In my first article, Top 5 2014 NFL Free Agents by Position: Offense, I ranked my top five unrestricted free agents at each offensive position based on their:

size and speed ratio
age
40 time
production mostly from the 2013 season

In this article I am analyzing the top five highest paid unrestricted free agents at each position at this point in free agency. To rank the players as highest paid I tried to figure out how much they are going to make a year. I will also analyze if the team paid too much or got a good deal for each player.

Quarterbacks

I rated the 2014 NFL free agent quarterbacks on six qualities that I feel are the most important:

Height/weight, Age, 40 time, Career TD:INT ratio, Career completion percentage

1. Matt Cassel, 6-4/228 lbs, 31 years old, 4.9 40, 93 TD: 66 INT, 59%, 2 years 10 million, Minnesota

Cassel is the highest paid unrestricted free agent QB so far this year.

My # 3 QB. Good size and speed ratio.
TD:INT ratio is low (ideal is 2:1)
His completion percentage is a little low as well (ideal is 60%)
Good contract, he should have two good years left.

1. Josh McCown, 6-4/215, 34 years old, 4.59 40, 50TD: 45 INT, 59.4%, 2 years 10 million, Tampa Bay

My # 5 rated QB. Good size and speed ratio.
He is past his peak years
Played well for Chicago when Cutler was out, but Tampa does not have the same weapons
Contract is okay since only for 2 years

3. Chad Henne, 6-3/230, 28, 4.92, 55 TD: 62 INT, 59.5%, 2 years 8 million, Jacksonville

Not top 5 QB in my opinion
He throws too many interceptions
Size, speed, and age ratio are good
Contract is good

4. Michael Vick, 6.0/215, 33, 4.25, 128TD: 85 INT, 56.2%, 1 year 4 million, New York Jets

Not Top 5 QB in my opinion
TD:INT ratio is bad and his completion percentage is too low
Contract is no good in my opinion, because there are many other better QBs available

Notes: The other quarterbacks signed so far appear to only be for backup roles. They should not be fighting for a starting spot. Matt Flynn is my # 1, Shaun Hill is my # 2, and Dan Orlovsky is my #4 rated quarterbacks and none of them have been signed yet.

Running Backs

I rated the running backs and fullbacks on the following criteria:

height/weight, age, 40 time, yards per rushing attempt, average catches per season, average fumbles lost per season, kick returner/punt returner

1. Darren McFadden, 6-1/218, 26 years old, 4.33 40, 4.2 yrds/att., 29 catches, 1 year 4 million, Oakland

McFadden is the highest paid unrestricted free agent RB so far this year.

My #2 rated RB. Great size and speed ratio.
Catches the ball well.
He is a year past his peak season.
Fumbles too much

2. Ben Tate, 5-11/217, 25 years old, 4.43 40, 4.7 yrds/att., 20 catches, 2 years 7 million, Cleveland

My # 1 rated RB. Great size, speed, age ratio.
fumbles too much
catches ball well
Contract is good, he should have 2 good years left.

2. Donald Brown, 5-10/207, 26, 4.51, 4.3 yrds/att., 17 catches, 3 years 10.5 million, San Diego

Not top 5 in my opinion
Good size and speed ratio
Contract is too long, he is past his peak seasons already

2. Toby Gerhart, 6-0/231, 26 years old, 4.53 40, 4.53 yrds/att., 19 catches, KR, 3 years 10.5 mill, Jacksonville

My #3 rated RB.
Good size and speed.
Returns kicks and catches ball well
Contract is too long, he is past his peak

5. Rashad Jennings, 6-1/231, 28 years old, 4.59 40, 4.3 yrds/att., 24 catches, 4 years 10 million, NY Giants

My #4 rated RB.
3 years past his peak
Contract is way too long

Notes: Felix Jones, my # 5 RB has not been signed yet. He has good size and speed and is only 26 years old. He can catch the ball and return kicks.

Fullbacks

1. Erik Lorig, 6-4/250, 27, 4.86, 11 catches last season, 4 years 4.8 million, New Orleans

Not Top 5 in my opinion because of his speed
Should have a couple of good years left
Contract is too long in my opinion

2. Jed Collins, 6-1/255, 28, 4.88, 14 catches last season, 1 year 710,000, Detroit

#1 rated unrestricted FB in my opinion
Helped New Orleans have #2 rushing offense in NFL
Contract is good

Notes: My #2 ranked fullback Michael Robinson, #3 Lex Hilliard, #4 John Kuhn, and #5 Greg Jones have not been signed yet.

Wide Receivers

I divided the wide receiver section into two groups: #1 or #2 receiver and slot receivers. I rated all the receivers based on their:

height/weight, age, 40 time, # of receptions, yards per reception, catch % (number of catches divided by number of targets), kick returner/punt returner

1. Eric Decker, 6-3/214, 26, 4.54 40, 87 catches, 13.8 yrds/rec., 61% catch, 5 years 36.25 million, New York Jets

Decker is the highest paid unrestricted free agent WR so far this year. But, it is with the Jets not the Broncos.

My # 1 rated wide receiver.
Great, size, speed, and age ratio.
Should have 5 good years left.
Contract is good in length

2. Golden Tate, 5-10/202, 25 years old, 4.42 40, 64 catches, 13.3 yrds/rec., 63% catch, PR, 5 years 31 million, Detroit

My #3 rated slot receiver
Good size, speed, and age.
Should have 6 good years left.
Contract is good in length.

3. Emmanuel Sanders, 5-11/180, 26, 4.41, 67 catches, 11.0 yrds/rec., 60% catch, KR, 3 years 15 million, Denver

My # 2 rated slot receiver.
Has good speed, but on the small side.
Should have 5 good years left.
Length of contract is good.

4. Julian Edelman, 5-10/198, 27, 4.52, 105 catches, 10.2 yrds/rec., 67% catch, 4 years 17 million, New England

My #1 rated slot receiver
Too small to be a #1 or #2 receiver
Outstanding production
Contract is good, it covers his peak years

5. Andre Roberts, 5-11/195, 26, 4.46, 43 catches, 11.0 yrds/rec., 57 % catch, 4 years 16 million, Washington

Not Top 10 in my opinion.
Should have 5 good years left.
Contract length is good, I just felt there were better receivers available.

5. Dexter McCluster, 5-8/170, 25 years old, 4.58 40, 53 catches, 9.6 yrds/rec., 65% catch, PR, 3 years for 12 million, Tennessee

My #5 slot receiver.
Not great size, but decent speed
Very good punt returner
Contract is good, he is just now entering his peak years

7. James Jones, 6-1/208, 29 years old, 4.59 40, 59 catches, 13.8 yrds/rec., 63% catch, 3 years 11.3 million, Oakland

My #3 rated receiver. Good size and speed ratio.
Has a good catch percentage.
Pretty good contract. Might be one year too long.

7. Hakeem Nicks, 6-1/208, 26 years old, 4.63 40, 56 catches, 16.0 yards/rec., 55% catch, 1 year 3.5 million, Indianapolis

My #4 receiver.
Good size and age, but not very fast
Contract should be for longer, he is just now entering his peak years

8. Jacoby Jones, 6-2/215, 29 years old, 4.5 40, 37 catches, 12.3 yrds/rec., 56% catch, KR/PR, 4 years 14 million, Baltimore

My #2 receiver. Good size, speed, and age.
Very good return man
Contract a little too long. He should have 2 really good years left, but contract is for 4 years

10. Ted Ginn Jr., 5-11/185, 28 years old, 4.28 40, 36 catches, 15.4 yrds/rec., 53% catch, KR/PR, 3 years 9.75 million, Arizona

My #4 rated slot receiver. Small stature, but great speed
Very good return man
Contract is right on, he should have 3 more good years left

10. Andre Caldwell, 6-0/200, 28, 4.37, 16 catches, 12.5 yrds/rec., 53% catch, KR, 2 years 3.45 million, Denver

Did not have him rated in my Top 10
Good size and speed
Contract is good, he should have 3 more good years left

Notes: My #5 rated receiver Jerricho Cotchery signed with Carolina for 5 years, 8 million.

Tight Ends

I rated the tight ends the same way I did with the receivers, except for none of the tight ends return kicks or punts.

1. Brandon Myers, 6-3/256, 28 years old, 4.78 40, 47 catches, 11.1 yrds/rec., 70% catch, 5 year 43.75 million, Tampa

Myers is the highest paid unrestricted free agent TE so far this year.

Bay

My #2 rated TE.
Good size, speed, and age.
Contract is probably 2 years too long.

2. Brandon Pettigrew, 6-5/265, 28 years old, 4.83 40, 41 catches, 10.1 yrds/rec., 62% catch, 4 year 16 million, Detroit

My #4 rated TE
Good size, speed, and age
Contract is good, maybe one year too long.

3. Garrett Graham, 6-3/243, 27 years old, 4.71 40, 49 catches, 11.1 yrds/rec., 61% catch, 3 year 11.25 million, Houston

My #3 rated TE
Good size, speed, and age. Could gain some weight to become better blocker
Contract is good, he will be at the end of his peak at the end of the contract

4. Scott Chandler, 6-7/260, 28, 4.78, 53 catches, 12.4 yrds/rec., 67 % catch, 2 years 4.75 million, Buffalo

My #1 rated unrestricted TE
Great size and speed
Very good production
Contract is good, but I would have pushed for 3 years

5. Jim Dray, 6-5/255, 27, 4.82, 27 catches, 4.82 yrds/rec., 67% catch, 3 year 5.625 million, Cleveland

Was not rated in my top 5, barely missed it.
Good size, speed, and age.
Contract is good, he is just entering his peak years

6. Andrew Quarless, 6-4/252, 25, 4.68, 32 catches, 9.8 yrds/rec., 62% catch, 2 year 3 million, Green Bay

Did not make my Top 5, barely missed it.
Very good size, speed, and age
Good blocker and catcher
Contract should have been longer

7. Clay Harbor, 6-3/255, 28, 4.62, 24 catches, 12.2 yrds/rec., 65% catch, 2 year 3 million, Jacksonville

Did not make my Top 5.
Very good size, speed, and age
Contract is pretty good, should have made it for 3 years

Notes: My #5 rated TE Jermichael Finley has not been signed yet.

Offensive Tackles

To rate the offensive tackles and all of the offensive linemen I looked at their:

height/weight, age, 40 time, playing/starting experience

1. Branden Albert, LT, 6-5/316, 29 years old, 5.17 40, started 12 games last season, 5 years 47 million, Miami

My #2 rated OT.
Great size and speed ratio. Getting up there in years
Could see a drop in his production
Contract is too long

2. Rodger Saffold, LT, 6-5/332, 25 years old, 5.21 40, started 9 games last season, 5 years 42.5 million, Oakland

My #4 rated OT
Must watch his weight and not get too big and slow
Good contract. He will be 29 when it ends

3. Eugene Monroe, LT, 6-5/306, 26 years old, 5.23 40, started 15 games last season, 5 year 37.5 million, Baltimore

My #1 rated OT
Good size, speed, and age. Could stand to gain some muscle.
Good contract, he will be 30 when it ends.

3. Jared Veldheer, LT, 6-8/321, 26 years old, 5.09 40, started 5 games last season, 5 years 37.5 million, Arizona

My #3 rated OT
Good size, speed and age ratio.
He is 3 inches taller than prototype at his position. Could give QB some troubles.

5. Anthony Collins, LT, 6-5/318, 28, 5.54, started 7 games last season, 5 years 30 million, Tampa Bay

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Too slow to be Top 5
Contract is 2 years too long. He will be 32 when it ends

5. Austin Howard, RT, 6-7/333, 26, 5.4, started 16 games last season, 5 years 30 million, Oakland

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Overweight and too slow
Contract is okay. It will end when he is 30 which is good

Notes: My #5 rated OT Eric Winston has not been signed yet. He is 30 years old, but he started all 16 games last season for Arizona.

Offensive Guards

1. Zane Beadles, 6-4/305, 27 years old, 5.28 40, started 16 games last season, 5 years 30 million, Jacksonville

My #1 rated OG
Great size, speed, and age
Contract is good, but might be 1 year too long

2. Shawn Lauvao, 6-3/315, 26 years old, 5.22 40, started 11 games last season, 4 years 17 million, Washington

My #5 rated OG
Great size, speed, and age
Great contract, he will be 29 at the end of it.

3. Geoff Schwartz, 6-6/340, 27, 5.36, started 7 games last season, 4 years 16.8 million, New York Giants

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Overweight and too slow
Contract is good, ends when he is 30

4. Chris Williams, 6-6/326, 29, 5.29, started all 16 games, 4 years 13.5 million, Buffalo

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Good size and speed
He is 29, only 2 peak years left
Contract is too long

5. Chad Rinehart, 6-5/321, 28, 5.42, started 10 games last year, 2 years 6 million, San Diego

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Too slow
Good contract, he will still be in his peak yeras at the end of it

Centers

1. Evan Dietrich Smith, 6-2/308, 27 years old, 5.04 40, started 16 games last season, 4 years 14.25 million, Tampa Bay

My #1 rated center
Great size, speed, and age
Contract is great, ends when he is at the end of his peak years

2. Ryan Wendell, 6-2/300, 27, 5.28, started all 16 games last season, 2 years 7.25 million, New England

My #3 unrestricted free agent center
Great size, speed, and age
Contract is good, could be longer

3. Joe Hawley, 6-3/302, 25, 5.21, started 7 games last season, 2 years 6 million, Atlanta

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Great size, speed, and age.
History of using performance enhancing drugs
Contract should be longer if they believe in him and think he is that good
Atlanta has re-signed him so they must like him and know how his work ethic is

4. Shelley Smith, 6-4/312, 26, 5.11, started 2 out of 14 games last season, 2 years 5.5 million

My #4 rated unrestricted free agent OG
Great size, speed, and age
Contract is good, but I would have pushed for more years

5. J. D. Walton, 6-3/305, 26, 5,19, did not start or play in any games last season, 2 year 5 million, New York Giants

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Great size, speed and age
Contract should be longer if they think he is that good

6. Ted Larsen, 6-2/305, 26 years old, 5.19 40, started 4 games last season, 2 years 2.6 million, Arizona

My #5 rated center
Great size, speed, and age
Contract should be longer than 2 years.

7. Joe Berger, 6-5/305, 31, 5.03, started 2 games last season, 1 year 985,000, Minnesota

Not Top 5 in my opinion
Great size and speed
Too old
Can play center and guard
Contract is okay since only for 1 year, plus is a re-signing, so they know what they are getting

Notes: My # 3 rated center Fernando Velasco, and my #4 rated center Brian De La Puente have not been signed yet.

Top 5 2014 NFL Free Agents by Position: Defense – Part 2

Top 5 2014 NFL Free Agents By Position: Offense – Part 2-Updated 3/30