8. Dontari Poe
Nobody can eat up space the 346-pound nose tackle named Poe. The Chiefs drafted Poe in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft from Memphis, and many were skeptical. Poe was incredible at the NFL Scouting Combine, but his college play was marginal on a bad team in a mediocre conference.
After a solid but unspectacular rookie season, Poe has become one of the dominant forces in the game. Consistently eating up double teams and freeing up Jaye Howard, Allen Bailey and the linebackers, Poe’s value goes well beyond his stats. While people love to look at stuffs, sacks and tackles, Poe’s ability to hold the point of attack and force ballcarries elsewhere is a huge asset.
The 25-year-old came off back surgery to play in all 16 games last year, totaling one sack and 39 tackles. Those numbers were down from the previous two campaigns in which he amassed 10.5 sacks and an average of 48.5 tackles per season. With the back surgery behind him, Poe should be able to bounce back in a contract year to the level we remember.
It’s tough to quantify Poe’s talents until you watch film of him, but he might be the most unique athlete in the sport. Without the big man in the middle, the Chiefs would be in a very tough spot.
Next: No. 7