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Crabbs | Pre-Senior Bowl Top 5 position rankings
By
Kyle Crabbs
Published on January 16, 2018
The Senior Bowl marks the first large step towards the 2018 NFL Draft, with the NFL Combine to follow in late February/early March. As it stands right now, I have done over 150 assessments on players eligible for the 2018 NFL Draft. Here are the current top 5 at each position.*
*The NFL Combine is accounted into my scoring thanks to the use of historical data. This scores and player order is still considered fluid until scores are finalized.
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (RS Senior)
Josh Rosen, UCLA (Junior)
Sam Darnold, USC (RS Sophomore)
Lamar Jackson, Louisville (Junior)
Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State (Senior)
This position group has been fascinating ever since last May when we first set eyes on it. The names are the same, the order, a bit different. Mayfield checks all my required boxes from a metrics standpoint and has really come into his own playing within the structure of his offense in 2017. Rosen is the most physically gifted player on the field but durability concerns and a pedestrian production score (turnovers!) are currently considered tiebreakers against him. Both are franchise QB options and viable Top 10 selections.
I also consider Darnold and Jackson to be starters in the NFL. Both have more variance as a passer with their decision making than the top 2 and both are effective with their legs to extend inside and outside the pocket.
Rudolph is currently being pushed by small school prospect Kyle Lauletta from Richmond, who I need to see more of.
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley, Penn State (Junior)
Derrius Guice, Louisiana State (Junior)
Nick Chubb, Georgia (Senior)
John Kelly, Tennessee (Junior)
Ronald Jones II, USC (Junior)
Barkley is one of the supreme prospects in this class. From a traits/metrics production, there won’t be a single box he doesn’t check. Meanwhile, Guice has the ability to be RB1 in probably 9 of 10 Drafts a year, this just happens to be the odd year out. Georgia’s Chubb has done very well to ease concerns surrounding his knee. Medicals will prove vital to him being drafted appropriately, but on the field he’s a clear late 1st RD caliber back.
John Kelly is underappreciated because he was never able to consistently find space to run the ball. His early season work through September was as good as you can hope for. Ronald Jones II is a three down back with an angry running style. He won’t time especially well, but he’s a runner first and foremost.
Wide Receivers
Courtland Sutton, SMU (RS Junior)
Calvin Ridley, Alabama (Junior)
Auden Tate, Florida State (Junior)
Anthony Miller, Memphis (RS Senior)
DJ Moore, Maryland (Junior)
Sutton has the ceiling to be an alpha WR at the NFL level, plus a level of production that can back the upside up and offer him a tiebreaker over the other top top names. Calvin Ridley is a very different kind of receiver: a quick footed technician. His route polish is unmatched outside of maybe Anthony Miller.
Auden Tate has the highest ceiling of any WR in the class. A bully on the boundary, Tate also shows capable finesse and an understanding of working around contact just as much as he can work through it. Miller will be pegged as a slot for some, but he looks to me like a guy who can win on the boundary as a Z-receiver.
DJ Moore is a bit of a wildcard, as he’s an open field dynamo and has some of the most impressive big plays you’ll see in the class.
Tight Ends
Hayden Hurst, South Carolina (Junior)
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State (Senior)
Mark Andrews, Oklahoma (RS Junior)
Adam Breneman, Massachusetts (RS Senior)
Chris Herndon, Miami (Senior)
Hurst is an aged prospect, but his receiving skill and physical maturity are big pluses in a group that features a lot of pedestrian blocking. Goedert is a freak receiver who has some of the best hands you’ll lay eyes on.
Andrews is the popular name and should be a quality starter early in his pro career but he lacks the upside of the two names in front of him. Can Adam Breneman’s knees hold up? If so, this is the most well rounded TE in the class.
Chris Herndon isn’t quite as athletic as former teammate David Njoku, but he’s a solid athlete after the catch and is an accomplished and capable blocker as well.
Offensive Tackles
Connor Williams, Texas (Junior)
Jamarco Jones, Ohio State (Senior)
Orlando Brown Jr, Oklahoma (RS Junior)
Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigan (Senior)
Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame (RS Senior)
The Draft realm seems to have cooled on Williams, but my assessment suggests he’s still go terrific recovery balance and a highly athletic skill set. Jamarco Jones is one of the most criminally underrated players in this entire class, he’s scheme diverse and should push to play quickly.
Orlando Brown Jr. is a heavyweight with terrific length, just don’t make the mistake of pining for him at RT. He’s a left side protector! Okorafor is a personal favorite, he’s got very high upside and the ability to make an impact in the run and pass game alike.
McGlinchey is classic vanilla. You know exactly what you’re going to get, which almost makes him “boring”. McGlinchey is a quality run blocker with some kinks to work out in protection, but he’s absolutely a starter in the NFL.
Interior Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame (RS Junior)
Billy Price, Ohio State (Senior)
Mason Cole, Michigan (Senior)
Frank Ragnow, Arkansas (Senior)
Braden Smith, Auburn (Senior)
In a vacuum, Quenton Nelson might be the best football player in the class. Period.
Billy Price isn’t someone I’m as high on as compared to former teammate Pat Elflein (who was top 20 on my 2017 board), but he’s a quality option at Guard or Center and possesses very good natural strength. Mason Cole impressed me with his tough play at LT after being forced to play outside in 2017. Cole looked like a Guard, but he looked good with his tenacity.
Ragnow was injured and missed the end of the season but he reminds me of Dan Feeney with his style of play. Braden Smith disappointed me some this year when looking at his full resume, he didn’t play like the top tier player I was expecting to see.
EDGE Defenders
Bradley Chubb, North Carolina State (Senior)
Arden Key, Louisiana State (Junior)
Harold Landry, Boston College (Senior)
Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest (RS Senior)
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma (Senior)
No one has made bigger waves from before the season than Bradley Chubb, who feels like a shoo in for a top-5 selection in April. Arden Key didn’t have a good year, but he didn’t have a bad year, either. There were plenty of reminders of just how gifted Key is, but what is his health like? Is the personal issue that caused him to miss the spring resolved?
Harold Landry is another player who didn’t have the senior year he likely wanted, but his burst and bend should not be so quickly overlooked. Ejiofor has some of the best hands in this class, he’s very fluid transitioning one counter to another and working to his target. Okoronkwo will get pegged for lack of length but he’s an urgent, non-stop rusher.
Interior Defensive Line
Taven Bryan, Florida (RS Junior)
Da’Ron Payne, Alabama (Junior)
Vita Vea, Washington (RS Junior)
Maurice Hurst, Michigan (RS Senior)
Andrew Brown, Virginia (Senior)
This is one of the best position groups in the class. Each of the top 4 has the look and feel of a 1st RD player. Bryan will need to continue adding polish as a finisher, but his hands are the most devastating and powerful in the group. Same can be said for Da’Ron Payne, but only if he plays the way he did in the CFB Playoff this year.
Vita Vea might be the most fun study I’ve had this season. He rag-dolls blockers. Andrew Brown reminds me of Malik McDowell, but without the off field concerns. He’s versatile and explosive for his size.
Off Ball Linebackers
Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech (Junior)
Roquan Smith, Georgia (Junior)
Rashaan Evans, Alabama (Senior)
Skai Moore, South Carolina (RS Senior)
Jack Cichy, Wisconsin (RS Senior)
Edmunds is a high ceiling player. His physical skills (at his size) are simply unmatched. Add in a strong nose for run fits between the tackles? That’s a top notch prospect. Roquan Smith is another player who added to his stock greatly from the start of the season, he may be the sharpest LB between the ears.
Rashaan Evans has made nice strides as a starting LB at Alabama since he stepped into that role at the start of 2016. He’s much more effective in space and zone coverage now. Speaking of coverage, Skai Moore is a fun player with more ball production than many defensive backs. He’s got a great nose for the ball.
Jack Cichy is a medical wildcard after tearing his pectoral and ACL in the last two years. When healthy, he’s a stud.
Cornerbacks
Denzel Ward, Ohio State (Junior)
Jaire Alexander, Louisville (Junior)
Josh Jackson, Iowa (Junior)
Holton Hill, Texas (Junior)
Quenton Meeks, Stanford (Junior)
Denzel Ward has all the ball skills and foot quickness in the world. Can he still appeal to all 32 teams despite his size? (He appeals to me). Jaire Alexander fought hard this year to come back and play well after an early season injury. He’s an effective corner in any type of coverage.
Josh Jackson made all the splash plays this season. No one had a better year as it relates to driving forward and challenging the ball. Holton Hill is the best tackler in the class at CB and has terrific size. But off the field concerns are a huge red flag looming on the horizon.
Quenton Meeks fits the mold of an ideally built CB in today’s NFL. Lots of length and lots of good reps in the trail position.
Safeties
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama (Junior)
Derwin James, Florida State (RS Sophomore)
Ronnie Harrison, Alabama (Junior)
Jordan Whitehead, Pittsburgh (Junior)
Armani Watts, Texas A&M (Senior)
Aside of Quenton Nelson, Minkah Fitzpatrick feels like the most “sure thing” this year. Corner, Safety…it doesn’t matter. You want him on the field for your team.
Derwin James has become a popular player to dislike, but he’s a terrific athlete with booming presence in the box. Think Kam Chancellor. Alabama’s other safety, Ronnie Harrison, is another big bodied defender who stands out for physical play.
Jordan Whitehead is an aggressive tackler who loves to play forward. He also shows discipline out in space but doesn’t have the best of ball skills when compared to his contemporaries. Add in multiple team levied suspensions and there’s some hurdles for him to clear.
Armani Watts improved as a tackler this year and should project well as a starter. But how well can he hold up in comparison to his bigger contemporaries?
By
Kyle Crabbs
Published on January 16, 2018
The Senior Bowl marks the first large step towards the 2018 NFL Draft, with the NFL Combine to follow in late February/early March. As it stands right now, I have done over 150 assessments on players eligible for the 2018 NFL Draft. Here are the current top 5 at each position.*
*The NFL Combine is accounted into my scoring thanks to the use of historical data. This scores and player order is still considered fluid until scores are finalized.
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma (RS Senior)
Josh Rosen, UCLA (Junior)
Sam Darnold, USC (RS Sophomore)
Lamar Jackson, Louisville (Junior)
Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State (Senior)
This position group has been fascinating ever since last May when we first set eyes on it. The names are the same, the order, a bit different. Mayfield checks all my required boxes from a metrics standpoint and has really come into his own playing within the structure of his offense in 2017. Rosen is the most physically gifted player on the field but durability concerns and a pedestrian production score (turnovers!) are currently considered tiebreakers against him. Both are franchise QB options and viable Top 10 selections.
I also consider Darnold and Jackson to be starters in the NFL. Both have more variance as a passer with their decision making than the top 2 and both are effective with their legs to extend inside and outside the pocket.
Rudolph is currently being pushed by small school prospect Kyle Lauletta from Richmond, who I need to see more of.
Running Backs
Saquon Barkley, Penn State (Junior)
Derrius Guice, Louisiana State (Junior)
Nick Chubb, Georgia (Senior)
John Kelly, Tennessee (Junior)
Ronald Jones II, USC (Junior)
Barkley is one of the supreme prospects in this class. From a traits/metrics production, there won’t be a single box he doesn’t check. Meanwhile, Guice has the ability to be RB1 in probably 9 of 10 Drafts a year, this just happens to be the odd year out. Georgia’s Chubb has done very well to ease concerns surrounding his knee. Medicals will prove vital to him being drafted appropriately, but on the field he’s a clear late 1st RD caliber back.
John Kelly is underappreciated because he was never able to consistently find space to run the ball. His early season work through September was as good as you can hope for. Ronald Jones II is a three down back with an angry running style. He won’t time especially well, but he’s a runner first and foremost.
Wide Receivers
Courtland Sutton, SMU (RS Junior)
Calvin Ridley, Alabama (Junior)
Auden Tate, Florida State (Junior)
Anthony Miller, Memphis (RS Senior)
DJ Moore, Maryland (Junior)
Sutton has the ceiling to be an alpha WR at the NFL level, plus a level of production that can back the upside up and offer him a tiebreaker over the other top top names. Calvin Ridley is a very different kind of receiver: a quick footed technician. His route polish is unmatched outside of maybe Anthony Miller.
Auden Tate has the highest ceiling of any WR in the class. A bully on the boundary, Tate also shows capable finesse and an understanding of working around contact just as much as he can work through it. Miller will be pegged as a slot for some, but he looks to me like a guy who can win on the boundary as a Z-receiver.
DJ Moore is a bit of a wildcard, as he’s an open field dynamo and has some of the most impressive big plays you’ll see in the class.
Tight Ends
Hayden Hurst, South Carolina (Junior)
Dallas Goedert, South Dakota State (Senior)
Mark Andrews, Oklahoma (RS Junior)
Adam Breneman, Massachusetts (RS Senior)
Chris Herndon, Miami (Senior)
Hurst is an aged prospect, but his receiving skill and physical maturity are big pluses in a group that features a lot of pedestrian blocking. Goedert is a freak receiver who has some of the best hands you’ll lay eyes on.
Andrews is the popular name and should be a quality starter early in his pro career but he lacks the upside of the two names in front of him. Can Adam Breneman’s knees hold up? If so, this is the most well rounded TE in the class.
Chris Herndon isn’t quite as athletic as former teammate David Njoku, but he’s a solid athlete after the catch and is an accomplished and capable blocker as well.
Offensive Tackles
Connor Williams, Texas (Junior)
Jamarco Jones, Ohio State (Senior)
Orlando Brown Jr, Oklahoma (RS Junior)
Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigan (Senior)
Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame (RS Senior)
The Draft realm seems to have cooled on Williams, but my assessment suggests he’s still go terrific recovery balance and a highly athletic skill set. Jamarco Jones is one of the most criminally underrated players in this entire class, he’s scheme diverse and should push to play quickly.
Orlando Brown Jr. is a heavyweight with terrific length, just don’t make the mistake of pining for him at RT. He’s a left side protector! Okorafor is a personal favorite, he’s got very high upside and the ability to make an impact in the run and pass game alike.
McGlinchey is classic vanilla. You know exactly what you’re going to get, which almost makes him “boring”. McGlinchey is a quality run blocker with some kinks to work out in protection, but he’s absolutely a starter in the NFL.
Interior Offensive Line
Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame (RS Junior)
Billy Price, Ohio State (Senior)
Mason Cole, Michigan (Senior)
Frank Ragnow, Arkansas (Senior)
Braden Smith, Auburn (Senior)
In a vacuum, Quenton Nelson might be the best football player in the class. Period.
Billy Price isn’t someone I’m as high on as compared to former teammate Pat Elflein (who was top 20 on my 2017 board), but he’s a quality option at Guard or Center and possesses very good natural strength. Mason Cole impressed me with his tough play at LT after being forced to play outside in 2017. Cole looked like a Guard, but he looked good with his tenacity.
Ragnow was injured and missed the end of the season but he reminds me of Dan Feeney with his style of play. Braden Smith disappointed me some this year when looking at his full resume, he didn’t play like the top tier player I was expecting to see.
EDGE Defenders
Bradley Chubb, North Carolina State (Senior)
Arden Key, Louisiana State (Junior)
Harold Landry, Boston College (Senior)
Duke Ejiofor, Wake Forest (RS Senior)
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma (Senior)
No one has made bigger waves from before the season than Bradley Chubb, who feels like a shoo in for a top-5 selection in April. Arden Key didn’t have a good year, but he didn’t have a bad year, either. There were plenty of reminders of just how gifted Key is, but what is his health like? Is the personal issue that caused him to miss the spring resolved?
Harold Landry is another player who didn’t have the senior year he likely wanted, but his burst and bend should not be so quickly overlooked. Ejiofor has some of the best hands in this class, he’s very fluid transitioning one counter to another and working to his target. Okoronkwo will get pegged for lack of length but he’s an urgent, non-stop rusher.
Interior Defensive Line
Taven Bryan, Florida (RS Junior)
Da’Ron Payne, Alabama (Junior)
Vita Vea, Washington (RS Junior)
Maurice Hurst, Michigan (RS Senior)
Andrew Brown, Virginia (Senior)
This is one of the best position groups in the class. Each of the top 4 has the look and feel of a 1st RD player. Bryan will need to continue adding polish as a finisher, but his hands are the most devastating and powerful in the group. Same can be said for Da’Ron Payne, but only if he plays the way he did in the CFB Playoff this year.
Vita Vea might be the most fun study I’ve had this season. He rag-dolls blockers. Andrew Brown reminds me of Malik McDowell, but without the off field concerns. He’s versatile and explosive for his size.
Off Ball Linebackers
Tremaine Edmunds, Virginia Tech (Junior)
Roquan Smith, Georgia (Junior)
Rashaan Evans, Alabama (Senior)
Skai Moore, South Carolina (RS Senior)
Jack Cichy, Wisconsin (RS Senior)
Edmunds is a high ceiling player. His physical skills (at his size) are simply unmatched. Add in a strong nose for run fits between the tackles? That’s a top notch prospect. Roquan Smith is another player who added to his stock greatly from the start of the season, he may be the sharpest LB between the ears.
Rashaan Evans has made nice strides as a starting LB at Alabama since he stepped into that role at the start of 2016. He’s much more effective in space and zone coverage now. Speaking of coverage, Skai Moore is a fun player with more ball production than many defensive backs. He’s got a great nose for the ball.
Jack Cichy is a medical wildcard after tearing his pectoral and ACL in the last two years. When healthy, he’s a stud.
Cornerbacks
Denzel Ward, Ohio State (Junior)
Jaire Alexander, Louisville (Junior)
Josh Jackson, Iowa (Junior)
Holton Hill, Texas (Junior)
Quenton Meeks, Stanford (Junior)
Denzel Ward has all the ball skills and foot quickness in the world. Can he still appeal to all 32 teams despite his size? (He appeals to me). Jaire Alexander fought hard this year to come back and play well after an early season injury. He’s an effective corner in any type of coverage.
Josh Jackson made all the splash plays this season. No one had a better year as it relates to driving forward and challenging the ball. Holton Hill is the best tackler in the class at CB and has terrific size. But off the field concerns are a huge red flag looming on the horizon.
Quenton Meeks fits the mold of an ideally built CB in today’s NFL. Lots of length and lots of good reps in the trail position.
Safeties
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama (Junior)
Derwin James, Florida State (RS Sophomore)
Ronnie Harrison, Alabama (Junior)
Jordan Whitehead, Pittsburgh (Junior)
Armani Watts, Texas A&M (Senior)
Aside of Quenton Nelson, Minkah Fitzpatrick feels like the most “sure thing” this year. Corner, Safety…it doesn’t matter. You want him on the field for your team.
Derwin James has become a popular player to dislike, but he’s a terrific athlete with booming presence in the box. Think Kam Chancellor. Alabama’s other safety, Ronnie Harrison, is another big bodied defender who stands out for physical play.
Jordan Whitehead is an aggressive tackler who loves to play forward. He also shows discipline out in space but doesn’t have the best of ball skills when compared to his contemporaries. Add in multiple team levied suspensions and there’s some hurdles for him to clear.
Armani Watts improved as a tackler this year and should project well as a starter. But how well can he hold up in comparison to his bigger contemporaries?