It wasn't one player. It was multiple players at several position groups.
Mayhew built incredible talent, then had to rebuild again due to injuries and expiring contracts/age. This team is stacked. I win and will the next five years.
under 25 talent grades. were 28/32. nice job mayhew!
1. St. Louis Rams
Thanks in large part to the Robert Griffin III trade, the Rams have stockpiled young talent in recent drafts. Zac Stacy and Tre Mason are a young running back duo worth watching this season. Greg Robinson, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, will likely start his career at left guard. Tavon Austin, Chris Givens and Stedman Bailey have all flashed potential at wide receiver but need to improve. The secondary is filled with young starters (not even counting 25-year-old Janoris Jenkins), but the name to watch out for is safety T.J. McDonald, who could become a star in Gregg Williams' system.
The real reason behind what powered the Rams to the top here: There may not be a better front seven in the league. Alec Ogletree impressed as a rookie linebacker last season. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh) was this year's first-round pick, and he should provide even more pass rushing ability to a line that's loaded with Chris Long, Michael Brockers and, of course, Robert Quinn. It was really Quinn's All-Pro season with 19 sacks that edged St. Louis to the top. There are several players with great potential here, but Quinn's the one to actually have started building a track record. If more Rams can follow his lead, then this team will compete in the tough NFC West.
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2. Buffalo Bills
In the last three drafts, the Bills have added their starting quarterback (EJ Manuel), their left tackle (Cordy Glenn), their starting wide receivers (Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods) and their top cornerback (Stephon Gilmore). Now they wait for that talent to prove itself on the field, which is a familiar position for Buffalo this century.
Development is most needed on the offensive side of the ball where Marquise Goodwin is another solid, young wide receiver with plenty of room for improvement. Second-round rookie Cyrus Kouandjio could beat out Erik Pears for the starting right tackle job, giving Buffalo bookend tackles for the future.
While the offense is mostly about potential, the defense has two of the best U25 players in the league: Marcell Dareus and Kiko Alonso. Unfortunately, this has not been a good summer for those two. Alonso tore his ACL and is expected to miss the entire season. Dareus, after a career year in 2013, failed a conditioning test at training camp following an offseason in which he was arrested twice. Gilmore and other young defensive backs such as safety Aaron Williams and slot corner Nickell Robey will have to boost the secondary after losing Jairus Byrd to New Orleans.
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3. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are the only team to have three U25 players honored with an All-Pro or Pro Bowl selection. However, one of those is kicker Blair Walsh, and while he's very good, he is still just a kicker. Cordarrelle Patterson was honored for his work as a kick returner last season, leading the league with two touchdowns and in average return (32.4 yards). Big things will be expected this year from Patterson as a No. 2 wide receiver behind Greg Jennings. Tight end Kyle Rudolph made the Pro Bowl in 2012 with nine touchdowns, and Jarius Wright makes it three primary pass-catchers under the age of 25 for this Minnesota offense.
We might be ranking the Vikings at the top if they were committed to immediately starting rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who may prove to be the steal of the draft.
Defensive guru Mike Zimmer gets his first crack at a head coaching job, and he has high-caliber talent to work with after the last two drafts have netted cornerback Xavier Rhodes, defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and rookie linebacker Anthony Barr, all in the first round.
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4. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are lucky to be this high. Andrew Luck will actually turn 25 just five days after the season opener in Denver, but in keeping with our Week 1 age methodology, he makes the list. That's as close of a call as anyone, and it just so happens he's the best U25 player in the league. Luck can already carry a flawed team the way a veteran QB is expected to.
Not much young potential has been added to the Colts since that 2012 draft, which armed Luck with T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen. That's a strong passing trio, but the interior offensive line still has question marks with 2013 midround picks Khaled Holmes and Hugh Thornton likely starting this season. Vick Ballard will back up Trent Richardson at running back, although Ballard is probably the better runner, as is veteran Ahmad Bradshaw.
You may have noticed every player mentioned plays on offense. That's a bleak outlook for the defense, which will try to get more out of second-year pass-rusher Bjoern Werner, who needs to step up, as Robert Mathis is suspended for the first four games.
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5. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are high on potential, they but lose some points for positional value. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict had a very active tackling season on his way to the Pro Bowl, but he's not a valued pass-rushing piece. Giovani Bernard and rookie Jeremy Hill should provide a speed boost at running back with more explosion than the plodding BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Tyler Eifert will look to improve on his rookie season, and Marvin Jones played very well (third in DVOA) as a second option behind A.J. Green last season. Kevin Zeitler has the right guard position locked down, but the 2013 success of the Bengals was driven by their tackle play. Of course, these skill players are at the mercy of 26-year-old quarterback Andy Dalton, who must improve his game in a contract year.
The only other likely defensive starter under 25 is safety George Iloka. Logic would suggest the Bengals will soon be starting their pair of first-round cornerbacks in Dre Kirkpatrick (2012) and Darqueze Dennard (2014), but Dennard is a rookie and Kirkpatrick hasn't come close to unseating either Adam Jones or Terence Newman.
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6. Arizona Cardinals
Patrick Peterson is the most-decorated player in this study. He has made the Pro Bowl in all three of his seasons and has been a first-team All-Pro twice: once for special teams (2011) and last year as a cornerback. Still just 24, Peterson is one of the few cornerbacks in the league routinely handling the assignment of shadowing a team's best receiver. Arizona could boast the best young secondary in the NFL, with Tyrann Mathieu showing good play-making skills before he tore his ACL last season. First-round rookie Deone Bucannon could start in Week 1, bringing his hard-hitting style to the safety position.
There's more to Arizona than just a budding secondary. Michael Floyd surpassed Larry Fitzgerald to lead the team in receiving yards (1,041) last year. Rookie Troy Niklas could be the all-around threat the Cardinals have severely lacked at that position.
Arizona got just one snap from scrimmage out of its top two picks in the 2013 draft. Guard Jonathan Cooper broke his leg last August and has yet to make his regular-season debut. He's an instant starter when healthy. Linebacker Kevin Minter, a 2013 second-round pick, played almost exclusively on special teams last season, but he could start after the departures of Karlos Dansby (Cleveland) and Daryl Washington (suspended).
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7. Green Bay Packers
Layers of young talent next to a top-notch quarterback like Aaron Rodgers make the Packers a Super Bowl favorite. Eddie Lacy won the offensive rookie of the year award and finally provides stability to the running back position, Randall Cobb is a dynamic wide receiver, and Jarrett Boykin showed flashes last season when Cobb was injured. If Green Bay didn't have enough weapons, Davante Adams (24 TDs at Fresno State in 2013) was drafted in the second round.
David Bakhtiari was an injury replacement at left tackle for Bryan Bulaga last season, but he surprisingly held his own as a fourth-round rookie. He's holding onto his job with Bulaga moving back to right tackle.
Great things were expected from cornerback Casey Hayward after six interceptions as a rookie in 2012, but he missed 13 games last season due to injury. The Packers have good options at safety with Micah Hyde and first-round rookie Ha Ha Clinton-Dix vying for snaps. Datone Jones, last year's first-round pick, had 3.5 sacks on a limited number of snaps.
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8. New York Jets
Defensively, the Jets have the potential to rank first here, but we're a bit skeptical of what Geno Smith and Stephen Hill bring to the offense based on the admittedly limited evidence so far. Tight end Jace Amaro was a good pickup in the second round, but rookie tight ends historically have a hard time making significant contributions. Brian Winters has secured the left guard job after 12 starts as a rookie last year. However, according to Football Outsiders game charting, Winters allowed the most sacks (9.0) of any interior lineman in 2013.
Rex Ryan started his career with an offense-only draft in 2009 with Mark Sanchez as his first pick, but since then he's been downright spoiled by a steady stream of defensive talent. Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson (2013's defensive rookie of the year) are a great pair up front, combining for 40.5 quarterback hurries last season. Quinton Coples hasn't dazzled yet, but he's another front-seven starter. If Dee Milliner continues the improvement he showed in the final few weeks of his rookie season, and first-round rookie Calvin Pryor wins the safety job, the Jets will be comfortable when looking at half of their long-term starting secondary.
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9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It's a shame that Lavonte David had that careless unnecessary roughness penalty in Week 1 when he hit Geno Smith out of bounds to set up a game-winning field goal for the Jets, because David was an absolute stud the rest of the season. His 50 defeats were the second-most since 1996 behind only J.J. Watt's 56 in 2012. Joining David in the youth movement are cornerback Johnthan Banks, safety Mark Barron and defensive tackle Akeem Spence. That's four starters to go along with a core that's still relatively young (but too old for our rankings) with Gerald McCoy, Dashon Goldson, Alterraun Verner, Adrian Clayborn and Mason Foster. Lovie Smith has to love what he's working with here in his return to coaching.
Offensively, Mike Glennon would have counted at quarterback, but the Buccaneers are set to start 35-year-old Josh McCown. In trying to re-create his magic from last year in Chicago, he will have two very tall receivers in veteran Vincent Jackson and 6-foot-5 rookie Mike Evans from Texas A&M. Tight end is unsettled, but Tim Wright (underrated production last year) and rookie second-round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins are both under 25 as well.
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10. Tennessee Titans
Ken Whisenhunt's goal of bringing the aimless Titans back to prominence rests on developing quarterback Jake Locker, who at 26 is running out of time in Tennessee. For the second year in a row, the Titans drafted an offensive lineman in the top 11 picks, but if Taylor Lewan is to start next to guard Chance Warmack, he'll first have to beat out veteran Michael Oher. Center Brian Schwenke is yet another young part of this line, which will hope to open holes for second-round back Bishop Sankey. He was the first running back off the board at No. 54. Kendall Wright had 94 catches last season, but only two touchdowns. Justin Hunter's rookie season only produced 18 catches, but he scored four touchdowns. They'll try to combine as a good receiver duo for Locker, but his accuracy has always been the issue.
Ray Horton brings the 3-4 defense to Tennessee, which means Jurrell Casey will move to nose tackle. He likely won't produce 10.5 sacks again, but he will be a good fit in the scheme. Zach Brown is a productive young linebacker, but the player to watch is second-year cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson.
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11. Dallas Cowboys
If we trust Dallas has made the right decisions, the Cowboys have three young, first-round picks on the offensive line with left tackle Tyron Smith being the best piece. Smith had a Pro Bowl season in 2013 by leading the point of attack on the ground. If center Travis Frederick and guard Zack Martin can follow his lead, then Tony Romo could have his best offensive line yet. He also has a solid deep threat in Terrance Williams entering his second season. Devin Street was the most productive receiver in Pittsburgh history, and he could see some playing time as a rookie. Tight end Gavin Escobar should get more work than he did last season, behind Jason Witten.
We haven't mentioned any defenders yet, because that's obviously the biggest flaw on this team right now. Morris Claiborne, the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft, should be an asset, but he lost his job to Orlando Scandrick last season and hasn't impressed. J.J. Wilcox is expected to get his shot at safety, and second-round pick Demarcus Lawrence could see the field early as a pass-rusher, but there's not much hope, young or old, on this side of the ball.
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12. New England Patriots
This sounds familiar: Tom Brady is running a veteran-laden offense (wide receiver Aaron Dobson is the only U25 player worth mentioning), while Bill Belichick has a lot of young toys to put together on defense. This only becomes a Super Bowl formula when Belichick figures out the defense, but this is one of the best groups he's had in years. Chandler Jones, Dont'a Hightower, Jamie Collins, Duron Harmon, Alfonzo Dennard and Logan Ryan all figure to factor heavily in the defense's success this season.
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13. Philadelphia Eagles
There's no obvious All-Pro player under 25 for the Eagles, but there's an impressive quantity of players. Right tackle Lane Johnson was Chip Kelly's first draft pick (No. 4 overall, 2013). He improved as the year went on, but he could start 2014 suspended, which we considered in our rankings. RB Chris Polk flashed some big-play potential last season and may thrive as LeSean McCoy's backup. Rookie WR Jordan Matthews seems like a natural fit for the offense, and rookie Josh Huff played wideout for Kelly at Oregon. Tight end Zach Ertz may be ready for a big jump in his second season, while Brandon Boykin is a really talented slot corner with six interceptions already.
Fletcher Cox is the integral part of the defensive line, as is nose tackle Bennie Logan, just entering just his second season. Mychal Kendricks is a solid interior linebacker, and rookie Marcus Smith may get some reps on passing downs this season.
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14. San Francisco 49ers
If we make the huge assumption that Aldon Smith gets his life together off the field, the 49ers have one of the best players in this study and arguably the best pass-rusher if you weigh his three seasons against Quinn's. Smith will turn 25 on Sept. 25, but he has a lot more maturing to do.
Safety Eric Reid was a great pick last year and made the Pro Bowl with four interceptions. The 49ers went safety in back-to-back first rounds, but Jimmie Ward will likely sit behind veteran Antoine Bethea this season.
Colin Kaepernick is young, but at 26, he is too old for this study. The only U25 offensive starter is Anthony Davis, one of the best right tackles in the NFL. Tight end Vance McDonald played often as a rookie, but he was used more for blocking and only caught eight passes. Marcus Lattimore and Carlos Hyde provide great depth at running back. Marcus Martin could be the future at center, but likely not in 2014.
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15. San Diego Chargers
Keenan Allen slipped in the draft due to injury, but injuries to his San Diego teammates moved him up the depth chart and he delivered one of the best recent seasons by a rookie wide receiver. He caught 68 percent of his targets, which is unheard of for a rookie who did not feast on little bubble screens and arrow routes. The Chargers will now look for a breakout year from tight end Ladarius Green, who averaged 22.1 yards per reception last year with three scores on just 17 catches. He's not ready to surpass Antonio Gates, but he should close the gap this year.
Right tackle D.J. Fluker had some adventures in pass protection last year, but he should improve this season. Defensively, the Chargers have good youth up front with Corey Liuget and Kendall Reyes starting on the defensive line. Manti Te'o brushed his hecklers aside to have a solid, but unspectacular, rookie year. The secondary struggled often, but first-round cornerback Jason Verrett should see plenty of playing time despite the Brandon Flowers signing.
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16. Pittsburgh Steelers
If new offensive line coach Mike Munchak can't get the most out of guard David DeCastro (and all the other young linemen), then it's never going to happen for this group in Pittsburgh. Say what you will about Munchak's tenure as head coach in Tennessee, but offensive line is his area of expertise. A better line should greatly help running back Le'Veon Bell in his second season after just flashes of consistency as a rookie. Dri Archer is an interesting third-round rookie with the ability to return kicks, play running back and wide receiver. Markus Wheaton could replace Emmanuel Sanders as the No. 2 receiver behind Antonio Brown, and the Steelers obviously have a great track record of developing mid-round wide receivers. Rookie Martavis Bryant will also be in the mix this season.
Linebacker is another position that the Steelers historically master. Dick LeBeau will have a second-year Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier, the Ohio State rookie who will line up next to Lawrence Timmons for a faster, more athletic Pittsburgh front.
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17. Denver Broncos
Denver is in full-blown "win now" mode, but it will still need some youngsters to make big contributions. The Broncos would probably rank much higher if we did this after the season based on 2014 performance. Montee Ball is poised to become a fantasy stud as the featured running back. If Emmanuel Sanders doesn't adequately fill the Eric Decker role on offense, don't sleep on second-round rookie Cody Latimer.
Linebacker Danny Trevathan made a lot of stops, and defensive end Derek Wolfe was strong against the run before an injury ended his season. Malik Jackson had six sacks last season and will likely continue being part of the defensive line rotation.
Champ Bailey was getting by on reputation last season, so first-round rookie Bradley Roby could be a welcome addition at cornerback.
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18. Baltimore Ravens
Is it possible the best U25 player on the Ravens is kicker Justin Tucker? He's had an incredible start to his career and an All-Pro last year. Bernard Pierce had an awful 2013, sharing the bottom two spots in DVOA and DYAR with teammate Ray Rice. The running game is likely to rebound this year under Gary Kubiak's proven zone-blocking scheme. Ricky Wagner was mainly used as a sixth lineman last year, but he's expected to replace Michael Oher at right tackle.
The only other certain U25 starter is safety Matt Elam, who had a rough beginning to his rookie season but should be more consistent this year. Rookie linebacker C.J. Mosley has a great opportunity to start in Week 1. He'll join a front seven loaded with veterans, but the Ravens have invested into young backups like Courtney Upshaw, Arthur Brown and rookie defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan.
Marlon Brown surprised everyone in 2013 with seven touchdown catches as an undrafted free-agent rookie, but he may only be the fourth or fifth option for Joe Flacco this season with the addition of Steve Smith and a healthy Dennis Pitta.
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19. New Orleans Saints
If only Cameron Jordan had been born two months later, the Saints would be a little higher. Safety Kenny Vaccaro now occupies the title as best defender under 25 on the Saints. Between Vaccaro's aggressive style and Byrd's ball hawking skills, the Saints should have a great safety duo. Defensive end Akiem Hicks is another starter on defense, but the attention in New Orleans always goes to the great offense under Sean Payton and Drew Brees.
Kenny Stills masterfully filled the deep threat role that Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem have enjoyed in the past. Add rookie Brandin Cooks to the mix, and the Saints have solved the wide receiver woes that some thought crept in last season with an aging Marques Colston. Mark Ingram is still not 25, but no one really gives the running back high expectations anymore. There will be a lot of attention on second-year left tackle Terron Armstead as he takes on the key role of protecting Brees' blind side.
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20. Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton may be 25 now, making him ineligible for this, but he's still one of the youngest offensive players on the team. That can be viewed as a negative, since that means there aren't many intriguing prospects on the roster. First-round rookie WR Kelvin Benjamin had inconsistent tape at Florida State, but he will have to make a considerable impact on a completely revamped corps that features veterans such as Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant.
What keeps the Panthers in the top 20 is their building blocks on defense. Luke Kuechly was an All-Pro and won defensive player of the year after earning the rookie award in 2012. Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei helped complete the defensive turnaround with superior run defense. The secondary remains a concern, with cornerback Melvin White being the only young starter.
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21. Cleveland Browns
Not even 24 hours passed before dreams of a Johnny Manziel-to-Josh Gordon connection faded away, following the news that Gordon may be suspended for the entire 2014 season for another failed drug test. The Browns also aren't content with immediately handing the job over to Manziel, who was drafted 22nd overall just like Brady Quinn (2007) and Brandon Weeden (2012). Is the third time the charm? We've seen this story before, so we didn't give the Browns maximum credit here.
The potential comes from the other draft picks. Second-rounder Joel Bitonio will compete for the left guard job, and first-round pick Justin Gilbert could make a nice cornerback pair with Joe Haden, who just turned 25 in April. Safety Tashaun Gipson intercepted five passes last year and pass-rusher Barkevious Mingo needs to better establish himself as a top draft pick from 2013. That's not a bad defensive core, but as is usually the case in Cleveland, the offense has big question marks.
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22. Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville has used top-five picks in the last three years on an elite wide receiver (Justin Blackmon), a franchise offensive tackle (Luke Joeckel) and a franchise quarterback (Blake Bortles). That's the way to write a turnaround on paper, but real life can be grim. Blackmon has had numerous off-field issues, and the team does not expect he will play this season. Joeckel struggled as a rookie and injured his ankle in his fifth game. Jacksonville is ready to "redshirt" Bortles for his entire rookie season, which means seeing the new guy throw to promising rookie receivers such as Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson will have to wait until 2015.
Ranking Jacksonville is difficult, because there are a ton of young starters on this team, including potentially three offensive linemen and three defensive backs. Are we supposed to believe Jacksonville found 75 percent of its long-term secondary in one draft (Johnathan Cyprien, Dwayne Gratz and Josh Evans), or is this the sign of a bad team that's gone through a long rebuilding process?
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23. Kansas City Chiefs
Did Alex Smith turn 25 yet? Oh, he's 30? OK. Sure felt like he milked the "he's still young and learning" thing for a long time. With Justin Houston and Eric Berry both 25 now, defensive tackle Dontari Poe is Kansas City's best player under 25. Poe made the Pro Bowl last season after improving his pass rushing abilities with 4.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. Rookie Dee Ford won't crack the starting lineup with Tamba Hali and Houston ahead of him, but he should get some snaps this year.
What the Chiefs really need is for Eric Fisher, the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, to adequately replace Branden Albert at left tackle. Fisher averaged a blown block once every 23.9 snaps last season -- the highest rate among all linemen who played at least 500 snaps. He has to play much better after moving over from the right side.
The only "skill players" worth mentioning for the Chiefs are backup running back Knile Davis and tight end Travis Kelce, who missed all of last season with a knee injury but will provide a strong all-around presence as both a receiver and a blocker.
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24. Atlanta Falcons
Cornerback Desmond Trufant is one building block on defense. Last year's first-round pick, Trufant ranked 24th in adjusted success rate and eighth in adjusted yards per pass (Football Outsiders' two coverage metrics based on game charting). Injuries at linebacker have opened up starting jobs for two young, undrafted players (Joplo Bartu and Paul Worrilow), but don't buy their long-term value just yet.
Jacquizz Rodgers is a solid receiving back to complement Steven Jackson. Rodgers has the highest catch rate in the NFL (85.1 percent) since 1999, but the real pressure will be on Levine Toilolo to give the Falcons something at tight end following the retirement of Tony Gonzalez.
Based on the Matthews family pedigree, rookie right tackle Jake Matthews should be a long-term answer for some of Matt Ryan's protection problems up front.
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25. Washington Redskins
Robert Griffin III helps this ranking, but are we getting the 2012 version (QBR: 73.2) or the 2013 version (QBR: 40.1)? Chances are he'll fall somewhere in the middle. Having a pass-catching tight end like Jordan Reed should help. Beyond those two, there's not much going on in Washington, as the trade for Griffin cost numerous premium draft picks.
David Amerson held his own as a rookie and will start at cornerback opposite DeAngelo Hall. Second-round rookie linebacker Trent Murphy is insurance in case a starter like Ryan Kerrigan or Brian Orakpo gets hurt again. Offensive tackle Morgan Moses and guard Spencer Long were selected in the third round this year, but may start their careers as backups.
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26. Houston Texans
The 2014 draft was almost perfect for the Texans. They came within one pick of snagging both the top overall prospect (Jadeveon Clowney) and the quarterback many believe will have the best pro career (Bridgewater). They just missed the quarterback, but Clowney should -- remember, this is on paper and the No. 1 pick has yet to play a down -- create a great pass rushing duo with 25-year-old Watt (ineligible for this ranking).
First-round rookie receiver DeAndre Hopkins looked the part last season, and should eventually replace Andre Johnson as the go-to guy in Houston. Beyond their last two first-round picks, the Texans are looking for more pass rushing from Whitney Mercilus and better decision-making from safety D.J. Swearinger.
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27. Chicago Bears
The incredible breakout season by Alshon Jeffery is the only reason Chicago isn't last on this list. That's not so much a knock on the Bears as it is just the reality of their roster breakdown. They have a lot of veteran starters and even a potential second-year stud like guard Kyle Long is already closer to 26.
The only other surefire starter under 25 is right tackle Jordan Mills, who suffered 34 blown blocks in pass protection as a rookie. Linebacker Jon Bostic will see the field again this season, but he was starting last year as a rookie as an injury replacement for veteran D.J. Williams. That could be an open competition, just as rookie safety Brock Vereen has a shot to win a starting job after a disappointing year by Chris Conte.
Other unproven Bears to watch out for are No. 3 wide receiver Marquess Wilson and first-round cornerback Kyle Fuller.
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28. Detroit Lions
Third-round rookie Larry Warford didn't allow a sack last season and ranked sixth among right guards in snaps per blown block, while LaAdrian Waddle was surprisingly solid at right tackle for an undrafted free-agent rookie. Tight end Eric Ebron hopes to bring Detroit another receiving threat, but he'll have to fight with 6-foot-7 red-zone specialist Joseph Fauria (and Calvin Johnson) for touchdowns. Fauria had seven scores on just 18 catches.
Second-round linebacker Kyle Van Noy may see the field sooner rather than later, but the only qualified young defensive back is cornerback Darius Slay. He didn't play much, but quarterbacks targeted the rookie frequently.
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29. Miami Dolphins
Dion Jordan will start the season with a four-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing substance policy. But Olivier Vernon (11.5 sacks) is a better player right now anyway. Rishard Matthews and rookie Jarvis Landry are solid options as slot receivers, but Miami also has veteran Brandon Gibson on a crowded depth chart. Should Cortland Finnegan struggle at cornerback, look out for 2013 second-rounder Jamar Taylor in the secondary.
Offensive line was the top priority in Miami this offseason. First-round rookie Ja'Wuan James should step into the right tackle job, but there will be a competition between a pair of third-round picks, Dallas Thomas (2013) and Billy Turner (2014), for the left guard position vacated by Richie Incognito. That's a ton of inexperience, but if Branden Albert and Mike Pouncey lead the way, maybe Lamar Miller (only 23) will have a breakout season at running back.
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30. New York Giants
The Giants were at their best in 2011 with a three-receiver attack. With Hakeem Nicks gone to Indianapolis, Rueben Randle and rookie Odell Beckham Jr. must be ready to make sizable contributions. Adrien Robinson projects as the starter at tight end, but he has yet to catch a pass in the NFL. On a ravaged offensive line last season, rookie right tackle Justin Pugh did a respectable job. Rookie center Weston Richburg does not appear ready to earn a starting role yet. The Giants might be higher if David Wilson had been more productive, but the young running back is trying to recover from a serious neck injury.
Tom Coughlin has had a steady supply of defensive linemen over the years, and the latest group of starters includes Damontre Moore and Johnathan Hankins. For what it's worth, SackSEER (our projection model for college pass-rushers) really liked Moore as a pro prospect.
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31. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders added a ton of veterans in the offseason who are likely to start: Matt Schaub, James Jones, Donald Penn, LaMarr Woodley, Justin Tuck, Antonio Smith, Carlos Rogers and Maurice Jones-Drew. The good news: Oakland is ready for a hell of a 2009 season. The bad news: It's 2014.
So why aren't the Raiders ranked last? Well, it's hard not to be excited about rookie linebacker Khalil Mack. He could be the disruptive force this defense has lacked for years. Sio Moore moves to weakside linebacker, but he had a solid rookie year. D.J. Hayden (No. 12, 2013) keeps dealing with injuries, but he still has starting cornerback potential. At least that's three pieces on defense to build around.
With the musical chairs along the offensive line, getting Menelik Watson (second-round pick in 2013) and rookie guard Gabe Jackson solidified into the starting lineup would be a positive for this offense, but don't count on it this year. Mychal Rivera led all Oakland tight ends in receiving in 2013, but he's not a lock to start this season. He's a deep sleeper.
Then there's the quarterback position. Schaub really struggled last season, but he seems to have the job over second-round pick Derek Carr, who had a very good career at Fresno State.
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32. Seattle Seahawks
Attention, Seattle fans. Your team just won the Super Bowl. You're favored to repeat this year because your core players are in that 25-26 age range and hitting their primes. That includes Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Russell Okung, Bruce Irvin, Percy Harvin and Doug Baldwin.
So don't complain about ranking last here when your roster is filled with so much talent. The best of the youth is 24-year-old linebacker Bobby Wagner. Michael Bowie has the right tackle job for now, but second-round rookie Justin Britt will challenge him. Otherwise, the Seahawks are rolling with slightly older guys in their prime or veteran players.
Jermaine Kearse made some big plays last season, and he'll be joined in this underrated receiving corps by rookie Paul Richardson. Marshawn Lynch is still running strong, but Robert Turbin and Christine Michael are waiting for their opportunity. Jeremy Lane will step up as the third cornerback, if only to stop Sherman from complaining about the Seahawks ranking 32nd here.
