Most valuable non-QB for each team

(84) runs with the ball. Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Cincinnati Bengals LT Andrew Whitworth

This was the most difficult choice yet, as Geno Atkins, Andrew Whitworth, and A.J. Green are some of the best players at their respective positions, and I will admit that I kept flipping through them and deleting paragraphs. I decided to go with Whitworth, though, and the departure of Anthony Collins influenced this decision. He’ll be moving back to left tackle as a result, but what sealed the deal for me selecting him over two other blue-chip Bengals was his play at left guard. Tasked with switching positions, Whitworth looked just as good at guard as he did at tackle, affirming that he is one of the league’s best players. There are very few offensive linemen who could be among the best in the planet at guard and tackle, even if there are many players who could slot in comfortably at either. A franchise tackle in every sense, Whitworth will go back to protecting Andy Dalton‘s blindside full-time, and his elite run blocking will be huge in Hue Jackson’s run-heavy offense.

Baltimore Ravens LT Eugene Monroe

There are plenty of great players to choose from on the Ravens defense, but I don’t think anyone means more to the Ravens than Eugene Monroe right now, especially with the unproven Ricky Wagner starting at right tackle. Monroe is one of the best OTs in the NFL, and the Ravens ability to re-sign him means that their trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars was a big win. Marshal Yanda and Monroe are the clear anchors of the Ravens offensive line, which should improve next season as Kelechi Osemele returns to health and with solid starting center Jeremy Zuttah in the fold after a savvy trade by Ozzie Newsome with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (they aggressively added Evan Dietrich-Smith in free agency). Monroe is the definition of steady, as he rarely gets beat as a pass protector or blown up in the running game, and he was the brightest spot on a surprisingly poor Ravens line last year.

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown moved himself into the realm of the game’s elite at the wide receiver position last year by catching a whopping 110 passes for 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged 93.7 yards per contest, and he proved a lot of people right by completely shredding what Mike Wallace did in a Steelers jersey. With deep threat Markus Wheaton looking set to break out with more snaps in 2014 and intriguing rookie Martavis Bryant also set to take some attention from defenses, Brown will continue to dominate. Since the Steelers have Heath Miller, Le’Veon Bell, and LeGarrette Blount around star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the offense is now clearly the strength of this team; the tables have indeed fully turned. This season, it will be up to Brown and the passing attack to overcome the deficiencies in a secondary that was, unfortunately, not upgraded.

Cleveland Browns LT Joe Thomas

Joe Haden gets a run here, but it would be criminal not to name the most consistent player in the NFL here. Joe Thomas is one of the best pass blockers in NFL history, and it’s always a surprise to see him beat at any moment. Alex Mack had an exceptional year in 2013 and was the best center in the league, but the interesting thing is that both he and Thomas allowed the same number of sacks: two. Like Watt, Thomas’s greatness has become a clear expectation, and Johnny Manziel’s blindside would definitely be in safe hands, should he start as a rookie (my guess is he’ll be able to see the field at some point, but it’s all conjecture right now).