With the NFL Draft just a week away my positional rankings are finally set. Today I will post my offensive top five per position and they will soon be followed by my defensive top five.
Quarterback
- Mitchell Trubisky, North Carolina
- Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech
- Deshaun Watson, Clemson
- Deshone Kizer, Notre Dame
- Davis Webb, California
Summary: Trubisky has held steady as my number one guy throughout the process, with Mahomes gaining fast. None of these guys should start in 2017, but with enough work, they could all be diamonds in the rough in just a few years.
Running Back
- Leonard Fournette, LSU
- Christian McCaffery, Stanford
- Dalvin Cook, Florida State
- Joe Mixon, Oklahoma
- Alvin Kamara, Tennessee
Summary: There is a lot of running back talent in this draft and who goes where will be based on what a team wants or needs. Fournette is my clear number one, with the human swiss army knife McCaffery not far behind. Mixon, if not for off of the field stupidity, would be near the top, almost side by side with Fournette.
Wide Receiver
- Corey Davis, Western Michigan
- Mike Williams, Clemson
- John Ross, Washington
- Curtis Samuel, Ohio State
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC
Summary: Much like the running back position, the wide receiver spot is filled with players who can fill a variety of roles. Davis and Williams are neck and neck for my number one spot, but the big bodied Davis reminds me of (should be) hall of famer Terrell Owens. Samuel is the McCaffery of this group and can do a little bit of everything.
Tight End
- O.J. Howard, Alabama
- David Njoku, Miami
- Evan Engram, Mississippi
- Adam Shaheen, Ashland
- Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech
Summary: Howard is my clear number one tight end. He can do everything you want at the tight end spot, including block. Njoku,Engram, and Hodges are basically big slot receivers who will line up at tight end from time to time but are weak blockers. Shaheen is a small school monster who showed that he can do a little bit of everything against weaker competition. He is definitely the wild card at this spot.
Offensive Tackle
- Ryan Ramczyk, Wisconsin
- Garrett Bolles, Utah
- Cam Robinson, Alabama
- Rod Johnson, Florida State
- Antonio Garcia, Troy
Summary: Much like the QB spot, none of these guys are going to be great in 2017. Among them I believe Ramczyk has the best chance of becoming a good left tackle the soonest, with Bolles not far behind. Robinson, Johnson, and Garcia are all best suited at right tackle and may eventually move to guard.
Offensive Guard/Center
- Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky
- Dan Feeney, Indiana
- Pat Elflein, Ohio State
- Ethan Pocic, LSU
- Dorian Johnson, Pitt
Summary: Lamp and Feeney are the clear top guard talent in this draft, with Lamp the only one I have a first round grade on. Elflein is the only center I have in my top 60 players (60). Though Pocic played center at LSU, I think he is best suited at guard in the NFL due to his 6’6″ height. Tall centers struggle in the NFL.
orangeandbrown365.com 