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.
Martin had 1,926 yards from scrimmage last season, the third-most by a rookie in NFL history behind Eric Dickerson and Edgerrin James. In Week 9, Martin became the first player in NFL history with three rushing TDs of 45-plus yards in single game
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
52
7.43*
Mike Wallace | Team Twitter: @MiamiDolphins
Miami Dolphins | WR | Age: 27 | NFL experience: 5th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR16
Over the last three seasons, Wallace has 16 touchdown catches on throws of 20 or more yards downfield, which leads the NFL. He's a welcome addition in Miami. Over that same span, the Dolphins had just nine such touchdowns, which ranked tied for 30th.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
53
7.41
Marshal Yanda | Team Twitter: @Ravens
Baltimore Ravens | G | Age: 28 | NFL experience: 7th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Ravens' projections
A Pro Bowler each of the last two seasons, Yanda was on the field for all 269 of the Ravens' offensive snaps in the 2012 postseason. Over the last two seasons, the Ravens are one of four teams to average 5 yards per rush on third-down runs between the tackles.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
54
7.40*
Maurkice Pouncey | @MaurkicePouncey
Pittsburgh Steelers | C | Age: 24 | NFL experience: 4th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Steelers' projections
Pouncey has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he's the fourth offensive lineman (and first center) to do that since the merger. The others are Richmond Webb, Joe Thomas and Jake Long.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
55
7.40*
Dwayne Bowe | @DwayneBowe82
Kansas City Chiefs | WR | Age: 28 | NFL experience: 7th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR21
Over the last three seasons, Bowe has 23 receiving touchdowns. The second-most by a Chiefs wide receiver over that same span is two (Steve Breaston and Jon Baldwin).
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
56
7.38
Hakeem Nicks | Team Twitter: @Giants
New York Giants | WR | Age: 25 | NFL experience: 5th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: WR18
In 2010 and 2011, Nicks had 155 catches for 2,244 yards and 18 touchdowns. The only other receivers to match or exceed those numbers were Calvin Johnson and Roddy White.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
57
7.33*
Max Unger | @MaxUnger60
Seattle Seahawks | C | Age: 27 | NFL experience: 5th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Seahawks' projections
Unger has played 1,889 offensive snaps over the last two seasons, 260 more than any other Seahawks player. Over that span, the Seahawks have averaged 4.4 yards per rush over center, seventh in the NFL.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
58
7.33*
C.J. Spiller | @CJSPILLER
Buffalo Bills | RB | Age: 26 | NFL experience: 4th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: RB7
Spiller rushed for 1,244 yards last season while averaging over 6 yards per rush. The only other players in NFL history to average 6 yards a carry while rushing for over 1,200 yards are Jim Brown, O.J. Simpson, Barry Sanders, Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
Spiller should be in the top 50, but hasn't yet been able to carry the load for a full season.
-- Football Outsiders
59
7.25
Matt Kalil | @MattKalil
Minnesota Vikings | OT | Age: 24 | NFL experience: 2nd year
ESPN Fantasy rank: Vikings' projections
Kalil played every single offensive snap for the Vikings last season. On first down, the Vikings averaged 7.2 yards per carry on rush attempts to the left side, best in the NFL (2012 league average was 4.6).
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)
60
7.24
Anthony Davis | @AnthonyDavis76
San Francisco 49ers | OT | Age: 23 | NFL experience: 4th year
ESPN Fantasy rank: 49ers' projections
Davis has started every game for the 49ers over the last three seasons and leads the team in offensive snaps played with 2,874. On rush attempts outside the right tackle, the 49ers rank second in the NFL in yards per attempt (6.6) over the last three seasons.
-- ESPN Stats & Information (@ESPNStatsInfo)