I was bored over the past week, so I decided to start piecing together my first positional rankings for the 08 draft. The first one is always my favorite, because I get to see where everyone else has guys rated and compare it to what I gathered over the past few months watching these guys play. My rankings, as always, are a mixture of both of those, what I saw, and the opinions of the people I trust when it comes to the draft. Plus, I know how much you guys like arguing about stuff, so I figured this would set you off sufficiently. Please though, if you believe I messed up, tell me exactly why you think that. I encourage you to rip it apart, it'll be pretty much completely different by the time the draft rolls around anyway. I included as many underclassmen that I thought might enter. I obviously overshot the number a bit, but to be honest, it's just more fun to do it with them. So what the hell. Quarterback 1. Matt Ryan, Boston College 2. Andre’ Woodson, Kentucky 3. Brian Brohm, Louisville 4. Colt Brennan, Hawaii 5. Joe Flacco, Delaware 6. Erik Ainge, Tennessee 7. Josh Johnson, San Diego 8. John David Booty, USC 9. Chad Henne, Michigan 10. Dennis Dixon, Oregon 11. Sam Keller, Nebraska 12. Matt Flynn, LSU 13. Paul Smith, Tulsa 14. Anthony Morelli, Penn State 15. Brandon Cox, Auburn Running Back 1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas* 2. Jonathan Stewart, Oregon* 3. Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois* 4. James Davis, Clemson* 5. Felix Jones, Arkansas* 6. Steve Slaton, West Virginia* 7. Ray Rice, Rutgers* 8. Mike Hart, Michigan 9. Chris Johnson, ECU 10. Matt Forte, Tulane 11. Allen Patrick, Oklahoma 12. Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech 13. Corey Boyd, South Carolina 14. Justin Forsett, California 15. Rafael Little, Kentucky 16. Omar Cuff, Delaware 17. Calvin Dawson, UL Monroe 18. Yvenson Bernard, Oregon State 19. Thomas Brown, Georgia 20. Kregg Lumpkin, Georgia Wide Receiver 1. Malcolm Kelly, Oklahoma* 2. Mario Manningham, Michigan* 3. DeSean Jackson, California* 4. Early Doucet, LSU 5. James Hardy, Indiana* 6. Limas Sweed, Texas 7. Lavelle Hawkins, California 8. Mario Urrutia, Louisville* 9. Adarius Bowman, OK State 10. Keenan Burton, Kentucky 11. Harry Douglas, Louisville 12. D.J. Hall, Alabama 13. Andre Caldwell, Florida 14. Marcus Henry, Kansas 15. Will Franklin, Missouri 16. Jordy Nelson, Kansas State 17. Darius Raynaud, West Virginia 18. Maurice Purify, Nebraska 19. Nate Jones, Texas 20. Dorien Bryant, Purdue Tight End 1. Fred Davis, USC 2. Martin Rucker, Missouri 3. John Carlson, Notre Dame 4. Dustin Keller, Purdue 5. Gary Barnidge, Louisville 6. Jacob Tamme, Kentucky 7. Tom Santi, Virginia 8. Kellen Davis, Michigan State 9. Craig Stevens, California 10. Joe Jon Finley, Oklahoma 11. Joey Haynos, Maryland 12. Brad Cottam, Tennessee 13. Darrell Strong, Pittsburgh 14. Derek Fine, Kansas 15. Mike Peterson, NW Missouri State Offensive Tackle 1. Jake Long, Michigan 2. Ryan Clady, Boise St.* 3. Michael Oher, Mississippi* 4. Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh 5. Sam Baker, USC 6. Barry Richardson, Clemson 7. Gosder Cherilus, Boston College 8. Chris Williams, Vanderbilt 9. Tony Hills, Texas 10. Heath Benedict, Newberry 11. Kirk Barton, Ohio State 12. King Dunlap, Auburn 13. Duane Brown, Virginia Tech 14. Carl Nicks, Nebraska 15. Akim Millington, Illinois Offensive Guard 1. Roy Schuening, Oregon State 2. Andre Crummey, Maryland 3. Shannon Tevaga, UCLA 4. Eric Young, Tennessee 5. Jordan Grimes, Purdue 6. Robert Felton, Arkansas 7. Will Arnold, LSU 8. Kirk Elder, Texas A&M 9. Drew Radovich, USC 10. Jeremy Zuttah, Rutgers 11. Nick McManus, Georgia Tech 12. John Greco, Toledo 13. Adam Kraus, Michigan 14. Kerry Brown, Appalachian State 15. Andrew Bain, Miami Center 1. Steve Justice, Wake Forest 2. John Sullivan, Notre Dame 3. Adam Spieker, Missouri 4. Mike Pollak, Arizona St. 5. Cody Wallace, Texas A&M 6. Kory Lichtensteiger, Bowling Green 7. Drew Miller, Florida 8. Doug Legursky, Marshall 9. Dallas Griffin, Texas 10. Trevor Rees, Northwestern Defensive End 1. Chris Long, Virginia 2. Vernon Gholston, Ohio State* 3. Derrick Harvey, Florida* 4. Lawrence Jackson, USC 5. Calais Campbell, Miami* 6. Quentin Groves, Auburn 7. Chris Ellis, Virginia Tech 8. Kendall Langford, Hampton 9. Tommy Blake, TCU 10. Wallace Gilberry, Alabama 11. Jason Jones, Eastern Michigan 12. Johnny Dingle, West Virginia 13. Darrell Robertson, Georgia Tech 14. Chris Iwebema, Iowa 15. Bruce Davis, UCLA Defensive Tackle 1. Glenn Dorsey, LSU 2. Sedrick Ellis, USC 3. Frank Okam, Texas 4. Dre Moore, Maryland 5. Red Bryant, Texas A&M 6. DeMario Pressley, NC State 7. Marcus Harrison, Arkansas 8. Kentwan Balmer, North Carolina 9. Trevor Laws, Notre Dame 10. Andre Fluellen, Florida State 11. Keilen Dykes, West Virginia 12. Nick Hayden, Wisconsin 13. Ahtyba Rubin, Iowa State 14. Derek Lokey, Texas 15. Kevin Brown, UCLA Outside Linebacker 1. Curtis Lofton, Oklahoma* 2. Keith Rivers, USC 3. Ali Highsmith, LSU 4. Shawn Crable, Michigan 5. Tavares Gooden, Miami 6. Xavier Adibi, Virginia Tech 7. Phillip Wheeler, Georgia Tech 8. Beau Bell, UNLV 9. Wesley Woodyard, Kentucky 10. Jordan Dizon, Colorado 11. Malik Jackson, Louisville 12. Ezra Butler, Nevada 13. Bo Ruud, Nebraska 14. Nick Watkins, Clemson 15. Robert Killebrew, Texas Inside Linebacker 1. Dan Connor, Penn State 2. James Laurainitis, Ohio State* 3. Vince Hall, Virginia Tech 4. Jonathan Goff, Vanderbilt 5. J Leman, Illinois 6. Ben Moffitt, South Florida 7. Mike Klinkenborg, Iowa 8. Jasper Brinkley, South Carolina 9. Corey McKeon, Nebraska 10. Brandon Miller, Georgia 11. Jolonn Dunbar, Boston College 12. Rodrick Johnson, OK State 13. Danny Lansanah, UConn 14. Kaleb Thornhill, Michigan State 15. Red Keith, CMU Cornerback 1. Antoine Cason, Arizona 2. Malcolm Jenkins, Ohio State* 3. Aqib Talib, Kansas* 4. Mike Jenkins, South Florida 5. Reggie Smith, Oklahoma* 6. Justin King, Penn State* 7. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Tennessee State 8. Leodis McKelvin, Troy 9. Trae Williams, South Florida 10. Tracy Porter, Indiana 11. DeJuan Tribble, Boston College 12. Simeon Castille, Alabama 13. Chevis Jackson, LSU 14. Dwight Lowery, San Jose State 15. Charles Godfrey, Iowa Pending Knee: Zack Bowman, Nebraska Safety 1. Kenny Phillips, Miami* 2. Nic Harris, Oklahoma* 3. Craig Steltz, LSU 4. Josh Barrett, Arizona State 5. Jonathan Hefney, Tennessee 6. D.J. Wolfe, Oklahoma 7. Tom Zbikowski, Notre Dame 8. Quinton Demps, San Diego State 9. Marcus Griffin, Texas 10. Eric Wicks, West Virginia 11. Tyrell Johnson, Arkansas State 12. Jamar Adams, Michigan 13. Thomas DeCoud, California 14. Ron Girault, Rutgers 15. Joe Fields, Syracuse
Devin Thomas was one of the top WRs in the nation this year and a junior. Although he may come out this year, I see that he is missing from almost everyone's rankings WR rankings.
I'm an MSU alum. so I saw a lot of their games and Thomas did have a monster year. However; the knock on him is that he was virtually nonexistent his first 2 seasons so his body of work is pretty limited.
I think you overrate the hell out of Okam. I don't buy that he's a better prospect than Moore at all. Okam will need to be taught leverage by whoever drafts him, and hopefully they give him a swift kick in the ass to get him to move. And holy crap you underrated Kentwan Balmer.
I'm not buying into the Balmer hype just yet. He was pretty mediocre until this year, and while the season he had was impressive, I'm going to let him go through workouts before I place him any higher. Added to that, I just happen to be a big fan of Harrison. And as for Okam, maybe I'm just a sucker, but I still see him as a guy that should be going in the first round. He's going to end up being the generic DT that plummets, I know, but the talent is there for him to be a very good NFL player. Like you said, he needs to get his ass in gear. Senior Bowl week will be huge for him (Balmer as well). As for Loadholt and Thomas, I just don't think Loadholt will go pro when he has a good chance at being the first tackle chosen next year, and Thomas still has a lot to prove, especially with the other underclassmen talent likely declaring this year.
Balmer will be a first round pick following the combine. He is a prototypical 3-4 DE, something in high demand. I don't think anyone can match his combo of strength and speed at 3-4 DE, he can be a good 4-3 DT also. If he lasts to us in the second I would be ecstatic.
I would rank Balmer more because he's a high motor, two gap player who can pass rush. Thats not easy to find. Plus, he plays with excellent technique and he's got perfect size for us. Okam just...he's got the size and athletic ability but he's just never dominated like he should/can. He and Red Bryant will need a kick in the ass and to get a clue on how to play with leverage. They're both pretty nasty physical specimens, but I think they need alot of work to be the kind of players they can be.
GH glad to see you back on the Board. A few comments: RB: I have Tashard Choice and Cory Boyd rated higher than 12 & 13 respectfully. Choice has really improved his stock, I really love this kid, and he can become a really solid NFL Back. I love the versatility of Boyd, he's one of the most well-rounded RBs in this class, I compare him to a Brian Westbrook. Wr: Monk?? I know he's had injuries and lack of concentration, but he's worthy of being ranked. Marcus Smith, New Mexico??? I love this kid, great hands, nice size, good speed, perfect early Day 2 pick for the Jets. Didn't make your list I'm not a Urrutia Fan, he's too much of a head case for my tastes, I rate Bowman and Hall higher. OT: I have Chris Williams rated higher than Cherilus & Richardson.....I'd love to have Williams as Our RT next year. OG: Nice to see you rate Tevaga high, I really like his game. ILB: I'll let you in on a little secret, Laurinaitis isn't a lock to declare. Living in Columbus, I hear there's better than a 50/50 chance he stays. You know my thoughts on Leman, I have him rated higher than Goff. Most people rate Goff higher due his Size, but IMO, Leman is a much more productive player. As you mentioned, this list is fluid and will change many times before April. Overall, Great Job...always look forward to your opinions, even if we disagree, which isn't too often.
I completely agree. Cherilus is very overrated. I wouldn't want a big RT who can't run block in college. Williams is really underrated and would look great in green and white.
I'm with you on Balmer, very boom or bust. You probably already know we disagree on Campbell, I'd have him 3 or 4.
How much of an impact does Temples performance today have on his draft selection? I mean, he is a Senior right?
Yes he's a Senior. Today's performance surely helped his stock. Tony's height will effect his draft staus, he's built like a lighter Leon Washington. IMO, after today's game your looking at maybe the 4th rd.
Yeah, I'll be adjusting a few things after these BCS games finish, definitely. As for Tony Temple I think he's going back to Mizzou because of an injury year or something, I'll look into it. I know he's a senior, but he was a special case for some reason.
Receiver was the only position that I was having trouble squeezing down to 20 guys. There are a few more players that I thought probably deserved a spot, but just didn't fit with the talent already there. Marcus Monk is definitely one of those guys. The overall package will get him drafted, but it's going to be very tough for him to ever emerge from a hopeful red zone threat. For Urrutia I was moving him up and down a few spots for a long time before I settled on where I put him. I think the simple fact that Bowman, Burton, Hall and the guys in that range will all have a senior bowl could see Urrutia fade for a while. Though his combine could have him skyrocket (if he interviews well). The backs were pretty hard to separate as well, but I guess seven underclassmen guys that could enter can do that. I think the top three I have listed there in DMC, Mendenhall, and Stewart will start to pull away if they all declare, then Davis will headline that next group which stretches down to Choice and Boyd.
Green Hurricane, would you rank the DTs any different for the 3-4 DE position? And how would you rank the prospects for the 3-4 OLB position?
