Top 50 NFL Franchise Cornerstones

Top 50 NFL Franchise Cornerstones: 40-31

By: Roshan Bhagat

40. Chris Johnson [RB, Tennessee Titans, 23]
Stats: 251 att, 1228 yards, 4.9 avg, 9 TD, 43 rec, 260 yards, 6.0 avg, 1 TD, 1 FUM
It didn’t take very long for Johnson to make an impact for the Titans with exceptional speed and burst putting a scare into opposing defenses. He has the type of speed that defenses have to respect or he’ll make them pay for over-pursuing. With a quick survey of the field and instantaneous decision-making, Johnson’s game speed is even faster. It’s this threat that makes the speedster a better cornerstone than say, Steve Slaton. Like fellow rookie backs Slaton and Forte, Chris Johnson is also a fantastic receiver. He’s a nice outlet, but also a more serious threat downfield. If he can bulk up and carry 300+ times a season, he has the skill set to be one of the elite backs in the league, but he’s already a game changer in his current role.

39. Joe Flacco [QB, Baltimore Ravens, 24]
Stats: 2971 yards, 60.0%, 6.94 YPA, 14 TD, 12 INT, 80.3 QB Rating
With a ragtag cast of receivers Joe Flacco strung together a nice rookie season, leading the Ravens to the playoffs. Despite pedestrian numbers, his style of play is suited for playoff success and winning football games rather than putting up gaudy numbers. As he continues to mature and attains a couple more toys to throw to, he’ll only get better. Joe Cool leaves his best for later as indicated by an improvement in numbers across the board. Flacco completed 65.1% of his passes in the 4th quarter last season (7th best in the league). His QB Rating in the 4th quarter: 89.8. His playoff experience fell quite short of expectations, but there’s reason to believe he’ll improve as the game slows down for him. With a rocket arm and a very pretty deep ball, he keeps safeties back and opens up the underneath game. You may not need the best quarterback to win a Super Bowl, but you need one that plays his best with the game on the line. Flacco does just that and gives so much as a leader that I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t win a ring in his career.

38. Darrelle Revis [CB, New York Jets, 24]
Stats: 58 tackles (45 solo), 1 sack, 1 STF, 1 FF, 5 INT, 16 PD
Outside of a couple feisty long time veterans, Darrelle Revis may just be the best cover corner in the league and is the top cornerback on this list. Revis had a forced incompletion percentage over 50 and allowed only 1 touchdown last season. If he continues to improve or even remain at this level of play, he’s undoubtedly a player you can build a defense around. At only 24 years of age, Revis has his entire career ahead of him yet already plays with such great discipline and ability in run support. The defense can leave him out on an island (he plays best in press man coverage) and not worry about giving up too much yardage in that direction.

37. Roddy White [WR, Atlanta Falcons, 27]
Stats: 88 rec, 1382 yards, 15.7 avg, 7 TD
The emergence of the Falcons’ young wideout was a big factor that allowed Matt Ryan to have the rookie success he had. Stringing back-to-back 80 reception, 1200+ yard seasons, White was an enormous part of the team’s aerial attack. Last season he improved his ability to stretch the field by going after the ball at its’ highest point. He explodes off the line of scrimmage and is quick in an out of cuts, creating nice separation. White is capable of handling defensive attention as the team’s only consistent target. Last year, Matt Ryan threw his way more than 1 out of every 3 attempts. Roddy White has proven to be able to be the focal point of a passing offense and still produce, opening up opportunities for teammates.

36. Greg Jennings [WR, Green Bay Packers, 25]
Stats: 80 rec, 1292 yards, 16.2 avg, 9 TD
Quietly Jennings has developed into the league’s premier deep threat without great height or superb timed speed. What makes Jennings so frightening is his body control, route running, and ability to catch passes at their highest points. He led the NFL with 8 receptions of 40 yards or more and tied for 2nd in the league with 21 catches of 20 or more. Though Jennings still hasn’t been fully featured in a complete route tree (thanks to a deep and talented receiving corps), he’s quickly surpassed Donald Driver as the team’s go-to target as the one receiving most attention from opposing defenses. As a deep threat, like Roddy White, he creates mismatches for teammates and opens up extra field. His nose for the end zone should finally earn him an invitation to the Pro Bowl, but even without the official accolades, Jennings is a feared receiver that will only continue to improve if history is any indication, which is quite scary.

35. Michael Griffin [S, Tennessee Titans, 24]
Stats: 75 tackles (55 solo), 1 sack, 1 STF, 1 FF, 7 INT, 11 PD
Griffin has been the Titans’ free safety for the past two years since he was a rookie. Making a big leap from year one to two, Griffin became a nice safety net and playmaker in the secondary. The former Texas Longhorn has been awarded plenty of responsibility in deep zones and man coverage, excelling in both. The only thing left to visibly improve is around the line of scrimmage. Not that he’s shy in run support, but Griffin doesn’t lay vicious hits like many game-changing safeties. If he continues to attack the line with even more ferocity, he’ll be considered one of the best safeties in the game. Period.

34. Terrell Suggs [DE/OLB, Baltimore Ravens, 26]
Stats: 68 tackles (53 solo), 8 sacks, 13 STF, 2 FF, 2 INT, 9 PD
Though only 26 years old, Terrell Suggs has been producing at a high level for 6 years now. Though he’s not an elite pass rusher, Suggs’ versatility has allowed the Ravens defense to bend in ways that other defenses can’t. He’s capable of playing 3-4 OLB, 4-3 DE, and 4-3 SLB, which allows flexibility for the defense to cause mismatch problems for offenses. Throughout his career, Suggs has averaged nearly one play behind the line of scrimmage per game through six 16-game seasons. Suggs’ consistency, intelligence, and hard-nosed style of play would fit into any defensive scheme. He’s as sure a bet as they come.

33. Barrett Ruud [MLB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26]
Stats: 137 tackles (102 solo), 3 sacks, 4 STF, 2 INT, 6 PD
Perhaps the award for most underrated player in the league right now belongs to Barrett Ruud. He does everything a Tampa 2 middle linebacker ought to do. He attacks the line of scrimmage and disengages blockers with ease, but also gets great depth on his zone drops. On numbers alone, it’s easy to realize that Ruud’s a sure-tackler, but also a great playmaker. What he lacks in athleticism, he makes up for with instinct and efficiency. There are some things he’ll struggle with his entire career such as running with quicker backs in open space, but for a Tampa 2 scheme, there are few other linebackers you’d even consider having at the helm of your defense before Barrett Ruud.

32. DeAngelo Williams [RB, Carolina Panthers, 26]
Stats: 273 att, 1515 yards, 5.5 avg, 18 TD, 22 rec, 121 yards, 5.5 avg, 2 TD, 0 FUM
After two nice seasons as a complimentary back, Williams was promoted to the role previously held by DeShaun Foster, with rookie back Jonathan Stewart taking his old role. DeAngelo finally had his breakout season finishing with over 1500 yards (3rd in the NFL), and a league leading 18 touchdowns on the ground. He has great vision and runs with a low center of gravity which makes him a tough task to bring down. Still with only one great year in the middle of his career and that while sharing carries, I’d like to see a repeat year before ranking him with the elites. A 4.6 average as a back-up in his first two seasons gives me enough confidence that he will repeat.

31. Karlos Dansby [OLB, Arizona Cardinals, 27]
Stats: 119 tackles (95 solo), 4 sacks, 9 STF, 2 FF, 2 INT, 5 PD
Last year I was reluctant to list Dansby claiming OLB is a difficult position to build around. But the more the Cardinals defense varied from anything around the league, I quickly realized Dansby is far more than just an OLB. Very much like Terrell Suggs, Karlos Dansby is scheme diverse and can play almost any linebacking position. This stems from his great athletic skill set and ability to play the pass and run equally as effective. Dansby’s explosiveness through the hole, ferocity attacking blockers, and tackling ballcarriers makes him a nightmare for offenses. He’s a great blitzer, shows good anticipation in pass coverage, and jars loose footballs on tackles. Other than a questionable work ethic early in his career (since improved), there’s very little to criticism than can be made. Because of the versatility he brings and the consistent big plays he creates, Dansby is everything you could ask for in a cornerstone.