Now that the votes for #NFLRANK are in, it's time to take a peak behind the numbers and assess how the 70-plus panelists ranked each position.
First, a reminder: Our voters -- which comprised NFL analysts, reporters and statisticians from across the company -- were asked to rate each player based on greatness. This was not a popularity contest but rather an evaluation of on-field skill.
After looking at the offense yesterday, here are the consensus top-10 players at each defensive position, along with where I agree and disagree.
Defensive line
A veteran player I spoke with this offseason marveled at the energy J.J. Watt brings from warm-ups to the games. Does he ever wear down? Watt doesn't dominate on every single play, of course, but there is really no use in comparing him to any other 3-4 defensive end in the game. Pro Football Focus grading for the position had Sheldon Richardson second at 39.9, ahead of Muhammad Wilkerson (33.7) and Calais Campbell (31.1). Watt's rating was 107.5, exceeding the 104.7 combined total for Richardson, Wilkerson and Campbell. We're combining 3-4 defensive ends with all the defensive linemen for the purposes of this discussion. Robert Quinn, Ndamukong Suh, Michael Bennett and Aaron Donald were next on my ballot after Watt, and a shade ahead of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe.