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 on Friday, Aug. 30.
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 63 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 highest number. (If players were tied, the player with three 10s was ranked higher than the player with two 10s. If the tied players had the same amount of the highest number -- each with two 10s -- we moved to the next number; three 9s beat two 9s).
Here is the full list of voters from ESPN.com, ESPN TV, ESPN Radio, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Insider (including Football Outsiders and Pro Football Focus), ESPN Fantasy, ESPN Boston, ESPN Chicago, ESPN Dallas, ESPN New York and ESPN Stats & Information.
Smith has 11,452 career receiving yards, all with the Panthers. Only five players in NFL history have more career receiving yards while playing for only one team.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
72
7.03*
John Sullivan | @JASully65
Minnesota Vikings | C | Age: 28 | NFL experience: 6th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Vikings' projections
Is Adrian Peterson making Sullivan look good, or is it the other way around? Vikings rushers had 14 rushes of at least 20 yards up the middle last year, more than twice as many as any other team (Buccaneers, Titans and Bills had six).
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
73
7.03*
Mike Pouncey | @MikePouncey
Miami Dolphins | C | Age: 24 | NFL experience: 3rd year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Dolphins' projections
Pouncey has played in 98.8 percent of the Dolphins' snaps since he was drafted 15th overall in 2011. Of the eight offensive linemen drafted in the first round that year, Pouncey has played the highest percentage of his team's snaps.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
74
7.02
Chris Myers | @CMyers55
Houston Texans | C | Age: 31 | NFL experience: 9th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Texans' projections
Myers has appeared in all 80 regular-season games for the Texans since he signed in 2008. Myers' 5,188 snaps are the most by a center and the fourth most among offensive linemen.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
75
7.00*
Alfred Morris | @Trey_Deuces
Washington Redskins | RB | Age: 24 | NFL experience: 2nd year
ESPN Fantasy rank: RB9
Morris rushed for 1,613 yards last season, the third most by a rookie in NFL history. He had 55 rushes of 10 or more yards last season, the second most by any player in a single season over the past 10 years, trailing only Adrian Peterson from last season.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
76
7.00*
Steve Johnson | @StevieJohnson13
Buffalo Bills | WR | Age: 27 | NFL experience: 6th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR32
Johnson is the first player in Bills history to have 1,000 receiving yards in three straight seasons. Prior to Johnson, no player in team history had posted even two straight seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
77
6.97*
Greg Jennings | @GregJennings
Minnesota Vikings | WR | Age: 29 | NFL experience: 8th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR29
Jennings provides a much-needed deep threat for the Vikings. Since 2008, Jennings ranks 11th in receptions and tied for sixth in touchdowns on throws of 15 or more yards downfield. The Vikings ranked last in the NFL in both categories last season.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
78
6.97*
Michael Crabtree | @KingCrab15
San Francisco 49ers | WR | Age: 25 | NFL experience: 5th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Injured, NR
Including the playoffs, Colin Kaepernick had eight touchdown passes and no interceptions when targeting Crabtree. When targeting all other wide receivers, Kaepernick had one touchdown and four interceptions.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
79
6.93
Sebastian Vollmer | @SebVollmer
New England Patriots | OT | Age: 29 | NFL experience: 5th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Patriots' projections
Vollmer is the only player on either list who did not play high school football in the United States. Vollmer started playing football at age 14 in his native Germany and led his prep school to a 25-0 record before playing college football at Houston.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
80
6.89
D'Brickashaw Ferguson | @DBrickashaw
New York Jets | OT | Age: 29 | NFL experience: 8th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Jets' projections
Ferguson has not missed one game and has started every game for the Jets since 2006. He has played every single offensive snap for the Jets since 2008, ranking sixth in the NFL in total offensive snaps played over that span.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)