OTC's Talent Tier Board

*** Before you read the board, please take a moment to read the description of what this actually is. This is not a projection board at all -- this is a measure of talent levels across eligible players to assess the best values for each pick per round. Keep in mind that these are my personal grades based on my observations. I make these boards to show that each year, top level talents always fall beyond the round they should probably go in. For now, I'm limiting it to two tiers (Tier one is Rounds 1-2, Tier two is Rounds 3-4). ***

This list includes all declared players.

All right, so now that you know what this is, now you can post with all knowledge and understanding.

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Note: As this is a massive list, there is bound to be a player or two I may have missed, feel free to ask if you think there's someone missing. It may just be that I don't see them as a 4th round talent or better. Anyways, here we go.

TIER ONE:

First Round talents

Quarterback:
Colt McCoy, Texas
Sam Bradford, Oklahoma*
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame*

Running back:
C.J. Spiller, Clemson
Ryan Mathews, Fresno State*
Jahvid Best, California*

Tight End:
Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma
Aaron Hernandez, Florida*

Wide Receiver:
Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State**
Golden Tate, Notre Dame*

Tackle:
Russell Okung, Oklahoma State
Trent Williams, Oklahoma
Charles Brown, USC
Bruce Campbell, Maryland*
Anthony Davis, Rutgers*
Bryan Bulaga, Iowa*

Center:
Maurkice Pouncey, Florida*

Guard:
Mike Iupati, Idaho

Defensive End:
Everson Griffen, USC*
Brandon Graham, Michigan
Jerry Hughes, TCU
Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida*
Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech*
Carlos Dunlap, Florida*

Defensive Tackle:
Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska
Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma*
Brian Brice, UCLA*
Dan Williams, Tennessee
Terrance Cody, Alabama
Jared Odrick, Penn State

Inside Linebacker:
Rolando McClain, Alabama*
Daryl Washington, TCU

Outside Linebacker:
Ricky Sapp, Clemson
Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri

Cornerback:
Patrick Robinson, Florida State
Joe Haden, Florida*
Kareem Jackson, Alabama*
Devin McCourty, Rutgers
Kyle Wilson, Boise St.

Safety:
Taylor Mays, USC
Eric Berry, Tennessee*
Chad Jones, LSU*


Second Round talents

Quarterback:
None

Running back:
Johnathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech*
Dexter McCluster, Mississippi
Toby Gerhart, Stanford

Tight End:
Rob Gronkowski, Arizona**
Anthony McCoy, USC

Wide Receiver:
Marshawn Gilyard, Cincinnati
Arrelious Benn, Illinois*
Brandon LaFell, LSU
Damian Williams, USC*
Eric Decker, Minnesota
Jacoby Ford, Clemson

Tackle:
Jason Fox, Miami
Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale
Rodger Saffold, Indiana

Center:
Matt Tenant, Boston College
J.D. Walton, Baylor

Guard:
Jon Asamoah, Illinois
John Jerry, Mississippi
Vladimir Ducasse, Massachusetts

Defensive End:
Corey Wootton, Northwestern
Greg Hardy, Mississippi

Defensive Tackle:
Tyson Alualu, Cal
Cam Thomas, North Carolina
Lamarr Houston, Texas
Geno Atkins, Georgia
Arthur Jones, Syracuse

Inside Linebacker:
Brandon Spikes, Florida
Sean Lee, Penn St.

Outside Linebacker:
Navorro Bowman, Penn State*
Sergio Kindle, Texas
Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State*
Koa Misi, Utah

Cornerback:
Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest
Dominique Franks, Oklahoma*
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana (PA)

Safety:
Reshad Jones, Georgia*
Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech*
Nate Allen, South Florida
Earl Thomas, Texas**


TIER TWO:

Third Round talents

Quarterback:
Tony Pike, Cincinnati
Jevan Snead, Mississippi*
Tim Tebow, Flordia
Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan

Running back:
Ben Tate, Auburn
Montario Hardesty, Tennessee
Joe McKnight, USC*
Anthony Dixon, Mississippi St.

Tight End:
Clay Harbour, Missouri State
Ed Dickson, Oregon
Tony Moeaki, Iowa
Dennis Pitta, BYU
Andrew Quarless, Penn State
Jimmy Graham, Miami

Wide Receiver:
Dezmon Briscoe, Kansas*
Mike Williams, Syracuse*
Marcus Easley, Connecticut
Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech*
Carlton Mitchell, South Florida*
Jordan Shipley, Texas
Jeremy Williams, Tulane
Dorin Dickerson, Pittsburgh

Tackle:
Selvish Capers, West Virginia
Kyle Calloway, Iowa
Tony Washington, Abilene Christian

Guard:
Mike Johnson, Alabama
Mitch Petrus, Arkansas

Defensive End:
Austin Lane, Murray State
Jermaine Cunningham, Florida
C.J. Wilson, East Carolina
Lindsey Witten, Connecticut
Alex Carrington, Arkansas St.

Defensive Tackle:
Jeff Owens, Georgia
Torrell Troup, Central Florida
Linval Joseph, East Carolina*
Mike Neal, Purdue

Inside Linebacker:
Jamar Chaney, Mississippi St.

Outside Linebacker:
Eric Norwood, South Carolina
Dekota Watson, Florida State
Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech*
Rennie Curran, Georgia*

Cornerback:
Donovan Warren, Michigan*
Perrish Cox, Oklahoma St.
Walter Thurmond, Oregon
Jerome Murphy, South Florida
Amari Spievey, Iowa*
Javier Arenas, Alabama

Safety:
T.J. Ward, Oregon
Major Wright, Florida*
Darrell Stuckey, Kansas
Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech


Fourth Round talents

Quarterback:
Jarrett Brown, West Virginia
Jonathan Crompton, Tennessee

Running back:
Charles Scott, LSU
James Starks, Buffalo
Joique Bell, Wayne State
LeGarrette Blount, Oregon

Tight End:
Garrett Graham, Wisconsin
Colin Peek, Alabama

Wide Receiver:
Antonio Brown, Central Michigan*
Danario Alexander, Missouri
Riley Cooper, Florida
Blair White, Michigan St.
Andre Roberts, Citadel
Taylor Price, Ohio
Freddie Barnes, Bowling Green

Tackle:
Chris Scott, Tennessee

Center:
Eric Olsen, Notre Dame

Guard:
Brandon Carter, Texas Tech
Zane Beadles, Utah
Jeff Byers, USC
Ciron Black, LSU
Marshall Newhouse, TCU

Defensive End:
Rahim Alem, LSU
Brandon Lang, Troy
Clifton Geathers, South Carolina*
George Selvie, South Florida
E.J. Wilson, North Carolina

Defensive Tackle:
D'Anthony Smith, Louisiana Tech
Corey Peters, Kentucky
Mick Williams, Pittsburgh
Vince Oghobaase, Duke

Inside Linebacker:
Pat Angerer, Iowa
Donald Butler, Washington State
Phillip Dillard, Nebraska

Outside Linebacker:
Kevin Basped, Nevada*
Kavell Conner, Clemson
Arthur Moats, James Madison
Sam Maxwell, Kentucky
O'Brien Schofield, Wisconsin
Perry Riley, LSU
A.J. Edds, Iowa

Cornerback:
Brian Jackson, Oklahoma
Trevard Lindley, Kentucky
Alterraun Verner, UCLA
Myron Lewis, Vanderbilt
Syd'Quan Thompson, Cal
Chris Cook, Virginia
Kevin Thomas, USC

Safety:
Kurt Coleman, Ohio State
Myron Rolle, Florida State
Robert Johnson, Utah
Terrell Skinner, Maryland
Larry Asante, Nebraska

One guy I didn't see was Rolando McClain.

At RB:

Jahvid Best
Jonathan Dwyer

Nevermind, I guess they haven't declared yet (though Best would be foolish not to considering his scary moment of near paralysis)

Originally posted by PA9erFaithful:
One guy I didn't see was Rolando McClain.

Hasn't declared. He said his list only includes guys who have.

Originally posted by PA9erFaithful:
One guy I didn't see was Rolando McClain.

Hasn't declared yet.

Even if they're "expected to" declare, I'll wait until they actually do to add them. The lists only includes Seniors and declared underclassmen.

Am I understanding correctly that tier 1 equates to first round talent, in spite of what round they are picked in? And tier 2 is second round talent even though in rounds 3-4?

Do u really think Alualu from Cal is a DT in the pro's? Didn't he play end at Cal? I think he's way to small to play DT.

Anyways, thanks for the hard work as usual OTC. I guess you either left out Bulaga (OT) off your list of 1st round talents or missed him?

Originally posted by Ninefan56:
Am I understanding correctly that tier 1 equates to first round talent, in spite of what round they are picked in? And tier 2 is second round talent even though in rounds 3-4?

No, the tiers are just a collective grouping. Players' talent levels however, are separated by the actual round.

Tier One simply combines 1st AND 2nd round talent.
Tier Two simply combines 3rd AND 4th round talent, respectively.

NFL Teams rate players in three tiers. Rounds 1-2, 3-4, and 5-7. Hope that helps explain a little better.

Originally posted by kronik:
Do u really think Alualu from Cal is a DT in the pro's? Didn't he play end at Cal? I think he's way to small to play DT.

Anyways, thanks for the hard work as usual OTC. I guess you either left out Bulaga (OT) off your list of 1st round talents or missed him?

He's certainly not too small to play DT. At 6-2 295, his size is fine. Former Auburn DT Sen'Derrick Marks at 6-1 295 was drafted in the 2nd by the Titans last year. His size is not an issue.

Alualu played End for Cal because they run a 3-4. If a 4-3 team drafts him, he'd play DT.

Again: This list ONLY includes DECLARED Underclassmen and Seniors -- If they have not declared, they are not in the list.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by kronik:
Do u really think Alualu from Cal is a DT in the pro's? Didn't he play end at Cal? I think he's way to small to play DT.

Anyways, thanks for the hard work as usual OTC. I guess you either left out Bulaga (OT) off your list of 1st round talents or missed him?

He's certainly not too small to play DT. At 6-2 295, his size is fine. Former Auburn DT Sen'Derrick Marks at 6-1 295 was drafted in the 2nd by the Titans last year. His size is not an issue.

Alualu played End for Cal because they run a 3-4. If a 4-3 team drafts him, he'd play DT.

Again: This list ONLY includes DECLARED Underclassmen and Seniors -- If they have not declared, they are not in the list.

My bad, didn't realize Bulaga is not a senior. As for Aluaalu, didn't know he was that big. He looks much smaller on TV. I wonder if his weight listed is from last year, and he has lost weight to play end this year.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by kronik:
Do u really think Alualu from Cal is a DT in the pro's? Didn't he play end at Cal? I think he's way to small to play DT.

Anyways, thanks for the hard work as usual OTC. I guess you either left out Bulaga (OT) off your list of 1st round talents or missed him?

He's certainly not too small to play DT. At 6-2 295, his size is fine. Former Auburn DT Sen'Derrick Marks at 6-1 295 was drafted in the 2nd by the Titans last year. His size is not an issue.

Alualu played End for Cal because they run a 3-4. If a 4-3 team drafts him, he'd play DT.

Again: This list ONLY includes DECLARED Underclassmen and Seniors -- If they have not declared, they are not in the list.

So, OTC...where's Bulaga on your list???What about Anthony Davis???????? j/k

P.S. I like the 18 disclaimers before your list begins. Reminds me of my Big Board.
Cheers.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by kronik:
Do u really think Alualu from Cal is a DT in the pro's? Didn't he play end at Cal? I think he's way to small to play DT.

Anyways, thanks for the hard work as usual OTC. I guess you either left out Bulaga (OT) off your list of 1st round talents or missed him?

He's certainly not too small to play DT. At 6-2 295, his size is fine. Former Auburn DT Sen'Derrick Marks at 6-1 295 was drafted in the 2nd by the Titans last year. His size is not an issue.

Alualu played End for Cal because they run a 3-4. If a 4-3 team drafts him, he'd play DT.

Again: This list ONLY includes DECLARED Underclassmen and Seniors -- If they have not declared, they are not in the list.

So, OTC...where's Bulaga on your list???What about Anthony Davis???????? j/k

P.S. I like the 18 disclaimers before your list begins. Reminds me of my Big Board.
Cheers.

Haha. We both know no one ever reads them and skip straight to the list.

So, MD, I've been hearing rumblings about Tre' Young (also goes by Oliver) being talked to by 49ers scouts. Dynamic return man and receiver for South Carolina State. Interesting.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by OnTheClock:

Originally posted by kronik:
Do u really think Alualu from Cal is a DT in the pro's? Didn't he play end at Cal? I think he's way to small to play DT.

Anyways, thanks for the hard work as usual OTC. I guess you either left out Bulaga (OT) off your list of 1st round talents or missed him?

He's certainly not too small to play DT. At 6-2 295, his size is fine. Former Auburn DT Sen'Derrick Marks at 6-1 295 was drafted in the 2nd by the Titans last year. His size is not an issue.

Alualu played End for Cal because they run a 3-4. If a 4-3 team drafts him, he'd play DT.

Again: This list ONLY includes DECLARED Underclassmen and Seniors -- If they have not declared, they are not in the list.

So, OTC...where's Bulaga on your list???What about Anthony Davis???????? j/k

P.S. I like the 18 disclaimers before your list begins. Reminds me of my Big Board.
Cheers.

Haha. We both know no one ever reads them and skip straight to the list.

So, MD, I've been hearing rumblings about Tre' Young (also goes by Oliver) being talked to by 49ers scouts. Dynamic return man and receiver for South Carolina State. Interesting.

As for Young, he's getting interest from a handful of teams. I think it's interesting that the Browns are looking at him though. That seems to indicate that they like him as a WR and not just as a returner, unless they play on eventually phasing out Cribbs as a returner as the Bears did with Hester.

We could use some younger guys that actually have big-play potential, especially at WR. I'm just glad that we're showing some interest in returners. Since Rossum left, it's been ugly on ST.

If we can address our primary needs by R3 of:
OT
Pass Rush
OG
DB

Would you take McCluster in R4 if he's there to fix the return game as well as another option on Offense or do we think he could be gone by then?

Great list so far, OTC.