A couple of notes on these rankings. 1) Rankings are based on pre-scouting, pre-skew attributes. 2) I have a bias toward certain attributes and this will no doubt be reflected in these rankings. Feel free to use adjust them according to your preference.
Defensive Ends
RE-Marcus Spears- 22 years old, 6?4?, 307 lbs., 74 SPD, 90 STR, 57 AWR, 74 AGI, 80 ACC, and 77 TAK- Spears is the prototypical 3-4 DE, but my guess is that some GM?s will like him enough to try him as a 4-3 DE. He has ideal size and strength but he also combines that with above average athleticism, particularly for 3-4 DE. Cody, is the traditional 4-3 DE but I just think Spears is better.
RE-Dan Cody? 23 years old, 6?5?, 255 lbs., 80 SPD, 79 STR, 50 AWR, 80 AGI, 84 ACC, and 64 TAK- Cody is going to be a good 4-3 DE. He?ll have the 80 SPD, STR, AGI, and ACC thing going on for sure. I am just not sure how valuable he will be. There?s are about seven or eight elite DE?s and then there?s probably another ten or so a clear tier down and that?s where Cody is. He?s pretty comparable to Jason Babin taken by the Bears at 2.4 in last year?s draft. I think I like Cody just a little bit better but I don?t know if that makes him a first round pick or not. Time will tell.
LE-Erasmus James- 22 years old, 6?4?, 266 lbs., 73 SPD, 84 STR, 57 AWR, 79 AGI, 84 ACC, and 74 TAK- James is a bit of a tweener. He?s a little too small to be the ideal 3-4 DE but he?s a little too slow to be the ideal 4-3. However, he has good overall attributes and he?s more polished than Cody and other DE?s in this class. I think with James GM?s will need to think more about what he will become in a year than what he currently is now, not because he?s a raw prospect, but he needs the extra attribute boosts from first year progression and activity points.
LE-Jeb Huckeba- 23 years old, 6?4?, 252 lbs., 80 SPD, 72 STR, 46 AWR, 77 AGI, 86 ACC, and 67 TAK- I actually like Chris Canty a little better than Huckeba but that is because Huckeba?s awareness is so incredibly low. I think most GM?s will over look that for the speed/acceleration combo he could provide. He?s the smallest of the top five DE?s but he is also the fastest. He would be a guy where the scouting report means more than the average person because a skew up or down in speed directly influences his value.
RE-Chris Canty- 22 years, 6?7?, 295 lbs., 71 SPD, 80 STR, 62 AWR, 75 AGI, 82 ACC, and 65 TAK- Canty rounds out the top five DE?s. His size is impressive at 6?7? and almost 300 lbs. But his physical attributes are also above average. And unless the other top DE?s in this class, his awareness is over 60 which means teams can pour progression points into his tackle. I don?t know if his speed and strength combo will get him selected any earlier than maybe round three though. I guess that depends on team needs and GM philosophy.
Defensive Tackles
DT-Ronald Fields- 23 years old, 6?2?, 323 lbs., 68 SPD, 85 STR, 67 AWR, 68 AGI, 76 ACC, and 80 TAK- I think there?s an argument for maybe three different DT?s to be considered at the top of this class. I choose Fields because he?s the most polished and I think his strength is easier to boost than the other guys speed or acceleration. No matter who you rank as the best in this draft if you are planning on selecting them in the first round that is a clear indication that you need to trade back in the draft. None of these guys should be first round picks.
DT-Shaun Cody- 22 years old, 6?4?, 293 lbs., 65 SPD, 91 STR, 63 AWR, 66 AGI, 70 ACC, and 79 TAK- If you just can?t get past Fields? low strength then your top DT in this draft is probably Shaun Cody. Cody starts out with the low 90?s strength plus good speed. He does lack the ideal acceleration though and it?s not like he can make up for that with elite level strength, it?s just very good strength. My guess is that he goes somewhere in the second round but if teams get desperate then who knows.
DT-Mike Patterson- 22 years old, 6?0?, 292 lbs., 57 SPD, 98 STR, 62 AWR, 58 AGI, 66 ACC, and 78 TAK- If all you care about is strength then maybe Mike Patterson is your top DT. I didn?t even have him on my radar the first couple of times I went through this class primarily because of his speed/acceleration combo, but upon further review I guess there is an argument for Patterson being the best based on his strength. And I think I would take him if he were still available in the mid rounds of this draft but I don?t think he will get there. He?s a poor man?s version of Darnell Dockett who we took at 3.4 in last year?s draft.
DT-Jonathan Babineaux- 23 years old, 6?2?, 286 lbs., 57 SPD, 96 STR, 55 AWR, 67 AGI, 71 ACC, and 73 TAK- Babineaux and Patterson are very similar players. Patterson has better strength but Babineaux has better athleticism. I don?t like either that much but if you are desperate for a DT in the mid rounds of the draft both players should be around.
DT-Jay Ratcliffe- 21 years old, 6?4?, 303 lbs., 57 SPD, 93 STR, 45 AWR, 66 AGI, 76 ACC, and 77 TAK- Ratcliffe is a serviceable DT but he?s really raw. 45 AWR is just so dangerously low particularly with out overwhelmingly elite athleticism. I honestly don?t think he?s anything more than a late round pick. I just think you will never be able to get him to a point where you can actually depend on him as a starter. Maybe that?s a little harsh but Hawthorne, a guy who did not make this list because of 37 AWR, at least has better physical attributes. Ratcliffe?s 8 AWR advantage gets him on this list, but that doesn?t mean his awareness isn?t still a major liability.
Outside Linebackers
LOLB-Shawn Merriman- 23 years old, 6?4?, 253 lbs., 82 SPD, 84 STR, 61 AWR, 85 AGI, 85 ACC, and 83 TAK- Merriman is a generational talent at the OLB position. I believe he should be a top three pick in this draft. His athleticism combined with elite strength is what makes him so elite. I know there?s a ton of buzz amount the elite CB?s in this draft, along with the OL and the elite WR?s but not getting Merriman early will be a mistake. He is a similar player to Karlos Dansby but stronger.
LOLB-Cameron Wake- 23 years old, 6?3?, 263 lbs., 83 SPD, 70 STR, 56 AWR, 87 AGI, 82 ACC, and 80 TAK- I like Wake slightly better than Pollock primarily because he?s slightly more athletic. Wake should still be a starter in the league and I?m guessing he could be a second round pick easily taken before Pollock due to his athleticism. I do worry about his low awareness particularly for the first couple of years.
LOLB-David Pollock- 23 years old, 6?2?, 265 lbs., 80 SPD, 71 STR, 70 AWR, 82 AGI, 81 ACC, and 81 TAK- Pollock is a huge drop off from Merriman particularly in strength, but what Pollock does have going on is his readiness to play. He?s got great awareness and acceptable tackle. Now he isn?t elite athletically but he?s a big player with potential to be an all-star and if he were to skew up in speed and acceleration he could be even better.
ROLB-Kirk Morrison- 23 years old, 6?2?, 240 lbs., 76 SPD, 72 STR, 77 AWR, 82 AGI, 82 ACC, and 84 TAK- Morrison is not the type of OLB I like. He?s too slow, way too slow. But if you look at every other attribute Morrison becomes more and more attractive. Particularly when you factor in the rest of the class. I know some GM?s will look past his speed, but I don?t think I can do so.
ROLB-Pat Thomas- 22 years old, 6?2?, 237 lbs., 79 SPD, 73 STR, 60 AWR, 80 AGI, 82 ACC, and 79 TAK- There could be another three or four guys that could be ranked here but Thomas seems to be the best of the rest. I don?t really see him as a long-term starter in the league but I could be wrong. I would love to see Demarcus Ware have better attributes because he should be here, but for now, he?s just not good enough.
Middle Linebackers
MLB-Odell Thurman- 22 years old, 6?0?, 233 lbs., 84 SPD, 80 STR, 79 AWR, 86 AGI, 83 ACC, and 84 TAK- Thurman is a complete MLB with both great athletic attributes with advanced awareness and solid tackle. Thurman is not physically imposing but his attributes are phenomenal and he should be a top ten pick in this year?s draft. Thurman is one of three elite level MLB?s in this draft and I do think he?s the best of the three.
MLB-Alfred Fincher- 22 years old, 6?1?, 238 lbs., 87 SPD, 73 STR, 61 AWR, 92 AGI, 90 ACC, and 77 TAK- Fincher has incredible speed and acceleration. It?s unmatched. He lacks the awareness and tackle to be ranked higher than Thurman as this point. I know Daren projected Fincher as a top ten talent and I tend to agree as well. Fincher?s current speed/acceleration combo would be the best in the league even before his first year progression. Now guys like Lewis, Urlancher, Wilson, Henderson, and Crowell all have more strength but Fincher?s the best as far as speed and acceleration goes.
MLB-Jordan Beck- 22 years old, 6?2?, 233 lbs., 85 SPD, 80 STR, 65 AWR, 79 AGI, 86 ACC, and 82 TAK- Beck is another elite level talent at the position. There is a good argument for him being the best at the position in this year?s draft, but since his awareness is 14 points less Thurman I?ve ranked Beck third behind both Thurman and Fincher. But whoever gets Beck in this draft is not going to feel like they got a second class MLB. All three of these guys are plug and play with Thurman being the most ready and Fincher being the least.
MLB-Boomer Grigsby- 23 years old, 6?0?, 249 lbs., 82 SPD, 73 STR, 62 AWR, 75 AGI, 82 ACC, and 75 TAK- There?s a huge drop off here between Beck and Grigsby. But that doesn?t mean that Grigsby and other MLB?s in this draft won?t be good starters in this league. He?s a solid overall player. He doesn?t have any great qualities but outside of TAK and AGI doesn?t have any horrible qualities either. TAK and AGI and not ideal but also not killers. I would assume either a second or third round grade here. Just depends on how much teams need MLB?s.
MLB-Lofa Tatupu- 23 years old, 5?11?, 238 lbs., 79 SPD, 79 STR, 81 AWR, 82 AGI, 80 ACC, and 88 TAK- Tatupu doesn?t have the physical attributes of the top three guys or for that matter Grigsby. Plus Tatupu is undersized for the position. But his awareness and tackle combo makes the most ready player to fit in. Perhaps as a #2 MLB who could be a starter after year one. I know some GM?s value this combo even more than physical attributes so it wouldn?t surprise me if he is selected in round two.
Cornerbacks
CB-Brandon Browner- 22 years old, 6?4?, 221 lbs., 95 SPD, 43 STR, 55 AWR, 91 AGI, 95 ACC, 59 CTH and 48 TAK- Browner is the most polarizing player in this CB draft class and maybe in this draft. He is seen as a virtual lock for the top two. The argument goes like this, 6?4? 95 SPD and 95 ACC. It?s a pretty good argument. My counter to that argument is that based on the philosophy of the commishes where there aren?t the super star loaded drafts like other leagues we?ve seen over the years, he will almost certainly skew down in speed or acceleration or both. Then you have to take into account low STR (which some GM?s won?t care about) and low awareness, catch, and tackle. His awareness is going to take to progress. So I put him here at #1 in this ranking because of his height/speed/acceleration combo. But I totally understand if a GM takes either Webster or Rolle ahead of him and I might even do that not wanting to deal with the first year or two of his development. I personally see him as a top five prospect but he needs some development for sure.
CB-Antrel Rolle- 23 years old, 6?0?, 197 lbs., 93 SPD, 62 STR, 67 AWR, 83 AGI, 93 ACC, 71 CTH, and 71 TAK- Rolle is a much more complete, polished CB. In fact he is the most complete CB in this draft. Browner is clearly taller and faster. Webster is the same height but faster, but Rolle has great overall attributes with high awareness, catch, and tackle. His tackle specifically is what sets him apart from Webster, otherwise Webster would be second in the rankings. I see Rolle as a top ten pick in this draft. He is similar to a Joey Thomas or a Chris Gamble just an inch shorter.
CB-Corey Webster- 23 years old, 6?0?, 199 lbs., 95 SPD, 66 STR, 63 AWR, 86 AGI, 92 ACC, 70 CTH, and 50 TAK- Webster is right there with Rolle in these rankings. It wouldn?t surprise me if he is many GM?s second choice in this draft. He has higher top end speed plus better agility than Rolle. The issue for me is that, like Browner, he can?t tackle. Missed tackles for CB tend to be TD?s, particularly on the outside. Outside of that, he is a stud.
CB-Stanford Routt- 22 years old, 6?0?, 199 lbs., 93 SPD, 48 STR, 59 AWR, 96 AGI, 94 ACC, 62 CTH, and 48 TAK- Routt is the type of guy who can be a starter in this league but will likely get drafted too high for my liking. I?d prefer to see someone like Routt very late in the first round or early second, but I think he will probably get taken in the top 20. The argument for him is much like the argument for Browner. Ignore everything else except the fact that he is 6?0?, 93 SPD, 96 AGI, and 94 ACC. When you do that, you have a top 20 player in this draft. But like Browner, he has low STR, CTH, and TAK. I think he gets taken earlier than he should.
CB-Justin Miller- 21 years old, 5?10?, 201 lbs., 94 SPD, 55 STR, 56 AWR, 96 AGI, 94 ACC, 75 CTH, and 51 TAK- Miller is your typical short, but fast CB. He has great speed, agility, and acceleration and elite level catch, but he?s short, can?t tackle, and will need some development due to his lower awareness. He?s almost certain to go in the first round. In fact, I think there will be a couple of other CB?s (Mike Hawkins, Pacman Jones, and Stanley Wilson) who will also go late in the first round too. Miller is good, but I?m too impatient to deal with his development at CB.
Free Safeties
FS-O.J. Atogwe- 24 years old, 6?0?, 205 lbs., 94 SPD, 62 STR, 56 AWR, 95 AGI, 95 ACC, 60 CTH and 66 TAK- Even a horrible skew will not derail Atogwe. He?s got great speed, agility, and acceleration and though he doesn?t have ideal AWR he can grow into it. He?s for sure a first round pick and likely top 20. It will depend on who actually needs a FS where he lands. He will immediately be the fastest free safety in the league even if he has a poor skew.
FS-Ben Emanuel- 22 years old, 6?3?, 212 lbs., 90 SPD, 53 STR, 56 AWR, 93 AGI, 89 ACC, 58 CTH, and 68 TAK- Emanuel has the ideal frame you want in a safety but he also has great speed too. Compared to the current stable of FS?s, Emanuel looks really promising. Where he goes in the draft is hard to say, but I think it?s safe to say he?ll be off the board by round 2.
FS-Brodney Pool- 21 years old, 6?1?, 201 lbs., 85 SPD, 57 STR, 62 AWR, 91 AGI, 90 ACC, 69 CTH, and 68 TAK- Pool is another starter worthy FS in this draft. He doesn?t have the high end speed of Atogwe or Emanuel but he has better awareness and catch. 85 SPD is currently a good speed for a FS and with Pool you have great agility and acceleration. He?ll likely be gone in round 2 as well.
FS-Josh Bullocks- 22 years old, 6?1?, 207 lbs., 84 SPD, 56 STR, 61 AWR, 82 AGI, 87 ACC, 76 CTH, and 54 TAK- Bullocks is more in line with what we are used to at this position. However, he does have exception catch and that will not go unnoticed by GM?s in the middle rounds. I think Bullocks is capable of being a starter from day one but I think he could also do well to wait a year.
FS-Kurt Russell- 22 years old, 6?1?, 227 lbs., 89 SPD, 62 STR, 53 AWR, 89 AGI, 91 ACC, 48 CTH, and 52 TAK- Russell has got the physical attributes for sure, but his progressible attributes are almost unprogressible. He can?t catch, tackle, or even realize that he can?t catch or tackle. Somebody will still take a gamble on him in the later rounds.
Strong Safeties
SS-Matt Giordano- 5?11?, 192 lbs., 87 SPD, 57 STR, 59 AWR, 88 AGI, 88 ACC, 53 CTH, and 68 TAK- Giordano is a run of the mill SS but with really good speed and acceleration. But hey when compared to the rest of the guys in this class, he?s the best out there.
SS-Hazma Abdullah- 22 years old, 6?2?, 213 lbs., 89 SPD, 50 STR, 53 AWR, 79 AGI, 88 ACC, 55 CTH, and 57 TAK- Abdullah is a broken player. He?s broken in terms of his agility. So I would not draft him. But he will be drafted just because he has high end speed plus above average height. At least a favorable skew in agility and some activity points could make him usable.
SS-Justin Beriault- 6?3?, 84 SPD, 67 STR, 62 AWR, 85 AGI, 80 ACC, 57 CTH, and 82 TAK- If he just had better acceleration he would be an interesting prospect. For now though he?s just a later round pick who needs major help in the skew.
This concludes the look at the defensive side of the ball. Compared with the offensive side of the ball there is probably more talent here, but both are strong in certain positions.
Good luck to everyone in this year's draft!
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