2014 NFL Draft Thread

[Animal Thug]

I wonder if Cleveland is like Sacramento? That's how I imagine it being.

Can anyone confirm this?

hell no.

I lived in Sac for a few months. It's horrid. There's nothing there.

@rck3sactown nterdasting

Quit dragging irrelvant info all over this thread.

 

[buc em]

So who the hell was Bridgewater facing that was worth a damn on his schedule?

I never thought he was that good even dating back to when everybody in here and the college football thread would want you banned if you didn't think he was the clear cut #1 or #2 pick in this draft. If the Bucs draft him I'll be optimistic about it just like I would be with anybody else they take. My hopes wouldn't be the highest going into it though.

 

[stillin729]

[COLOR=#red]source?[/COLOR]

They were discussing it on 97.5 in Philly sports radio which is an ESPN station; they had some analyst on but I didn't catch who it was because I was at work

 

[Deleted member 37754]

[COLOR=#red]source?[/COLOR]

They were discussing it on 97.5 in Philly sports radio which is an ESPN station; they had some analyst on but I didn't catch who it was because I was at work

[COLOR=#red]wow that's nuts... people are pissed about 2 weeks, but June?!

I haven't seen One person, other than Goodell and his NWO say this has been a good idea and they like it. [/COLOR]

 

[rook]

Some team is either gonna get a steal with Teddy or they are gonna blow a draft pick and the scouts were right

#magictweet

LOL

 

[IATT]

Bart Hubbuch  ‏@HubbuchNYP   4m

NFL source tells me the draft plan they're looking at most closely right now is the first 1-2 nights in NYC, then 3-4 in another city.

 

[rook]

Bart Hubbuch ‏@HubbuchNYP  4m

NFL source tells me the draft plan they're looking at most closely right now is the first 1-2 nights in NYC, then 3-4 in another city.

All about $$$ with this dude.

 

[worldbeefreeg]

This is what Cuban was talking about when he said the NFL is getting too greedy. I barely care about this **** now that they moved it to May and now they are trying to drag it across two cities. Just pure greed.

 

[stillin729]

[COLOR=#red]wow that's nuts... people are pissed about 2 weeks, but June?!

I haven't seen One person, other than Goodell and his NWO say this has been a good idea and they like it. [/COLOR]

I've seen people say he wants to have a round a week also to make it go from may til June

Goodell is really messing around too much; I can deal with it being in May but keep it as is

My ideal scenario would be

Thursday 1st/2nd round
Friday 3rd/4th
Saturday 5th/6th/7th

The first round only on Thursday really sucks; I'd like to see where the 1st graders who slip end up that night and not wait a whole day

 

[dacomeup]

So who the hell was Bridgewater facing that was worth a damn on his schedule?

I never thought he was that good even dating back to when everybody in here and the college football thread would want you banned if you didn't think he was the clear cut #1 or #2 pick in this draft. If the Bucs draft him I'll be optimistic about it just like I would be with anybody else they take. My hopes wouldn't be the highest going into it though.

He played pretty damn well in a bowl game against a UF defense that was full of talent. 

 

[MambaMentality824]

So I don't get how moving the draft back makes the NFL more money?

 

[stillin729]

So I don't get how moving the draft back makes the NFL more money?

They want the league to be a 12 month league

Hence we have shows in April now dedicated to schedule releases

 

[IATT]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draf...updates-list-top-nfl-prospects-every-position

 

[Animal Thug]

I think it's just a crap-shoot with drafting any QB, honestly. Andrew Luck was probably the most assured pick in the last 5-10 years when it comes to QB's. RGIII has talent but his injury will forever hold him back in terms of progress.

So the moral of the story, just take a chance with the QB you want. If it works, it works....if not, than there's always Jameis Winston ...

 

[krazy88s]

I hope it's a joke moving the draft to June. If so, he really wants to crush the NBA.

 

[stillin729]

I think Teddy might be snagged by the Browns with their second pick

I'm starting to think Manziel takes a bigger slide

 

[frshstunna]

I think Teddy might be snagged by the Browns with their second pick

I'm starting to think Manziel takes a bigger slide

Its looking more likely that Teddy goes in the late 1st....a couple teams will be willing to trade back into the 1st round and as a Ravens fans i already know Ozzie is taking them calls

 

[jewseejay]

I think Teddy might be snagged by the Browns with their second pick

I'm starting to think Manziel takes a bigger slide

If we get watkins at 4 then teddy @ 26 ill be a happy man

 

[Animal Thug]

I think Teddy might be snagged by the Browns with their second pick

I'm starting to think Manziel takes a bigger slide

If we get watkins at 4 then teddy @ 26 ill be a happy man

Same here fam.

 

[jewseejay]

Getting carlos hyde 8 picks after that would make it a dream draft regaurdless what we do with the two thirds and after

 

[stillin729]

If we get watkins at 4 then teddy @ 26 ill be a happy man

I'd be thrilled with that if I were you

I'd do anything for the Eagles to somehow get Sammy but it would cost way too much; look at Atlanta sacrificing all those picks for Julio and they were a mess last year

 

[proshares]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draf...updates-list-top-nfl-prospects-every-position

Long one.

Top NFL prospects by position.

Spoiler

There are over 700 prospects listed below -- 719 to be exact. Why so many? Well, while the NFL draft will see over 250 taken, you'll have another 50 or so land on NFL rosters as undrafted free agents, and there is also a huge pool that will land on practice squads. And when the distinctions between, say, the 20th and 30th ranked prospects at each position might seem big in a rankings sense, those players could easily be reversed depending on which team you asked.

In other words: NFL players rise out of a huge pool, and this should give you a sense of how big that pool is. It's worth saving when, sometime during the season, some player emerges from the practice squad and you want to know if he truly was a total unknown.

Remember: Prospects below are listed under projected NFL positions. A college tackle could be listed at guard, a college defensive end listed at linebacker and so on.

* Denotes a junior at time of entering the draft.

** Denotes a redshirt sophomore at time of entering draft.

Final Big Board 100 | Sleepers | Mock Draft 5.0
Offense
Quarterbacks

[+] EnlargeTom Savage
AP Photo/Gerry Broome
Pitt quarterback Tom Savage has seen his stock skyrocket in recent weeks.
1. **Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
2. *Blake Bortles, Central Florida
3. Derek Carr, Fresno St.
4. *Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville
5. Tom Savage, Pittsburgh
6. AJ McCarron, Alabama
7. Jimmy Garoppolo, Eastern Illinois
8. Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech
9. Aaron Murray, Georgia
10. Zach Mettenberger, LSU
11. Keith Wenning, Ball St.
12. Jeff Mathews, Cornell
13. Connor Shaw, South Carolina
14. David Fales, San Jose St.
15. Tajh Boyd, Clemson
16. Stephen Morris, Miami (Fla)
17. Garrett Gilbert, SMU
18. *Brett Smith, Wyoming
19. Kenny Guiton, Ohio St.
20. Dustin Vaughan, West Texas A&M
21. Chase Rettig, Boston College
22. Brendon Kay, Cincinnati
23. Bryn Renner, North Carolina
24. Casey Pachall, TCU
25. Brock Jensen, North Dakota St.
26. Terrance Owens, Toledo
27. B.J. Denker, Arizona
28. James Franklin, Missouri
29. Keith Price, Washington
30. Corey Robinson, Troy
31. Tyler Russell, Mississippi St.
32. Mike Box, Indiana (PA)
33. Danny O'Brien, Catawba
34. Cody Green, Tulsa
35. Taylor McHargue, Rice

I spent a lot of time on quarterbacks over the last month, traded notes, debated, and hit rewind again and again. I ended up with Manziel on top given my belief in his ceiling. He's a true boom or bust prospect, but the boom is possible. The biggest pre-draft drop is Mettenberger, and I'll maintain the great wild card is Thomas, a special athlete but something of a mystery regarding his ceiling.

Running backs

[+] EnlargeTre Mason
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports
Tre Mason became a dynamic force in his final campaign for Auburn.
1. Carlos Hyde, Ohio St.
2. **Jeremy Hill, LSU
3. *Bishop Sankey, Washington
4. Dri Archer, Kent St.
5. Charles Sims, West Virginia
6. *Tre Mason, Auburn
7. *De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon
8. Andre Williams, Boston College
9. *Lache Seastrunk, Baylor
10. *Devonta Freeman, Florida St.
11. Terrance West, Towson
12. *Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona
13. Jerick McKinnon, Georgia Southern
14. *Storm Johnson, Central Florida
15. Lorenzo Taliaferro, Coastal Carolina
16. Damien Williams, Oklahoma
17. *George Atkinson, Notre Dame
18. Tyler Gaffney, Stanford
19. *Henry Josey, Missouri
20. James White, Wisconsin
21. *Isaiah Crowell, Alabama St.
22. Ladarius Perkins, Mississippi St.
23. Marion Grice, Arizona St.
24. David Fluellen, Toledo
25. Tim Cornett, UNLV
26. *Darrin Reaves, UAB
27. James Sims, Kansas
28. *Brendan Bigelow, California
29. Silas Redd, USC
30. Jordan Lynch, No. Illinois
31. Roderick McDowell, Clemson
32. Branden Oliver, Buffalo
33. D.J. Adams, Portland St.
34. Antonio Andrews, Western Kentucky
35. Alfred Blue, LSU
36. *Adam Muema, San Diego St.
37. *James Wilder, Jr., Florida St.
38. *Kapri Bibbs, Colorado St.
39. Sam Ojuri, North Dakota St.
40. Tim Flanders, Sam Houston St.
41. *Jerome Smith, Syracuse
42. Joey DeMartino, RB, Utah St.
43. Kyle Harbridge, St. Francis (PA)
44. Franklyn Quiteh, Bloomsburg
45. Vintavious Cooper, East Carolina
46. Anthony Wilkerson, Stanford
47. Ben Malena, Texas A&M
48. Jeremy Smith, Oklahoma St.
49. Trey Watts, Tulsa
50. James Baker, Idaho
51. Shakir Bell, Indiana St.
52. Terrance Cobb, Cumberlands (KY)
53. Rajion Neal, Tennessee
54. Glasco Martin, Baylor
55. Stephen Houston, Indiana
56. Charles Ross, Rice
57. Brennan Clay, Oklahoma
58. Zurlon Tipton, Central Michigan
59. Jordan Hall, Ohio St.
60. David Oku, Arkansas St.
61. John Hubert, Kansas St.
62. Waymon James, TCU
63. Beau Blankenship, Ohio
64. Roy Finch, Oklahoma
65. Robert Godhigh, Georgia Tech
66. Raymond Sanders, Kentucky
67. Raymond Maples, Army
68. Jeff Scott, Mississippi
69. Senorise Perry, Louisville
70. Mike Trumpy, Northwestern
71. Orleans Darkwa, Tulane

Hyde was an easy call at No. 1, but as always with running backs, it will be no surprise at all if a guy out of that 11-25 range lands in a Pro Bowl. The differences become hard to parse as you move through the list. An athlete like McKinnon could become a star -- you just never know.

Fullbacks

2014 NFL DRAFT
NFL DraftRound 1: May 8, 8 p.m. ET
Rds. 2-3: May 9, 7 p.m. ET
Rds. 4-7: May 10, noon ET
Radio City Music Hall
New York City

Draft order | Draft home
• Kiper-McShay: Three-round mock
• Todd McShay's Mock 6.0
• Mel Kiper Jr.'s Mock 5.0
• Mel Kiper Jr.'s Mock Draft Tool
• Gruden's QB Camp schedule
• Draft Machine: Create your own mock
• NFL draft player rankings
• Rank 'Em: Rate the top prospects
1. Trey Millard, Oklahoma
2. Ryan Hewitt, Stanford
3. Jay Prosch, Auburn
4. J.C. Copeland, LSU
5. Kiero Small, Arkansas
6. Chad Young, San Diego St.
7. Chad Abram, Florida St.
8. Karl Williams, Utah
9. Nikita Whitlock, Wake Forest
10. C.J. Zimmerer, Nebraska
11. Connor Neighbors, LSU
12. Nick Sizemore, Kansas
13. David Sims, Georgia Tech
14. Jordan Luallen, Cincinnati
15. B.J. Butler, Louisville
16. Ryan Eppes, South Florida
17. Ray Agnew, So. Illinois

At least a handful of these guys can stick. Millard has been at the top for some time.

Wide receivers

[+] EnlargeBrandin Cooks
Matt Cohen/Icon SMI
Brandin Cooks can provide the team that selects him with explosiveness.
1. *Sammy Watkins, Clemson
2. **Mike Evans, Texas A&M
3. *Odell Beckham Jr., LSU
4. *Brandin Cooks, Oregon St.
5. *Marqise Lee, USC
6. Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt
7. *Bruce Ellington, South Carolina
8. **Davante Adams, Fresno St.
9. *Allen Robinson, Penn St.
10. *Jarvis Landry, LSU
11. *Cody Latimer, Indiana
12. **Kelvin Benjamin, Florida St.
13. *Martavis Bryant, Clemson
14. *Paul Richardson, Colorado
15. Josh Huff, Oregon
16. Kevin Norwood, Alabama
17. *Donte Moncrief, Mississippi
18. Robert Herron, Wyoming
19. John Brown, Pittsburg St. (KS)
20. *Brandon Coleman, Rutgers
21. Ryan Grant, Tulane
22. Tevin Reese, Baylor
23. Jeremy Gallon, Michigan
24. Damian Copeland, Louisville
25. Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin
26. Jeff Janis, Saginaw Valley St.
27. Matt Hazel, Coastal Carolina
28. Michael Campanaro, Wake Forest
29. Jalen Saunders, Oklahoma
30. L'Damian Washington, Missouri
31. Kain Colter, Northwestern
32. Anthony Denham, Utah
33. Mike Davis, Texas
34. Devin Street, Pittsburgh
35. Shaq Evans, UCLA
36. Albert Wilson, Georgia St.
37. *Willie Snead, Ball St.
38. *Josh Stewart, Oklahoma St.
39. Isaiah Burse, Fresno St.
40. Quincy Enunwa, Nebraska
41. Marcus Lucas, Missouri
42. Cody Hoffman, BYU
43. Quintin Payton, NC St.
44. *Austin Franklin, New Mexico St.
45. T.J. Jones, Notre Dame
46. Corey Washington, Newberry
47. Bennie Fowler, Michigan St.
48. Lee Doss, Southern
49. Bernard Reedy, Toledo
50. Walt Powell, Murray St.
51. Philly Brown, Ohio St.
52. Solomon Patton, Florida
53. *Chris Boyd, Vanderbilt
54. Eric Ward, Texas Tech
55. Jeremy Johnson, SMU
56. Geraldo Boldewijn, Boise St.
57. Allen Hurns, Miami (Fla)
58. Tony Washington, Appalachian St.
59. Noel Grigsby, San Jose St.
60. Alex Amidon, Boston College
61. Chandler Jones, San Jose St.
62. Quron Pratt, Rutgers
63. Alex Neutz, Buffalo
64. Taylor Martinez, Nebraska
65. Brandon Wimberly, Nevada
66. Kenny Bell, Alabama
67. Kenny Shaw, Florida St.
68. Rashad Lawrence, Northwestern
69. Colin Lockett, San Diego St.
70. Eric Thomas, Troy
71. Kofi Hughes, Indiana
72. Jeremy Butler, UT-Martin
73. Erik Lora, Eastern Illinois
74. Jordan Harris, Bryant
75. Darryl Surgent, Louisiana (Lafayette)
76. Brelan Chancellor, North Texas
77. Rantavious Wooten, Georgia
78. Gianni Carter, Duquesne
79. Ryan Smith, North Dakota St.
80. Lacoltan Bester, Oklahoma
81. Tracy Moore, Oklahoma St.
82. Kadron Boone, LSU
83. Kevin Smith, Washington
84. Travis Reynolds, Utah St.
85. Dayvon Ross, Central St. (Ohio)
86. Taylor Gabriel, Abilene Christian
87. Willie Gibson, Cumberlands (KY)
88. Ryan Lankford, Illinois
89. Seantavious Jones, Valdosta St.
90. Jon Greenwalt, Louisiana Tech
91. Tavarese Maye, Louisiana (Monroe)
92. Devon Smith, Marshall
93. Travis Labhart, Texas A&M
94. D.J. Coles, Virginia Tech
95. Jonathan Krause, Vanderbilt
96. Don Shumpert, Iowa
97. Derrick Engel, Minnesota

It's an incredibly deep class. That an athlete like Moncrief could be so low is remarkable. Go further down, and watch tape on a guy like Davis and it's hard to believe he could be so low. It's now a passing-driven sport, and the weapons are many.

Tight ends

1. *Eric Ebron, North Carolina
2. *Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington
3. *Jace Amaro, Texas Tech
4. *Troy Niklas, Notre Dame
5. C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa
6. *A.C. Leonard, Tennessee St.
7. Marcel Jensen, Fresno St.
8. Crockett Gillmore, Colorado St.
9. *Jake Murphy, Utah
10. Joe Don Duncan, Dixie St.
11. *Colt Lyerla, Oregon
12. Rob Blanchflower, Massachusetts
13. Reggie Jordan, Missouri Western St.
14. Trey Burton, Florida
15. Arthur Lynch, Georgia
16. Anthony Denham, Utah
17. *Richard Rodgers, California
18. *Xavier Grimble, USC
19. Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin
20. *Nic Jacobs, McNeese St.
21. Jordan Najvar, Baylor
22. Alex Bayer, Bowling Green
23. Ted Bolser, Indiana
24. Gator Hoskins, Marshall
25. Eric Waters, Missouri
26. Chris Coyle, Arizona St.
27. Asa Watson, NC St.
28. D.J. Tialavea, Utah St.
29. Kaneakua Friel, BYU
30. Matt Lehman, Penn St.
31. Justin Jones, East Carolina
32. Gabe Holmes, Purdue
33. Blake Annen, Cincinnati
34. Jake Long, Nebraska
35. Brian Wozniak, Wisconsin
36. Nehemiah Hicks, Texas A&M
37. Blake Jackson, Oklahoma St.
38. Gabe Linehan, Boise St.
39. Asante Cleveland, Miami (Fla)
40. *Mike Flacco, New Haven
41. Dave Stinebaugh, Maryland

While Ebron seems like the only Round 1 certainty, there's solid depth here. A guy like Fiedorowicz can help a team early.

Offensive tackles

[+] EnlargeJake Matthews
Thomas Campbell/USA TODAY Sports
Some believe that Jake Matthews could be the first Texas A&M product off the board.
1. *Greg Robinson, Auburn
2. Taylor Lewan, Michigan
3. Jake Matthews, Texas A&M
4. Zack Martin, Notre Dame
5. Joel Bitonio, Nevada
6. Morgan Moses, Virginia
7. Ja'Wuan James, Tennessee
8. *Cyrus Kouandjio, Alabama
9. Jack Mewhort, Ohio St.
10. Billy Turner, North Dakota St.
11. *Antonio Richardson, Tennessee
12. Charles Leno, Boise St.
13. *Cameron Fleming, Stanford
14. Matt Patchan, Boston College
15. Seantrel Henderson, Miami (Fla)
16. James Hurst, North Carolina
17. Larry Duvernay-Tardif, McGill (Canada)
18. Cornelius Lucas, Kansas St.
19. Charles Siddoway, Mississippi St.
20. Matt Feiler, Bloomsburg
21. Justin Britt, Missouri
22. Matt Hall, Belhaven
23. Jeremiah Sirles, Nebraska
24. Rob Crisp, NC St.
25. Brett Van Sloten, Iowa
26. Andrew Rodriguez, Nebraska
27. Austin Wentworth, Fresno St.
28. Ryan McGrath, Ohio
29. Kenarious Gates, Georgia
30. Bryce Quigley, San Diego St.
31. David Hurd, Arkansas
32. Donald Hawkins, Texas
33. Jake Olson, Central Michigan
34. Kevin Graf, USC
35. Evan Finkenberg, Arizona St.
36. Brent Qvale, Nebraska
37. Jimmy Bennett, Connecticut
38. Josh Wells, James Madison
39. Danny Kistler, Montana
40. Kevin Pamphile, Purdue
41. Rico Forbes, Washington St.
42. Ulrick John, Georgia St.

I think you'll have four tackles off the board before the halfway mark of Round 1, and you could easily have over a dozen of these guys drafted before the end of Round 3.

Offensive guards

1. *Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA
2. Gabe Jackson, Mississippi St.
3. *David Yankey, Stanford
4. **Trai Turner, LSU
5. Brandon Thomas, Clemson
6. Kadeem Edwards, Tennessee St.
7. Cyril Richardson, Baylor
8. Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt
9. Ryan Groy, Wisconsin
10. Dakota Dozier, Furman
11. Jon Halapio, Florida
12. Chris Watt, Notre Dame
13. Brandon Linder, Miami (Fla)
14. John Urschel, Penn St.
15. Zach Fulton, Tennessee
16. Anthony Steen, Alabama
17. Kevin Danser, Stanford
18. Will Simmons, East Carolina
19. Conor Boffeli, Iowa
20. Fou Fonoti, Michigan St.
21. Spencer Long, Nebraska
22. Andrew Norwell, Ohio St.
23. Justin McCray, Central Florida
24. Chris Burnette, Georgia
25. Blake Treadwell, Michigan St.
26. Zac Matthias, Wisconsin
27. David Born, Old Dominion
28. Grant Enger, Oregon St.
29. Bronson Irwin, Oklahoma
30. Josh Walker, Middle Tennessee St.
31. Karim Barton, Morgan St.
32. Mason Walters, Texas
33. Austen Bujnoch, Cincinnati
34. Marcus Hall, Ohio St.
35. Josh Andrews, Oregon St.
36. Jamal Ellis, Newberry
37. Antwan Lowery, Rutgers
38. Dallas Lee, Georgia
39. Dan France, Michigan St.

I've moved this group around a fair bit, finally settling on Su'a-Filo as the most consistently effective. The top of this group represents an interesting cross-section of players who are distinct and fit different types of schemes.

Centers

1. Weston Richburg, Colorado St.
2. *Marcus Martin, USC
3. Bryan Stork, Florida St.
4. *Russell Bodine, North Carolina
5. Travis Swanson, Arkansas
6. Jonotthan Harrison, Florida
7. Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma
8. Matt Armstrong, Grand Valley St.
9. James Stone, Tennessee
10. Zac Kerin, Toledo
11. Tyler Larsen, Utah St.
12. Corey Linsley, Ohio St.
13. Matt Paradis, Boise St.
14. Dillon Farrell, New Mexico
15. Khalil Wilkes, Stanford
16. Gus Handler, Colorado
17. Jay Finch, Georgia Tech
18. Kyle Koehne, Florida

I wouldn't be shocked to see one of the top two go in Round 1. Both could be off the board by the midway point of Round 2, certainly.

Defense
Defensive ends

[+] EnlargeKony Ealy
Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports
Teams picking late in the first round may be tempted to grab Kony Ealy.
1. *Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
2. *Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
3. *Demarcus Lawrence, Boise St.
4. *Kony Ealy, Missouri
5. Marcus Smith, Louisville
6. Chris Smith, Arkansas
7. Kareem Martin, North Carolina
8. *Jeoffrey Pagan, Alabama
9. Larry Webster, Bloomsburg
10. *Scott Crichton, Oregon St.
11. Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas
12. *Aaron Lynch, South Florida
13. Cassius Marsh, UCLA
14. Will Clarke, West Virginia
15. Ed Stinson, Alabama
16. Taylor Hart, Oregon
17. James Gayle, Virginia Tech
18. Colton Underwood, Illinois St.
19. Michael Sam, Missouri
20. Tevin Mims, South Florida
21. Josh Mauro, Stanford
22. Zach Moore, Concordia (MN)
23. Ethan Westbrooks, West Texas A&M
24. George Uko, USC
25. Denico Autry, Mississippi St.
26. Jonathan Newsome, Ball St.
27. Kasim Edebali, Boston College
28. Kerry Wynn, Richmond
29. I.K. Enemkpali, Louisiana Tech
30. Devon Kennard, USC
31. Shayon Green, Miami (Fla)
32. Chaz Sutton, South Carolina
33. Chidera Uzo-Diribe, Colorado
34. Terrence Fede, Marist
35. Ben Gardner, Stanford
36. Zach Thompson, Wake Forest
37. Tyler Scott, Northwestern
38. Chris Whaley, Texas
39. Kenny Anunike, Duke
40. Daniel Riley, Harding
41. Jacques Smith, Tennessee
42. Jamil Merrell, Rutgers
43. Garrison Smith, Georgia
44. Ryne Giddins, South Florida
45. Corey Miller, Tennessee
46. David Gilbert, Miami (Fla)
47. Jason Ankrah, Nebraska
48. Dan Hicks, Florida St.
49. Marlon Walls, Tennessee
50. Jake Metz, Shippensburg
51. Tim Jackson, North Carolina
52. Tyler Johnson, Oklahoma St.
53. Marcus Thompson, Rutgers
54. Anthony Larry, Eastern Washington

The top three players here show how "defensive end" is a pretty loose term when you consider different scheme options. I think Lawrence is the one to watch, as he could come off the board early in Round 2 and is a player many aren't very familar with.

Defensive tackles

[+] EnlargeDaQuan Jones
Matthew O'Haren/USA TODAY Sports
The versatile DaQuan Jones will appeal to teams running any defensive alignment.
1. Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
2. Ra'Shede Hageman, Minnesota
3. *Louis Nix III, Notre Dame
4. *Timmy Jernigan, Florida St.
5. DaQuan Jones, Penn St.
6. Brent Urban, Virginia
7. *Dominique Easley, Florida
8. Justin Ellis, Louisiana Tech
9. Ryan Carrethers, Arkansas St.
10. Khyri Thornton, So. Mississippi
11. Daniel McCullers, Tennessee
12. Caraun Reid, Princeton
13. Wade Keliikipi, Oregon
14. Eathyn Manumaleuna, BYU
15. Zach Kerr, Delaware
16. Deandre Coleman, California
17. Will Sutton, Arizona St.
18. Kelcy Quarles, South Carolina
19. Jay Bromley, Syracuse
20. Kerry Hyder, Texas Tech
21. Ego Ferguson, LSU
22. Tenny Palepoi, Utah
23. Shamar Stephen, Connecticut
24. Anthony Johnson, LSU
25. Kaleb Ramsey, Boston College
26. Mike Pennel, Colorado St. (Pueblo)
27. Robert Thomas, Arkansas
28. Tyler Hoover, Michigan St.
29. Calvin Barnett, Oklahoma St.
30. Bruce Gaston, Purdue
31. *Viliami Moala, California
32. Ken Bishop, No. Illinois
33. Beau Allen, Wisconsin
34. Lawrence Virgil, Valdosta St.
35. Sione Tuihalamaka, Arizona
36. Byran Jones, Arkansas
37. Tyler Gaston, UNLV
38. Levi Brown, Temple
39. Ioane Gauta, Washington St.
40. Derrick Hopkins, Virginia Tech
41. Roland Johnson, Minnesota
42. Jamie Meder, Ashland
43. Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, Boise St.
44. Jimmy Staten, Middle Tennessee St.
45. Demonte McAllister, Florida St.
46. Roland Johnson, Minnesota

Donald is clearly the class of this group, which is actually somewhat disappointing at the top. Hageman is still a lot of projection, and Nix has questions about focus. Keep an eye on Urban and Easley. The latter can be an absolute stud if healthy, and the former has exceptional length and could be just scratching the surface.

Inside linebackers

1. C.J. Mosley, Alabama
2. Chris Borland, Wisconsin
3. Shayne Skov, Stanford
4. Preston Brown, Louisville
5. Max Bullough, Michigan St.
6. Avery Williamson, Kentucky
7. *Khairi Fortt, California
8. *Yawin Smallwood, Connecticut
9. Dede Lattimore, South Florida
10. Glenn Carson, Penn St.
11. Jordan Zumwalt, UCLA
12. Jeremiah George, Iowa St.
13. Andrew Jackson, Western Kentucky
14. Jonathan Brown, Illinois
15. James Morris, Iowa
16. Uani Unga, BYU
17. Brock Coyle, Montana
18. Greg Blair, Cincinnati
19. Spencer Shuey, Clemson
20. Carlo Calabrese, Notre Dame
21. Andrew Wilson, Missouri
22. Anthony Morales, Weber St.
23. Dan Fox, Notre Dame
24. Caleb Lavey, Oklahoma St.
25. Justin Anderson, Louisiana-Lafayette
26. Tani Maka, UNLV
27. Jake Doughty, Utah St.
28. Blake Slaughter, Kansas St.

Mosley will go in Round 1, and Borland grades out in that range. Lattimore is a player I've moved up some.

Outside linebackers

[+] EnlargeKyle Van Noy
Chris Nicoll/USA TODAY Sports
Kyle Van Noy has been cited for his relentless motor.
1. Khalil Mack, Buffalo
2. *Ryan Shazier, Ohio St.
3. Anthony Barr, UCLA
4. Kyle Van Noy, BYU
5. Dee Ford, Auburn
6. Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech
7. Telvin Smith, Florida St.
8. *Carl Bradford, Arizona St.
9. Trent Murphy, Stanford
10. Jordie Tripp, Montana
11. Lamin Barrow, LSU
12. Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College
13. Tyler Starr, South Dakota
14. *Adrian Hubbard, Alabama
15. Prince Shembo, Notre Dame
16. Christian Kirksey, Iowa
17. Marquis Spruill, Syracuse
18. Trevor Reilly, Utah
19. Howard Jones, Shepherd
20. Christian Jones, Florida St.
21. Anthony Hitchens, Iowa
22. Boseko Lokombo, Oregon
23. *Ronald Powell, Florida
24. Derrell Johnson, East Carolina
25. Morgan Breslin, USC
26. Denicos Allen, Michigan St.
27. Marquis Flowers, Arizona
28. Steele Divitto, Boston College
29. Roosevelt Nix, Kent St.
30. Nate Askew, Texas A&M
31. Shaquil Barrett, Colorado St.
32. Spencer Hadley, BYU
33. Randell Johnson, Florida Atlantic
34. Xavius Boyd, Western Kentucky
35. Connor O'Neill, Wisconsin
36. Ryan Jones, Montana Tech
37. Eddie Lackey, Baylor
38. Corey Nelson, Oklahoma
39. Keith Smith, San Jose St.
40. Brad Daly, Montana St.
41. Marcus Whitfield, Maryland
42. Keaton Stigger, Henderson St.
43. Dorian Bell, Duquesne
44. Carlos Fields, Winston-Salem St.
45. Johnny Millard, Cal Poly
46. Jamal Merrell, Rutgers
47. Shaun Lewis, Oklahoma St.
48. Chris Young, Arizona St.
49. Jack Tyler, Virginia Tech
50. Desmond Bozeman, Western Michigan

You have a mix of players here who are coveted for their pass rush skills or the ability to pursue and chase down plays. I consider Van Noy a first-round sleeper.

Cornerbacks

[+] EnlargeDarqueze Dennard
Mike Carter/USA TODAY Sports
Darqueze Dennard may be off the board within the top 10 picks.
1. Darqueze Dennard, Michigan St.
2. Kyle Fuller, Virginia Tech
3. Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma St.
4. Jason Verrett, TCU
5. *Bradley Roby, Ohio St.
6. Lamarcus Joyner, Florida St.
7. Pierre Desir, Lindenwood
8. Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Nebraska
9. *Bashaud Breeland, Clemson
10. Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma
11. Walt Aikens, Liberty
12. Phillip Gaines, Rice
13. Andre Hal, Vanderbilt
14. *Marcus Roberson, Florida
15. *Victor Hampton, South Carolina
16. Keith McGill, Utah
17. *Terrance Mitchell, Oregon
18. Rashaad Reynolds, Oregon St.
19. Kendall James, Maine
20. *Loucheiz Purifoy, Florida
21. Jaylen Watkins, Florida
22. Dexter McDougle, Maryland
23. Brandon Dixon, NW Missouri St.
24. Dontae Johnson, NC St.
25. Ross Cockrell, Duke
26. Chris Davis, Auburn
27. E.J. Gaines, Missouri
28. Nevin Lawson, Utah St.
29. Bene Benwikere, San Jose St.
30. Bennett Jackson, Notre Dame
31. Lavelle Westbrooks, Georgia Southern
32. Ricardo Allen, Purdue
33. Deion Belue, Alabama
34. Jemea Thomas, Georgia Tech
35. Demetri Goodson, Baylor
36. Kevin Fogg, Liberty
37. Todd Washington, SE Lousiana
38. Shaquille Richardson, Arizona
39. Kenneth Acker, SMU
40. Ciante Evans, Nebraska
41. Qua Cox, Jackson St.
42. T.J. Lee, Eastern Washington
43. Keith Reaser, Florida Atlantic
44. Travis Carrie, Ohio
45. Devonta Glover-Wright, Utah St.
46. *Kameron Jackson, California
47. Jabari Price, North Carolina
48. Carrington Byndom, Texas
49. Greg Ducre, Washington
50. Osahon Irabor, Arizona St.
51. Shaq Bell, Colorado St.
52. Dashaun Phillips, Tarleton St.
53. Keon Lyn, Syracuse
54. B.J. Lowery, Iowa
55. Charles Sawyer, Mississippi
56. Thomas Bates, Houston
57. Marcus Williams, North Dakota St.
58. Kenneth Gilstrap, Middle Tennessee St.
59. Damante Horton, Washington St.
60. Devin Wallace, Virginia Union
61. Keith Lewis, Virginia Lynchburg

Deep group. I see a possibility of five off the board in Round 1, and anybody ranked inside the top 40 is a possibility to be drafted (and perhaps one or two after that). It'll be really interesting to see where the taller players get drafted after Seattle's success. It's a copycat league, but it's worth remembering than in Seattle it was a developmental situation.

Safeties

[+] EnlargeCalvin Pryor
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Calvin Pryor can be a game-changing force as a rookie.
1. *Calvin Pryor, Louisville
2. *Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Alabama
3. Jimmie Ward, No. Illinois
4. Deone Bucannon, Washington St.
5. Terrence Brooks, Florida St.
6. Ahmad Dixon, Baylor
7. Maurice Alexander, Utah St.
8. Brock Vereen, Minnesota
9. *Ed Reynolds, Stanford
10. Antone Exum, Virginia Tech
11. Daniel Sorensen, BYU
12. Dezmen Southward, Wisconsin
13. *Dion Bailey, USC
14. Marqueston Huff, Wyoming
15. Tre Boston, North Carolina
16. Darwin Cook, West Virginia
17. Ty Zimmerman, Kansas St.
18. Isaiah Lewis, Michigan St.
19. Nat Berhe, San Diego St.
20. Craig Loston, LSU
21. Kenny Ladler, Vanderbilt
22. Boo-Boo Gates, Bowling Green
23. *Jonathan Dowling, Western Kentucky
24. Jacques Washington, Iowa St.
25. Hakeem Smith, Louisville
26. Alden Darby, Arizona St.
27. Avery Patterson, Oregon
28. C.J. Barnett, Ohio St.
29. Lonnie Ballentine, Memphis
30. Tanner Miller, Iowas
31. Vinnie Sunseri, Alabama
32. Greg Heban, Indiana
33. Jason Hendricks, Pittsburgh
34. *Pierre Warren, Jacksonville St.
35. Rob Henry, Purdue
36. Kamaron Riley, MidAmerica Nazarene
37. Gabe Lynn, Oklahoma
38. Isaiah Newsome, Louisiana (Monroe)
39. Sean Parker, Washington
40. L.J. McCray, Catawba
41. Demetrius Wright, USC
42. Dewey McDonald, Cal (PA)
43. Nickoe Whitley, Mississippi St.
44. Christian Bryant, Ohio St.
45. David Van ****, Tennessee St.
46. Daytawion Lowe, Oklahoma St.
47. Parker Orms, Colorado
48. Tre' Porter, Texas Tech
49. Javon Marshall, Vanderbilt
50. Shamiel Gary, Oklahoma St.

Go through rosters and you'll see that nearly half the teams in the NFL right now could use at least one safety, A few teams could use two. I wouldn't be shocked if Ward or Bucannon turn in the best rookie year out of this group.

Special teams
Kickers

1. Anthony Fera, Texas
2. Zach Hocker, Arkansas
3. Chris Boswell, Rice
4. Cairo Santos, Tulane
5. Carey Spear, Vanderbilt
6. Mitch Ewald, Indiana
7. Andrew Furney, Washington St.
8. Vincenzo D'Amato, California
9. Chandler Catanzaro, Clemson
10. Cody Parkey, Auburn
11. Joe Mansour, Kentucky
12. Jeff Budzien, Northwestern

Punters

1. Steven Clark, Auburn
2. Pat O'Donnell, Miami (Fla)
3. Tom Hornsey, Memphis
4. Richie Leone, Houston
5. Michael Palardy, Tennessee
6. Cody Mandell, Alabama
7. Kirby Van Der Kamp, Iowa St.
8. Cody Webster, Purdue
9. James McCombie, Slippery Rock
10. Ben Skaer, New Mexico
11. Tyler Campbell, Mississippi

Long snappers

1. Marcus Heit, Kansas St.
2. Tyler Ott, Harvard
3. Trevor Gillette, Rice
4. Casey Kreiter, Iowa
5. Chris Maikranz, Lamar
6. Tanner Hedstrom, Colorado St.
7. Jareth Glanda, Michigan
8. Drew Howell, Oregon
9. Andrew Suter, Oklahoma St.
10. Zach Northern, Baylor

 

[stillin729]

Tajh Boyd might not even get drafted; that's a pretty big fall talking about Teddy

 

[jewseejay]

Lol connor shaw is now ahead of boyd?!?!

Oh.

 

[stillin729]

could end up the best safety in the draft IMO; hoping the Eagles can snag him in the 3rd

Deone Bucannon, Washington St.