Most Important Positions in the NFL

Introduction

Football has often been described as the ultimate team sport. The team is at its best when each player is getting their job done. In all three phases of the game, the position players each have their own game within the game and task and hand to win over their opponent on each play. In this post, we will shout out to the top positions and give you an example of an NFL player who epitomized the position from the past or present.

Quarterback

The traditional leader of the offense is generally the guy who calls the plays in the huddle and touches the ball on almost every play. These signal callers are the directors on the field placing people and the pigskin, through handoff, pitches, and passes, in the most advantageous spots for their team to gain an advantage. Many consider quarterback the most important position in football and the most unique in all sports. The image that would probably come to most people when you think of the word quarterback is probably this fella:

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When you play the demanding position for two decades at a high level and wear six Super Bowl rings, it is not difficult to consider this former New England Patriot and Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB one of the tops ever at his position.

Edge Pass-Rusher

In recent years, the NFL has coveted these men who play on the outside positions on the defensive line. Whether they stick their hands in the dirt and are deemed defensive ends or stay up and call themselves outside linebackers, they have a mission: keep contain and rush the quarterback. A player that epitomizes the term “edge rusher” is this stud.

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LT is credited with 142 sacks during his 13-year career of terrorizing quarterbacks. Taylor played on the New York Giants, and his presence dramatically altered the schemes of the opponents he played against, as they had to move protections to try and slow down this very “unblockable” defensive stalwart. When a player is the caliber of Taylor on your team, it can easily be the best position in football, as he wrecked offenses.

Inside Pass-Rusher

Another nightmare for most offensive schemes is pressure up the middle. It is a special talent when a player can shed blocks of the big offensive lineman and wreak havoc on passing and running games. One player that comes to mind representing inside pass-rushers is:

The Minister of Defense was one of the nicest guys one could ever meet off the field, even serving as an ordained man of the cloth. But during the Sundays in Autumn, he brought his own version of fire and brimstone. 198 sacks, Thirteen Pro Bowl appearances, and multiple Defensive Player of the Year honors were rightfully bestowed on this legend, who suited up for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers during his time in the NFL.

Offensive Tackle

The big guys on the end of the line have to contend with smaller, faster athletes trying to reach the pocket. The position also calls for solid blocking in the run game.

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Munoz was one of the best offensive linemen ever played in the NFL. The talent, technique, and passion of this Cincinnati Bengals lineman took him to eleven Pro Bowls, nine All-Pro seasons, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Bengals did well in choosing Anthony to play one of the most important positions in football for their team.

Safety

Any defense’s back end must have versatile and dependable players to hold up that last line. The personnel must be good in coverage, a sure tackler, and a good communicator. 

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Dawkins spent 13 seasons in Philadelphia and 3 more in Denver during his NFL career. He picked off 67 passes, recovered 19 fumbles, and had 911 solo tackles. Number 20 was always around the ball.

Tight End

This position has morphed from being an extra blocker on the line to catching specialists. Many think of this man when you chat about the TE position.

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Iron Mike won a Super Bowl as a coach, but he was even better as a player. He set the standard for the modern tight end in the League. He grabbed 427 receptions for over 5800 yards, hauling 43 TD passes in 12 seasons. That was only part of his game, as he was also a ferocious blocker.

Cornerback

The test of a great corner is how well they can cover a receiver in man coverage. They also have to be sure tacklers are out near the sidelines to prevent long gains down the chalk.

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Blount was a dream specimen at cornerback in any era. 6’-3” and 205 lbs long, fast, and mean, who could ask for anything more? Mel had 57 career picks, but the big thing is that the NFL changed the rules of contact because of his style of play.

Wide Receiver

The speedy men on the outside are the main targets on most pass plays. Their job is to find holes in the defensive secondary and get open to become a viable target for the passer to find them. You also have to be able to catch the ball, even in traffic.

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Can a wide receiver be greater in the NFL than Number 80? He was an easy induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 13 Pro Bowls and earning 10 All-Pro selections. Rice had 1549 receptions with just shy of 23,000 yards for an amazing 197 touchdowns. The Best

Run-Stuffing Defensive Tackle

The three and five-techniques on the D-Line have a tough job of recognizing and plugging the holes at the point of attack. Here is one legendary player at the position we can still watch play on Sundays.

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Aaron Donald of the Rams fits the bill when discussing dominant defensive linemen. He is already well over 100 sacks and solid against the run in a little over nine seasons, and offenses have to shift protection wherever this versatile player lines up. Many an OC has lost some sleep scheming to go against Donald.

Running Back

This position has the job of running the ball, catching a ball or two, and pass-protection for the most part. Few have done the job better at toting the pigskin, and many consider this guy the OG.

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Brown set the standard for the modern NFL running back. The Pr Football Hall of Fame legend scored 108 TDs, played in 9 Pro Bowls, and was selected as an All-Pro 8 times in his nine-year career with the Cleveland Browns. Jim Brown’s 12312 career yards led all NFL rushers for decades before someone surpassed the mark.

Inside Linebacker

The Middle Linebacker is normally the onfield director of the defense as his central location helps him to see and communicate adjustments to the rest of the group.

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Lewis spent his 17-year NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens, helping the franchise win two Super Bowls. Ray played in 12 Pro Bowls and was selected as an All-Pro player seven times. He combined for over 2000 tackles and registered 41.5 sacks from his middle linebacker spot, as he was the leader and the standard other defenders on the Ravens tried to live up to at what many consider the most important defensive position in football.

Offensive Guard

Playing guard may be the best position in football. These are generally large athletes tasked with making hard-hitting contact on every play they are on the field for. There are probably none that played the position, as well as number 73 for the Patriots.

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This legend came out of the Alabama Crimson Tide program, and New England aptly selected him with their first pick in the 1973 NFL Draft. Hannah did not disappoint as he was an anchor to the O-line in Beantown for 13 years, making nine Pro Bowls and being honored with seven All-Pro selections.

Run-Stuffing Defensive End

This position requires quick reaction time, size, power, and agility. One man who possessed all these traits and could both pressure a QB or hold up and drop a runner was:

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In nineteen seasons as an NFL defender, Smith played in four Super Bowls and logged over 1200 tackles and 200 sacks in his career. Smith spent most of his career in Buffalo and a few in the twilight of his NFL time in Washington.

Outside Linebacker

Generally, these are the stand-up bookend players on the ends of a 3-4 scheme D-line. They are tasked with defending the flanks for contain, rushing the passer, and even dropping into pass coverage. The OLB has become one of the most important NFL positions in recent years.

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Watt is an uber-talent who shows at just the right time to make splash plays. He won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year and tied the single-season sack total in 2021. The scary part for the opposition is that he is now in his prime!

Conclusion

We have displayed top-notch players at each position listed, exemplifying the high bar of the players who have done the job best. We invite you to explore the search boxes here on Pro-Football-Reference and Stahead.com to see what others are on this elite list.

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This entry was posted on Friday, October 27th, 2023 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Top Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.