Our offseason ranking series continues with a look at the men in the middle…
1. Nick Mangold, New York Jets — The 31-year-old six-time Pro Bowler gave up zero sacks on 1,071 snaps in 2014. He hasn’t slipped up one bit.
2. Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys — It takes a lot to make the Pro Bowl as a rookie center, and even more to emerge as quite possibly the best run-blocking center in football at the age of 24. But that’s the 2014 first-round Wisconsin product for you. He was a force paving the way for offensive player of the year DeMarco Murray.
3. Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers — The first-team All-Pro bounced back in a huge way from a 2013 season derailed by injuries, picking up the the fourth-best Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade at that position while surrendering just a single sack on 1,127 snaps.
4. Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles — Despite missing four games in 2014, the 27-year-old was a beastly run-blocker and a solid pass-blocker. He just has to cut down on his penalties, but PFF loves him regardless. In fact, he was their highest-rated center in 2013. We’ll see if he gets back into that echelon with a healthier 2015 campaign.
5. Alex Mack, Cleveland Browns — Injuries were a problem for the 29-year-old in 2014, but he still gave up zero sacks and only one pressure in five games, earning a top-10 grade from PFF.
