Shutdown Corner's top 25 NFL free agents

We counted down all the relevant offensive and defensive free agents, position by position, this week at Shutdown Corner. Now it's time to narrow the focus.

Who are the top 25 difference-makers who are scheduled to hit the open market, regardless of position? Here they are, listed with the team they were with last season:

25. San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews

There's a good chance whoever signs Mathews will regret it the first time he lands on the injury report with some nagging ailment. But the talent is legit. He's a 220-pound back who can catch the ball out of the backfield or run between the tackles. If he could just stay healthy ...

24. Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Bruce Carter

It's a leap of faith to put him on this list, but he was coming on at the end of last season. The talent has always been there, he just hasn't had the consistency to match. If he has figured it out? He's still just 27 years old.

23. Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith

Smith is pretty much a one-dimensional receiver, but that dimension is valuable and he's very good at it. Smith is the deep threat who can stretch a defense. He averages 16.9 yards per catch in his career and has 30 touchdowns in four NFL seasons.

22. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley

Forget that Fairley was a bit of a disappointment with the Lions. The light seemed to turn on last year, before his season was shortened due to a knee injury. He still has a pedigree as a high first-round pick and is just 27 years old, and some team will believe it is investing in his breakout.

[Check out Shutdown Corner's full 2015 free agent rankings – click here for offensive players, and click here for defensive players and specialists]

21. Cleveland Browns tight end Jordan Cameron

In 2013, Cameron had 80 catches, 917 yards and seven touchdowns with poor quarterback play for the Browns, at just 25 years old. If you chalk up last year's letdown to concussions and more poor quarterback play, and believe he can stay healthy, he can be a difference-making tight end.

20. Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee

McPhee will be a leap of faith, with only six starts in four years (all in 2012) and a big payday coming. But he's a 280-pound pass rusher who had 7.5 sacks in limited duty last year. Some team will gamble on potential, and if they're right it'll be a great windfall.

19. Washington Redskins outside linebacker Brian Orakpo

Orakpo has never had fewer than 8.5 sacks in a season in which he has logged at least 15 games. He also has had two injury-shortened seasons, including a seven-game debacle last year in which he had just a half of a sack. He'll be just 29 by next season, and pass rushers like him are rare.

18. Houston Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson

The Texans reportedly were considering using the franchise tag on Jackson, and for good reason. It's hard to find good, productive corners still in their prime, which Jackson is. He has been a starter in Houston for five seasons and will turn 27 in April.

17. San Francisco 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree

There are plenty of reasons to be out on Crabtree after a fairly awful 2014. But I think back to the emerging star in 2012 who had 1,105 yards and played great late in the season. Even after an Achilles injury in 2013, he returned and looked good late in the season. It's no secret San Francisco's passing game was a mess last season. Crabtree can rebound.

16. Arizona Cardinals nose tackle Dan Williams

It's not necessarily fun to sign a run-stuffing defensive tackle in free agency. But Williams is an instant upgrade to any team's run defense as a massive body in the middle who can occupy blockers and let linebackers fly around and make plays.

15. Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Derrick Morgan

Morgan had never played outside linebacker before last season, but when the Titans switched to a 3-4 he had a great transition. So now he hits free agency at age 26 as a player who can provide an instant pass-rush boost in any scheme.

14. Denver Broncos guard Orlando Franklin

The Broncos figured Franklin might be better suited at guard, so they moved him inside from tackle. And the massive Franklin was good at guard, as expected. He's young and would be a great fit at guard or tackle.

13. San Diego Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers

Flowers, coming off a Pro Bowl in 2013, was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason. After a battle for his services, Flowers landed with the Chargers and had a very good year. Just 29 years old, he should have a few productive years left.

12. Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin

That's how you return from an ACL injury. Maclin signed a one-year deal last offseason to prove he was healthy and then cash in on the open market, and that gamble on himself paid off. He had 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Eagles, will be just 27 years old next season, and will be some team's No. 1 receiver in 2015.

11. Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Brandon Graham

Graham should be a 4-3 end, but it's harder to find those opportunities with everyone running the 3-4. The good news for Graham is he was great in the 3-4 as well even though he wasn't even a full-time starter for the Eagles. I think Graham is a fantastic player and some team is going to cash in on his full age-27 season breakout.

10. Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy

If there was no off-field concerns, just move Hardy up near the top of this list. But we know there are, after a domestic violence incident cost him almost the entire 2014 season. He had 26 sacks in 2012 and 2013, and that type of talent is going to cause some team to overlook any concerns off the field.

9. Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga

It's hard to believe Bulaga is just 25 years old (he'll turn 26 later this month). He has been a very good right tackle for the Packers, starting 48 games. He missed a season with an ACL injury but any long-term concern about that vanished when he turned in an excellent 2014 campaign.

8. San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati

Iupati is coming off three straight Pro Bowls and is one of the best guards in football. He's an athletic 331-pounder, so he can pull or just mash the tackle lined up in front of him. He'd make any offensive line better.

7. Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray

Murray fits best with the Cowboys, and the Cowboys are the team that would benefit most from Murray. If he doesn't return, he still is the reigning NFL offensive player of the year, and in the right scheme he would boost an offense. It'll be very interesting to see what the market is for him.

6. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell

About the only concern with Maxwell is if he switches teams he won't have nearly the same supporting cast in the secondary, and can he be a true No. 1 corner? He probably can. Even with teams refusing to test Richard Sherman, Maxwell held up just fine. His speed-size combination will have teams lining up to pay him.

5. Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes

Hughes was a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2010, and wasn't productive for them. But after a trade to the Bills he took off, posting 10 sacks in consecutive years. Good, young pass rushers are hard to find.

4. Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas

Yes, it's so (expletive) easy for Thomas to score in the NFL. He has done it 24 times the past two seasons. There should be some questions if Thomas will be as productive away from one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history, but he's a star on the rise and will get a huge deal.

3. Green Bay Packers receiver Randall Cobb

It's a bit surprising the Packers didn't franchise tag Cobb, but then again, they're the most conservative team in the league when it comes to free agency. That has set up Cobb to hit free agency at 24 years old, coming off a 1,287-yard season. Teams will be lining up to overpay him. He's not just a product of Aaron Rodgers, he's a dangerous weapon who will be fine on any team, even if he'll be a bit overpaid.

2. New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty

It was a surprise that Patriots franchise tagged kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Not because Gostkowski isn't worth it, but because now they'll have a fight to retain a player who is a key part of their very multiple defense. McCourty's range and ability to fit into any role the Patriots needed him for was a crucial part of their championship defense.

1. Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh

Not just the prize of this year's class, he'd be the prize of all but a few free-agent classes in NFL history. He's a disruptor in the middle against the run and the pass, and has been everything he was advertised to be coming out of Nebraska. The only question for teams will be if they can afford to give a defensive tackle a contract fit for a top quarterback and still field a competitive team elsewhere. But the player is as good as you'll ever find on the open market.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab