill Parcells' last move in Miami was to unearth Wake from the CFL. What a move it was. Wake was a terror off the edge, near the lead in hurries in the NFL. Wake still has room for improvement against the run, but he has quickly become one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Hopefully success stories like him allow for more CFL prospects to get to the NFL.
48.) Darnell Dockett, DT, ARZ
Dockett was an all-pro caliber 3-4 DT in 2009, and his play in 2010 was nearly just as good. Dockett had 5 sacks and played great against the run. His pass rushing numbers dropped a little from 2009, but it is hard to keep up that pace when the rest of the team went to hell in 2010. Dockett is still a premier 3-4 DT/DE.
47.) Harvey Dahl, G, ATL
He's the best guard in the NFL. Period. Dahl excels at pass blocking and is absolutely nasty at run blocking. The Falcons have a good line overall, but Dahl is what makes them one of the better ones in the league. His ability to run block allows Michael Turner to run left so easily. How he has never been elected to the pro bowl is beyond me.
46.) Ray Rice, RB, BAL
Rice wasn't as great as he was in 2009 last year but that was a hard act to follow. What Rice did improve on was cutting down his fumbles as well as imrpoving his pass blocking. The latter is especially important given his small size. The Ravens o-line as a whole didn't have a stellar year, so that is partially to attribute to the drop-off in aggregate statistics.
45.) Trent Cole, DE, PHI
How many years is Trent Cole going to be a monster player before he finally gets the national exposure someone of his performance deserves. Trent Cole was incredible again. His total sacks went down, but his overall play went up. Cole did even better against the run and had enough pressures to merit more sacks. Cole is still just 29, and in pass rushing years that is square in his prime.
44.) Nick Collins, S, GB
His interception numbers dropped for the second straight season, but that just hides the fact that he gets better and better. Nick Collins now gets the partial Ed Reed treatment where people don't throw at him as much (of course this is easier said than done for a safety), but still he gets his hands on the ball. Nick Collins is the true MVP of the Packers secondary.
43.) LaRon Landry, S, WAS
I think he still suffers from his average up and down first two years because for the last two years LaRon Landry has been a pro-bowl caliber player, and he was one of the better SS in the NFL in 2010. Landry didn't get many interceptions, but only Troy Polamalu was better as a SS in run support, and Landry was able to cover well. Just imagine the safety pair he could have made with Sean Taylor.
42.) Jonathan Babineaux, DT, ATL
I criminally underranked Babineaux after 2009, so I'm giving him the bump for three straight great years as a 4-3 DT in Atlanta. Babineaux is close to what Albert Haynesworth was late in his Tennessee. He isn't as unblockable as Big Al was in his prime, but is probably more consistent. The reason the Falcons are so consistently good at run defense is Babineaux.
41.) Jordan Gross, T, CAR
I earlier said that the Panthers are about the best-set 2-14 team ever and Gross is the biggest player in that. He's still a premier LT in the NFL. Other than a fluke injury in 2009 he's barely missed a game. He's anchored an upper-tier o-line for years. Jordan Gross is about as consistent as they come and other than the man infront in Miami, is the best run blocking LT in the league.
40.) John Abraham, DE, ATL
John Abraham could be one of the most underrated players of the 2000s. He's been in the league 11 years now, and in six of those registered double digit sacks, with another year at 9.5. His past year was tied for his second most sacks. He plays the run about as well as any DE. Over and above this he's done it in two cities without slowing down. I doubt he gets there, but he's one of the quietest borderline hall-of-famers ever.
39.) LaMarr Woodley, OLB, PIT
What is really scary in Pittsburgh is that Woodley is so great, but he's unquestionably the 2nd best OLB on his team. What Woodley does better than Harrison is play the pass. Harrison has the one amazing highlight with his INT return in Super Bowl XLIII, but Woodley can stick to TEs and WRs like glue at times. Again, he's not the best at his position on his team.
38.) Richard Seymour, DT, OAK
While Brandon Moore was abusing any member of the motley crue of DEs Bill Belichick threw at him, Richard Seymour was probably laughing. Seymour was dominant in Oakland, every bit as unblockable as he was in New England. Seymour spearheaded one of the league's most maddeningly dominated d-lines. Other than the man yet to be named, he's performed the best after leaving the confines of Foxboro.
37.) Brian Urlacher, MLB, CHI
The future hall-of-famer had one of his best years of his of his career in 2010 coming off a wrist injury that sidelined him for all but one game in 2009. What was really noticeable was how good he was in the pass game. Urlacher has had good sack seasons before, but he's never been as good in coverage as he was in 2010. Urlacher was also still active in the run game.
36.) Greg Jennings, WR, GB
Here's what Greg Jennings has done over his past 4 seasons. With two different QBs, he's averaged 69 receptions for 1147.5 yards and 9.25 tds in an offense with an array of targets. Jennings has also in each of the past four years gotten at least 16.2 yards per reception. He's the best deep threat in the NFL, as well as one of the best in yards after catch. He's a monster.
35.) Mario Williams, DE, HOU
Talk about Monsters. He missed three games, so his sack numbers are about at career average. That said, he gets held more and more each year and double-teamed more and more each year and still is one of the most dominant DEs in the game. Williams will now move to a DeMarcus Ware type position so he could potentially put up scary numbers in 2011.
34.) Santonio Holmes, WR, NYJ
Greg Jennings has Aaron Rodgers throwing to him. Reggie Wayne has Peyton. Santonio has Mark Sanchez, and he still is dominant. Santonio is in my mind the new Steve Smith (Carolina). Factoring in his time missed due to suspension he had a 1000 yard season with Mark Sanchez throwing to him on a team that runs the ball a lot. Then, factor in his amazing plays in overtime over the year and that insane catch against New England and you get the best clutch WR.
33.) Terrell Suggs, OLB, BAL
The Ravens are sneakily an average pass rush team. They have this image of a crazy blitz team, but they really aren't like that. Terrell Suggs in many ways is their pass rush. The Ravens had 27 sacks and Suggs had 11 of them, and then add in 3 more in the playoff loss to the Steelers. Terrell Suggs is still just 29 despite playing 8 years and is perfectly placed to continue to dominate. Lewis and Reed are nearing the end, but Suggs is most certainly not.
32.) David Stewart, T, TEN
He's the best run blocking tackle in the NF, and although his pass blocking slipped a bit in 2010, he was still great on the right side. Chris Johnson's numbers running left weren't great, but when running around Stewart they were great. David Stewart has never made a pro bowl but has made a 2nd team all-pro. Odd, but at least he once got the recognition he deserves.
31.) Vince Wilfork, NT, NE
The biggest man in the NFL (I'm guessing) gets the nod for the best nose tackle. He's almost always double-teamed and still almost-always disruptive. He's been the centerpiece of the Patriots defense and really the only guy keeping their run defense going at this point. Wilfork is about as consistently good as they come and his importance shows by the Pats actaully paying him.
30.) Chris Johnson, RB, TEN
As much as a 1364 yard season can be called a disappointment, 2010 was a disappointment for CJ2K. The nicknamed one still made his way into the end zone and was about as consistent as he was in 2009 (just fewer huge runs). What is really odd is his awful 5.6 yards per reception. It was at 10.1 the year before, so we should see which one is closer to the real CJ in 2011.
29.) Julius Peppers, DE, CHI
He, Mario and the two DEs yet to be named have one thing in common. They all get held, a lot. It dampens their sack total, but has about as much importance as a sack. The amount of work Peppers does for the Bears d-line is incredible, making what seems like a random assortment of players perform quite well. If the Bears only could've had him and the 2005-06 Tommie Harris together the NFC Championship might have gone differently.
28.) Roddy White, WR, ATL
In many ways Roddy White had a Reggie Wayne-esque year, where his ridiculous amount of targets and catches makes the yards and TDs seem less impressive. The difference is that Matt Ryan has barely any other WR to throw to. White gets doubled all the time, and almost always that's with a safety over the top. As long as he can suck up all short throws, he's immensely valuable.
27.) Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, OAK
Nnamdi didn't have his greatest year in 2010; of course, for him that makes him just the 3rd best corner in the NFL. He still is about as valuable as the other two since he erases a half of the field as people rarely throw at him. However in 2010, when the QBs dared to throw at him, they were successfuly more than most years. That said, he's still a beast and about to be a very rich beast.
26.) James Harrison, OLB, PIT
How does someone who does nothing in the NFL for 4 years suddenly put together a 4-yr run with 45 sacks in it, along with 25 forced fumbles and a ridiculous 62 tackles a year average? James Harrison is downright dominant and shows no sign of slowing down, and in fact he's getting better as now he's improved in pass coverage. Scary things go on in Pittsburgh at the linebacker position.
Coming up next, the Top-25.
