Corners are near the top, safeties near the bottom.

See I never would have guessed that. I guess because the skill positions get all the press. I could barely name an LT not with the Chiefs.

Personally, I would break it down into 4 tiers. Tier 2 and 3 are probably closest together in terms of importance and would probably even change based on your system. Mine assumes a 4-3 defense.

Tier 1: QB, DE, DT, LT
Tier 2: RT, CB, MLB, WR
Tier 3: RB, G, C, OLB, S
Tier 4: K, P, FB

Most QB's are right handed. They protect the blind side. Keep your QB from getting hurt, causing him to fumble etc.

These are the 3 highest positional values on offense IMO
QB
LT
WR

Defense
DE
DT
MLB

And based upon this, the Chiefs decided to get rid of a proven pass rushing DE last year.

They already had one third of the puzzle, but the idea was to rebuild from scratch. Jared Allen obviously had to go.

LBs who rush the QB, and produce sacks are more valuable than ones that don't.

General Rule of thumb.

Tier 1
QB, LOT, DE/OLB rusher.

Tier 2
Corner, DT

Tier 3
HB, WR, MLB

Tier 4
OLB, S, all other OL

Tier 5
kickers, punters, FBs.

Of course a great player at any tier can jump all the way up - Calvin Johnson, Sean Taylor, etc.

Carl Peterson. Thankfully he's no longer with the club. LT is also a very valuable position. We got a good one out of the deal.

Good post. A "special player" can be picked anywhere in the draft. They are rare, and of course would never include FBs.

Positional value is the degree to which having a player who is at least good and preferably great will improve your team's chances of winning relative to having simply an average player at such position or, conversely, the degree to which a mediocre player at such position will hurt your team's chances of winning.

QB is obviously #1 because they have more impact on more things than any other position on the field.

While kicker or punter may seem destiend for #24 becuase they play the least number of snap, I'd put them ahead of a position that can effectively be eliminated. FB, for example. FB is #24 on my list because you can substitute nearly anyone into that role and do a "serviceable" job.

Blind side tackle (usually left, because most QBs are righty) is a position where if you have a mediocre player, it can destroy you because one strip sack is enough to make a difference in the closely balanced NFL.

Conversely, pass-rushing DE or OLB has the same weight on the other side of the ball.

TAckles are generally more important than guards because they operate on the offensive line's edges, and if they need help, it must come from a TE or RB, which can mess up formation/play preferences. Centers are also ahead of guards because they set the pass protection. Guards can get help on either side, and don't need to make decisions, so they're less valuable.

TEs and RBs are involved in every play, so they are important. WRs less so because they don't impact as many plays in general. On running plays they have little/no impact or significance.

Defensively, pass rushers are first. Then I'd put linebackers and interior defensive linemen into the next tier down. Then cornerbacks, then safeties.

I guess I'd group them this way, more or less:

1. QBs
2. blind-side tackle and pass rushing DE/OLB
3. DL/TEs/RB/LBs/CB
4. OT/C/WR
5. Safety/Guard
6. P/K
7. FB

Of course, this whole thing is overly simplistic. A third WR mgiht be more valuable than a starting LB, in some ways, depending on the team's offensive philosophy.

I'd pay Tom Brady money to Ed Reed to have him on my team. Safety or not...

Dammit, that sounds way better than the way I put it.

Thanks guys. Got some really great responses. I believe I've got it now.

I disagree with WRs being up there with QBs, and LTs, but that's just me.