Top 50 NFL Franchise Cornerstones: 20-11

By: Roshan Bhagat

20. Joseph Addai [RB, Indianapolis Colts, 25]
Stats: 261 att, 1072 yards, 4.1 avg, 12 TD, 41 rec, 364 yards, 8.9 avg, 3 TD
Welcome the artist of the stretch play. After failing to reach the 1000 yard plateau in every season at LSU, Addai has churned out two with the Colts primarily running at the numbers on the field. With a good body and great speed, he has developed into one of the league's top young, complete packages. Not only can he break tackles and run with wiggle, Addai also does the not so little things that make backs great. Edgerrin James set the standards high in terms of blocking and receiving in Indy. Following in his footsteps, Addai has developed into a master of those arts. He's great in chipping out of the backfield and a good outlet for Peyton when plays break down. All of these skills have Addai as one of the top 20 cornerstones in the league.

19. Jay Cutler [QB, Denver Broncos, 25]
Stats: 3497 yards, 63.6%, 7.49 YPA, 20 TD, 14 INT, 88.1 Rating
Statistically speaking, it appears as if Cutler has won the early quarterback battle with Vince Young and Matt Leinart. He’s proven to be more than just a strong arm as he’s hit his targets around the field, aiding Brandon Marshall in his 100 reception season. More importantly, Cutler has earned the respect of his teammates and developed into a dynamic leader of the offense. Recently having been dealt a bad hand, Diabetes, Cutler has made the right play and like a professional card player, he’s made the most of nothing. He’s now being treated and has already taken steps to help the cause. On the field, he’s far from great and is still learning the pro game. He still stares down receivers, but has shown solid decision making in his second year. Doing all the little things right, it would be difficult to pass up Cutler as a franchise cornerstone.

18. Vince Young [QB, Tennessee Titans, 24]
Stats: 2546 yards, 62.3%, 6.67 YPA, 9 TD, 17 INT, 71.1 Rating, 93 att, 395 yards, 4.2 avg, 3 TD, 5 fumbles
This selection probably comes as the biggest surprise to date. Not to say that Michael Vick was a great quarterback, but he had the contract, the fans, the talent, and a solid NFL game. Consider that Vince Young has already beat his career high completion percentage by about 6 points. However, when you look at this position on the list, you’re throwing stats aside. Vince Young is a winner. Yes, you can argue that his defense is very good, but you have to also consider the lack of weapons surrounding him. Also consider the length of time it takes for a young quarterback to develop in this league. It may be true that Young appeared to regress in his sophomore season, but I'll stick by Vince Young until the day he exits the league. He was my top prospect coming out and I still believe he can and will be an outstanding quarterback. However, along with this infinite ceiling comes a substantial risk, which hampers his ability to move up the list. It's a shocker, but probably the last of the list. I’ve said before that I believe Vince will be the best of the class, so I won’t flip-flop here and say otherwise.

17. Braylon Edwards [WR, Cleveland Browns, 25]
Stats: 80 rec, 1289 yards, 16.1 avg, 16 TD, 3 fumbles
It took Braylon until his third season to breakout, but in 2007, he BROKE out. After finally finding some consistency at quarterback and polishing his own game, Braylon pieced together his game for nearly 1300 yards and fell short of Randy Moss' record-breaking season for the league lead in touchdowns. At this point, Braylon is a big time deep play threat as well as a tremendous red zone threat, but can continue to improve his game to become the complete package. It's very difficult to build a team around a wideout, but one with tremendous vertical ability and great red zone hops changes things.

16. Andre Johnson [WR, Houston Texans, 26]
Stats: 60 rec, 851 yards, 14.2 avg, 8 TD, fumble
While his stats aren't gaudy, Andre Johnson is the arguably one of the most complete, young wideouts in the game. He's dedicated to the game and improving himself and will stop at nothing to become amazing. While having the speed to stretch the defense for six, Johnson is also willing to run across the middle. His athletic ability and production land him just above Braylon. When you factor in inconsistent quarterback play for his first four seasons, his accomplishments are magnified that much. What makes Andre Johnson special, are his great character and dedication to his community. He's a great player and a better person. The only thing that could cause concern is a possible future chain of recurring knee injuries.

15. Larry Fitzgerald [WR, Arizona Cardinals, 24]
Stats: 100 rec, 1409 yards, 14.1 avg, 10 TD, 3 fumbles
Four seasons, Two Pro Bowls, Twenty-four years old. Something just doesn't add up. How is a wide receiver so good and yet only 24 years old? Well Fitz came into the league very young and was coupled with Anquan Boldin to help him out. While Q is still considered the better wideout, it’s only a matter of time until Fitz takes over that role. Fitz is a match-up nightmare for opposing cornerbacks with his daunting size and ability to put defenders on SportsCenter. With such good production, it's scary to think what he'll be doing in five years once he's become more polished in every facet of the game. Larry's probably a better player than his position on the list would indicate, but this is the highest where I would take a wide receiver.

14. Jason Peters [OT, Buffalo Bills, 26]
Stats: 2007 Pro Bowl Selection, 2007 All-Pro Selection
Peters has gone from an undrafted free agent tight end to a Pro Bowl left tackle with the Buffalo Bills in just a matter of years. Unlike many converted tight ends, Peters has significant weight and strength to a frame that already displays innate athleticism and ability to slide to cut off pass rushers on the edge. Having dominated the trenches in Buffalo, as their lone shining star on the line, Peters has made a name for himself quickly. He’s become a high character, hard-working locker room presence and a role model to the younger players. After joining the elites in the league, Peters is now holding out for a richer contract, an understandable move, though it’s difficult to imagine a mini-camp without the premiere tackle manning the left side. From an undrafted free agent to cornerstone in Buffalo, Peters would be a great building block looking to bring stability to the offensive line.

13. Frank Gore [RB, San Francisco 49ers, 24]
Stats: 260 att, 1102 yards, 4.2 avg, 5 TD, 53 rec, 436 yards, 8.2 avg, TD, 4 fumbles
I think Frank Gore has his fan base and there are even some that will argue that he's better than Steven Jackson. Gore is a tremendous back who’s possibly the best back out of Miami now. What makes Gore special is his compact frame and ability to run everywhere on the field coupled with his soft hands out of the backfield, leading to 100+ receptions over the past two seasons. Gore's body of work is even more impressive when you factor in the mediocre line he's run behind and the laughable passing game. The only pitfall in his game is his tendency to put the ball on the ground often. Aside from that, Gore's a very difficult tackle, a good blocker, and a great receiver. He's everything you want from a feature back.

12. Albert Haynesworth [DT, Tennessee Titans, 26]
Stats: 40 tackles (30 solo), 6 sacks, 8 STF, 5 PD
You could make an argument that Albert Haynesworth deserved the MVP last season. That's how dominant he was. With Haynesworth, it's not a numbers thing. It's a matter of dominating the trenches, stopping the run, and attacking the passer. He put up one of the best seasons of a defensive tackle in recent memories. If Haynesworth was so dominant last season, why does he just sit at number 12? Well, it was his first season playing at this level. Coincidentally, it was also a contract year. While I don't want to accuse him of being a slouch in other years, history has proven that players usually decline after a big payday. While he's still seeking a multi-year deal, it will be difficult to replicate his results from a season ago, knowing he's already going to receive a big deal in the future due to his breakout year.

11. Mario Williams [DE, Houston Texans, 23]
Stats: 59 tackles (43 solo), 14 sacks, 5 STF, 2 FF, PD
Williams came into his own in just his second season as a raw defensive end coming out of college. His combination of size and athleticism rivals that of Julius Peppers and his production is on its way there as well. He did a great job finding the quarterback time after time this season and cashed in a 14 sack season. While many questioned the pick for the Texans at the time of the draft, I've firmly been behind both Williams and Vince Young in their respective homes. Either pick would have been okay, but right now it appears as if Super Mario is a step ahead of Vince. However, with defensive ends, you always run the risk of an invisible day. Very few ends can play consistent game in and game out, and if Williams reaches the Julius Peppers level, that still isn't a given. His motor was slightly questioned coming out of college and that's what holds him back from cracking the top 10.