Comments of all shapes and sizes are welcome. Quarterback 1. Andrew Luck, Stanford** 2. Cam Newton, Auburn* 3. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri* 4. Nick Foles, Arizona* 5. Ryan Mallett, Arkansas* Honorable Mention. Jake Locker, Washington Running Back 1. Mark Ingram, Alabama* 2. LaMichael James, Oregon** 3. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech** 4. Mikel Leshoure, Illinois* 5. DeMarco Murray, Okahoma HM. Shane Vereen, California* Wide Receiver 1. AJ Green, Georgia* 2. Justin Blackmon, OK State** 3. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburgh* 4. Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma* 5. Julio Jones, Alabama* HM. Michael Floyd, Notre Dame* Tight End 1. Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin 2. DJ Williams, Arkansas 3. Cameron Graham, Louisville 4. Virgil Green, Nevada 5. Luke Stocker, Tennessee HM. Zack Pianalto, North Carolina Offensive Tackle 1. Anthony Costanzo, BC 2. Derek Sherrod, Miss. State 3. Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin 4. DeMarcus Love, Arkansas 5. Nate Solder, Colorado HM. Matt Reynolds, BYU* Interior Line 1. Rodney Hudson, Florida State 2. Steve Wisniewski, Penn State 3. Ben Ijalana, Villanova 4. Jason Pinkston, Pittsburgh 5. Orlando Franklin, Miami HM. Steve Schilling, Michigan Defensive End 1. Robert Quinn, North Carolina* 2. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa 3. Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson* 4. Cameron Jordan, California 5. Allen Bailey, Miami HM. Aldon Smith, Missouri** Defensive Tackle 1. Nick Fairley, Auburn* 2. Marcel Dareus, Alabama* 3. Cameron Heyward, Ohio State 4. Stephen Paea, Oregon State 5. Drake Nevis, LSU HM. Jared Crick, Nebraska* Outside Linebacker 1. Bruce Carter, UNC 2. Akeem Ayers, UCLA* 3. Travis Lewis, Oklahoma* 4. Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma 5. Von Miller, Texas A&M HM. Mason Foster, Washington Inside Linebacker 1. Greg Jones, Michigan State 2. Quan Sturdivant, UNC 3. Nate Irving, NC State 4. Kelvin Sheppard, LSU 5. Josh Bynes, Auburn HM. Alex Wujciak, Maryland Cornerback 1. Patrick Peterson, LSU* 2. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska 3. Brandon Harris, Miami* 4. Janoris Jenkins, Florida* 5. Aaron Williams, Texas* HM. Chase Minnifield, Virginia* Safety 1. Mark Barron, Alabama* 2. Deunta Williams, UNC 3. DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson 4. Quinton Carter, Oklahoma 5. Rahim Moore, UCLA* HM. Robert Sands, West Virginia
Nice list, Im impressed it was posted right at midnight I think Kelvin Sheppard is kind of high, he has been so inconsistent this year and he really seems to struggle getting off of blocks. I thought he was going to have a big season but it doesnt seem to be happening. Also a little surprised not to see Ras I Dowling in your top five, I havent seen much UVA football this year, any reason for that?
Inconsistency doesn't bother me when it comes to LSU players, I don't think they've had a consistent player since Les Miles got there. He's a better athlete than most of the ILBs in the class, and I think he has the most potential out of any inside linebacker outside of Jones and Sturdivant. And Dowling has been out with some injuries, and even healthy I think his teammate Minnifield has surpassed him. Dowling never really impressed me that much (tall corners without great athleticism don't tend to pan out well), and this is a very strong cornerback class.
Yeah - players like Aldon Smith, Andrew Luck, and LaMichael James are redshirt sophomores and players like Ryan Mallett and Mark Ingram are juniors.
Nick Fairley is one of the best defensive prospects in the entire country. I'm glad we're on the same page about this guy. As of right now, Illinois' Corey Liuget is a really underrated 3-4 end prospect. Not a lot of people are talking about him and he's having a hell of a year.
Only things I would disagree with are: 1) Not as high on Gabbert as others are and I don't think he has the physical tools that either Mallett or Locker do. 2) Not as huge on Baldwin as others are. He is too much of a good matchup to go unnoticed in some games like I have seen throughout his college career. I dont know if that is on his shitty QBs but Baldwin I am not as high on. I think at best he can become a Braylon Edwards type of WR by that he is expected to become so much more but will only show glimpses of his talent. I would take both Jones and Floyd over him.
Talking about Edwards NFL career, not so much his Michigan career. Just about what I see when I see Johnathan Baldwin play and that he could be a similar player to what Bray is right now.
Why? He's got a strong enough arm, he's big, and he's surprisingly fast/mobile. I still don't understand why you're so high on Jake Locker. He's a hell of an athlete, I'll give him that...but he's shown nothing but inconsistency as a passer. Ryan Mallett might have an absolute cannon for an arm, but he lacks mobility. I still think he'll be a very high draft choice, but the team that takes him better spend some money on their offensive line.
The funny thing is as outstanding as Patrick Peterson is, there's no reason why someone with his talent isn't known as one of the best DBs in the college game over the past decade or so. He's just about one of the most physically gifted DBs I've ever seen, but the Curse of Les Miles affects everyone. Gabbert has a stronger arm than Locker (at absolute least as strong, but I give the edge to Gabbert), and is a definite plus when it comes to athleticism. No one has as strong an arm as Ryan Mallett, but at his height Gabbert is as physically gifted as you'll find outside of the most elite prospects. Gabbert's only issues are with being more consistent with his accuracy. Baldwin is a stud, big and very fast. If there was anyone that plays like Braylon it's Leonard Hankerson from Miami, Baldwin is more like Larry Fitzgerald to be honest. He puts up a lot of big plays for the Panthers, and would be a touchdown machine if he even had an average QB. Fairley is a monstrous stud. As for the 34 DEs, this draft is Loaded. I had to leave a number of guys off that would be outstanding options for the Jets through the first two rounds. I was going to seperate players by 34 DEs and NTs, but there were a ton of the former and only a couple decent Nose players. I should have put him on the TE rankings, maybe someone will give him a workout. Or maybe the Broncos will draft him and make him apart of a WildHonkey backfield with Tebow.
GH and mr.electric which players do you think will be drafted where on your list? And who do you hope we draft? also i know von miller has been injured but im still surprised he didn't make your top 5.
Not including Von was an oversight on my part, can't believe I missed that one! I also forgot to include Cam Newton (I don't know how) and also realized that Justin Blackmon was a RS Soph, so I'll add all three right now. As far as where they might go, I'm going to try and add writeups to this at some point this week.
I wonder how many of those QBs will stay in school for their senior year (or in Luck's case his junior year). In my opinion if Luck stays then Mallet is declaring... and vice versa. Speaking of QBs... although they don't belong on this list... what do you think of Kapernick (the Nevada kid, hope I spelled it right), TCU's Dalton and Iowa's Stanzi?
All three are decent options as mid to late round prospects, but they all have their share of obstacles to overcome. Dalton and Kaepernick both come from very-college offenses, Stanzi and Dalton don't have very impressive physical tools, and Kaepernick needs a lot of work to become a pure passer. In my mind, Dalton will probably be best as a really good backup (Sage Rosenfels-esque), Stanzi will be a guy that may get some looks to start as a game manager down the line, and Kaepernick will either develop into a legit QB (lot of tools), or not develop at all.
