Why Nick Mangold?

When head coach Eric Mangini and general manager Mike Tannenbaum took over with the New York Jets, center Nick Mangold was drafted in the first round to be a building block for the offense. In 2009, when Mangini was jettisoned and Rex Ryan was named the new head coach, Mangold was still a building block. Now, in 2012, with John Idzik taking over as GM, Mangold is still a building block.

He was voted to four consecutive Pro Bowls and was named first-team All-Pro back-to-back years in 2009 and 2010 as the anchor for a rush attack that ranked first and fourth in the NFL, respectively.

Pro Football Focus has docked Mangold for three or fewer sacks allowed in each of the past five seasons, while consistently facing top talents like Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams, Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork and Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks, all three of whom appear on this list.

Did you know?

Mangold was the first Ohio State offensive linemen drafted in the first round since offensive tackle Orlando Pace was taken first overall by the Rams in 1997.

Check back every morning as we reveal one player a day on our way to No. 1 in the top 25.

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