It was a late start in the NFL for Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake.
The former undrafted player couldn't latch on with a team until he spent two years in the CFL and won defensive player of the year in Canada in back-to-back years. After that, NFL teams were calling and the Dolphins landed Wake in 2009 at the age of 27.
Six seasons, four Pro Bowls and 63 career sacks later, Wake is one of the NFL's most-respected pass-rushers. ESPN.com rolled out its annual "NFL Rank" project on Tuesday, and Wake was rated at the No. 51 player overall. The panel was comprised of 71 voters across various ESPN platforms.
Wake could have a monster season playing next to new Dolphins Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Miami signed Suh in the offseason to take pressure off Wake and the rest of Miami's defensive line. With Suh commanding constant double-teams, Wake will see more one-on-one matchups.