Top 5 at each position – final rankings
The draft is a little over a week away now. This will be my final top five ranking for the 2015 draft. I have made a few tweaks here and there.
Quarterbacks:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Jameis | Winston | Florida State | RSS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Marcus | Mariota | Oregon | Jr | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bryce | Petty | Baylor | Sr | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Garrett | Grayson | Colorado St | Sr | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| Brent | Hundley | UCLA | Jr | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: I decided to move Petty up a slot due to his arm strength. He’s also looking more comfortable taking snaps under center. Grayson is a solid QB that doesn’t blow you away physically, but he does a good job moving the chains. Really after the top two, it just depends on what you are looking for in a QB.
Running Back:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Melvin | Gordon | Wisconsin | Jr | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Todd | Gurley | Georgia | Jr | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ameer | Abdullah | Nebraska | Sr | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Tevin | Coleman | Indiana | Jr | 5 | 4 | 4 | |
| Jay | Ajayi | Boise State | Jr | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: No changes to the top five. It looks like Gurley might be drafted before Gordon, but I think Gordon may pay dividends more quickly since Gurley will be recovering from a knee injury. This is a good draft for running backs so there will be good running backs left on day two and maybe even day three.
Wide Receiver:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Amari | Cooper | Alabama | Jr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kevin | White | W Virginia | Sr | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| DeVante | Parker | Louisville | Sr | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Breshad | Perriman | UCF | Jr | 5 | 4 | ||
| Jaelen | Strong | Arizona St | Jr | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
Analysis: The wide receiver class may be the deepest class in the draft. I can easily look at the 20th and 25th ranking receiver and they still look good to me. After Kevin White’s NFL Combine, many moved him to the top of their rankings. I have consistently ranked Amari Cooper at the top and now it seems like other analysts are following suit. I moved Perriman ahead of Strong because of his 40 time in this pro day.
Tight End:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Maxx | Williams | Minnesota | Jr | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Clive | Walford | Miami | Sr | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Nick | O’Leary | Florida St | Sr | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Jesse | James | Penn State | Jr | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
| MyCole | Pruitt | S Illinois | Sr | 5 |
Analysis: The tight end group is not very deep. I kept the first three the same, but moved up Jesse James and added MyCole Pruitt. James has great size and a huge catch radius, but he isn’t a great blocker. Pruitt is athletic and should help out in the passing game.
Fullback:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Jalston | Fowler | Alabama | Sr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Zach | Zenner | S Dakota State | Sr | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Tyler | Varga | Yale | Sr | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| Connor | Neighbors | LSU | Sr | 4 | 4 | ||
| Mark | Weisman | Iowa | Sr | 5 |
Analysis: Not many people rank fullbacks, but they are still a big part in some offensive schemes. Zenner and Varga are running backs that could change position at the next level and provide the versatility that NFL teams love. Neighbors and Weisman are new to the rankings and are more traditional fullbacks that excel as lead blockers.
Offensive Tackle:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Brandon | Scherff | Iowa | Sr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Andrus | Peat | Stanford | Jr | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| La’el | Collins | LSU | Sr | 5 | 3 | 3 | |
| Ereck | Flowers | Miami | Jr | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| D.J. | Humphries | Florida | Jr | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: There are a lot of varying opinions on the offensive tackle class. Sherff and Collins could actually end up as guards, but I believe they move well enough to play tackle. Flowers and Humphries are wild cards and could actually end up as the top two tackles taken.
Guard:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | CBS | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Laken | Tomlinson | Duke | Sr | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| A.J. | Cann | S Carolina | Sr | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Tre | Jackson | Florida St | Sr | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Ali | Marpet | Hobart | Sr | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Arie | Kouandjio | Alabama | Sr | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: No changes in the guard rankings. I don’t think any of these guys will be drafted in the first round, but whoever gets Tomlinson will get a bargain. He is a tough, battler that holds his own, even against top notch players.
Center:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Cameron | Erving | Florida State | Sr | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Hroniss | Grasu | Oregon | Sr | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Reese | Dismukes | Auburn | Sr | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| B.J. | Finney | Kansas State | Sr | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Andy | Gallik | Boston College | Sr | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: No changes in the center rankings. Erving will likely be a first rounder, but I don’t think any of the other centers will be drafted on day one.
Defensive End:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Leonard | Williams | USC | Jr | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Dante | Fowler | Florida | Jr | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Shane | Ray | Missouri | Jr | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
| Alvin | Dupree | Kentucky | Sr | 5 | 5 | 4 | |
| Arik | Armstead | Oregon | Jr | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Analysis: The defensive end class looks different depending on who you ask. Players like Leonard Williams and Arik Armstead could end up as defensive tackles. Dante Fowler, Alvin Dupree and Shane Ray could end up as linebackers. Dupree’s draft stock is rising and I may even have him ranked too low. I’ve even seen some mock drafts with him in the top ten.
Defensive Tackle:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Danny | Shelton | Washington | Sr | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Malcom | Brown | Texas | Jr | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Eddie | Goldman | Florida State | Jr | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Carl | Davis | Iowa | Sr | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Jordan | Philips | Oklahoma | Jr | 4 | 5 |
Analysis: I didn’t make any changes to the top three, but I flip-flopped Carl Davis and Jordan Philips. I really like what I’ve seen from Davis. He is big and stout at the line of scrimmage. I think he would be great in a 3-4 scheme as a nose tackle.
Outside Linebacker:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Vic | Beasley | Clemson | Sr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Shaq | Thompson | Washington | Jr | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Randy | Gregory | Nebraska | Sr | 3 | 3 | ||
| Eli | Harold | Virginia | Sr | 4 | 4 | ||
| Nate | Orchard | Utah | Sr | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: No changes in the linebacker class, although some of these guys might end up as defensive ends. I love Beasley’s pass rushing skills. I would have Gregory ranked higher if not for his failed drug test. Shaq Thompson is an extremely versatile player that could play in different positions.
Inside Linebacker:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | Final |
| Eric | Kendricks | UCLA | Sr | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Stephone | Anthony | Clemson | Sr | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Denzel | Perryman | Miami | Sr | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| Benardrick | McKinney | Miss State | Jr | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Paul | Dawson | TCU | Sr | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: Stephone Anthony’s draft stock is improving, so I moved him to the two slot. Anthony seems to be a guy that’s always around the ball and people are taking notice. I think Paul Dawson might be ranked higher if he ran a little faster.
Corner:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | April |
| Trae | Waynes | Mich State | Jr | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Kevin | Johnson | Wake Forest | Sr | 5 | 4 | 2 | |
| Marcus | Peters | Washington | Jr | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| Jalen | Collins | LSU | Jr | 3 | 4 | ||
| Byron | Jones | Uconn | Sr | 5 | 5 |
Analysis: Kevin Johnson is a fast riser. A few weeks ago, he looked like a late first round or day two selection, but it looks like he will be a first rounder now. Marcus Peters would be higher if teams thought they could trust him.
Safety:
| First Name | Last Name | School | Year | Pre Season | Pre Combine | March | April |
| Landon | Collins | Alabama | Jr | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Damarious | Randall | Arizona St | Sr | 2 | 2 | ||
| Quinten | Rollins | Miami (OH) | Sr | 3 | |||
| Jaquiski | Tartt | Samford | Sr | 3 | 4 | ||
| James | Sample | Louisville | Jr | 5 |
Analysis: The safety group might be the weakest group in this class. Damarious Randall is rising up draft boards and in some cases has taken over the top spot. Quinten Rollins is a really interesting player. He played corner in college and also was a point guard with a flair for steals. He has great ball skills and could end up either at corner or safety.
Next week I will be doing my last mock draft of the year. Come back to see who I project for your favorite team!
DraftManiacs 