ESPN.com is ranking NFL players and counting them down (follow on Twitter -- @ESPNNFL) from No. 100 to No. 1 on offense and on defense, 10 per day for 10 days. The top 10 on both sides of the ball will be revealed Friday.
What is #NFLRank?
#NFLrank is the Twitter hashtag to use if you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along.
You can also follow along here: @ESPNNFL (NFL on ESPN) and on Facebook.
How did we rank the players?
We polled 90 experts to rate each player on a 0-to-10 scale, with 10 being the best regardless of position in the NFL. Ties, as denoted by an asterisk, were broken by determining which player had more ballots with the higher number (if players are tied, the player with three 10s is ranked higher than the player with two 10s; if the tied players had the same amount of highest numbers -- each with two 10s -- we moved to the next number: three 9s beats two 9s).
Here is the full list of voters from ESPN.com, ESPN TV, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Insider (including Football Outsiders and Pro Football Focus), ESPN Fantasy, ESPN locals and ESPN Stats & Information.
In his first two seasons (2011-12), Jones averaged 6.7 yards after the catch per reception, second most in the NFL behind Percy Harvin (7.1). Jones missed 11 games last season with a a foot injury.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
19
8.38
Andrew Luck | Team Twitter: @Colts
Indianapolis Colts | QB | Age: 24 | NFL Experience: 3rd year
2013 #NFLRank: 41
ESPN Fantasy rank: QB5
Luck became only the second QB since 2001 to lead his team to 11+ wins in each of his first two seasons (with fellow 2012 rookie Russell Wilson). The only other Colts QB to lead the team to consecutive 11+ win seasons was Peyton Manning.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
18
8.41
Vernon Davis | @VernonDavis85
San Francisco 49ers | TE | Age: 30 | NFL Experience: 9th year
2013 #NFLRank: 18
ESPN Fantasy rank: TE4
Davis leads all NFL tight ends in yards per reception (15.0) since the start of 2012. Including the playoffs, he caught 15 of the 49ers 24 touchdown passes last season (63 percent), the highest percentage of a team's touchdowns in the NFL.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
17
8.42
Demaryius Thomas | @DemaryiusT
Denver Broncos | WR | Age: 26 | NFL Experience: 5th year
2013 #NFLRank: 35
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR2
Thomas was second in the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions last season (Jimmy Graham, 16). Thomas had four games with multiple touchdown receptions, tied with Calvin Johnson for second most in the NFL (Graham, 5).
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
16
8.51
Rob Gronkowski | @RobGronkowski
New England Patriots | TE | Age: 25 | NFL Experience: 5th year
2013 #NFLRank: 8
ESPN Fantasy rank: TE3
Gronkowski has 42 touchdown receptions since entering the NFL in 2010, three fewer than Calvin Johnson. Johnson has played in 11 more games during that time.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
15
8.56
Brandon Marshall | @BMarshall
Chicago Bears | WR | Age: 30 | NFL Experience: 9th year
2013 #NFLRank: 23
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR5
Marshall was targeted 23 times in the end zone last season, tied with A.J. Green for most in the NFL. Marshall's 10 touchdown receptions on passes thrown to the end zone were tied with Dez Bryant for most in the league.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
14
8.58
Marshawn Lynch | @MoneyLynch
Seattle Seahawks | RB | Age: 28 | NFL Experience: 8th year
2013 #NFLRank: 27
ESPN Fantasy rank: RB5
Since Lynch joined the Seahawks in Week 6 of 2010 he ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (4,624), rushing touchdowns (41) and yards after contact (2,000), behind only Adrian Peterson in each category.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
13
8.72*
Dez Bryant | @DezBryant
Dallas Cowboys | WR | Age: 25 | NFL Experience: 5th year
2013 #NFLRank: 28
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR4
Bryant is the only player in the NFL with 2,500 receiving yards and 25 receiving touchdowns since the start of 2012.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
12
8.72*
Larry Fitzgerald | @LarryFitzgerald
Arizona Cardinals | WR | Age: 30 | NFL Experience: 11th year
2013 #NFLRank: 7
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR13
Fitzgerald caught 10 of the Cardinals' 24 touchdown passes last season (42 percent), the second-highest percentage of a team's touchdowns in the NFL (Vernon Davis, 62 percent).
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
11
8.80*
Jamaal Charles | @jcharles25
Kansas City Chiefs | RB | Age: 27 | NFL Experience: 7th year
2013 #NFLRank: 30
ESPN Fantasy rank: RB3
Charles scored 19 total touchdowns last season, three more than any other player. Charles' 12 rushing touchdowns were tied with Marshawn Lynch for most in the NFL.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)