NFL Top 10 Series: Interior Linemen

(Credit: Sacbee.com)

Welcome back to the Top 10 Series. Last night ICYMI, we went over the offensive tackle position. Today, we switch sides and look at interior linemen. These players are the ones that do all the dirty work in the trenches for the defense. They don't have the luxury of coming off the edge like the rushers do. No, these guys battle the guards and centers most often depending on their system, and are more often than not, excellent in the run game. I decided instead of doing specific ones like the 3-4 DE, 3-4 DT/NT, and 4-3 DT, that I would combine the two. I considered the fact that some players, most notably one featured on this list, play in the "multiple front" defensive scheme, where it clusters together the 4-3 and the 3-4, pending on the situation. Without further ado, here's my list. Banter away. 

1. Justin Smith, San Francisco 49ers: The unquestioned, unchallenged and unabashed best interior lineman in football. You may have just heard about him last year when the 49ers broke out on the scene, but he's been ferocious and simply incredible for the last couple of seasons. He's perfected the 3-4 DE position down to a tee, and could have a case for being the best defensive player in the game today. Take this into account: For the last three seasons, no 3-4 end has been more productive than Justin Smith. He's had 187 pressures in three seasons, and what's most impressive? No 3-4 end has been on the field more than Smith has, with 1,592 snaps. Smith last season had five of the best performances for a 3-4 end as determined by Pro Football Focus. He also occupied the second best run defensive performance of the season against the Detroit Lions in Week 6. He didn't go a game without pressuring the quarterback, missed just one tackle all season, and had 69 total QB disruptions. No interior lineman had more last season. I don't understand how he didn't win DPOTY, but Smith is in a class of his own. Monstrous. 

2. Haloti Ngata, Baltimore Ravens: Ngata was signed to a huge contract extension before the season started. Let's put it this way: there's no way he isn't worth it. Since coming into the league in 2006, Ngata has basically played at every single defensive line position, whether it be defensive end in the 3-4, defensive tackle, or nose tackle. The common denominator? He's been damn good every single time. A 3-time Pro Bowler and a 2-time First Team All-Pro, Ngata is one of the best players at his position. To me what I found most awesome about him is his ability to play the line. Not only has he been able to sack the quarterback at a solid rate (10.5 sacks the last two seasons, and for a 3-4 lineman that's very good), but he's also had numerous pass deflections. Since 2008 he's had 17 pass deflections, with two seasons of having six. Ngata was the best pick from the 2006 NFL Draft if you ask me, and has been arguably the best player on that defense the last three or so seasons. 

3. Kevin Williams, Minnesota Vikings: A lot of people, unceremoniously so, called Ndamukong Suh the best 4-3 defensive tackle in the league. Apparently, Kevin Williams didn't get the memo because his 2011 put him back into that position, while Suh frustratingly faced double teams and his stats weren't as flashy and he could not get to the quarterback or play as well as he did in the run game. Plus you know, the whole attitude thing kind of hit him hard too. Anyways, Kevin Williams has been elite for a number of years, and proved again why he is just that in 2011. He picked up 5 sacks in 14 games, a large turnaround from his disastrous 2010 season, arguably one of his worst in his career. If not the worst. He found a way to rebound after the loss of former 'Williams Wall' member Pat, and picked up 47 tackles. With all that said while I think he's still a very good player, he is on the downturn and should probably continue to trend downwards.  

4. Kyle Williams, Buffalo Bills: A very, very nasty player checks in here. When you think of the Buffalo Bills' defense, now you would immediately turn towards edge rusher Mario Williams. The thing is, the other Williams on this team might be better. This ruthless defensive tackle is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line, and his absence due to injury was sorely missed by Buffalo last season. The year before, the Ruston, Louisiana native put up the best season of his entire career. Playing primarily at the NT position, he racked up 5.5 sacks, to go along with 77 tackles, 54 of them being solo tackles. his best performance was against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 12 when he wreaked havoc against a putrid offensive line and if not for a Steve Johnson drop, may have singlehandedly won the game for the Bills. Go ahead and look up highlights of it. It really was incredible. Williams is an animal of a player, and will only get better. 

5. Vince Wilfork, New England Patriots: I do believe to a certain extent, Vince Wilfork does get overrated by some, but he is a very good player nonetheless. He's one of the best run-stuffers in the entire league and continually shows it when he's on the field, doing the dirty work on the Patriots' defensive line. Last year he added a bit of pass rushing to his forte, coming away with 3.5 sacks, a career high. This was a big surprise, because Wilfork for the last three seasons wasn't much of a pass rusher. On 1,236 snaps that he had on the pass rush, he only came away with 48 pressures, so only 3% of the time on the field he was getting to the quarterback. Not very good numbers, but he is of course primarily a run stuffer. He's the perfect 0-technique nose tackle with his ability to play both the A-gaps on the line. 

6. Jay Ratliff, Dallas Cowboys: Much like Wilfork, I think Jay Ratliff plays with a bit of reputation on his side. However, he is a very nasty nose tackle nonetheless, even if he carries the reputation around him. His 2011 proved that, well, he could do that. He had a very good season despite the low sack numbers, and was tenth among defensive tackles in total pressures and QB disruptions. He also finished with the 10th best run stop percentage according to Pro Football Focus. Jay does still provide a very intimidating presence around him when he's on the field, as he has unquestionably been the best defensive lineman on the Cowboys since getting there in 2005. (Heck of a draft there by Dallas to scoop up Ware and Ratliff in the same year) Since 2006, the Cowboys' run defense has not finished lower than 12th in allowed YPG, and Ratliff is one of the reasons why. 

7. Richard Seymour, Oakland Raiders: If he wasn't such a liability when it comes to penalties, Seymour would probably be higher on this list. Seymour and fellow Raider Tommy Kelly have combined to be a fierce DT combination in the league today and are one of the best duos that the NFL has to offer. His 2011 season was very, ver good despite the 11 penalties he picked up throughout it. He wasn't better than how he performed in Week 5 against Houston when he picked up two batted passes, two QB hits, four QB hurries, and two sacks. This was ranked as the best performance by a defensive tackle by Pro Football Focus. His 40 combined hits, hurries, and sacks were the second-highest disruption total from a defensive tackle in 2011. If he wasn't such a knucklehead (and a liability in the run game), then he would be positioned much higher on this list. 

8. Sione Pouha, New York Jets: We go from one liability in the run game, to the definition of a run stuffer. Pouha may have one of the best names in the NFL, and he's also one of the best run stoppers in football. Only Brodrick Bunkley was better at stopping the run amongst defensive tackles in 2011. Pouha picked up 41 tackles, 8 assists, and 36 run stops to come away with a 10.2 run stop percentage. He performed magnificently against the Denver Broncos in Week 11, earning himself the fourth best run defense performances by a defensive tackle according to PFF. He's an excellent talent that can shed blocks and make plays. 

9. Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals: Calais Campbell is perhaps the most underrated interior lineman in the game. This guy is continually a workhorse while playing at the 3-4 end position, and if Justin Smith didn't exist, he would probably rival the likes of Ray McDonald and teammate Vonnie Holliday for best 3-4 end in the division. For someone who plays the 3-4 end position, he racks up sacks in bunches. He's come away with 21 sacks since his first full season as the starter in 2009, which is incredibly impressive for a guy who has to has to play the 5-technique position. Facing the B and C-gaps is generally no ordinary task considering you generally are fighting with the guards and tackles, so Campbell's extraordinary pass rushing skills should be recognized. Not always exceptional against the run, but his pass rushing skills find him on the list. Plus the fact that his 55 tackles last year were higher than any other 3-4 end, including the #1 player on this list. 

10. Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals: This man right here is an absolute stud. I won't shoot him high off the boards because of one extraordinary season, which he had in 2011, but there's no reason to believe that his potential and performance on the field won't shoot him up the rankings later on. The former Georgia Bulldog made his former university proud last season, when in terms of being productive at rushing the passer, he did better than most did in the last three seasons. He came away with 80 total pressures on 727 pass rushing snaps, which is an accomplishment for someone whose first full season as a starter was last year. Pay attention to Atkins in 2012, because he's gonna do big things, and in my opinion, someday an Atkins vs. Suh debate could continue on. Since they were drafted in the same year, after all.