Top 25 Players of the 2005 Draft: 12-1

In case you missed players 25-13, .

No. 12: Michael Roos, OT, 41st overall by the Titans. Roos has literally never missed a start from 2005 to the present day; he is 112 for 112 and has one Pro Bowl and three All-Pro teams to his credit. An elite pass-blocker who also helped Chris Johnson to rush for 2,006 yards in '09. Shows no signs of slowing down, injury or contract dissatisfaction; he's a machine.

No. 11: Trent Cole, DE, 146th overall by the Eagles. Since becoming a starter, Cole has never had fewer than eight sacks in a season; beginning in '06, it's been 8, 12.5, 9, 12.5, 10, 11. Has forced at least one fumble every year; high was four in 2007. Has 68 career sacks and two Pro Bowls to his credit. One of the hardest-working DEs in the NFL; reminiscent of Aaron Kampman but with more natural athletic ability. Had fourteen tackles in the 2008 wild-card win over Minnesota.

No. 10: Darren Sproles, RB, 130th overall by the Chargers. The Chargers had a heck of a 2005 draft, didn't they? "The Lightning Bug" set the all-time NFL record for total yardage in a season in 2011, with 2,696 all-purpose yards. One of the fastest and most elusive players in the league and a true great third-down back; had 86 receptions in '11, 59 in '10 and 45 in '09. Career average is 5.2 yards per carry. Singlehandedly upset Indianapolis in 2008 with 105 rushing yards, 45 receiving yards, 178 return yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. Caught 15 passes for 118 yards in the Saints' playoff loss to the Niners in '11. The quintessential do-everything man.

No. 9: Jay Ratliff, DE/NT, 224th overall by the Cowboys. If there was a better late-round gem in this draft, I don't know who it was. Undersized at just 287 pounds, Ratliff plays NT and in the Cowboys' nickel package; he's made four straight Pro Bowls and been the anchor of the defense for the past five years (in which he's missed a total of two starts). Best season was 2008, when he had 51 tackles and 7.5 sacks. Probably the best pass-rushing NT in football.

No. 8: Antrel Rolle, S, 8th overall by the Cardinals. Missed eight starts in '06 and one in '09; other than that, hasn't missed one since his rookie year. Doesn't have spectacular stats but is solid at every aspect of the game; hard hitter and good pass defender. Two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro to his credit. Picked off five passes in '07, with three touchdowns, in just eight starts. Solid tackler averages 80/year as a starter. Giant for the last two years, Cardinal for the previous five; has fifteen career interceptions and a Super Bowl ring.

No. 7: Corey Webster, CB, 43rd overall by the Giants. Packers fans will remember Webster as the man who picked off Brett Favre in overtime in the '07 NFC Championship Game; that year, he also helped shut down Dallas's Terrell Owens and New England's Randy Moss in the '07 playoffs. Webster has ten interceptions in the last two years, has missed just four starts in the last three years and has become one of the league's top cover corners. Has 61 passes defensed in the last four years, including 24 in '08.

No. 6: Frank Gore, RB, 65th overall by the Niners. One of the league's best, yet least-known, running backs. Has been to three Pro Bowls and led the NFC in rushing yards in '06, with 1,695. Gore hasn't come close to that number again, but he does have five 1,000-yard seasons to his credit; he missed five games in 2010 but still managed 853. Prolific receiver has 287 career catches, including a career-high 61 in '06. Has started 85 of 96 possible games since the beginning of '06; his career high is ten touchdowns. In his only two playoff games, had over 100 total yards against both the Giants and Saints in '11. High number of fumbles drops him a spot or two on this list; 28 in seven years, including 19 lost.

No. 5: Justin Tuck, DE, 73rd overall by the Giants. Had ten sacks as a situational pass-rusher in 2007, then 12 in '08 and 11.5 in '10. Weirdly inconsistent, with six sacks in '09 and just five in '11, but when he's on he's on. 18 career forced fumbles. Trent Cole has superior stats, but Tuck is ranked this high because of his big-game production. Had two sacks and a forced fumble in Super Bowl XLII, then 1.5 sacks in the 2011 divisional round, and two sacks in Super Bowl XLVI. He also forced the Tom Brady intentional grounding penalty that resulted in a safety. As Deion Sanders repeats endlessly on NFL Network, "Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games."

No. 4: Roddy White, WR, 27th overall by the Falcons. Five straight seasons of 1,100 yards or better; all but two starts made in the last five years; 42 touchdowns during that span; a high of 1,389 yards in 2010; two 100-catch seasons ('10, '11), etc., etc. White is by far the best wideout of the '05 draft, and one of the league's best right now; he's made four straight Pro Bowls and led the NFC in receiving yards in 2010. The NFC's answer to Wes Welker isn't the greatest deep threat (career average of 13.9 yards per catch) but just gets open and catches everything. Caught 11 passes for 84 yards and a TD in '08 postseason loss. The backbreaking Tramon Williams pick-six in the '10 divisional round was intended for him.

No. 3: Logan Mankins, G, 32nd overall by the Patriots. This may be a little high for a guard, but I've always been impressed by Mankins. He's made four Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams and has two AFC Championship rings. Mankins is one reason why the Patriots can get by without a feature back, the way they have since Curtis Martin, and why Tom Brady has had the success he's had. Mankins held out for seven games in 2010 and missed a start in '11, but he was 16 for 16 every year in the five years prior to that. One of the league's top guards, up there with Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans.

No. 2: DeMarcus Ware, OLB, 11th overall by the Cowboys. Far and away the best pass-rushing 3-4 OLB in football. Is he the best pass-rusher in the league? That's between Ware and Jared Allen, but the gap between them is miniscule. Ware has made six Pro Bowls and led the NFL in sacks twice; he missed one solitary game in 2008 and that is it. Starting in ’05, his sack totals are: 8, 11.5, 14.0, 20, 11, 15.5 and 19.5. That is ridiculous. He was a half-sack away from being the first player in NFL history with two 20-sack seasons. Ware has forced 27 fumbles in his seven years and averages 68 tackles per season. He's a playoff performer as well, notching three sacks and a forced fumble in two '09 games, and one sack of Eli Manning in an '07 loss. The absolute model for 3-4 pass-rushers today.

No. 1: Aaron Rodgers, QB, 24th overall by the Packers. I debated long and hard over whether to put DeMarcus Ware in this spot, but in the end I had to go with Rodgers. You know the numbers: one Super Bowl MVP, one regular-season MVP, two Pro Bowls, three 4,000-yard seasons, 132 touchdowns to 38 interceptions, etc., etc. He's missed two games in four years and is 4-2 in the playoffs; put up gaudy stats but was outdueled by Kurt Warner in 2009, then went 4-0 in the 2010 playoffs with three spectacular performances. Rodgers' poor performance in the '11 playoff loss to New York remains largely unexplained. Makes fewer mistakes than any other QB, and does it with more touchdown passes. One of the smartest players in football at any position.