NFC North-Defensive Lineman ranking

I have decided to rank defensive positions the same way that I did offensive positions.  It is going to be much harder to rank teams because of the different systems, but I have decided to give it a go.  The NFC North features 3 teams that play 4-3 schemes, the Bears, Lions and Vikings.  The Packers are the only team that plays a 3-4 scheme.

I am going to start with Defensive lineman; this is going to be based off of the teams depth chart.

     1.)    Chicago Bears- I have been back and forth with this ranking, it was between the Bears and the Lions.  I went with the Bears for the a few reasons they are healthy, they have depth, and are more experienced than the Lions.  The Bears also have Julius Peppers, who might be the best defensive end in the NFL.  He had, by his standards an offseason when it comes to sacks last year.  However, a lot of things he does do not show up in the stat sheets at the end of the game.  The next best athlete on the line is Henry Melton, who played part of his college career at running back.  Needless to say Melton has a first quick step.  This might be the biggest strength of the Bears.  On the opposite side of Peppers is Israel Idonije, who is coming off his first year as a starter and a career year.  The nose tackle is Anthony Adams is a space eater; he plays well against the run and provides a decent inside rush.  Also, look for Amobi Okoye and Matt Toeaina to make impact at nose and the other tackle positions.  Backing up Peppers and Idonije are Nick Reed, Corey Wootton, and Mario Addison.   Wootton is out with a knee injury, but should be return for week two.  It looks like Reed will get more time then Addison, even thought Addison is listed above Reed on the depth chart.

      2.)    Detroit Lions- The Lions come in at number two for one reason; there is a major lack of depth at every position.  Their starting four stacks up against any team in the league, but after that they have average players.  The Lions best lineman is Ndamukong Suh, who is only in his second year but is an absolute beast.  He might be the strongest player in the NFL.  Also, the added Nick Fairley in the first round of the NFL draft.  There are still a ton questions about how he makes the transition from college to pro, as he sat out the preseason with an injury and won’t be back for awhile due to having surgery on his foot.  If Fairly can make the transition quickly and have an impact, the Lions might have the best two starting interior defensive lineman in the NFL.  The scariest thing about that is that Fairly is only 23 and Suh is only 24 years old.  The Lions Defensive ends are Kyle Vanden Bosch and Cliff Avril both are very good players in their own right.  The only down fall is that they are both not great pass rushers.  The Lions best back up is nose tackle Corey Williams.

     3.)    Green Bay Packers- Three and four are a tossup for me both teams have two good players, but after that there is not much to be desired.  The Packer’s best player is B.J. Raji who is a force in the middle, can play both the pass, and the run.  He is on the field a lot for the Packers.  Raji has a good first step and some good pass rushing moves.   Raji is a run stopper first and foremost and at 337 pounds he is a hard guy to move off the ball.  Ryan Pickett is the Packers next best lineman, and is a run stopper.  Pickett lack pass rushing skills but rushing the passer is not his job in this scheme.  He is there to eat up space so the linebackers can make plays. The other starter is Mike Neal, who is in his second year.  Neal played very little last year, but that is understandable since he was playing behind Cullen Jenkings.  Neal is not an upgrade over Jenkings, but he should play well as his replacement.

      4.)    Minnesota Vikings- The Viking lost two of their starting lineman from last year; they lost Pat Williams to retirement and lost Ray Edwards to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency.  The Vikings do however still have Jared Allen, who is one of the elite pass rushers in the league.  Allen is also a great athlete, he can play the run and will drop into cover every once and a while.  The Vikings next best lineman isn’t even on the field yet; Kevin Williams is severing a two game suspension.  The suspension stems for a violation of the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs program. Williams failed a test back in 2008 for taking StarCaps, along with a few other players, but the case has been on appeal ever since.  He will be back in week three but I’m not sure how much he has left in the tank.  The Vikings have pegged Brian Robison as the replacement for Edwards. Robison has been with the Vikings for four seasons and in limited time he has 13.5 sacks, which is a low number even for a backup over that time.  I don’t see him coming in and being much of a threat as a pass rusher.  In the middle the Vikings will go with Letroy Guion and Remi Ayodele.  Ayodele is a journeyman who has played will when given a chance.  In 2009 and 2010 he had a total of 67 tackles, he is a run stuffer and that is about it.  Ayodele will not provide much of a pass rush at all.  Guion has seen limited action backing up the Williams wall, also expect him to drop out of the starting lineup when Williams returns.   Their backups are all young and have very little experience.