My Top Sixty-Four Prospects.

[Memento]

I realize that I've been talking a lot about my board, and I realize that I haven't been specific. I'll be specific here. As a note, I'm only ranking pure talent, work ethic, tape, and how much success that I believe that they will have in the NFL if they reach their fullest potential and stay out of trouble. That means that prospects such as Winston and DGB, while I wouldn't take them personally, will be high on the list. If I rated prospects at the same position in a row, then it usually means that I view them equally.

Before anyone asks where Scherff and Gregory are, well...I think that Scherff will carve out a decent career as a starting right guard who excels at run-blocking. He's a notch below. Gregory? I think that he's going to bust because of his shoddy work ethic.

1. Leonard Williams, DE/DT, Southern California.
2. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama.
3. Kevin White, WR West Virginia.
4. Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida.
5. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma.
6. Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri.
7. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon.
8. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State.
9. Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia.
10. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin.
11. Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford.
12. Alvin "Bud" Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky.
13. T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh.
14. Danny Shelton, DT, Washington.
15. A.J. Cann, OG/C, South Carolina.
16. Devante Parker, WR, Louisville
17. La'el Collins, RT/OG, Louisiana State.
18. Paul Dawson, OLB, Texas Christian University.
19. Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson.
2o. Arik Armstead, DE/DT, Oregon.
21. Nate Orchard, OLB/DE, Utah.
22. Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio).
23. Shaq Thompson, OLB/SS, Washington
24. Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma.
25. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA.
26. Duke Johnson, RB, Miami (Florida).
27. Cameron Erving, OT/OG/C, Florida State.
28. Landon Collins, SS, Alabama.
29. Malcom Brown, DT, Texas.
30. Ty Sambrailo, OT/OG, Colorado State.
31. Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State.
32. Eli Harold, DE/OLB, Virginia.
33. Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State.
34. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon.
35. Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State.
36. DeAndre Smelter, WR, Georgia Tech.
37. Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State.
38. P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State.
39. Eric Kendricks, OLB/MLB, UCLA.
40. Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon.
41. Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota.
42. Daryl Williams, RT, Oklahoma.
43. Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke.
44. Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn.
45 Jamil Douglas, OG, Arizona State.
46. Ereck Flowers, OG, Miami (Florida).
47. Markus Golden, OLB/DE, Missouri.
48. DJoun Smith, CB, Florida Atlantic.
49. Alex Carter, CB, Stanford.
5o. Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB/DE, Washington.
51. Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB/DE, Louisville
52. Donovan Smith, OT/OG, Penn State.
53. Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami (Florida).
54. Nelson Agholor, WR, Southern California.
55. Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida.
56. Jaquiski Tartt, SS, Samford.
57. Za'Darius Smith, DE, Kentucky.
58. Clive Walford, TE, Miami (Florida).
59. Ali Marpet, OG/C, Hobart.
60. Mark Glowinski, OG/RT, West Virginia.
61. Terrell Watson, RB, Azusa Pacific.
62. Arie Kouandjio, OG, Alabama.
63. Durrell Eskridge, FS, Syracuse.
64. Joey Mbu, DT, Houston.

Thoughts and critique are all welcome, of course.

 

[Warner4Prez]

I realize that I've been talking a lot about my board, and I realize that I haven't been specific. I'll be specific here. As a note, I'm only ranking pure talent, work ethic, tape, and how much success that I believe that they will have in the NFL if they reach their fullest potential and stay out of trouble. That means that prospects such as Winston and DGB, while I wouldn't take them personally, will be high on the list. If I rated prospects at the same position in a row, then it usually means that I view them equally.

Before anyone asks where Scherff and Gregory are, well...I think that Scherff will carve out a decent career as a starting right guard who excels at run-blocking. He's a notch below. Gregory? I think that he's going to bust because of his shoddy work ethic.

1. Leonard Williams, DE/DT, Southern California.
2. Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama.
3. Kevin White, WR West Virginia.
4. Dante Fowler Jr., DE/OLB, Florida.
5. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Oklahoma.
6. Shane Ray, DE/OLB, Missouri.
7. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon.
8. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State.
9. Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia.
10. Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin.
11. Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford.
12. Alvin "Bud" Dupree, DE/OLB, Kentucky.
13. T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh.
14. Danny Shelton, DT, Washington.
15. A.J. Cann, OG/C, South Carolina.
16. Devante Parker, WR, Louisville
17. La'el Collins, RT/OG, Louisiana State.
18. Paul Dawson, OLB, Texas Christian University.
19. Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson.
2o. Arik Armstead, DE/DT, Oregon.
21. Nate Orchard, OLB/DE, Utah.
22. Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio).
23. Shaq Thompson, OLB/SS, Washington
24. Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma.
25. Owamagbe Odighizuwa, DE, UCLA.
26. Duke Johnson, RB, Miami (Florida).
27. Cameron Erving, OT/OG/C, Florida State.
28. Landon Collins, SS, Alabama.
29. Malcom Brown, DT, Texas.
30. Ty Sambrailo, OT/OG, Colorado State.
31. Eddie Goldman, DT, Florida State.
32. Eli Harold, DE/OLB, Virginia.
33. Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State.
34. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon.
35. Rashad Greene, WR, Florida State.
36. DeAndre Smelter, WR, Georgia Tech.
37. Jay Ajayi, RB, Boise State.
38. P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State.
39. Eric Kendricks, OLB/MLB, UCLA.
40. Jake Fisher, OT, Oregon.
41. Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota.
42. Daryl Williams, RT, Oklahoma.
43. Laken Tomlinson, OG, Duke.
44. Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn.
45 Jamil Douglas, OG, Arizona State.
46. Ereck Flowers, OG, Miami (Florida).
47. Markus Golden, OLB/DE, Missouri.
48. DJoun Smith, CB, Florida Atlantic.
49. Alex Carter, CB, Stanford.
5o. Hau'oli Kikaha, OLB/DE, Washington.
51. Lorenzo Mauldin, OLB/DE, Louisville
52. Donovan Smith, OT/OG, Penn State.
53. Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami (Florida).
54. Nelson Agholor, WR, Southern California.
55. Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida.
56. Jaquiski Tartt, SS, Samford.
57. Za'Darius Smith, DE, Kentucky.
58. Clive Walford, TE, Miami (Florida).
59. Ali Marpet, OG/C, Hobart.
60. Mark Glowinski, OG/RT, West Virginia.
61. Terrell Watson, RB, Azusa Pacific.
62. Arie Kouandjio, OG, Alabama.
63. Durrell Eskridge, FS, Syracuse.
64. Joey Mbu, DT, Houston.

Thoughts and critique are all welcome, of course.

Just a couple of thoughts:
1.) I think you grossly underrate Scherff here. To have the DIII player Marpet ranked ahead of him is a bit silly.
2.) Beasley I think has vaulted himself probably ahead of Mariota.
3.) Interesting that you don't have a DB above 20, and it's not Waynes. I think he's proven himself against some stiff competition including big games against Baylor, Ohio State, Oregon and Stanford.

Most of all, thanks a lot for the insight. May not agree with all of it, but it's damn impressive work.

 

[jjab360]

Brandon Scherff not in the top 64. Shocker.

 

[Memento]

Just a couple of thoughts:
1.) I think you grossly underrate Scherff here. To have the DIII player Marpet ranked ahead of him is a bit silly.
2.) Beasley I think has vaulted himself probably ahead of Mariota.
3.) Interesting that you don't have a DB above 20, and it's not Waynes. I think he's proven himself against some stiff competition including big games against Baylor, Ohio State, Oregon and Stanford.

Most of all, thanks a lot for the insight. May not agree with all of it, but it's damn impressive work.

I have Marpet ranked above Scherff because of pure versatility. And again, I've made my thoughts clear on how I view Scherff's pass-protection in other threads. If I had to rank Scherff, he would be #65, just missing the cut.

Beasley frustrates me a lot. I've seen him dominate excellent opponents, and I've seen him get shut down as well (see Erving, Cameron, 2013 FSU). I put zero stock into the Combine; it doesn't change my thoughts on prospects. He's arguably the biggest athletic freak at linebacker since Von Miller, very close to Shane Ray...but I have doubts about how fluid he is in coverage; he usually had his hand in the ground when he was with Clemson.

None of the DBs have impressed me enough to be top twenty picks. This is a weak class. When Marcus Peters, someone who attacked his own coaches, is your top cornerback in terms of talent alone (and I don't have him rated here because of what he did; if you disrespect your coaches like he did in college, then it has a good chance of following into the NFL. I count that as poor work ethic and discipline), then I really don't see how I can rank any of them in the top twenty.

Rollins is severely underrated as a defensive back anyway. Waynes is good, he's proven himself against top-flight competition, and he'll be a solid number one cornerback in the NFL, but I question his athleticism. I'd rank IEO higher if not for his ACL. P.J. Williams has an outside shot of being a late first-round pick, and Charles Tillman comparisons are always nice, but he wasn't even the best Florida State defensive back this year (that honor belonged to Jalen Ramsey, who is a potential top ten pick in whatever draft he comes out in). DJoun Smith was the heart and soul of FAU's defense and Alex Carter has a ton of upside and an NFL pedigree. However, Smith is small (barely at 5'10"), and Carter needed to shine more on tape for me to rank him higher.

Collins is a touch overrated. Most of the Bama defensive backs are. He's a hell of a player, and he'll be a successful SS elsewhere. Shaq Thompson could end up playing safety, but he strikes me as more of a 4-3 WLB. Tartt and Eskridge are severely skilled, but Tartt played at a small school, and Eskridge has had injury concerns (but is easily the best pure free safety in this class).

Brandon Scherff not in the top 64. Shocker.

And I've given my reasons; I'm not going to rehash them over again because I realize that people won't agree with me. All in all, he just missed the cut.

 

[jrry32]

Beasley frustrates me a lot. I've seen him dominate excellent opponents, and I've seen him get shut down as well (see Erving, Cameron, 2013 FSU). I put zero stock into the Combine; it doesn't change my thoughts on prospects. He's arguably the biggest athletic freak at linebacker since Von Miller, very close to Shane Ray...but I have doubts about how fluid he is in coverage; he usually had his hand in the ground when he was with Clemson.

If Beasley is dropping into coverage, you're doing something wrong.

 

[Memento]

If Beasley is dropping into coverage, you're doing something wrong.

If Beasley's going to be a linebacker at the next level, then I want to see him be able to do everything. If they know what you'll do with Beasley every single time, they'll eventually figure out how to counter him. They always do.

 

[jrry32]

If Beasley's going to be a linebacker at the next level, then I want to see him be able to do everything. If they know what you'll do with Beasley every single time, they'll eventually figure out how to counter him. They always do.

Same logic should apply to a guy like Quinn. When you're a talented enough pass rusher, it's going to take an elite LT to counter what you do.

 

[Memento]

Same logic should apply to a guy like Quinn. When you're a talented enough pass rusher, it's going to take an elite LT to counter what you do.

Yeah, but unlike Quinn in college, Beasley is maddeningly-inconsistent. He's honestly so gifted, and he's capable of doing anything on a football field, but it really feels like he plays down to the level of his competition sometimes. Erving was never that gifted at left tackle, and he held Beasley to a mere two tackles, neither of them for a loss, took no holding or false start penalties in that game, and basically made him a non-factor. If Beasley wants to get to the level where Miller, Matthews III, Suggs, and all of the other elite pass-rushing linebackers, he needs to either work on his repertoire or find ways to be productive as a pass-rusher, run-stopper, and in coverage.

He oozes talent, and if he showed me that he could be a consistent force as a pass-rusher or make his game more well-rounded, then I'd gladly put him in the top ten, maybe even the top five. But alas, there's no film on him in coverage, so all we're left with is speculation.

 

[jrry32]

Quinn was inconsistent in college. Miller wasn't a perfect prospect either. Clay Matthews wasn't even that productive of a guy in college.

I think you're mistaking the guys they are now for the guys they were coming out.

 

[Memento]

Quinn was inconsistent in college. Miller wasn't a perfect prospect either. Clay Matthews wasn't even that productive of a guy in college.

I think you're mistaking the guys they are now for the guys they were coming out.

Fair enough. I just hate inconsistency more than most other faults. Suggs, regardless of what people say about him, brought everything with him in every game he played - college and pros. Miller may not have been perfect, but he was definitely productive and never played down to competition. But all of them proved that they were versatile on the field. That's another thing that I highly value in a prospect. The more things a prospect can do well, the longer he'll stick in the league, and the better his chances of becoming a full-time impact player are.

Quinn had value to both 4-3 and 3-4 teams. J.J. Watt? Same. Miller? Could play 4-3 or 3-4 linebacker and cover. Matthews III? He may not have been productive stat-wise, but he had value to those USC teams as a do-it-all linebacker/defensive end hybrid. Suggs? 3-4 linebacker or 4-3 end.

I'm not at all saying that Beasley can't be an elite player in the NFL, but he has a long way to go before I trust him to be one.

 

[BuZzB33]

I am surprised that top wr is Cooper number one and 2nd is White and 3rd is DGB and 4th is Parker?.. oh really.. now I see it

 

[Memento]

I am surprised that top wr is Cooper number one and 2nd is White and 3rd is DGB and 4th is Parker?.. oh really.. now I see it

Parker does not have elite potential like the other three do. He'll be a great number one receiver, and he might make it to the Pro Bowl in a down year for receivers, but there's simply no way that I could pass up the other three (Cooper and White are both 1a. and 1b. in my book, and DGB has Randy Moss-like potential).

 

[BuZzB33]

Parker can do elite potential. Check it out his stats...

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/devante-parker-1.html

He got 7 games and 860 yards and missed some games because his feets injured. . He is very impressed the years..

I think DGB is compared to J.J Stokes. They are same speed and size too. I wonder at all.

 

[Memento]

Parker can do elite potential. Check it out his stats...

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/devante-parker-1.html

He got 7 games and 860 yards and missed some games because his feets injured. . He is very impressed the years..

I think DGB is compared to J.J Stokes. They are same speed and size too. I wonder at all.

Wow. Did you really just compare DGB to Stokes? Have you even watched DGB play? I have watched every one of his games because I'm a Mizzou fan. I know how good he really is. He's been compared to Megatron ever since high school, but he reminds me more of Moss because of his frame; I think he plays better at 225 lbs. than 238 lbs..

Parker is fast, has good hands, and does a lot of things well. I have him rated in the top twenty because of that. But he doesn't use his size to bully cornerbacks; he's finesse in that regard. I don't like big receivers who play with finesse unless they have extraordinarily-gifted athletic abilities. Parker is not the athletic freak that White or DGB are, and he isn't the complete package like Amari Cooper is. Hence, he is below those three. He compares, in my mind, to Jordy Nelson - another big, finesse receiver. Like Nelson, Parker isn't going to make many Pro Bowls, and he'll never make a first-team All-Pro squad. He'll be a number one receiver at this level if he reaches his fullest potential, but there's no way in hell that he'll be potentially elite like the other three are.

 

[Warner4Prez]

I could easily see Beasley as Anthony Barr. They had a lot of the same knocks in terms of coverage and consistency, both were freakish at the combine. Barr had a couple of weeks where he vanished and wore down near the end of the season, but I'd be pretty happy with those results from a rookie LB.

 

[Memento]

I could easily see Beasley as Anthony Barr. They had a lot of the same knocks in terms of coverage and consistency, both were freakish at the combine. Barr had a couple of weeks where he vanished and wore down near the end of the season, but I'd be pretty happy with those results from a rookie LB.

Difference was that Barr was a lot bigger than Beasley...and I still have concerns about how good Barr really is. Like you said, he wore down and vanished. And I always thought that Beasley was more of a physical freak than Barr ever was. Beasley's ceiling is Von Miller. I just have concerns about how he'll far as a pure linebacker.

 

[BuZzB33]

Yep. I watched DGB for highlights. He looked ok but he was a great play from High school when he can beat a high school because high school guys are too weak. Lol.. College guys can tough and tackle on DGB. U see it on highlights? !.. I wonder. Why people do pass on DGB when ravens will Draft to DGB? That is little sad for him..

 

[BuZzB33]

 

[Memento]

Um...no, you have not watched DGB. Not only can I not understand a damn word of what you've been saying (because you seriously, seriously need to improve your grammar so that it's at least legible), but you're posting stats that don't even come close to telling the whole story.

Do you realize just how many weapons Mizzou had on offense in the 2013 season? We had a three-headed monster at running back (Marcus Murphy, Henry Josey, and Russell Hansbrough - all of them great receiving backs) and four top receivers, DGB not included (L'Damian Washington, Marcus Lucas, Bud Sasser, and Jimmie Hunt). If you ever watched him, you'd realize that Washington and Lucas got most of the targets, with Sasser stealing some at the hybrid tight end/receiver slot, and Hunt occasionally getting deep balls.

And to say that "college guys can tough and tackle on DGB" is just completely...untrue.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goV-jiFjywc

 

[DR RAM]

I could easily see Beasley as Anthony Barr. They had a lot of the same knocks in terms of coverage and consistency, both were freakish at the combine. Barr had a couple of weeks where he vanished and wore down near the end of the season, but I'd be pretty happy with those results from a rookie LB.

He was injured.