With only 25 days remaining until the draft, I put together a ranking of the top 5 players at each position and where they may end up. Enjoy!
Quarterback
1) Deshaun Watson - Clemson
While Watson may need more time to develop than North Carolina product Mitchell Trubisky, Watson has all the tools to become the next, perhaps better, Russell Wilson.
Team Fits:
San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks
Projected Pick: #12 to the Cleveland Browns
2) Mitchell Trubisky - North Carolina
Trubisky will be able to start year 1 in the NFL. He has good poise in the pocket and can make almost any throw. However, he is a little inexperienced, but after getting a couple seasons under his belt, there is no reason why he shouldn't live up to his Aaron Rodgers comparisons.
Team Fits: San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Houston, New York (Jets)
Projected Pick: #6 to the New York Jets
3) Patrick Mahomes - Texas Tech
No player has soared higher up the draft boards in the last two months than Mahomes. Mahomes's stats are eye-popping. He logged a 50 touchdown season as a senior in high school. Then, as a true freshman, started 4 games for Texas Tech and threw for 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions with 6 touchdowns coming against Texas rival Baylor.
Team Fits:
Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals
Projected Pick: #25 to the Houston Texans
4) Deshone Kizer - Notre Dame
While Mahomes stock has soared, Kizer's has taken a bit of a hit recently. Once projected to land in the early to mid first round, Kizer is now viewed as a 2nd or 3rd round pick. However, his ability to move in the pocket and scramble grants him a position as one of the draft's top sleepers.
Team Fits:
San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys
5) Brad Kaaya - Miami
Ole Miss's Chad Kelly is a close 6th here, but Kaaya has impressed scouts and could step in day 1 if need be to help a team. Possesses great leadership qualities as well.
Team Fits:
Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins
Honorable Mentions:
Chad Kelly - Ole Miss
Joshua Dobbs - Tennessee
Nathan Peterman - Pitt
Running Back
1) Leonard Fournette - Louisiana State
Fournette is the easy number 1 here as he is the perfect combination of power and speed... with emphasis on the power. At 240 pounds, Fournette wowed everybody with a 4.51 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. While he does not have the upside of ex-Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, he does have the ability to come in and rush for 1,700+ his rookie year.
Team Fits: Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns
Projected Pick: #4 to the Jacksonville Jaguars
2) Dalvin Cook - Florida State
Cook's production at Florida State was absolutely phenomenal, but has deep history of shoulder injuries which may cause him a slight fall in the draft. Still though, Cook has the potential to become a top 10 back in the league.
Team Fits:
Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders
Projected Pick: #29 to the Green Bay Packers
3) Christian McCaffrey - Stanford
McCaffrey is an "offensive weapon" to still the term from former Titans and now Los Angeles Chargers RB/WR Dexter McCluster. He can catch and he can run... Look for him to become the new Pierre Thomas or Darren Sproles... Both of whom played for Sean Payton in New Orleans (hint hint).
Team Fits:
New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay
Projected Pick: #27 to the Kansas City Chiefs
4) Alvin Kamara - Tennessee
While Kamara is impressive on the field, his off-field issues have teams worried (much like Oklahoma product Joe Mixon). If a team takes a chance on Kamara, they will be getting a talented runner on the field, but also a potentially harmful one off the field.
Team Fits: Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers
5) D'onta Foreman - Texas
Foreman surpasses Mixon merely because of the character concerns Mixon brings to the table. In his junior year (this past season), Foreman lead the nation with 184.4 yards per game. Foreman is one of the deepest sleepers in this running back class as he is one of the most talented runners out there. However, he also fumbled 6 times this past season which could scare scouts from taking him too early.
Team Fits:
Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers
Honorable Mentions:
Joe Mixon - Oklahoma
Kareem Hunt - Toledo
James Conner - Pitt
Wide Receivers
1) Mike Williams - Clemson
Williams is this draft's best receiver and posssesses great hands and a big frame accompanied with good bounce allowing him to beat almost any corner to a jump ball.
Team Fits: Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers
Projected Pick: #9 to the Cincinnati Bengals
2) Corey Davis - Western Michigan
Has the highest upside of any receiver in the draft, drawing comparisons to players like Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall.
Team Fits: Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers
Projected Pick: #17 to the Washington Redskins
3) John Ross - Washington
This speedster ran an NFL combine record 4.22 in the 40 yard dash. Would provide a great deep threat or route runner for a receiver needy team like the Ravens.
Team Fits: New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Seattle
Projected Pick: #16 to the Baltimore Ravens
4) JuJu Smith-Schuster - USC
Smith-Schuster is a gifted receiver and athlete, but injuries could hurt his draft stock and career.
Team Fits:
Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns
5) Zay Jones - East Carolina
The surprise of the senior bowl... Outplayed #1 receiver Mike Williams at the senior bowl and could become a key starter in the NFL within 3 years.
Team Fits:
Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers
Honorable Mentions:
Dede Westbrook - Oklahoma
ArDarius Stewart - Alabama
Cooper Kupp - Eastern Michigan
Josh Reynolds - Texas A&M
Isaiah Ford - Virginia Tech
Tight Ends
1) OJ Howard - Alabama
Howard and Myles Garrett are the two real freak athletes in this draft. Howard has great hands as well which will allow him to become the next Tony Gonzalez.
Team Fits:
New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns
Projected Pick: #10 to the Buffalo Bills
2) David Njoku - Miami
Njoku is a great tight end who could be compared to Antonio Gates or Julius Thomas.
Team Fits:
Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins
Projected Pick: #19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3) Evan Engram - Mississippi
4) Bucky Hodges - Virginia Tech
5) Gerald Everett - South Alabama
Honorable Mention
Jake Butt - Michigan
Offensive Linemen
1) Ryan Ramczyk - Wisconsin
The best offensive tackle in the draft, Ramczyk is still seen to be picked at 15+.
Team Fits:
New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals
Projected Pick: #22 to the Miami Dolphins
2) Forrest Lamp - Western Kentucky
Lamp has drawn a lot of praise from scouts and draft analysts so far.
Team Fits:
Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans
Projected Pick: #15 to the Indianapolis Colts
3) Garrett Bolles - Utah
A solid tackle, high chance he gets picked late 1st round.
Team Fits: Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos
Projected Pick: #22 to the New York Giants
4) Cam Robinson - Alabama
An overrated blocker out of the nation's most prestigious football school, Robinson seeks to outdo former Crimson Tide star tackle Greg Robinson on the proffessional level.
Team Fits:
Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, Tennessee Titans
Projected Pick: #20 to the Denver Broncos
5) Dan Feeney - Indiana
Feeney has risen up draft boards rather smoothly and under the radar, but is one of the safest players in the draft.
Team Fits:
Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars
Honorable Mentions
Pat Elflein - Ohio State
Dion Dawkins - Temple
Dorian Johnson - Pitt
Defensive Linemen
1) Myles Garrett - Texas A&M
Freak athlete. Can't get any better of a pick than this. Combination of a JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney with Bud Dupree sort of acceleration.
Team Fits:
All
Projected Pick: #1 to the Cleveland Browns
2) Solomon Thomas - Stanford
Viewed to be the second best player in the draft, could become a pro-bowler within his next 3 years.
Team Fits:
San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets
Projected Pick: #2 to the San Francisco 49ers
3) Jonathan Allen - Alabama
Top 5 player in the draft, Allen could be a huge success or a huge failure for a franchise.
Team Fits:
Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers
Projected Pick: #5 to the Tennessee Titans
4) Takkarist McKinnley - UCLA
Good player, will only get better. Can make plays in the backfield consistently. Will drop significantly on draft day, only because of the supreme talent this draft contains.
Team Fits:
Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills
Projected Pick: #31 to the Atlanta Falcons
5) Taco Charlton - Michigan
Good prospect, could become a great player if developed correctly.
Team Fits:
Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons
Honorable Mentions:
Derek Barnett - Tennessee - Projected Pick: #11 to the New Orleans Saints
Charles Harris - Missouri
Malik McDowell - Michigan State
Caleb Brantley - Florida
Linebackers
1) Reuben Foster - Alabama
Big-time player, but has size and character concerns which could push him to the later part of the first round.
Team Fits:
Cincinatti Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals
Projected Pick: #18 to the Tennessee Titans
2) Haason Reddick - Temple
Could play defensive end but would excel as a Von Miller/Khalil Mack/Justin Houston type as an outside linebacker that occasionally lines up as a defensive end.
Team Fits:
Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders
Projected Pick: #21 to the Detroit Lions
3) TJ Watt - Wisconsin
Safest pick of the draft. Great athlete that could live up to or even outshine brother JJ's potential.
Team Fits: Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
Projected Pick: #32 to the New Orleans Saints
4) Tim Williams - Alabama
Doubles as a defensive end
Team Fits: Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans
5) Alex Anzalone - Florida
One of the biggest sleepers in the draft.
Team Fits:
Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings
Honorable Mentions:
Zach Cunningham - Vanderbilt- Projected Pick: #24 to the Oakland Raiders
Jarrad Davis - Florida
Ben Boulware - Clemson
Sleeper alert
Cornerbacks
1) Marshon Lattimore - Ohio State
Top corner in the draft. Good to great cover skills that will only get better with time. Would be a nice fit in Todd Bowles' defense in New York if they don't reach for North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Tribusky.
Team Fits: New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears
Projected Pick: #8 to the Carolina Panthers
2) Marlon Humphrey - Alabama
Played well under extremely successful coach Nick Saban at Alabama and drew high praise from his former coach. Would do well as a late 1st or early 2nd rounder.
Team Fits:
New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projected Pick: #13 to the Arizona Cardinals
3) Gareon Conley - Ohio State
Underrated prospect, but could blossom into a true lockdown corner. Potential to dominate from year one.
Team Fits:
New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projected Pick: #14 to the Philadelphia Eagles
4) Tre'Davious White - Louisiana State
Very underrated corner, but could have some baggage coming into the NFL. Will go late in the 1st or early in the second.
Team Fits:
Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinatti Bengals
5) Chidobe Awuzie - Colorado
Lightning fast corner out of Colorado that gets little to no credit for his solid contributions on the field.
Team Fits:
Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets
Honorable Mentions:
Teez Tabor - Florida
Adoree Jackson - USC
Rasul Douglas -West Virginia
Kevin King - Washington
Quincy Wilson - Florida
Safety
1) Jamal Adams - Louisiana State
Exciting prospect could become a stud in a top-tier defense. Comes from the same line as Eric Berry and could be an even better playmaker than the Chiefs star.
Team Fits:
Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears
Projected Pick: #3 to the Chicago Bears
2) Malik Hooker - Ohio State
Hooker is the best coverage safety in the draft and draws comparisons to superstar Ed Reed who dominated for the Baltimore Ravens in the early 2000s. Could become one of the NFL's best ball-hawking safeties in the next few years.
Team Fits:
San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals
Projected Pick: #7 to the San Diego Chargers
3) Budda Baker - Washington
Baker is a great talent, but with two top-10 talents ahead of him at his position, he will have to wait his turn on draft day.
Team Fits:
Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals
4) Marcus Williams - Utah
Williams has flown up draft boards and is seen as someone who could take over the reins at safety in the next couple of years. Flashes HUGE potential.
Team Fits:
Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans
5) Josh Jones - NC State
Athletic freak, reminds of Cowboys' free safety Byron Jones who holds the record at the NFL Combine for the broad jump.
Team Fits:
Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints
Honorable Mentions:
Desmond King - Iowa
Marcus Maye - Florida
Obi Melifonwu - UCONN
Eddie Jackson - Alabama
Deep sleeper alert... Dealing with major leg injury, but once fully healed could become star safety in the NFL
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