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          NFL Nation

          #NFLRank: NFC North in 41-50

          • Kevin Seifert, ESPN Staff WriterAug 26, 2013, 01:45 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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          Three North players were among those ranked between 41-50 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

          48. Chicago Bears tailback Matt Forte

          Stats & Info: Since entering the league in 2008, Forte has 15 100-yard rushing games. The Bears are 14-1 in those games. Of the 19 running backs with at least 10 100-yard games over that span, Forte's 14-1 record is the best.

          Seifert comment: Forte might be the best pass-catching running back in the NFL, and he's also been a 1,000-yard rusher in three of his five seasons. You can expect Marc Trestman's offense to take better advantage of his capabilities.

          Defense

          45. Green Bay Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji

          Stats & Info: Raji has an NFL-high 7.5 sacks when lined up as the nose tackle in a 3-4 defense over the last three seasons. The Packers' defense has allowed exactly one fewer yard per rush inside the tackles with Raji on the field over that span.

          Seifert comment: From a national perspective, Raji might still be living off his performance in the Packers' run to the Super Bowl in 2010. The team expressed some reservation as well by deciding not to extend his contract this offseason.

          47. Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams

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

          NFC North showing to date:

          Offense

          48. Forte

          59. Minnesota Vikings left tackle Matt 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

          45. Raji

          47. Williams

          53. Chicago Bears defensive tackle Henry 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.

          And finally, here is my post taking a broader look at what this project has revealed.