As the Jets get close to training camp, I am going to examine the roster and give you my top 25 players. Each weekday, we will reveal another person on the list, leading right into camp. I am not including rookies on this list because I do not feel it is possible to fully evaluate them before they play a game.

No. 8: Damon Harrison

Last year’s ranking: 7

Position: Nose tackle

Age: 26

How acquired: Signed as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2012

Years left on contract: 1

2015 Salary Cap figure: $2.35 million

Looking back at 2014: Harrison is the most unsung of the Jets’ defensive linemen, but he has become an essential piece of that unit. Harrison does a great job clogging up the middle and is the main reason the Jets’ run defense finished fifth in the NFL last year.

Harrison had 55 tackles, and Pro Football Focus ranked him the 14th best nose tackle/defensive tackle out of 81 they graded.

The website has a statistic called “stop percentage,” which measures how many stops (plays that constitute an offensive failure) a player registers per snap. Harrison was No. 1 in this category. He was fifth in stops and third in run defense at the position behind Marcell Dareus and Ndamukong Suh.

Harrison did not have a sack and was not really a factor against the pass. Harrison did not play in sub packages, making him a two-down player.

Outlook for 2015: Harrison is entering a contract season, and the Jets face an interesting decision. It is going to be impossible for the Jets to keep all of these young defensive linemen. Is Harrison going to be the one they let walk away?

Harrison had less of an impact than Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson over the past two seasons, but he is an integral piece of the Jets defense. Under Todd Bowles, Harrison’s role should not change much. If Harrison can improve as a pass rusher, he could really increase his payday as a free agent.

If Mike Maccagnan can somehow find a way to keep Harrison, it would continue a great story for the team. The Jets took a chance on Harrison out of tiny William Penn University in Iowa and he has become one of the best nose tackles in football. He went from stocking shelves at Wal Mart to the NFL and he is on the verge of getting a big contract.