This installment is my ranking of the top defensive players at each position in the draft. This would be a draft grade, not necessarily a best fit for any one team. The difficulty with defense is scheme. Some 4-3 players are not fits for 3-4 teams, and visa versa. Some players work well in any scheme, but may be best in a specific scheme. Such is the case with Marcus Peters as an example. I will explain later.
Best 3-4 NT's
1. Shelton
2 Goldman
3. Davis
4. Phillips
5. Parry
6. Mbu
7. X. Williams
8. Lott
9. Simon
10. Davison
The first three guys are immovable forces. I think all start right away and have very productive careers. Shelton timed badly at the combine, but moves laterally so well that he sometimes makes tackles along the sidelines. Light on his feet, and tough to move off the line of scrimmage. Goldman is probably even more stout than Shelton, and much heavier on his feet. He is the classic 3-4 NT that welcomes double teams. A complete nightmare for the interior of the line. Played excellent football against outstanding interior OL this year (gave John Miller quite a challenge). Davis completely dominated Senior Bowl week, and the game. I don't see the motor turn on and off that many seem to state. He simply is doubled a TON, maybe more than any DT in this draft. When he is one on one, there is little chance to move him back. Very disruptive presence. Phillips runs hot and cold to me. One game excellent, and then one game virtually invisible. Singled by a tiny TCU center almost the whole game and was silent. Then, roars back in the next game. Love Parry's game. Size limitations, but all heart. He has a spot in this league. Joey Mbu will be one of the better value picks in this draft. Stud NT with some lateral movement skills. I really liked his play throughout the year, especially against Pitt.
Best 3-4 DE
1. Williams
2. Davis
3. Armstead
4. Anderson
5. Hardison
6. Phillips
7. Richardson
8. Walton
9. Lott
10. Simon
Williams is best suited for a 3-4 DE role, and I think a 4-3 team is going to grab him. Very good athlete, and has tremendous upside. Versatile along the line. Don't think he will be a superstar. Great run defender (the best stack and shed defender in this draft) but spotty in pass rush. Not sure why. He has all the tools, but simply struggles to regularly pressure the QB. Too streaky for me to be considered elite, but still a really good player. Davis can play the 3-4 DE role for a team that values large DE's hogging up OL along their DL, like the Ravens. He has the length and strength to be a headache for a long time. Armstead has great upside. The prototypical size for the position, and a very productive national championship game against a solid OSU line. All the tools, just needs time. Anderson is a great value pick. Is the most like JJ Watt since JJ Watt. The length, strength, and ability to be disruptive along the LOS. He will never be JJ, but when he flashes, you can see the similarities. Hardison played the role of a 4-3 DE at ASU, and sometimes kicked inside on passing downs. Very light and quick feet. Raw, but super fast in short areas. A lot to like.
Best 4-3 DT
1. Williams
2. Shelton
3. Davis
4. Goldman
5. Brown
6. Jarrett
7. Armstead
8. Anderson
9. Hardison
10. Parry.
List is similar to other places on the line, but wanted to add notes on M. Brown and G. Jarrett. Brown is Mr. Consistency on the DL. In fact, he was probably the most consistent of all DL in the nation this year. Solid game in and out. Mature, smart, sees the field well, and reads and reacts effortlessly. Just a very good one-gap 4-3 DT. Jarrett is this year's version of Aaron Donald. Smallish, but camps in the backfield. I watched a LOT of Clemson football, and he makes so many plays behind the LOS. Maybe one of the top 3 most disruptive defenders in this draft. If he was two inches taller and 15 pounds heavier, he'd be a top 15 pick.
Best 3-4/4-3 Edge Rushers
1. Beasley
2. Ray
3. Fowler
4. Harold
5. Gregory
6. Orchard
7. Odighizuwa
8. Dupree
9. Flowers
10. P. Smith
My best overall player in the 2015 NFL Draft is Vic Beasley. Sacks, pressures, forced turnovers, big plays at big moments. He gives a team everything they want from an edge rusher. Effortless in reverse in coverage. One of my biggest concerns was weight. He stacked on 15 pounds this offseason, and still blew up the combine. Elite speed/strength/explosive numbers. At the combine, here was his ranking compared to other DL (he was in the DL grouping): 40 yard dash- 4.53- number one; Bench Press- 35- number one; Vertical- 41"- number one; Long jump- 10'10"- number one; 3 cone drill- 6.91- number one. After dominating college and the Combine, to me, he is number one. Love Ray, think he is a stud. Very similar to Beasley in college productivity/game. Love the attitude, effort, determination. Great story in overcoming tough family circumstances. I am cheering for the kid. The only one to really challenge DJ Humphries this year. I like the size and strength of Fowler. The most NFL ready to play the 4-3 DE as well as the 3-4 OLB (Beasley and Ray need to be 3-4 OLBs). Just a step slower than the other guys, and you can see it in the amount of sacks. Harold is a young stud. Only 20, and best football ahead. Long and super fast around the corner. Blazing ten yard split. The only player to challenge Ereck Flowers this year. I will take him over Gregory any day of the week. Speaking of the pot smoker, this is a guy who is one of the most athletic guys in the draft, but isn't a great football player. He will get attention and some stats, but not elite in any way. Should be more productive. Maybe the NFL will turn it around. While Gregory does less with more, Orchard is the opposite. He squeezes every ounce of energy and talent on the field. Unassuming is probably a good thing for him. He gave Peat a rough time this year, and then did the same to M. Bunche of UCLA, and then embarrassed Ty Sambrailo of Colorado State. Take him lightly, and he will win. Odighizuwa is a terror on the field for UCLA. Might be graded even higher, but his medicals have me concerned. Could drop into the 3rd round because of this. Dupree is nearly a clone to Gregory. Excellent athlete, has no idea what he is doing on the football field. Mediocre instincts. Flowers on the flip side has little measurables to get excited about (terrible 40 times), but he is a constant highlight reel. Wish he played over the LT more, but showed the size and strength to hold up as a very solid 4-3 DE with solid pass rush skills. He is a winner.
Best Interior LB's
1. Dawson
2. Anthony
3. Kendricks
4. McKinney
5. Perryman
6. Spaight
7. Wilson
8. Heeney
9. Hager
10. Jones
Dawson could have run a 5.50 at the combine. He plays much faster on the field, and is a playmaker at MLB. Tackles for loss, interceptions at key times (he won that Oklahoma game with his pick six). forced fumbles. I leave every game shaking my head. Measurables are terrible, but they were also horrible for a guy named Zach Thomas, who overcame physical limitations with ridiculous instincts and high football IQ. That is Dawson. Anthony is a stud athlete with a rocked up physique, who runs around all over the place making plays. Outstanding Senior Bowl week, and Combine. Good instincts. Kendricks is not as athletic as Anthony, but has slightly better instincts. Not sure if he can play all three downs (more than likely he can), but a guy who understands the game, and plays it to win. Good, good football player. Big drop-off to the remaining crew. McKinney may be moved to DE, Perryman flashes but is not consistent enough, Spraight is a stud but probably best on the outside.
Best Safeties
1. Randall
2. Sample
3. Collins
4. Tartt
5. Harris
6. Amos
7. D. Smith
8. Campbell
9. Hackett
10. Eskridge
In a horrible safety class, one player's athleticism and aggressiveness jump out on me: D. Randall. Fast, passionate, and willing to hit somebody (can a person lend his tape to C. Prewitt). He is the best safety in this class. Switch jerseys between James Sample and Landon Collins and then tell me who is the better football player. It is Sample. Fast, smooth, a willing hitter and much better in coverage. Local Sacramento kid who took a winding course to Louisville- I don;t care about any of that. I see a really good football player. Collins is excellent moving forward. Solid in run defense. Smart, excellent leader. The reason he is not the best is coverage skills. Killed Alabama in multiple games this year in blown coverages and just getting beat (my hand hurts pounding the table over and over again). Don't believe the talking heads on Collins. Good player, not great player. Tartt, for a small schooler, really had a terrific Senior Bowl week. Think he has starter qualities. JUst needs some time. Harris is not the best athlete, but is a tackling machine. Love watching him make tackle after tackle. Excellent instincts and football IQ. The rest of the list leaves me wanting.
Best Corners
1. Waynes
2. Johnson
3. Peters
4. Collins
5.Jones
6. Rowe
7. Rollins
8. Williams
9. Darby
10. Ekre-Olomu
The CB class is like witchcraft for me this year. Just a big question mark everywhere. Waynes is a solid corner. Higher graded for me that Dennard last year. Great combination of speed, quickness and the ability to play press and off. Just a really well-rounded player. However, not elite. Thought he struggled a bit against Baylor and Antwan Goodley. Johnson is the smooth operator of the group. Glides around the field. Effortless in and out of breaks (you can see that in his 3 cone and short shuttle times). Has no problem tackling. Wished he played closer to the LOS in college more often. Gave some quick outs a bit too often for me. Peters is the most controversial CB to me in this draft, because he is two players on the field. When he plays press, he is the best CB in the draft. When he plays off, he is exposed too many times. My favorite tape to show this, of the many, is his game against ASU and Jalen Strong. Great in his face, bad when Strong ran toward him. Has a tendency to be sloppy in his form, and rely too much on his athleticism. Collins is the opposite of Johnson. He runs around like his hair is on fire. Has all the length and recovery speed you need. Just very raw in his play, which is expected because he is a baby in football. Needs time. Jones is an intriguing prospect. I don;t see the elite, world class athleticism on the football field as I saw at the combine, but he is a solid football player. Long and solid recovery skills. Good ball skills. Rowe and Rollins both look raw to me, and both are guys who might end up at safety. The FSU guys are intriguing. Both have excellent skills, but both have off the field issues that could drive them down the board. Williams loves the alcohol, and the car. Bad combination. Good football player. Darby was one of the two players present when WInston was either having consensual sex, or raping, a college girl. Supposedly, Darby and another walked in on them to embarrass the two. Darby was not cooperative in answering questions during much of the case, and was eventually cleared of the incident. Fast player, but I just don't trust that he will keep on the right path.
One note on Shaq Thompson, since many people liked his play at Washington. Really good college player and athlete. Just not sure where to put him on the field. Some say RB, some say big SS, and some think outside backer. I believe his best fit is in a Tampa 2 as an outside backer. I really like how he moves on the field, but wished he would be more aggressive in tackling. He is not on the same level as the "Cody Prewitt wants to look pretty and not make contact all game", but I don't see the grit to be a stud NFL player.
Overall, I like the defensive players more than the offensive players in this draft. Outside of the safety class, it is full of really good players who should make a terrific impact in the NFL.
Cheers to all. Hang in there two weeks.
[ Edited by MadDog49er on Apr 16, 2015 at 7:59 PM ]