Debating top players at every NFL position

Mike Sando, ESPN Senior WriterAug 25, 2016, 08:00 AM ET
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- ESPN Insider NFL columnist and blogger
- Covered the NFL since 1998
- Member of Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee
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Now that the votes for #NFLRANK are in, it's time to take a peek behind the numbers and assess how the 50-plus panelists ranked each position.

First, a reminder: Our voting panel, which comprised NFL analysts, reporters and statisticians from across the company, was asked to rate each player based on greatness. This was not a popularity contest but rather an evaluation of on-field skill.

Here are the consensus top players at each offensive position, along with where I agree and disagree.

Quarterbacks

Pos Rank	Overall Rank	Player	Rating
1	2	Aaron Rodgers	97.02
2	6	Tom Brady	94.71
3	10	Cam Newton	92.91
4	18	Ben Roethlisberger	90.82
5	21	Russell Wilson	89.27
6	37	Carson Palmer	86.51
7	39	Drew Brees	86.33
8	43	Andrew Luck	85.8
9	62	Tony Romo	82.76
10	77	Philip Rivers	81.62

Palmer's spot within the top 10 marked the biggest difference between how our voters saw him (sixth) and how 42 league insiders saw him in our 2016 QB Tier Rankings (10th). Tiers voters also had Roethlisberger ahead of Newton based on a longer track record with and without strong defensive support. Not pictured: Brock Osweiler. Houston's new starter came in 27th in #NFLRank voting and QB Tiers voting.