In the NFL, some positions are of the upmost importance and others are not. Below, I broke down different positions into four separate tiers based on how critical they are to team success:
First Tier Positions: All or most of these must be filled with capable players or it’s unlikely your team will have success. The great ones should be paid a premium and held onto as long as possible:
- Quarterback: The sky is blue, grass is green, QB is the most important position. Even people who aren’t football fans know this is the most important position in football and probably all sports. You get the most glory for winning and the most hate for losing and deservedly so. If you have Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes you can have a dynasty that lasts for 20 years. If you’re the Browns and you’ve had 38 QBs start from 1999-2023, then you’re in trouble.
- Receivers (TE/WR): I’m going to group all pass catchers into one here which may be controversial. All you have to do is look at Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, who are the two greatest TE of all time, and were either the main or one of the main weapons on 7 of the past 10 Super Bowl winners. What makes TE so sneakily amazing is they can put up the production of a WR, while also being able to block in the run game, and being paid much less than WRs are. WRs are still immensely important though. Having a guy like Tyreek Hill or Justin Jefferson is an absolute nightmare for opposing defenses.
- Offensive Tackle: Protecting your quarterback is one of the most important jobs a team has and the person mainly responsible for that tends to be the left tackle. However, a great right tackle is a massive asset too, because star edge rushers can lineup on either side of the ball. With so many great edge rushers in the league now and fewer great tackles this position is even more important.
- Edge Rusher/Interior Defensive Lineman: I once again group these positions together because while Edge Rushers are typically the guys who put up sacks, great interior defenders like Aaron Donald, Chris Jones, and Justin Madubuike are just as dangerous. These positions are the main weapon against stopping a great QB and offense.
Second Tier: Important positions, but not required to have studs at. It’s okay to let them walk if the price is too high:
- Cornerback: With so many great receivers in the league today, having great cornerbacks to shut them down is extremely important. However, a solid overall secondary and a good defensive play caller can also help to slow great players down. This is a position one could argue is in the 1st tier, but I’m comfortable having it at the very top of the 2nd tier.
- Off ball Linebacker: This is by no means a necessity for a team to have great players at this position, but it helps. The impact guys like Fred Warner and Roquan Smith have is huge, but it doesn’t stack up to the positions above it.
- Interior Offensive Lineman (G/C): Once again, its great to have studs at this position, especially with guys like Chris Jones and Justin Madubuike reeking havoc nowadays. But, a solid bunch is better than a single elite player here.
Third Tier: Positions you should not splurge on.
- Running Back: With the rare exception of guys like Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry, teams should not spend big at this position. It’s better to have a group of 3 guys who all compliment each other than one star who may get hurt.
- Safety: This is not a position worth spending a lot of money on as it does not have a major impact like the ones in tiers above do.
- Kicker: A great luxury, but a solid guy can get the job done. The Ravens have the greatest kicker ever in Justin Tucker, but have done very little recently in the postseason.
Fourth Tier: Really not important. No explanations needed.
- Return Man
- Fullback
- Punter
- Long Snapper
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