Thread: ESPN- Peppers #8 best defender in NFL

Power Rankings: Top 10 defensive players


During the unprecedented offseason of 2011, ESPN.com has ranked the top pass-rushers in the NFL. We've ordered linebackers, rated cornerbacks and chosen the league's top 10 safeties as well. Now it's time to start putting it all together.

This week's challenge: Meld those four ballots into a single list of the NFL's 10 best defensive players. The subtle shift in parameters required us to consider not only a player's individual impact, but the overall importance of his position to the game.

Both in the draft and in the free-agent market, NFL teams place premium value on pass-rushers and interior defensive linemen. Other positions, most notably safeties, are relegated to secondary priorities. So in that sense, it's both remarkable and telling that Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was the unanimous top choice of our committee.

"Troy has a skill set that I've never seen from the safety position," said AFC North blogger James Walker, who has covered Polamalu for years. "He has the hands, coverage skills and acceleration of a corner but the instincts and timing on the blitz and against the run like a linebacker. When I've asked coaches to draw a comparison to another safety, they struggle to come up with a name, because there's really no one like him. [Steelers defensive coordinator] Dick LeBeau also deserves credit for building his defense around Troy, because that's really hard to do for a safety."

To what extent do NFL teams typically value safeties? Consider that in last month's draft, the first safety wasn't selected until midway through the second round. (UCLA's Rahim Moore, by the Denver Broncos, at No. 45 overall.) And in determining franchise tag numbers for a potential 2011 market before the lockout, the league was set to assign safeties the third-lowest figure among all positions, ahead only of tight ends and kickers.

One other safety made our list: Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens. But for the most part, the list was dominated by players known for getting to the quarterback. Our top pass-rusher, Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, ranked second. Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers were all among our top eight.



Ranking the Defensive Players

1. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
2. DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys
3. Darrelle Revis, New York Jets
4. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
5. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers
6. James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders
8. Julius Peppers, Chicago Bears
9. Haloti Ngata, Baltimore Ravens
10. Ed Reed, Baltimore Ravens

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/pos...ensive-players