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          NFL Nation

          #NFLRank: NFC North in 51-60

          • Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff WriterAug 23, 2013, 01:30 PM ET
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              Kevin Seifert is a staff writer who covers the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL at ESPN. Kevin has covered the NFL for over 20 years, joining ESPN in 2008. He was previously a beat reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Washington Times. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia. You can follow him via Twitter @SeifertESPN.
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          Two NFC North players were among those ranked between 51-60 in our #NFLRank project, an ESPN effort to identify the top 100 offensive and top 100 defensive players in the NFL. As always, our portion of both lists are updated at the bottom.

          Offense

          59. Minnesota Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil

          (Detailed here by ESPN.com's Ben Goessling)

          Defense

          53. Chicago Bears defensive tackle Henry Melton

          Stats & Info: Melton has 13 sacks over the past two seasons when lined up at one of the defensive tackle positions. Only the Bengals' Geno Atkins (17.0) has more.

          Seifert comment: Sack totals always draw attention for defensive tackles, and there is no doubt Melton is productive in a way that NFL teams value. (He's the Bears' franchise player this season.) But there is some doubt about how good Melton is on the plays he doesn't get a sack on. He isn't often mentioned as one game's top interior players.

          NFC North showing to date:

          Offense

          59. Kalil

          64. Green Bay Packers receiver Randall Cobb

          66. Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson

          72. Minnesota Vikings center John Sullivan

          77. Minnesota Vikings receiver Greg Jennings

          94. Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford

          97. Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler

          Defense

          53. Melton

          65. Minnesota Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway

          76. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley

          81. Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings

          92. Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams

          95. Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith

          Here is a one-stop link for all of our #NFLRank coverage on this blog.