Dak Prescott received no votes in this ranking - but he wasn't eligible.

Sports Illustrated recently polled its writers to determine the most important players on every NFL team, sans quarterbacks. Some of the Cowboys' results might surprise you.

The methodology:

"Each writer was assigned to a conference and asked to rank each roster's most important players, 1 through 10. Those players then were given points consistent with their positioning--a first-place vote was worth 10 points, second-place was worth nine and so on."

Here's how Sports Illustrated ranked the Cowboys in order of importance:

1. RB Ezekiel Elliott (47 points) 2. LB Sean Lee (36) 3. LT Tyron Smith (35) 4. WR Dez Bryant (26) 5. C Travis Frederick (24) 6. G Zack Martin (18) T-8. TE Jason Witten (13) T-8. DE Taco Charlton (13) T-8. G/T La'el Collins (13) 10. DT Maliek Collins (9)

Other Cowboys receiving votes: Tyrone Crawford (eight points), Orlando Scandrick (seven), Jaylon Smith (six), Chidobe Awuzie (five), Nolan Carroll (five), Anthony Brown (three), Byron Jones (two), DeMarcus Lawrence (two), Cole Beasley (two), Dan Bailey (one).

Running back Ezekiel Elliott almost unanimously received votes:

"...The lowest Zeke finished on any ballot was third, and he notched three first-place votes. No surprise, considering his impact on the Cowboys' 2016 season."

Here's some thoughts on Sean Lee's No. 2 ranking:

"This is a roster built around its dominant offensive line, led by all-world tackle Tyron Smith, so it speaks to Lee's value that he placed above Smith, Frederick and Martin (plus Bryant). Last season, Lee finally managed to dodge the injury bug again and landed a first-team All-Pro nod as the lead of Dallas's defense. No one ranked Lee No. 1, but the veteran linebacker earned a No. 2 vote and did not drop lower than sixth elsewhere."

Sports Illustrated also ranked the importance of players for the rest of the NFC East:

New York Giants:

1. WR Odell Beckham Jr. (48 points) 2. LT Ereck Flowers (38) 3. DE Jason Pierre-Paul (35) 4. S Landon Collins (30) 5. CB Janoris Jenkins (19) 6. DE Olivier Vernon (18) 7. DT Damon Harrison (17) 8. RB Paul Perkins (16) 9. WR Brandon Marshall (12) 10. CB Eli Apple (8)

Philadelphia Eagles:

1. WR Alshon Jeffery (44 points) 2. DE Fletcher Cox (35) 3. LB Jordan Hicks (27) 4. CB Malcolm Jenkins (26) 5. RT Lane Johnson (24) 6. TE Zach Ertz (18) 7. LT Jason Peters (17) 8. DE Brandon Graham (17) 9. RB LeGarrette Blount (16) T-10. CB Jalen Mills (eight) T-10. DT Timmy Jernigan (eight)

Washington Redskins:

1. TE Jordan Reed (41 points) 2. CB Josh Norman (37) 3. LT Trent Williams (35) 4. OLB Ryan Kerrigan (31) 5. WR Terrelle Pryor (20) 6. WR Jamison Crowder (17) 7. DT Jonathan Allen (15) 8. LB Zach Brown (14) T-10. RT Morgan Moses (11) T-10. S D.J. Swearinger (11) T-10. G Brandon Scherff (11) T-10. RB Rob Kelley (11)