12-28-2013, 08:10 PM
Here's my 1st draft of my list in how I would order them. A few positions I haven't looked at more than 10 or so prospects yet. Others that I've looked at a little more heavily, I've watched maybe 25 or so prospects.
QB
1.) Teddy Bridgewater - Top 5
2.) Blake Bortles - Top 5
3.) Johnny Manziel - 2nd round
4.) David Fales - 3rd round
5.) Derek Carr - 3rd round
I have Teddy and Blake neck and neck. Teddy will have more upside in a pre-made offense, but Blake will struggle less in a dysfunctional offense. Manziel is a distant 3rd only because of his high boom/bust factor. Fales is a very good quarterback, but has the weakest arm out of all the top quarterbacks. Carr has exceptional arm talent, but struggles with accuracy and comes from about as simple of an offense as you can run short of a wishbone or Maryland I.
RB
1.) Bishop Sankey - 2nd round
2.) Ka'Deem Carey - 2nd round
3.) Andre Williams - 2nd round
4.) Carlos Hyde - 3rd round
5.) Lache Seastrunk - 4th round
This is a tough group to rank. Sankey, Carey, and Seastrunk are very simillar in that they all run zone out of shotgun exclusively, similar size, and similar production. Seastrunk is a liability in the pass game. Hyde is a pounder used like Tebow was to pound it up the middle out of read/option. He has good patience and decent lateral movement to find the hole. Andre Williams is the only running back who runs a traditional drop back power run scheme. Williams has protype size and has a powerfully built trunk and bounces off a lot of tackles. He lacks elite speed, but he'll bounce off tacklers for 10-15 yards frequently.
WR
1.) Mike Evans - Top 15
2.) Sammy Watkins - Top 15
3.) Jared Abbrederis - 1st round
4.) Marqise Lee - 2nd round
5.) Odell Beckham / Jordan Matthews - 2nd/3rd round
Mike Evans looks like Vincent Jackson 2.0. Sammy Watkins is aggressive with good size and elite speed. Watkins didn't run a whole lot of NFL routes at Clemson, but you could see his potential for route running in the few that he did. Jared Abbrederis is probably the best college route runner I have ever watched. If he didn't have one of the worst passers in college football throwing to him he would have easily trippled his production as he was open nearly every play. The most impressive thing about Abbrederis is that he got open with his route running with NFL routes as opposed to schemed open like so many of the top receivers in college. Marqise Lee has elite potential, but seems like someone who needs to sit and learn for a year. Beckham and Matthews were too close to call. Beckham has great route running and good hands and Matthews is a good route runner that makes amazing catches, but drops some easy ones.
TE
1.) Jace Amaro - 1st round
2.) Austin Seferian-Jenkins - 1st round
3.) Eric Ebron - 1st round
4.) C.J. Fiedorowicz - 4th round
5.) Trey Burton - 4th round
The tight end group is very top heavy and drops off significantly after the top 3. Amaro and Ebron are probably the best receivers of the group, but I feel Amaro has better size to be a better blocker at the next level. Seferian-Jenkins is well-rounded, but also has a DUI to his name. Fiedorowicz had a disappointing year, but has the size and athleticism to be a solid NFL tight end. Trey Burton is more of an H-back, but he is a very good all around athlete that can produce if given a role in the NFL.
Tackle
1.) Cyrus Kouandijo - Top 10
2.) Jake Matthews - Top 10
3.) Greg Robinson - 1st round
4.) Taylor Lewan - 2nd round
5.) Seantrel Henderson - 3rd round
Kouandijo and Matthews are both studs. I feel Kouandijo is more athletic and actually a little smarter than the hall-of-fame son, Matthews. Kouandijo rarely gets beat by games. Greg Robinson has immense physical talent and is young. Lewan had an off year that really hurt his draft stock - he could have been top 15 last year. Seantrel Henderson was the former #1 high school player who played well, but never lived up to top player billing.
Guard
1.) Xavier Sua-Filo - 2nd round
2.) Cyril Richardson - 2nd round
3.) La'el Collins - 2nd round
4.) Gabe Jackson - 3rd round
5.) David Yankey - 3rd round
Sua-Filo and Richardson are probably the best fits for a zone scheme out of the top 5. Sua-Filo will whiff on some stunts, but he is very quick and springs a lot of runs at the second level. Richardson is probably a little more consistent than Sua-Filo, but you don't see as many big plays that were sprung primarily by his block as with Sua-Filo. La'el Collins probably would be best at RT in the NFL. He is the best of the bunch at just straight up pushing his man back as a road-grater, but he's not as fast as the top 2 on this list. Gabe Jackson is also a road-grater, but lacks a lot of mobility. David Yankey lacks a lot of athleticism, but has just enough to get the job done with his excellent technique.
C
1a.) Weston Richburg - 3rd round
1b.) Travis Swanson - 3rd round
3.) Gabe Ikard - 4th round
4.) Bryan Stork - 4th round
5.) Jonotthan Harrison - 5th round
Richburg and Swanson are too close to call at this point. Richburg is the quickest out of his stance and is very mobile. Swanson will hold up better against heavy defensive tackles and nose tackles lined up over top of him and he also has a bit of a mean streak. Richburg is probably a little better for a zone scheme, even though both could play it well. Ikard reminds me a lot of Meester - same build and solid all around. Stork's footwork can be poor at times and he'll allow some free rushers. Harrison's footwork is pretty bad, but he can take on bigger tackles and occasionally makes some key blocks.
DE
1.) Jadeveon Clowney - Top 5
2.) Dominque Easley - 1st round
3.) Vic Beasley - 1st round
4.) Trent Murphy - 3rd round
5.) Kony Ealy - 3rd round
Jadeveon Clowney is obviously the concensus #1 defensive end. Easley could easily be a top 5 pick if not for the knee injuries. He has the quickest 1st step out of anyone, including Clowney and Beasley. He could project as a 3 technique DT or 4-3 DE. Beasley needs to get big and work on his pass rush moves if he wants to play DE. He looks more like situational rush linebacker to me with those skinny legs. While not an elite athlete by any means, Murphy is still a lot more athletic than people give him credit for being. Murphy plays a lot of zone and doesn't get the same amount of opportunities to get sacks, but he's got a solid all-around game. He reminds me of the defensive end version of Russell Allen. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, Ealy isn't quite as athletic as most give him credit for being. Ealy and Murphy being similar athletes, I give the nod to Murphy for being more versatile.
DT
1.) Rashede Hageman - Top 10
2.) Louis Nix - 2nd round
3.) Daniel McCullers - 2nd round
4.) Aaron Donald - 3rd round
5.) Timmy Jernigan / Anthony Johnson - 4th round
Hageman is a monster. Reminds me of a thinner John Henderson. Louis Nix and Daniel McCullers are both nose tackle space eaters. Aaron Donald is a disruptive athlete without a real true position - 3 technique DT might be best fit in the NFL. Jernigan and Johnson both make some nice plays, but can be driven off the line of scrimmage too often.
OLB
1.) Kyle Van Noy - 1st round
2.) Khalil Mack - 1st round
3.) Anthony Barr - 1st round
4.) Ryan Shazier - 2nd round
5.) Jackson Jeffcoat - 3rd round
Kyle Van Noy is versatile and rushes the passer and plays coverage equally well. He has a great spin move and uses his hands well. If Van Noy was stronger at the point of attack he would be a top 15 pick. Mack and Barr are both exclusively pass rushers. Mack is stronger at the point of attack than Barr so I give him the nod. Shazier is a little small, and a bit of a risk-taker, but he is no doubt a playmaker on the field. I figured I'd project Jeffcoat in at OLB since he's too small to play DE. His production was mostly a result of scheme at Texas, where they lined him up everywhere and almost always as a standing rusher.
ILB
1.) Shayne Skov - 2nd round
2.) C.J. Mosely - 2nd round
3.) Denzel Perryman - 2nd round
4.) Christian Jones - 4th round
5.) Max Bullough - 4th round
Skov is a protypical middle linebacker who is a thumper. He'll take on the blocks and beat them. His biggest problem is not only that he lacks speed, but that he is slow. Mosely flashes a lot of big plays, but he's very unreliable, hence why he wasn't even an everydowns linebacker for Saban until this season. He's maddening to watch. Perryman is the best Miami linebacker to come out for 7 or 8 years, which is saying a lot. Christian Jones is well-rounded and played a lot of defensive end this season. Max Bullough could have been the top inside linebacker this year, but he didn't play with the same decisiveness that he played with a year ago. Add to that his recent suspension for violating team rules for Michigan State's bowl game. He's supposed to be the faster version of Shayne Skov.
CB
1.) Justin Gilbert - 1st round
2.) Darqueze Dennard - 1st round
3.) Ifo Ekpre-Olomu - 2nd round
4.) Pierre Desir - 3rd round
5.) Jason Verrett - 4th round
There is a lot of mid round talent around the 4th round here. Justin Gilbert is probably the closest thing to a known shutdown corner in this draft. He is a solid tackler in the open field. Dennard is very good in run support and good in coverage, but he'll drop some balls. Ekpre-Olomu is solid all around, but he can mistime some balls in the air and often mistimes his jumps. Pierre Desir is an interesting small school prospect from Lindenwood. He has amazing measurables at 6'2" 200 with 4.4 speed. He was rarely thrown against and when he was thrown againt, came up big. He could be a huge gainer with offseason workouts against real competition. Admittedly, I've only see 1 game of his and a few highlights. Jason Verrett has all the makings of a shutdown corner, except he's Ace Sanders sized. He can get swallowed up by blocks and thrown over, but he is almost always stride for stride with his receiver.
S
1.) Lamarcus Joyner - 2nd round
2.) Antone Exum - 2nd round
3.) Ahmad Dixon - 3rd round
4.) Craig Loston - 3rd round
5.) Haha Clinton-Dix - 4th round
Joyner is a spark of lightning that would fit Gus' defense perfectly if it werent for his smallish size. Antone Exum can play corner or safety and is probably a better fit at safety, although in Gus' system would likely be a corner at 6'2" 220 lbs. Ahmad Dixon and Craig Loston are both cover 2 safeties and are aggressive and physical. Dixon tends to lay the bigger hits, while Loston likes to submarine the legs. Haha Clinton-Dix too often misfits. In my estimation, most of the big runs given up this year by Alabama came from C.J. Mosely and Haha Clinton-Dix misfits.
K/P
Who cares?
QB
1.) Teddy Bridgewater - Top 5
2.) Blake Bortles - Top 5
3.) Johnny Manziel - 2nd round
4.) David Fales - 3rd round
5.) Derek Carr - 3rd round
I have Teddy and Blake neck and neck. Teddy will have more upside in a pre-made offense, but Blake will struggle less in a dysfunctional offense. Manziel is a distant 3rd only because of his high boom/bust factor. Fales is a very good quarterback, but has the weakest arm out of all the top quarterbacks. Carr has exceptional arm talent, but struggles with accuracy and comes from about as simple of an offense as you can run short of a wishbone or Maryland I.
RB
1.) Bishop Sankey - 2nd round
2.) Ka'Deem Carey - 2nd round
3.) Andre Williams - 2nd round
4.) Carlos Hyde - 3rd round
5.) Lache Seastrunk - 4th round
This is a tough group to rank. Sankey, Carey, and Seastrunk are very simillar in that they all run zone out of shotgun exclusively, similar size, and similar production. Seastrunk is a liability in the pass game. Hyde is a pounder used like Tebow was to pound it up the middle out of read/option. He has good patience and decent lateral movement to find the hole. Andre Williams is the only running back who runs a traditional drop back power run scheme. Williams has protype size and has a powerfully built trunk and bounces off a lot of tackles. He lacks elite speed, but he'll bounce off tacklers for 10-15 yards frequently.
WR
1.) Mike Evans - Top 15
2.) Sammy Watkins - Top 15
3.) Jared Abbrederis - 1st round
4.) Marqise Lee - 2nd round
5.) Odell Beckham / Jordan Matthews - 2nd/3rd round
Mike Evans looks like Vincent Jackson 2.0. Sammy Watkins is aggressive with good size and elite speed. Watkins didn't run a whole lot of NFL routes at Clemson, but you could see his potential for route running in the few that he did. Jared Abbrederis is probably the best college route runner I have ever watched. If he didn't have one of the worst passers in college football throwing to him he would have easily trippled his production as he was open nearly every play. The most impressive thing about Abbrederis is that he got open with his route running with NFL routes as opposed to schemed open like so many of the top receivers in college. Marqise Lee has elite potential, but seems like someone who needs to sit and learn for a year. Beckham and Matthews were too close to call. Beckham has great route running and good hands and Matthews is a good route runner that makes amazing catches, but drops some easy ones.
TE
1.) Jace Amaro - 1st round
2.) Austin Seferian-Jenkins - 1st round
3.) Eric Ebron - 1st round
4.) C.J. Fiedorowicz - 4th round
5.) Trey Burton - 4th round
The tight end group is very top heavy and drops off significantly after the top 3. Amaro and Ebron are probably the best receivers of the group, but I feel Amaro has better size to be a better blocker at the next level. Seferian-Jenkins is well-rounded, but also has a DUI to his name. Fiedorowicz had a disappointing year, but has the size and athleticism to be a solid NFL tight end. Trey Burton is more of an H-back, but he is a very good all around athlete that can produce if given a role in the NFL.
Tackle
1.) Cyrus Kouandijo - Top 10
2.) Jake Matthews - Top 10
3.) Greg Robinson - 1st round
4.) Taylor Lewan - 2nd round
5.) Seantrel Henderson - 3rd round
Kouandijo and Matthews are both studs. I feel Kouandijo is more athletic and actually a little smarter than the hall-of-fame son, Matthews. Kouandijo rarely gets beat by games. Greg Robinson has immense physical talent and is young. Lewan had an off year that really hurt his draft stock - he could have been top 15 last year. Seantrel Henderson was the former #1 high school player who played well, but never lived up to top player billing.
Guard
1.) Xavier Sua-Filo - 2nd round
2.) Cyril Richardson - 2nd round
3.) La'el Collins - 2nd round
4.) Gabe Jackson - 3rd round
5.) David Yankey - 3rd round
Sua-Filo and Richardson are probably the best fits for a zone scheme out of the top 5. Sua-Filo will whiff on some stunts, but he is very quick and springs a lot of runs at the second level. Richardson is probably a little more consistent than Sua-Filo, but you don't see as many big plays that were sprung primarily by his block as with Sua-Filo. La'el Collins probably would be best at RT in the NFL. He is the best of the bunch at just straight up pushing his man back as a road-grater, but he's not as fast as the top 2 on this list. Gabe Jackson is also a road-grater, but lacks a lot of mobility. David Yankey lacks a lot of athleticism, but has just enough to get the job done with his excellent technique.
C
1a.) Weston Richburg - 3rd round
1b.) Travis Swanson - 3rd round
3.) Gabe Ikard - 4th round
4.) Bryan Stork - 4th round
5.) Jonotthan Harrison - 5th round
Richburg and Swanson are too close to call at this point. Richburg is the quickest out of his stance and is very mobile. Swanson will hold up better against heavy defensive tackles and nose tackles lined up over top of him and he also has a bit of a mean streak. Richburg is probably a little better for a zone scheme, even though both could play it well. Ikard reminds me a lot of Meester - same build and solid all around. Stork's footwork can be poor at times and he'll allow some free rushers. Harrison's footwork is pretty bad, but he can take on bigger tackles and occasionally makes some key blocks.
DE
1.) Jadeveon Clowney - Top 5
2.) Dominque Easley - 1st round
3.) Vic Beasley - 1st round
4.) Trent Murphy - 3rd round
5.) Kony Ealy - 3rd round
Jadeveon Clowney is obviously the concensus #1 defensive end. Easley could easily be a top 5 pick if not for the knee injuries. He has the quickest 1st step out of anyone, including Clowney and Beasley. He could project as a 3 technique DT or 4-3 DE. Beasley needs to get big and work on his pass rush moves if he wants to play DE. He looks more like situational rush linebacker to me with those skinny legs. While not an elite athlete by any means, Murphy is still a lot more athletic than people give him credit for being. Murphy plays a lot of zone and doesn't get the same amount of opportunities to get sacks, but he's got a solid all-around game. He reminds me of the defensive end version of Russell Allen. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, Ealy isn't quite as athletic as most give him credit for being. Ealy and Murphy being similar athletes, I give the nod to Murphy for being more versatile.
DT
1.) Rashede Hageman - Top 10
2.) Louis Nix - 2nd round
3.) Daniel McCullers - 2nd round
4.) Aaron Donald - 3rd round
5.) Timmy Jernigan / Anthony Johnson - 4th round
Hageman is a monster. Reminds me of a thinner John Henderson. Louis Nix and Daniel McCullers are both nose tackle space eaters. Aaron Donald is a disruptive athlete without a real true position - 3 technique DT might be best fit in the NFL. Jernigan and Johnson both make some nice plays, but can be driven off the line of scrimmage too often.
OLB
1.) Kyle Van Noy - 1st round
2.) Khalil Mack - 1st round
3.) Anthony Barr - 1st round
4.) Ryan Shazier - 2nd round
5.) Jackson Jeffcoat - 3rd round
Kyle Van Noy is versatile and rushes the passer and plays coverage equally well. He has a great spin move and uses his hands well. If Van Noy was stronger at the point of attack he would be a top 15 pick. Mack and Barr are both exclusively pass rushers. Mack is stronger at the point of attack than Barr so I give him the nod. Shazier is a little small, and a bit of a risk-taker, but he is no doubt a playmaker on the field. I figured I'd project Jeffcoat in at OLB since he's too small to play DE. His production was mostly a result of scheme at Texas, where they lined him up everywhere and almost always as a standing rusher.
ILB
1.) Shayne Skov - 2nd round
2.) C.J. Mosely - 2nd round
3.) Denzel Perryman - 2nd round
4.) Christian Jones - 4th round
5.) Max Bullough - 4th round
Skov is a protypical middle linebacker who is a thumper. He'll take on the blocks and beat them. His biggest problem is not only that he lacks speed, but that he is slow. Mosely flashes a lot of big plays, but he's very unreliable, hence why he wasn't even an everydowns linebacker for Saban until this season. He's maddening to watch. Perryman is the best Miami linebacker to come out for 7 or 8 years, which is saying a lot. Christian Jones is well-rounded and played a lot of defensive end this season. Max Bullough could have been the top inside linebacker this year, but he didn't play with the same decisiveness that he played with a year ago. Add to that his recent suspension for violating team rules for Michigan State's bowl game. He's supposed to be the faster version of Shayne Skov.
CB
1.) Justin Gilbert - 1st round
2.) Darqueze Dennard - 1st round
3.) Ifo Ekpre-Olomu - 2nd round
4.) Pierre Desir - 3rd round
5.) Jason Verrett - 4th round
There is a lot of mid round talent around the 4th round here. Justin Gilbert is probably the closest thing to a known shutdown corner in this draft. He is a solid tackler in the open field. Dennard is very good in run support and good in coverage, but he'll drop some balls. Ekpre-Olomu is solid all around, but he can mistime some balls in the air and often mistimes his jumps. Pierre Desir is an interesting small school prospect from Lindenwood. He has amazing measurables at 6'2" 200 with 4.4 speed. He was rarely thrown against and when he was thrown againt, came up big. He could be a huge gainer with offseason workouts against real competition. Admittedly, I've only see 1 game of his and a few highlights. Jason Verrett has all the makings of a shutdown corner, except he's Ace Sanders sized. He can get swallowed up by blocks and thrown over, but he is almost always stride for stride with his receiver.
S
1.) Lamarcus Joyner - 2nd round
2.) Antone Exum - 2nd round
3.) Ahmad Dixon - 3rd round
4.) Craig Loston - 3rd round
5.) Haha Clinton-Dix - 4th round
Joyner is a spark of lightning that would fit Gus' defense perfectly if it werent for his smallish size. Antone Exum can play corner or safety and is probably a better fit at safety, although in Gus' system would likely be a corner at 6'2" 220 lbs. Ahmad Dixon and Craig Loston are both cover 2 safeties and are aggressive and physical. Dixon tends to lay the bigger hits, while Loston likes to submarine the legs. Haha Clinton-Dix too often misfits. In my estimation, most of the big runs given up this year by Alabama came from C.J. Mosely and Haha Clinton-Dix misfits.
K/P
Who cares?