The Most Dominant NFL Players at Each Position Since 2000

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– Article by Paul Dennis Jr. Published May 26th, 2026

Quarterback:

  1. Tom Brady – 6’4 225lbs – Michigan
  2. Patrick Mahomes – 6’2 225lbs – Texas Tech

Honorable Mention: Aaron Rodgers – 6’2 225 – Cal

Truth be told, this was one of the easiest positions to rank. While Mahomes has definitely set the league on fire since his arrival in 2018, Brady is the king of this century. Longevity numbers aside, I don’t think anyone can peak higher than he did multiple times throughout his career. The version of Brady we saw during the Patriots almost perfect 2007 season is arguably the best QB ever (50TDs to 8 interceptions, 117 QB Rating, 16-0 in the regular season, 4800+ yards). Fast forward 7 years to 2014 and we witness Brady (and the 31st ranked passing block offensive line) overtake the Legion of Boom in their prime. Jump ahead two more years and we get the infamous 28-3 Superbowl comeback, widely hailed as the greatest comeback of all time. Then he throws record breaking 505 yards, 3TDs, and no interceptions in a Lombardi loss to the Eagles – only to follow that up with another Superbowl ring in 2018; a ring he obtained by beating Mahomes head to head in the AFC Championship game. Then he leaves the Patriots, goes to the NFC, and gets ring number seven (and Superbowl MVP #5) by beating Mahomes head to head in the Superbowl. With seven rings and being the stat leader in virtually every category, this is the most dominant football player we have ever seen – and easily the most dominant QB.

While prime Aaron Rodgers and prime Mahomes both have a serious argument for being the second most dominant QBs of the century, I think that Mahomes postseason success gives him the edge. Arod does have a whopping four NFL MVPs, and he’s been excellent for most of his career. But that excellence didn’t translate to winning when it mattered. But Mahomes has the regular season dominance and you could argue his game elevates in the postseason. While he’s been on the wrong end of two Superbowl blowouts, he is still on pace to be the 2nd best QB of all time. Other possible honorable mentions could be Brees and Manning – but while they both had better and more consistent careers than Arod (in my opinion), I think that he peaked slightly higher than them.

Runningback:

  1. Adrian Peterson – 6’1 217lbs – Oklahoma
  2. LaDanian Tomlinson – 5’10 216lbs – TCU
  3. Derrick Henry – 6’3 252lbs – Alabama

Honorable Mention: Marshawn Lynch – 5’11 215lbs – Cal

There isn’t a running back I’ve witnessed who is able to dominate the game in the same way that Adrian Peterson did in 2012. Most thought he would never be the same after tearing both his ACL and MCL in 2011. Instead, he came back in record time (8 months???), coming close to shattering the NFL season rushing yards record. His explosive combination of speed, power, agility, burst, and vision was overwhelming to just about every opponent; 1,600 of his 2,097 yards would come in the last 10 games of that season.

That being said, this wasn’t easy to rank. LaDanian Tomlinson was very much impossible to stop during his time in the early 2000’s. The first eight years of his career he tallied over 1k rushing yards, and during his best years his versatility was overwhelming. He racked up 1600 rushing yards and 100 catches in 2003 (he’s easily the best pass catcher of this list). In 2008, he landed an NFL record that probably will never be broken with 28 rushing TDs. On the flip side, we have Derrick Henry. Nothing screams dominant like a 6’3 250 pound running back with breakaway speed and the strength of a lineman. While he’s showcased just how much trouble he is for any defense throughout his career, his 2020 (2,027 yards) and 2024 (1,921 yards) seasons especially come to mind.

I hate that Marshawn is only my honorable mention here, but I don’t think I can say he peaked higher than any of these guys. That being said, I think he is the most difficult to tackle ever besides prime Adrian Peterson. His four year run in Seattle – during the emergence of Russel Wilson and the rise of the Legion of Boom – was true dominance. The broken tackles, the highlight plays, the aggression, the swagger… just thinking of his performance makes me even more confused as to why Pete Carroll called a passing play in the redzone. Shady McCoy and Todd Gurley come into play here as well, but Lynch is the better overall choice to me.

Fullback:

  1. Mike Alstott – 6’1 247lbs – Purdue
  2. Marcel Reese – 6’1 250lbs – Washington
  3. Vonta Leach – 6’0 261lbs – East Carolina

Honorable Mention: Kyle Juszczyk – 6’1 235lbs – Harvard

Wide Reciever:

  1. Randy Moss – 6’4 210lbs – Marshall
  2. Calvin Johnson Jr – 6’5 236lbs – Georgia Tech
  3. Antonio Brown – 5’10 185lbs – Central Michigan
  4. Tyreek Hill – 5’10 191lbs – West Alabama
  5. Julio Jones – 6’3 220lbs – Alabama

Honorable Mention: Terrell Owens – 6’3 225lbs – UTC

Tight End:

  1. Rob Gronkowski – 6’6 265lbs – Arizona
  2. Travis Kelce – 6’5 250lbs – Cincinnati
  3. Tony Gonzalez – 6’5 243lbs – Cal

Honorable Mention: George Kittle – 6’4 250lbs – Iowa

Offensive Tackle:

  1. Jonathan Ogden – 6’9 344lbs – Cal
  2. Joe Thomas – 6’6 312lbs – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  3. Trent Williams – 6’5 318lbs – Oklahoma
  4. Walter Jones – 6’5 325lbs – Florida State

Honorable Mention: Lane Johnson – 6’6 325lbs – Oklahoma

Offensive Guard:

  1. Larry Allen – 6’3 325lbs – Sonoma
  2. Zach Martin– 6’4 315lbs – Notre Dame
  3. Alan Faneca – 6’5 315lbs – Louisiana State
  4. Quentin Nelson – 6’5 330lbs – Mendoza

Honorable Mention: Steve Hutchinson – 6’5 313lbs – Michigan

Center:

  1. Jason Kelce – 6’3 282lbs – Cincinnati
  2. Kevin Mawae – 6’4 289lbs – Louisiana State

Honorable Mention: Creed Humphrey – 6’4 302lbs – Oklahoma

Defensive Tackle:

  1. Aaron Donald – 6’1 280lbs – Pittsburgh
  2. Warren Sapp – 6’2 300lbs – Miami
  3. JJ Watt – 6’5 287lbs – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  4. Chris Jones – 6’6 310lbs – Mississippi State

Honorable Mention: Ndamukong Suh – 6’4 313lbs – University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Edge Rusher:

  1. JJ Watt – 6’5 287lbs – University of Wisconsin-Madison
  2. Von Miller – 6’3 249lbs – Texas A&M
  3. Myles Garrett – 6’4 272lbs – Texas A&M
  4. TJ Watt – 6’4 251lbs – Wisconsin
  5. Khalil Mack – 6’3 269lbs – Buffalo
  6. Demarcus Ware – 6’4 260lbs – Troy

Honorable Mention: Jared Allen – 6’6 255lbs – Idaho State

Outside Linebacker:

  1. Derrick Brooks – 6’0 235lbs – Florida State
  2. Demarcus Ware – 6’4 260lbs – Troy
  3. Zach Thomas – 5’11 243lbs – Texas Tech
  4. Terrell Suggs – 6’3 265lbs – Arizona State

Honorable Mention: James Harrison – 6’0 245lbs – Kent State

Inside Linebacker:

  1. Ray Lewis – 6’1 240lbs – Miami
  2. Luke Kuechly – 6’3 235lbs – Boston College
  3. Brian Urlacher 6’4 259lbs – New Mexico
  4. Patrick Willis – 6’1 240lbs – Mississippi

Honorable Mention: Bobby Wagner – 6’0 240lbs – Utah State

Cornerback:

  1. Darrelle Revis – 5’11 198lbs – Pittsburgh
  2. Champ Bailey – 6’0 192lbs – Georgia
  3. Charles Woodson – 6’1 202lbs – Michigan
  4. Richard Sherman – 6’3 194lbs – Stanford
  5. Stephon Gilmore – 6’0 190lbs – South Carolina
  6. Jalen Ramsey – 6’1 209lbs – Florida State

Honorable Mention: Patrick Surtain – 6’2 202lbs – Alabama

Free Safety:

  1. Ed Reed – 5’11 205lbs – Miami
  2. Sean Taylor – 6’2 212lbs – Miami
  3. Earl Thomas – 5’10 202lbs – Texas

Honorable Mention: Harrison Smith – 6’2 214lbs – Notre Dame

Strong Safety:

  1. Troy Polumalu – 5’10 207lbs – USC
  2. Brian Dawkins – 6’0 209lbs – Clemson
  3. Kam Chancellor – 6’3 225lbs – Virginia Tech

Honorable Mention: Eric Berry – 6’0 212lbs – Tennessee

Kicker:

  1. Adam Vinatieri – 6’0 206lbs – South Dakota State
  2. Justin Tucker – 6’1 181lbs – Texas

Honorable Mention: Cam Little – 6’1 172lbs – Arkansas

Punter:

  1. Shane Lechler – 6’2 225lbs – Texas A&M
  2. Johnny Hekker – 6’5 227lbs – Oregon State

Honorable Mention: Andy Lee – 6’1 180lbs – Pittsburgh

Return Specialist:

  1. Devin Hester – 5’11 190lbs – Miami
  2. Josh Cribbs – 6’1 215lbs – Kent State

Honorable Mention: Cordarrelle Patterson – 6’2 220lbs – Tennessee

Special Teams Player:

  1. Matthew Slater – 6’0 210lbs – Cal

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