Larry Fitzgerald ranked 22nd best player in the NFL

NFL.com has been running a top 100 series as voted by the players. Today the Arizona Cardinals own Larry Fitzgerald was voted as the 22^nd best player in the NFL. Several NFL pundits spoke on the subject including Kurt Warner, Michael Irvin, Michael Silver and Dave Dameshek. All of them gave their opinions on Fitzgerald's' ranking and if they believed it was fair or not.

Kurt Warner gave a glowing opinion of Fitzgerald and for good reason; he saw firsthand what he can do. First, Warner questioned the ranking and asked what it was on. Was it based on stats from last season, overall skill, or what? He asked this because he said there is no way Fitzgerald isn't one of the top ten players in the National Football League. Warner argued that Fitzgerald should be closer to number one than 22.

Michael Irvin spoke next and believed that Fitzgerald's ranking was about "pure respect." Based on the season he had last year (very poor) and the fact that Fitzgerald was still considered one of the top players in the NFL was a testament to how respected Fitzgerald is as a WR. Now that Fitzgerald has a better QB, he predicts a return to the top.

Next was NFL's Michael Silver, who was the highest on Fitzgerald. Silver started off saying he wasn't the biggest fan of Fitzgerald when Fitzgerald entered the league but once he paired up with Warner, Silver changed his mind and believes that Fitzgerald is the best WR in the NFL. Yes, even better Calvin Johnson, the man dubbed Megatron. Silver brought a quote Warner once had about Fitzgerald, where Warner stated he was trained to never pass to a WR if he wasn't open until he began playing with Fitzgerald. Warner said Fitzgerald changed his definition of open saying that he could just throw the ball to him knowing he would go up and get it.

Dave Dameshek was the last to speak and was the lowest on Fitzgerald. He believed that Fitzgerald is probably the third best WR in the NFL. His belief is that 1000 yard receivers are the norm these days and that Fitzgerald didn't even have a 1000 yards receiving. While the other three pundits knew Fitzgerald could have had a better season with a better QB situation, Dameshek didn't even brush the topic. He did say, however, that Fitzgerald has the best hands in the NFL and maybe the best ever. So while he isn't as high as everyone else he still sees Fitzgerald as the one of the best and believes he deserves his ranking based on his ability.

Do you agree with the players ranking of Larry Fitzgerald? How would you rank him? Does last year change your opinion of him or do you think pure ability alone is all the matters in the rankings?