The NFL's Best

Among the things I received for Christmas this year was the new Sports Illustrated book "Football's Greatest."  It had a bunch of Top 10 lists ranking all kids of football-related things, from the best uniforms and games to coaches and rivalries.  The book also featured the panel's Top 10 list of all-time bests at each position.  Along with the obvious Hall of Famers, there were a bunch of active players included as well.  And that got me thinking: Who are the greatest players in the NFL right now?

So, I'm gonna give it a shot.  (The timing of today's Pro Bowl roster announcement also corresponds nicely with this post.)  Here are the players that I rate as the best at their position in the NFL today.

Quarterback: Tom Brady, Patriots-This was obviously the hardest one, with the Brothers Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers all in the conversation.  But I think the Brady body of work gives him the slight edge over Peyton.  Since he took over as New England's starter in 2001, the Patriots have won three Super Bowls and been two others.  And let's not forget all of Brady's ridiculous passing numbers during that time, either.  It's close, but the Patriots' sustained success, for which Tom Brady is most responsible, makes him, in my opinion, the NFL's top active quarterback (I still like Peyton better, though).

Running Back: Adrian Peterson, Vikings-We all know the ridiculous numbers he's putting up this season.  The MVP and Comeback Player of the Year talk is completely unwarranted, but there's no question that Peterson is far-and-away the best running back in football.  The fact that he's threatening the all-time rushing record is remarkable in its own right.  The fact that he tore his ACL last Christmas, yet played in the season opener, then had this type of season, is truly exceptional.

Fullback: Vonta Leach, Ravens-Picking the best fullback in the NFL became a little more difficult when Mike Alstott and Lorenzo Neal retired, but I think Vonta Leach is the cream of the current crop.  He paves the way for Ray Rice to do his thing and has been to the last three Pro Bowls.

Wide Receiver: Calvin Johnson, Lions-What can't Megatron do?  It's so fun to watch him play.  My favorite thing about Calvin Johnson, though, is that he's able to put up these kind of receiving numbers without getting much help.  The Lions' offense consists of Matthew Stafford throwing the ball to Calvin Johnson.  Everybody knows this.  That's why he's always double-covered.  Yet he's still virtually impossible to stop.

Tight End: Tony Gonzalez, Falcons-Tony Gonzalez is planning on retiring after this season.  I don't know why.  Because even at 36, he's the best tight end in the game.  In fact, I'd be willing to argue that Gonzalez is the best receiving tight end in history.

Tackle: Joe Thomas, Browns-It's hard to quantify what makes a good offensive lineman, mainly because they don't have stats.  You just know one when you see one.  Like Anthony Munoz and Larry Allen.  Joe Thomas is one of those.  All you need to know he's great is to watch him play.  The fact that he does so in Cleveland doesn't help.  But, Thomas was the No. 3 pick in the 2007 Draft, has never missed a start in his career, and has been selected to the Pro Bowl every year.

Guard: Logan Mankins, Patriots-Guard is a tough position.  There aren't many "standouts" who immediately come to mind.  But I think the best of the best is probably New England's Logan Mankins.  He's a five-time Pro Bowler who the Patriots clearly think is cream of the crop, too.  Mankins is the second-highest-paid guard in the NFL.

Center: Jeff Saturday, Packers-He's lost a step, and it's still weird to see him wearing a Packers uniform, but I still think Jeff Saturday is the elite center in the NFL.  It's not a coincidence that the Colts' incredible run of success started when Peyton Manning started taking snaps from Jeff Saturday.  Of course, they've since both moved on, but the Saturday-Aaron Rodgers combination in Green Bay has worked out just as nicely.

Defensive End: J.J. Watt, Texans-There are so many great young pass rushers in the league that defensive end has become one of the NFL's marquee positions.  There's Jared Allen and Jason Pierre-Paul and Julius Peppers and Cameron Wake and Elvis Dumervil, among others.  But I'm giving the nod to the likely Defensive Player of the Year, Houston's J.J. Watt.  Watt's just 23 and in his second year, but his 2012 season is borderline historic.  Michael Strahan's NFL-record 22.5 sacks is in jeopardy, and the Texans are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Defensive Tackle: Justin Smith, 49ers-This was another tough one.  The interior linemen are becoming just as effecive on the pass rush as the defensive ends.  Although, in fairness, Justin Smith used to be a defensive end.  The 49ers moved him inside midway through last season, and he was named All-Pro at both positions.  Guys like Haloti Ngata and Vince Wilfork are tremendous at the traditional stuff the gaps, stop the run stuff you're used to seeing from interior linemen, but they're not the dual-threat Justin Smith is.

Outside Linebacker: DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys-If we're talking great pass rushers, DeMarcus Ware has to be in the discussion.  He's the best 3-4 outside linebacker there is.  ESPN has called him the "most dynamic defender in the league," and he's been ranked among the top five overall players in the league by various networks/publications.  When healthy, Ware can do it all, and he's virtually unstoppable.  He also ranks as one of the scariest players in the league.

Inside Linebacker: Patrick Willis, 49ers-Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis have been the gold standard at middle/inside linebacker for so long that it seems wrong not to have put either one of their names in italics, but for various reasons, I think Patrick Willis has overtaken them both.  Sometimes one difference-maker is all it takes for a team to get over the top.  That was certainly the case with Patrick Willis and the 49ers' defense.  San Francisco returned to prominence because of that defense.  The best player on that defense?  Patrick Willis.

Cornerback: Darrelle Revis, Jets-The Jets would've been a mess this year whether or not Darrelle Revis played, but you can't deny that losing him for the season was likely the final straw that eliminated any chance they would've had at being competitive.  Quarterbacks stay away from "Revis Island" for good reason.  He's by far the best shutdown cover corner in the league.  I'm not even sure there's a close second.  When the Jets were at their best, it's because Revis was taking some of the best wide receivers in the league and making them complete non-factors.

Strong Safety: Troy Polamalu, Steelers-Want to know why the Steelers didn't make the playoffs this year?  Start with who wasn't on the field.  More specifically, start in the secondary.  Troy Polamalu's importance has been on full display this season.  And his dominance has never been questioned.  Then there's the hair.  I'm not sure how they'll handle the hair on Polamalu's bust in Canton.

Free Safety: Ed Reed, Ravens-Ed Reed isn't just the best active free safety in football.  With all due respect to Ronnie Lott, he might be the best one ever.  Reed's level of play is the same today at age 34 as it was when he was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2004.  His durability has also been remarkable (he's only missed 16 games combined in his 11-year career).  Not only that, but Reed is an interception machine.  He's gotten a reputation as a "dirty player" because of his repeated fines for hits to the head, but I say it's just because he plays hard on every down.

Kicker: Adam Vinatieri, Colts-The NFL's "best" kicker is perhaps the most arbitrary of all designations.  The kickers on the good teams always end up leading the league in scoring because of the amount of opportunities they get, but some of the better kickers are usually the ones on the bad teams.  And they end up scoring a lot of points, too, because their teams always end up settling for field goals.  But my selection is the guy who's proven his value over and over again.  Adam Viantieri is perhaps the greatest clutch kicker in NFL history.  He kicked the winning field goal on the final play of the Super Bowl twice, as well as the snow field goal that ended the infamous "Tuck Rule" game.  If the Hall of Fame voters ever actually acknowledge the fact that kicker is a position, Adam Vinatieri could be a candidate for a bust in Canton.

Punter: Shane Lechler, Raiders-The best punter in history, Ray Guy, played for the Raiders.  And the best punter currently playing in the NFL is also a Raider--Shane Lechler.  Lechler's a nine-time All-Pro, the NFL's all-time leader in punting average, and he didn't have a punt blocked until Week 1 of this season, the 13th of his career.  Along with Sebastian Janikowski, Lechler is half of the best kicker-punter combo in the NFL.

Kick Returner: Devin Hester, Bears-Again, kick returner is a tough one.  Once a guy becomes good enough to make an impact as a return man, opposing teams simply start keeping the ball away from him.  That's certainly the case with Devin Hester, who's arguably one of the greatest of all-time.  In fact, Hester is the all-time NFL leader with 18 return touchdowns, including a record 13 returning punts.  He's so dangerous that they don't kick to him anymore.  Although, the Bears only use him on kick returns now, since he's one of their starting wide receivers.

Coach: Bill Belichick, Patriots-Not much thought went into this one.  As annoying as he is to non-Patriots fans, there's no doubting Bill Belichick's genius.  Since taking over as head coach of the Patriots, he's led them to three Super Bowl titles, five AFC Championships, 10 division crowns and 150 regular season wins, inclduing that unforgettable 16-0 campaign in 2007 (and an NFL-record 21 consecutive wins in 2003-04).  He's also won Coach of the Year honors five times.  A disciple of Bill Parcells, Belichick has developed an impressive coaching tree of his own, featuring the likes of Nick Saban, Charlie Weis, Bill O'Brien, Romeo Crennel and Jim Schwartz.