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Originally Posted by Who Dat?
The guy that can blow up the play in the backfield is so much more valuable from an individual standpoint than the guy that can hold his ground "better" (I say that because Harris can also hold his ground). You surround the guy that can blow up the play with guys that consistently meet the lineman at the point of attack and you've got yourself a great balanced front line. If you are rating these folks from an individual standpoint (which in this case we are I guess according to the OP) you have to say that Harris is the best of the bunch at this point in time. There are a lot of DLmen who can stand their ground but none have the explosiveness that Harris has right now. I take the rare player and surround him with strict run stoppers. That being said your analysis is spot on that the team itself even really hasn't had to focus on stopping the run and we don't know if that will be an issue or not. What I am saying is for the purpose of the OP asking to rank the best I still think that you have to put Harris at the top right now because he is a rare talent...and maybe you're right maybe when he can't move upfield in passing situations he'll be exploited a bit...but we're not sure of that yet and right now he has been the most dominant DT in the NFL this year. I don't think any NFL analyst would disagree with that.
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I think you underestimate just how quick Pat Williams and Shaun Rogers are. Yes, both are 330+ pound human mountains, but both are also very quick off the snap. On passing downs, when able to pin his ears back and go, Williams shoots the gap nearly as well as Kevin Williams.
I guess I just give more emphasis on a DT's flexibility. I would call Pat Williams and Shaun Rogers 2/3 the pass rusher that Harris is. Combine that with their near-immovability and I pick them as the best.
We could have a similar disagreement on DEs. KGB is, without a doubt, the best pure pass rushing end in the NFC North. But he has an allergic reaction to tackling anybody with a number >20 on his jersey. Harris isn't as 1-dimensional as KGB, but he isn't as versatile as Pat or Rogers. That drop-off in pass-rushing is off-set by the advantage in run situations.
Just to reiterate though, Harris is a special player. Compared to the other 60-or-so DTs in the league, he is going to be better than damn near all of them. But the NFC North is odd. It has FOUR special players in it. You can really pick any of the four out in any order and not be wrong. Compare K-Dub or Harris or Pat or Rogers to near any other starter out there and they will win. Listing Harris 3rd isn't a slight on him at all, just a statement of how good they all are. Call them 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d if you like.