Thread: Top 100 Free Agents....................

Top 100 2012 NFL Free Agents

By Will Brinson | Senior NFL Blogger

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Free agency is almost here, folks. And below is our top 100 2012 NFL free agents. It was a fun list to compile and there's a 100-percent chance you won't agree with all/many/any of the choices below.

But that's the point. We've factored in success so far, upside, positional scarcity and relative cost in some of the picks, so please take that into account. Or just start screaming in the comments below. Whatever works.

Follow all the transactions at our 2012 NFL Free Agent Tracker.

Rank	Player	Position	Age	Last Team	Analysis
1	Peyton Manning	QB	35	IND	Manning's probably the best free agent of all-time. So he should probably be No. 1 on 2012's list as well.
2	Mario Williams	DE/LB	27	HOU	Super Mario's a freak in either the 3-4 or 4-3. He's a potential gamechanger for anyone struggling to rush the passer.
3	Brandon Carr	CB	25	KC	A 25-year-old Pro-Bowl caliber cornerback hitting the market? Really? What are the Chiefs thinking?
4	Carl Nicks	G	26	NO	If Brees and Saints aren't having contract troubles, Nicks never gets near the market. One of the best interior lineman in the NFL.
5	Mike Wallace	WR	25	PIT	Wallace is restricted so this is cheating a bit, but someone with an extra first-round pick should gamble on a top-five wideout.
6	Vincent Jackson	WR	29	SD	Chargers couldn't tag Jackson again, so he's roaming free. Some character concerns, but a physical, deep and red-zone threat.
7	Cortland Finnegan	CB	28	TEN	Finnegan's basically said he's done with the Titans. A physical corner should draw a lot of interest. Makes sense in Detroit
8	Red Bryant	DL	27	SEA	Not a sack machine by any stretch, but he fills up a ton of space and really exploded in Pete Carroll's defense last year.
9	Stephen Tulloch	LB	27	DET	Underrated run-stuffer who made a big difference for Detroit's defense in 2012. Should do better than a 1-year deal this time.
10	Marques Colston	WR	28	NO	There are concerns with Colston when it comes to injuries and whether he's a "system" guy, but he's No. 2 on the WR market.
11	Chris Myers	C	30	HOU	Hard to believe Houston will let this offensive line leader get away, especially given how well he works within their rush attack.
12	Jared Gaither	LT	25	SD	Three teams before he's 26? That's some red-flag action. But he looked great with the Bolts in 2011 and the tackle class is weak.
13	Tracy Porter	CB	25	NO	Porter's not the best corner on the board, but he's still talented and young. And he could end up being a nice value for someone.
14	Curtis Lofton	LB	25	ATL	Falcons will suffer big-time against the run if they can't get Lofton back. Not superb against the pass, but a downhill thumper.
15	Ben Grubbs	OL	27	BAL	No way Grubbs hits the market if the Ravens weren't so tied up financially with other players.
16	Matt Flynn	QB	26	GB	Maybe this is too high for Flynn. Or maybe it's not. Does anyone really know? If he's "top-15" it's just about right.
17	Michael Bush	RB	35	IND	YPC decline is a concern and league is moving to passing, but he's a duel-purpose threat who'll be undervalued in FA.
18	Brandon Lloyd	WR	30	STL	Makes the tough catches and is a viable deep threat. Imagine if he'd actually ever gotten to play with a decent quarterback.
19	Brodrick Bunkley	DT	28	DEN	A big part of a revived rush defense for the Broncos, he's got some major value for a team needing someone to clog the lanes.
20	Jason Jones	DT	25	TEN	Jones can play outside/inside, but is more productive as a DT.
21	Carlos Rogers	CB	30	SF	Definitely some concern with age and a lack of productivity until he got to SF, but clearly talented enough to start for most teams.
22	Reggie Wayne	WR	33	IND	Most will say this is too high for the 33-year-old. But you know what I'm factoring in? Wayne catching passes from Peyton again.
23	Scott Wells	C	31	GB	Wells gets knocked for his size and age, and that's fine. But really helped groom Rodgers, played with Favre. Is tough as nails.
24	Terrell Thomas	CB	27	NYG	Might want to go back to the Giants, so this might be for naught, but if he's fully recovered from his ACL tear, he could be a steal.
25	Demetrius Bell	OT	27	BUF	Bell dealt with injuries in 2011, but this is a particularly weak tackle class, and he might be the safest bet out there.
26	Evan Mathis	OG	30	PHI	Mathis broke out in 2011 and might want to stick with Howard Mudd. But it also might be his one chance to get real paid.
27	Jeremy Mincey	DE	29	JAC	Young, talented and capable of getting after the passer.
28	John Abraham	DE	33	ATL	Abraham's still piling up sacks. But he wants $12 million a year? Really? If he's serious about that he would be lower here.
29	Mike Tolbert	RB	26	SD	A 26-year-old bowling ball out of Coastal Carolina, Tolbert's got just 341 carries in his career and has feature back upside.
30	Reggie Nelson	S	28	CIN	Nelson busted in Jacksonville but blossomed in Cincy. Could Reunion with old DB coach Kevin Croyle in Miami be in play?
31	David Hawthorne	LB	26	SEA	Stepped in for Lofa Tatupu and started 30 games the last two years, averaging more than 100 total tackles per year.
32	Paul Soliai	DT	28	MIA	Soliai was franchised in 2011 and thus too pricey for Miami now. Struggled some last year, but could be very nice value.
33	London Fletcher	LB	37	WAS	Fletcher is so very, very old. But so very, very productive.
34	Aaron Ross	CB	29	NYG	Still reasonably young, Ross had a huge second half and playoff run that's boosted his stock heavily.
35	Robert Meachem	WR	27	NO	Least-mentioned Saints FA, Meachem's been productive but not dominant for NOLA past three years. Breakout possibility.
36	Benjarvus Green-Ellis	RB	26	NE	RB is fungible for the Pats, so "Law Firm" is expendable. Never topped 230 carries in a year, averaged 4.1 YPC over last two.
37	Alex Smith	QB	27	SF	Former No. 1 overall and 49ers reportedly hit snags on a new deal. Hard to imagine him going anywhere else though.
38	Sione Pouha	DL	33	NYJ	He's older, but for a team on the rise who needs a plug in the middle, Pouha could be a great short-term option.
39	Cory Redding	DE	31	BAL	Underrated defender in a big-name defense, had 4.5 sacks in 2011 and could be a nice under-the-radar add.
40	Laurent Robinson	WR	26	DAL	Robinson finally stayed healthy in 2011 and flourished with Romo and 'Boys. Could be a steal for someone.
41	Geoff Schwartz	OL	25	CAR	Very sneaky OL target this offseason -- only 25, can play anywhere on the line, coming off injury and will be cheap.
42	Dwight Lowery	S	26	JAC	Dealt from the Jets to Jags for peanuts, Lowery drastically improved his game last season. Safety is very shallow right now.
43	Jarrett Johnson	LB	30	BAL	Will Johnson be as good when he's not playing alongside other members of the Ravens defense?
44	Mario Manningham	WR	25	NYG	Way too much value will be put on 2011 postseason and big Super Bowl catch. Has drop issues and isn't a No. 1 receiver.
45	Antonio Garay	DT	32	SD	Down 2011 really hurt his value, along with age issues.
46	Jason Campbell	QB	30	OAK	Poor Campbell: he gets bad breaks wherever he goes. Very solid backup who won't make noise about depth-chart status.
47	Pierre Garcon	WR	25	IND	Potentially following Manning? There are concerns about Garcon's fluky 2011 stats + inability to produce without PM.
48	LaRon Landry	S	27	WAS	Lots of downside for injury here. But there's lots of upside for big hits. And, of course, ridiculously muscular Twitpics.
49	Chad Henne	QB	26	MIA	In the right system, without the pressure of being a "franchise guy," really think Henne could finally get to blossom.
50	Peyton Hillis	RB	26	CLE	2011 wrecked his career. Or maybe it was just a spot on the Madden cover. Either way, there's upside and he'll be cheap.

Players 51-100 next page