In the lull before the combine, lots of time to review players who I believe are at the top of this draft. Below is my list of who I believe at this moment are the 32 best players in the draft. As stated before, I am not high on the top level players this year, feeling that it has a TON of question marks in that top group. Last year, I felt much more secure in my top 10, with receivers Watkins, Evans and Beckham, and lineman such as Martin, Donald, Robinson, as well as my number one overall, Mack. My only regret from last year is that I chickened out and graded Clowney at number 13, instead of lower. Lesson learned- stick to your guns.
This year, it feels very topsy-turvy, and I think this draft could be a wild one. The depth of this draft is excellent, and there will be superb value for mid-third round selections.
1-Leonard Williams USC DT
2-Kevin White West Virginia WR
3-Dante Fowler Florida DE/LB
4-Amari Cooper Alabama WR
5-Shane Ray Missouri DE/LB
6-Brandon Scherff Iowa OT
7-La'El Collins LSU OT/G
8-Danny Shelton Washington DT
9-DeVante Parker Louisville WR
10-Eddie Goldman Florida St DT
11-Melvin Gordon Wisconsin RB
12-Carl Davis Iowa DT
13-Nate Orchard Utah DE/OLB
14-Trae Waynes Michigan St CB
15-PJ Williams Florida St CB
16-Todd Gurley Georgia RB
17-Paul Dawson TCU LB
18-Shaq Thompson Washington LB
19-Denzel Perryman Miami LB
20-Cameron Erving Florida St C/G
21-Vic Beasley Clemson LB
22-Maxx Williams Minnesota TE
23-Arik Armstead Oregon DE/DT
24-Tevin Coleman Indiana RB
25-Ereck Flowers Miami OT
26-Andrus Peat Stanford OT
27-Marcus Mariota Oregon QB
28-Jameis Winston Florida St QB
29-Randy Gregory Nebraska DE/LB
30-Ty Lockett Kansas St WR
31-John Miller Louisville G
32-Laken Tomlinson Duke G
I'd be happy to entertain any questions regarding players on the list and off. I currently have first round grades on 23 players. Did a complete reversal on Kevin White recently. Personal prejudices against players can cause some unfair evals. Mea culpa on me for White- I think he is a terrific football player.
A final note before submission- One of my personal favorite players in the draft may fade on and off this list as time passes. Paul Dawson of TCU may be the best LB in this draft, but character issues are a big, big question mark. Hopefully, this can be clarified. On the field, he reminds me of a player I had a top 15 grade on a few years ago, Bobby Wagner. Just a stud monster.
Right now, I am flipping coins regarding Mariota and Winston. Honestly, I don't care for either, but the QB position is so valuable, and the next QB off the board is so bad (don't even get me going on Hundley), that I have them on this list. For the record, Yuck!
Cheers.
[ Edited by MadDog49er on Feb 3, 2015 at 9:28 PM ]