Post-Combine / Pre-Draft Rankings

[Vendetta]

I've been working on my list for the past week and feel like I'm close enough to share it for better or for worse. My top 10 is fairly set but there's just so much depth that it's tough to gauge who goes where after that. A few guys have moved way up my board since my last set of rankings early in January as I became more familiar with them while some have obviously fallen. Would love to see how everybody else ranks these guys now that the combine is finished.

Tier 1
1. Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

- The crown jewel of this draft class. Not a perfect prospect by any means, gets dinged during games and may have to answer some questions from his off-field issues during his sophomore season but the talent is evident each time you see him play. He put an exclamation point on his career with his performance in the Orange Bowl and turned in a solid combine. I haven't loved the potential landing spots I've seen for him in mock drafts though (Oakland, St. Louis, Buffalo..) but his college career and skillset make it tough to rank anybody ahead of him at this point.

Tier 2
2. Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
3. Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
4. Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington
5. Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, LSU

- Jordan Matthews has been "my guy" for quite some time now and he even surprised me by what he did at the combine. I love receivers with big hands and he's got 'em. Plus his surprising speed during the 40 was just another checkmark beside his name. Evans boasts more upside but comes with more risk as well which leads me to rank the safer Matthews ahead of him. I've come around on Evans though who I previously had ranked out of my top 12 because of his poor route running (which is still a concern), however, his wingspan impressed the hell out of me and his speed was also very exciting for a player of his size. Boom-or-bust player the same way that Alshon Jeffery was a couple of years ago and will only be 21 years old by the time the season starts. Beckham is another huge riser on my boards, he looked electric at the combine but still has the tape and the college production to back it up meaning he's not just a workout warrior. Another guy with big hands and game breaking speed. Bishop Sankey also cemented himself as the top RB on my board with a strong combine and solid measureables that stack up nicely when compared to Doug Martin's.

Tier 3
6. Marqise Lee, WR, USC
7. Carlos Hyde, RB, Ohio State
8. Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
9. Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State
10. Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State

- This is definitely the year of the receiver, 7 of my top 10 players are receivers. I understand that there's a lot of Lee fans that will be cursing me for having their guy ranked in tier 3 but personally I just would feel more comfortable having one of my top 5 over him. It has nothing to do with his production this past season and I know the video game numbers he posted a year prior. I just don't have a great feel for Lee as a player. USC receivers carry a negative connotation for me but he is definitely an explosive player that has great tape to completely ignore. Allen Robinson would definitely be a top six player in any other draft class. He's got great size and his 40 wasn't all that disappointing because his jumps were explosive. He's going to be an awesome value pick if he lands in a good situation. Brandin Cooks' performance at the combine plus the solid bowl game he posted to finish his college career opened a lot of eyes. He's going to need to go to a great situation though with a team that can be creative and use him in ways that take advantage of what he does well for him to reach his full potential or else he'll be doomed to repeat the lackluster rookie season Tavon Austin just finished. Carlos Hyde is a bulldozer in the Eddie Lacy mold who'll likely be an instant starter if he lands in a team like Cleveland, Jacksonville or Tennessee while Eric Ebron is head-and-shoulders above the other prospects at his position.

Tier 4
11. Charles Sims, RB, West Virginia
12. Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
13. Ka'Deem Carey, RB, Arizona
14. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
15. Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU
16. Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss
17. Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
18. Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State
19. Tre Mason, RB, Auburn
20. Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor

- Here's where things go off the track a little bit. Situation and personal preference will play the biggest factor in where these guys go in rookie drafts. This is also proof though of how deep this class really is when you can go towards the bottom of your 2nd round and still be calling the names of players with impressive numbers and measureables.

Charles Sims - sleeper alert! Kelvin Benjamin - huge target. Carey, didn't do himself any favors at the combine but still has shown enough to be an option at the end of round 1 or early in round 2. I still believe in ASJ's talent, has the size to be an inline TE which means he'll stay on the field more and is a huge target in the red zone, possible TD monster. Jeremy Hill likely could move up depending on landing spot. Donte Moncrief is my favorite round 2 target. Jace Amaro's small 9" hands surprised me, he'll likely be a project at the next level and might require patience. Couldn't catch a cold during drills. Davante Adams is another intriguing 2nd round prospect. Tre Mason and Seastrunk both need to improve in pass protection to be given meaningful playing time but Seastrunk showed surprisingly well catching the ball in his drills.

Tier 5
21. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
22. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
23. Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State
24. Martavis Bryant, WR, Clemson

- Too much depth at other positions for QBs to go highly unless a team was in desperate need of one but I don't see the Andrew Luck / RG3 / Cam Newton talent from either of these two for them to warrant higher selections in rookie drafts. I still believe that Bridgewater is the most talented QB in this draft despite what the consensus says about Manziel and Blake Bortles. Freeman could be this year's surprise pick who outplays his draft stock and Bryant is a physical specimen with great jump ball ability who could develop into a better pro than college player.

[clarion contrarion]

this is well done and I appreciate the effort used to complete it.
although your rankings vary from mine a bit - people contributing this type of stuff is one of the things that makes the destination uno every morning to get the fresh dynasty info.
thanks from all of us.

[TheDeflator]

Yes, thanks for the post. I have a very similar top 10 but like you mentioned with the later picks, it all depends on personally preference and landing spot

[Big Al]

Thanks for the time you put into this post. Mine like everyone else will very a bit. As you mentioned landing spots are important for many of these guys. It is fun to see where others rank the prospects, it is a good read.

[Jimmy Jones]

Great post. The a RB's are extremely hard to judge. I personally have Mason and Hill in the top 4. They seem like legit 3-down backs whereas the other guys are either small and nimble, or just big and slow.

[DJB]

Fantastic post and love the analysis done for most of the guys listed.

Terrific stuff!

[Vendetta]

Thanks very much guys, I appreciate the positive feedback!

[growskey23]

I'm completely with you on Jordan Matthews. Things like this only solidify it:

NFL.com's Gil Brandt considers Vanderbilt WR Jordan Matthews to be one of the hardest working prospects out there.
"Everyone was worried about his speed, and some wonder whether he's going to be just a possession receiver," Brandt writes. "What I know about Matthews is that he's one of the hardest-working prospects out there. He's the guy who, whenever he stops playing football, will be a hugely successful person, whether it's as a politician or a banker or an entrepreneur. He's a really special guy." Matthews has the ideal size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds)and speed (4.46 at Combine) that coaches are looking for at the next level, but his mental make-up is something that will only help his stock moving forward. Matthews is projected to go in the second-round of the draft.

Talent+Incredibly hard worker=one of my favorite prospects.

[KMA]

Nice read Vendetta

[Vendetta]

I'm completely with you on Jordan Matthews. Things like this only solidify it:

NFL.com's Gil Brandt considers Vanderbilt WR Jordan Matthews to be one of the hardest working prospects out there.
"Everyone was worried about his speed, and some wonder whether he's going to be just a possession receiver," Brandt writes. "What I know about Matthews is that he's one of the hardest-working prospects out there. He's the guy who, whenever he stops playing football, will be a hugely successful person, whether it's as a politician or a banker or an entrepreneur. He's a really special guy." Matthews has the ideal size (6-foot-3, 209 pounds)and speed (4.46 at Combine) that coaches are looking for at the next level, but his mental make-up is something that will only help his stock moving forward. Matthews is projected to go in the second-round of the draft.

Talent+Incredibly hard worker=one of my favorite prospects.

I read that too, I love hearing stuff like this. He also asked for tape on the corners he'd be facing at the Senior Bowl so he could prepare. When you add in the fact that he's related to Jerry Rice to boot...sign me up!

[Huddle3233]

Thanks for your analysis.

[Vendetta]

I appreciate it george and Huddle. Thanks guys!

How's everybody else's rankings coming along?

[Teichert713]

Very nice post... Good stuff...

[MrUbuto]

love the jordan matthews love!

[kmbryant09]

I appreciate it george and Huddle. Thanks guys!

How's everybody else's rankings coming along?

Mine are still very much in the works, so they are subject to change, and this list is probably incomplete:

Tier 1:
Sammy Watkins

Tier 2:
Marquise Lee
Mike Evans
Bishop Sankey
Carlos Hyde

Tier 3:
Eric Ebron
Jordan Matthews
Odell Beckham Jr.
Brandin Cooks

The rest still to come