NFL - Super bowl

Five potential landing spots for Jason Pierre-Paul

Jason Pierre-Paul is perhaps the biggest X-factor of this free agency class. He's the player whoinspired the most heated debate between Chris Wesseling and I while coming up with our Top 99 available players list. I see a player who still has potential to be among the 10 best at his position in football. Wess sees a guy who can't tackle.

In a worst-case scenario, Pierre-Paul looks like an above average starter with a ton of experience despite being only 27 years old. Pro Football Focus rankings aren't the final answer on a player, but they had him ranked as the No. 9 4-3 defensive end after he returned to the field in Week 9.From my vantage point, Pierre-Paul has a high floor and a high ceiling as a free agent. Just go back to watch his film from the second half of last season. Without any training camp work, he was highly disruptive as a pass rusher with 34 hurries and six quarterback hits in limited action, according to Pro Football Focus. It's fair to criticize Pierre-Paul for failing to finish plays, but I don't assume that he's a finished product. He was just learning for the first time how to play football with a club on his hand. He underwent surgery in the offseason in hopes of wearing a glove in the future, which should help his tackling immensely. While the equipment changes, Pierre-Paul's understanding of how to play around his handicap could as well.

It will be fascinating to see what kind of interest Pierre-Paul inspires. The Giants reportedly wanted to sign him to a short-term "prove it" deal, and Pierre-Paul feels comfortable in New Jersey. If he was a free agent a year ago, he might have inspired a deal worth over $15 million per year. Now he will come at a discount, and he's a good bet to be a great value.