Power rankings for other positions

Here are the rankings for team defenses going into the 2008 season. As you can see, the perennial teams at the top of this list (Chicago and Baltimore) seem to be on a downward spiral, with the new powerhouses of Minnesota and San Diego leading the way this season. With team defenses though, even more so than with tight ends, you definitely don’t want to rush when drafting one. If you don’t get at top tier defense around the 10th round or so, I’d suggest holding off until one of your last picks to take one. The difference between 75% of the defenses is so small that it won’t have much affect on your season…plus if you’re really into weekly match-ups, you could always pick up a defense each week based on the team they’re playing and hope it works out.

Bookmark this post, it’s updated regularly! Last updated: 08/27/08
Rank Team Notes
Tier 1: Don’t be scared to draft these guys before the last 3 rounds
1 Minnesota Vikings Jared Allen boosts a defense that was already near the top last season.
2 New England Patriots One thing you don’t need is for the top team in the NFL to have a chip on its shoulder, which is what the Patriots will continue to have after all the off season commotion with Spy-Gate. Expect the team to come out swinging this season in all aspects of the game, with Belichick’s defense putting up another solid season.
3 San Diego Chargers Down In standard scoring leagues, the Chargers were the top scoring defense in the NFL last season. However, Shawn Merriman’s injury puts a damper on things. Without the pressure on the quarterback from him, teams shouldn’t have quite as much trouble moving the ball against this crew.
Tier 2: Solid defenses
4 Seattle Seahawks
5 Chicago Bears
6 Tennessee Titans Although they weren’t the top defense in terms of yards allowed, the Titans were very stingy when it came to allowing touchdowns.
7 Dallas Cowboys
8 Green Bay Packers
9 New York Giants Down Strahan retiring and Osi Umenyiora’s season ending injury will force this defense to take more chances and blitz more, but if Strahan comes out of retirement to cover for him, they should be still be solid. (Looks like he’s not coming back)
Tier 3: Serviceable, but don’t reach for them
10 Arizona Cardinals
11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12 Jacksonville Jaguars
13 Baltimore Ravens
14 Pittsburgh Steelers
15 Buffalo Bills
Tier 4: You’ll probably want another defense to rotate in for good match-ups
16 Denver Broncos
17 Philadelphia Eagles
18 Indianapolis Colts
19 Washington Redskins
20 Detroit Lions
Tier 5: Bye week fill-in’s or good match-up plays
21 Cincinnati Bengals
22 New Orleans Saints
23 St. Louis Rams
24 Houston Texans
25 New York Jets
26 Oakland Raiders
27 Miami Dolphins
28 Carolina Panthers
29 San Francisco 49er’s
30 Cleveland Browns
31 Atlanta Falcons
32 Kansas City Chiefs
Share/bookmark this post:
  • Facebook
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Twitter