Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Lane Johnson's Presence Makes Team Better

Lane Johnson may not get the national acclaim he deserves – like, how does he not make the Pro Bowl last year despite missing three games to battle anxiety and depression? – but in Philadelphia, there can be no denying that he is one of the best players on the Eagles.

Here at SI Eagles Today we won’t be denying him what he deserves, that's for sure.

The Eagles’ right tackle lands at No. 3 on our countdown of the top 25 best current Eagles.

The process behind the top-25 list started with Eagles Today site publisher Ed Kracz and staff writer John McMullen putting together their top 25 independent of each other’s and then assigning point values, with 25 points awarded to the player ranked first on each list, 24 to the player ranked second, and so on, with one point going to the player that was put 25th.

The highest ranking from either reporter broke any ties in the ballot.

Johnson finished third on our list based on the combination of Kracz having him No. 5 and McMullen putting Johnson No. 2 on his list, behind Dallas Goedert.

Johnson totaled 45 points, which tied him with Jordan Mailata, but the tiebreaker came down to McMullen having Johnson at No. 2, pushing Mailata to No. 4 overall.

Meanwhile, Goedert checked in at No. 5 on our list.

Johnson is the second straight offensive lineman to appear in the top 5, joining Mailata, and the third straight offensive player, with Goedert checking in at 5.

Prior to that, DeVonta Smith (No. 7), Jalen Hurts (No. 13), and Landon Dickerson (No. 15) were the only three offensive players to crack the top 15.

As for Johnson, the Eagles’ record isn’t good when he doesn’t play. They are 12-20 without him, 59-42-1 with him since he was drafted fourth overall in 2013.

The Eagles went 1-2 last year when he left the team.

More than anything else, the overall record without him is evidence that makes him one of the Eagles’ best players.

THE COUNTDOWN SO FAR

No. 25 – Jack Driscoll

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles on the Current Roster Begins at ...

No. 24 – Derek Barnett

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Derek Barnett Sneaks in at No. 24

No. 23 – Kyzir White

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No. 22 - Quez Watkins

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No. 21 – Jake Elliott

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No. 20 – Isaac Seumalo

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No. 19 – James Bradberry

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No. 18 - Jordan Davis

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Jordan Davis Checks in at No. 18

No. 17 - T.J. Edwards

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Don't Overlook TJ Edwards

No. 16 - Miles Sanders

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No. 15 - Landon Dickerson

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Healthy Season Lands Landon Dickerson at No. 15

No. 14 - Avonte Maddox

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No. 13 - Jalen Hurts

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No. 12 - Javon Hargrave

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Javon Hargrave Bull Rushes to No. 12

No. 11 - Brandon Graham

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Brandon Graham on the Fringe of the Top 10

No. 10 - Josh Sweat

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Josh Sweat Races Around the ...

No. 9 - Fletcher Cox

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Fletcher Cox Lands at No 9

No. 8 - Haason Reddick

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No. 7 - DeVonta Smith

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: DeVonta Smith Breaks into the Top 10

No. 6 – Darius Slay

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: 'Big Play' Slay Lands at No. 6

No. 5 - Dallas Goedert

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Dallas Goedert Kicks Off Our Final 5

No. 4 - Jordan Mailata

Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Developmental to Dominant ...

No. 3 - Lane Johnson

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.